So fed up with my kid who won't eat anything

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid eats:
PB&J
Pasta that he dips in hummus
Bacon
Yogurt with granola
Apples (2-4 per day)
Chicken nuggets
Raw baby spinach
Quesadilla
Cheese and crackers
Pizza
Cantaloupe
mango
cucumber slices
Muffins
Toaster waffles

That’s pretty much it. No burgers or hot dogs. No sandwiches.
No sauces on food. No dipping sauce except hummus.
Ped says he eats too many food for feeding therapy. We just let him eat from his rotation. On the bright side - he can and will eat the same thing every day. When we were home for the early pandemic, he ate PB&J, apple slices, and milk for lunch every day from mid-March until the end of June. 7 days a week. When he was 3 or 4, I made him Annie’s Mac and cheese every day for 6 months.

OP here. My kid is similar but the list is similar. It's more like:

PB&J
Mac & cheese (sometimes, only if from the box)
Yogurt with fruit and/or granola
Apples
Berries
Cheese and crackers (sometimes won't eat the cheese)
Muffins (any baked good really)
Toaster waffles
Corn (sometimes)
Mangos (in a smoothy)
Bananas (in a smoothy)
Citrus fruit (definitely in a smoothy, and sometimes also on its own)
Rice
Beans (sometimes)

No veggies, no pizza, no quesadillas, and the proteins are soooo limited. She does drink milk so that helps a bit, but I have been getting worried that she may have lactose intolerance issues because she complains of digestive issues frequently.

Not sure if this is limited enough for intervention. But still interested to know what an intervention would look like.

[Anonymous]

It doesn’t sound like you are the problem it could be anxiety related for her. But what non meat proteins have you tried? Will she eat black beans? My kid loves them on tortilla cheese with some shredded cheese with it all stuck under the broiler for 2 mins. Apple with PB and honey is a favorite snack of hers too. If she won’t touch meat look at no meat options…. Eggs, try different ways of cooking them, my kid won’t eat a fried egg by itself for example but loves it on a mini bagel. French toast, loves it.

[Anonymous]

I’m the above PP, just saw your list. Try sneaking spinach into the smoothies. What about cheese sticks?

[Anonymous]

If you are concerned about lactose issues try switching to soy milk for a couple of weeks. Or almond, look at the nutrition labels and see which one is better. We do almond because I want more calcium. It doesn’t have much protein though, soy is better for that.

[Anonymous]

My kids was like that -- drove me nuts. My DH would imply it was my fault and so I would try harder. Finally got it in perspective. DD is 21 now and has a good attitude about food and eats healthily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t sound like you are the problem it could be anxiety related for her. But what non meat proteins have you tried? Will she eat black beans? My kid loves them on tortilla cheese with some shredded cheese with it all stuck under the broiler for 2 mins. Apple with PB and honey is a favorite snack of hers too. If she won’t touch meat look at no meat options…. Eggs, try different ways of cooking them, my kid won’t eat a fried egg by itself for example but loves it on a mini bagel. French toast, loves it.

OP here and I hear you. She stopped eating meat around 3.5 and non-meat proteins have become a big focus. She used to consistently eat beans but that's actually what prompted my frustrations today -- I meal prepped rice and beans for her this week which is usually one of our go-tos, and then both yesterday and today she rejected it, and told me she doesn't like how beans taste anymore, and picked at the rice. Losing that is such a blow -- we're down to yogurt, peanut butter, nuts, and a few protein-fortified foods now. And milk. But again, looking at maybe there being lactose intolerance, which cuts us down peanut butter and nuts, and I can't send peanut butter to school or camp.

Thinking about this makes me so exhausted.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, my 6.5 year old with anxiety is very very similar. We talk a LOT about needing to eat foods with protein and calcium for her bones and muscles. But you just can’t pressure a kid like this or they shut down with a panic response. Giving her choice (you need to pick a protein, but it can be Greek yogurt OR a cheese OR beans). And continuous exposure. You beat anxiety with exposure, not avoidance, but you have to do it in the right way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m the above PP, just saw your list. Try sneaking spinach into the smoothies. What about cheese sticks?

She has a real nose for spinach and kale and I have not successfully snuck it into anything yet. Even if I use sweeteners to mask the bitterness, she will reject a smoothy with any greens in it (even like a leaf or two). But I'll keep trying.

Cheese she will eat but is extremely particular. No cheese sticks or string cheese, but she will eat sliced cheese on crackers if it's right out of the fridge (never packed in a lunch or snack). She also looooves brie, it's one of the few foods she really, really enjoys, so I do brie on crackers, toast, apples, you name it. But lol, of course my enormously picky eater enjoys a good triple cream brie.

Maybe she can taste how much food costs, and that's why she will only eat the most expensive fruits and cheeses? She's just really refined

[Anonymous]

I'm seeing lists by folks of mostly breakfast and snack foods, although the snacks include fruit. I wonder if your kids have not been exposed to cooked meals for dinner 5-6 days a week that are kid friendly? Not trying to be snarky. Exposure is key to adding new foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t sound like you are the problem it could be anxiety related for her. But what non meat proteins have you tried? Will she eat black beans? My kid loves them on tortilla cheese with some shredded cheese with it all stuck under the broiler for 2 mins. Apple with PB and honey is a favorite snack of hers too. If she won’t touch meat look at no meat options…. Eggs, try different ways of cooking them, my kid won’t eat a fried egg by itself for example but loves it on a mini bagel. French toast, loves it.

OP here and I hear you. She stopped eating meat around 3.5 and non-meat proteins have become a big focus. She used to consistently eat beans but that's actually what prompted my frustrations today -- I meal prepped rice and beans for her this week which is usually one of our go-tos, and then both yesterday and today she rejected it, and told me she doesn't like how beans taste anymore, and picked at the rice. Losing that is such a blow -- we're down to yogurt, peanut butter, nuts, and a few protein-fortified foods now. And milk. But again, looking at maybe there being lactose intolerance, which cuts us down peanut butter and nuts, and I can't send peanut butter to school or camp.

Thinking about this makes me so exhausted.

Will she eat almond butter? Mac and cheese with puréed white beans? Edamame or fried tofu?

[Anonymous]

OP here and thank you to those of you with older kids sharing your similar experiences. I know it seems like I'm arguing with people but I'm really looking for solutions. It is helpful to hear how others have done it. And just to hear that it does get better and your kids are healthy and even, at some point, more normal (or even adventurous) eaters. It is a useful counterpoint to the people I encounter who are like "my kid loves salad, beets, mahi-mahi, lentils, and rosemary focaccia -- have you tried serving those?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t sound like you are the problem it could be anxiety related for her. But what non meat proteins have you tried? Will she eat black beans? My kid loves them on tortilla cheese with some shredded cheese with it all stuck under the broiler for 2 mins. Apple with PB and honey is a favorite snack of hers too. If she won’t touch meat look at no meat options…. Eggs, try different ways of cooking them, my kid won’t eat a fried egg by itself for example but loves it on a mini bagel. French toast, loves it.

OP here and I hear you. She stopped eating meat around 3.5 and non-meat proteins have become a big focus. She used to consistently eat beans but that's actually what prompted my frustrations today -- I meal prepped rice and beans for her this week which is usually one of our go-tos, and then both yesterday and today she rejected it, and told me she doesn't like how beans taste anymore, and picked at the rice. Losing that is such a blow -- we're down to yogurt, peanut butter, nuts, and a few protein-fortified foods now. And milk. But again, looking at maybe there being lactose intolerance, which cuts us down peanut butter and nuts, and I can't send peanut butter to school or camp.

Thinking about this makes me so exhausted.

Will she eat almond butter? Mac and cheese with puréed white beans? Edamame or fried tofu?

Almond butter, yes. Any nut or seed butter, actually -- we do sunbutter and wow butter for school lunches, and peanut/almond butter or hazelnut spread at home. Edamame is hit or miss -- we do it a lot as a snack or with dinner and sometimes she will eat a few if they are warm and seasoned. Tofu has been a failure -- she hates the texture (I actually do too, so I can't blame her). I'll try the pureed white beans -- that's a new one for me but I could see it working if I incorporate it well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm seeing lists by folks of mostly breakfast and snack foods, although the snacks include fruit. I wonder if your kids have not been exposed to cooked meals for dinner 5-6 days a week that are kid friendly? Not trying to be snarky. Exposure is key to adding new foods.

I am one of the people with a picky kid. My kid was fed a hot family style meal at preschool for 4 years (3 preschool years, a year off, another year while he went there for pandemic virtual school, + 2 full summers of camp). Literally a thousand or more meals. He will not eat things he does it like. He had trouble breastfeeding. He was picky as a baby and toddler with purées. There are sweets and desserts he won’t eat.

People who think truly picky eaters are from a lack of parents trying or offering the right combination of food and discipline have no idea what they are talking about. It’s as annoying as people who think bed wetting is a lack of potty training and not a developmental/ medical issue.

My kids are really, really picky. I am also a really good cook and I make beautiful, delicious home cooked meals most nights. It’s always available to my kids. My kids who refuse to try mash potatoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm seeing lists by folks of mostly breakfast and snack foods, although the snacks include fruit. I wonder if your kids have not been exposed to cooked meals for dinner 5-6 days a week that are kid friendly? Not trying to be snarky. Exposure is key to adding new foods.

Did you read anything the OP wrote? She cooks every day. She offers her child a variety of meals. Stop with the sanctimommy, it's not applicable here, a-hole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm seeing lists by folks of mostly breakfast and snack foods, although the snacks include fruit. I wonder if your kids have not been exposed to cooked meals for dinner 5-6 days a week that are kid friendly? Not trying to be snarky. Exposure is key to adding new foods.

It's like you're not reading the thread at all, but thanks for your contribution