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[quote=Anonymous]I'm so sorry, OP.  It can be so frustrating. I know you are trying so hard!

My kids are teens now.  One of them was definitely picky ... Mostly outgrown it now, so I partly just want to say that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel :).  Hang in there, accept your kid for who he is (and what he likes/dislikes), and know that life is about so much more than dinner.

That said, here's what seems to have eventually worked for my kid.  Forcing bites never did - he rejected them immediately, and then it somehow reinforced his idea that it would be bad and made him reject the idea of the next thing that much more strongly.

We just kept putting food on his plate. Not just on the table in front of him, but we served a small portion (sometimes just one or two bites) on his plate.  And then we wouldn't mention it.  He would never ask for a serving of something new, but if it was right there, sometimes a small amount would work its way onto his fork.  A decent variety - not overwhelming, but at least a few times a week we'd have 1-2 things we knew he'd eat and 1-2 new things (other nights would be 'all safe' so he didn't get freaked out).  Never anything super spicy or that we knew he would hate, but things that we thought he might like if he tried them with an open mind.  Many, many nights, the new things got thrown out untouched. But ... When the stars aligned... He would try a small bite. And sometimes that was that. But gradually, over time, he would ask for a second helping of something.

This took years. Literally. And I don't actually know if it would have been faster with another method.  It's likely that we weren't actually doing anything, other than waiting for him to outgrow the stubbornness.  I don't claim to have studies done on hundreds of children.  But I do know that it was low stress, DH and I got to eat what we liked, meals didn't turn into battles, and eventually he came around.  He's now 14, still definitely has some likes and dislikes, but eats a great variety of foods AND is really open to trying new things.

Good luck![/quote]

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