I have a picky eater. And he’s driving me crazy.
I’ve read and heard of all types of tips.
Like don’t force him, he’ll eat when he’s ready. Or he’ll go to bed hungry and wake up so hungry he cries and cries until you give him some bread to shut him up.
Like the no thank you bite. I’ve sat there for hours waiting for him just to have a tiny nibble. Plus then I read that if you force a kid to try something, he/she is less likely to like it later. Awesome.
Like the empty plate that he has to ask for food to get it. Guess what. He asked for food, but he refused all vegetables, including the two he’ll eat, carrots and corn. (And if some smart ass reader tries to tell me corn is not a vegetable, just slap the back of your head for me.)
Like give him a small amount. Yeah, then he refuses the small amount.
Add cheese or dressings. Vegetables still not eaten with cheese or dressings.
Always prepare something he likes with something he doesn’t. Then he still doesn’t eat the stuff he insists he doesn’t like but has never tried.
Ignore him. He still won’t eat.
Make him eat it. (Old school and desperate) You want to know what happens? He vomits.
Sneak vegetables into the foods he likes. This works well, except now the kid won’t trust my pizza, even when I don’t add a puree.
So yeah, I’m getting a little desperate. I save his meals until the next one unless he eats it all or tries a bite of each. I don’t bribe with food (though the grandparents do occasionally). I sometimes bribe getting excused from the table. I’ve sat with him from dinner time to bedtime, squaring off for him just to take a damn bite. I’ve sent him to time out, and that didn’t work At All. Obviously I’ll never force feed him again. I taught him the drink milk after you try something technique, but it only works if he takes a bite in the first place. He’s liked something one day and refused to eat it the next time it’s presented to him.
The kid just won’t eat.
My BFF insists that some people are picky eaters. Thanks. But that’s not helping. Since my kid refuses homemade mac and cheese, parmesan chicken (without sauce), bean burritos, and fried shrimp. He won’t even try celery. (And yes, I’ve smeared it with peanut butter and cream cheese, and he only licks that stuff off.)
This last week or so has been particularly hard because I’m only cooking for the boys and me. There’s a lot of food in the fridge left over from the meals. If I was smarter, I would just make hamburgers and hot dogs all week, but no, I enjoy a challenge. I also have the undying hope that one of these days he’ll try my cooking and enjoy it.
So any other suggestions I haven’t tried? Should we start a club?




