Baked goods for Picky preschooler

[Anonymous]

My three year old is really going downhill rapidly with regards to eating. He turned three in March and I was not even concerned enough to mention it to the Dr but since then things have nose-dived. He eats pretty much no veg, fruit or meat as of the last few months. I do try to "hide" some fruit and veg in baked goods which he still eats thankfully. I make banana pancakes, pumpkin muffins etc. Use wheatgerm etc. Does anyone have any good recipes for any other baked goods with hidden nutrients? I am sinking fast. He is even starting to reject milkshakes where I was getting in a good bit of fruit. I have two other children and they were never like this. If he continues this way, there will be no foods left in his diet by the end of summer. Help!

[Anonymous]

What would happen if you stopped making him baked goods? I mean, just let him eat the other regular foods or go hungry. My kid is just 2 and is a good eater, but I often wonder how to deal with any future picky phases that come up.

[Anonymous]

He would eat nothing. Seriously. I, at least can absolve myself from blame since he has a twin sister and I have always done the same for them regarding food choices, mealtimes etc and she is still great. He goes hungry after no dinner and then proceeds to be so cranky, tired and basically unbearable in the morning. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Zucchini bread
Carrot cake/bread

Will he eat smoothies? What about apple sauce? Pear sauce?

Have you tried involving him in his food choices? I've also heard of people starting vegetable gardens with their kids in order to encourage them to eat vegetables.

As for meat, there are other ways you can get protein into his diet.

[Anonymous]

pie? will eat apple or sweet potato pie? applesauce cake is another good one.

[Anonymous]

Does he like ketchup? You can sneak all kinds of veggies into meatloaf and then smother with ketchup.

[Anonymous]

Please also have his ears checked if you haven't. My husband had a rather serious ear infection as a child and ate nothing for the longest time. By the time his annual appt rolled around the doc said he was super close to having permanent damage.

Just a thought (one you may have considered but worth throwing out there).

[Anonymous]

Another thought here. There are a number of wonderful feeding clinics in the area that treat kids who have food aversions. It might be worth an evaluation.

[Anonymous]

Our DS goes through stages. He'll eat something new but stop eating a regular item he loved. He's fine with the fruit but the veggies are tougher. And he KNOWS when we try to sneak them in there. The pediatrician suggested that for the time being we use V8 or other juices that have veggie servings in them. Or make our own. He's on the very light side so the doctor told us not to worry about the sugar at this time and to focus on trying to balance. Our DS will eat chicken but it has to be plan and with a ton of ketchup (hey there is a veggie). He will eat banana bread that we make with whole wheat and wheat germ so a little extra in that. It is frustrating but you can't turn it into a battle. It is also worth looking into if there is anything else bothering him. Our DS tends to go through times that he eats a ton then he has a growth spurt, won't touch a thing than back to eating a lot. We have also noticed that if he is teething or getting sick he just won't eat.

[Anonymous]

I really don't understand all of you.. I cook one meal for dinner and the twins have to at least try everything on their plate. They get very small portions, usually no more then a mouthful, of new things. They get nothing else - no second helping of what they like and no dessert - unless the plate is clean

[Anonymous]

I too thought my dd ate next to nothing when she was three. But in the year between 3 and 4, she gained a respectable amount of weight and is perfectly healthy. Preschoolers really can live on air.

That said, for a good dose of some nutrients (but not protein, which is our big trouble spot), try adding a tablespoon of ground flax seed to whatever you're making.

Also, check out the cookbook called Deceptively Delicious (or something like that).

Will he take a multivitamin?

[Anonymous]

Have you noticed if he likes different types of food? Our DS isn't not much into crusty or crunchy things, he prefers things that are cold over warm. Once we got a better feel on the style of food he likes they we branch out with that. He has gotten better as he gets older but he's never going to eat everything on his plate and I think from viewing DH he's going to be picky about foods. At least now as a grown up DH will try things but I can't tell you how many times he won't eat HIS veggies because they are too soft and not crunchy enough so some people just like food in a certain way.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the responses. I really don't think it has so much to do with likes and dislikes but rather control. An example is if we go to the deli counter and I order some ham, the lady gives him a slice and he wolfs it down. Come home and he will have nothing to do with it. He is a sturdy boy (always been 50%) and was great until the last 6 months, and then really getting bad this last month.

To the "unhelpful" fellow twin mom ... I have never been a short order cook and we all eat the same thing for dinner but it has come to the point that he just won't eat anything, particularly at that meal. You are fortunate, both your twins must be like my other children, they are sometimes picky but can be "encouraged" to try things and take small tastes. My son is a different breed. Don't congratulate yourself until you have one like him and then you realise that is was nothing you did or did not do.

[Anonymous]

Way to go OP. I couldn't have said it better. Its easy to be smug about your parenting when you haven't been faced with the problem. For our DS we have noticed that he really only eats one big meal a day - the rest he prefers to snack and then it might only be 5 strawberries. Its annoying when you sit down for dinner and he's only interested in one bite of food but he is required to stay at the table even if he doesn't eat. It is about control and they have the reins. We offer foods we know he likes and he can decide how much to eat. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand all of you.. I cook one meal for dinner and the twins have to at least try everything on their plate. They get very small portions, usually no more then a mouthful, of new things. They get nothing else - no second helping of what they like and no dessert - unless the plate is clean

I agree with OP. This is not a helpful post. Obviously, you are not in a similar situation and the information you rpovide is knowledge that everyone already has.

OP, I feel for you. One of my 3 kids is very picky, but we do manage to get her to eat most nights. If your DS is having control issues, sounds like it's time to have him help you prepare dinner! Maybe he's one of those kids will eat something he has a hand in preparing. (For my picky child, this never worked!)