Reply to How long to make picky eater sit at table and eat?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I wouldn't set the dinner table up battle ground.  Meals are supposed to be pleasant.

I agree that you should serve something that you know that your child likes along with the meal.  Encourage your child to try the new foods - but no yelling or forcing him to try foods.  It is better to be laid back about it.

They eventually start to branch out.  Patience.[/quote]

OP here. I would do this if he was two but he is 9... It's getting ridiculous. It truly is not a battle. No yelling, no crying, etc. he just eats slow if it's not something he loves. He gets fruit after as he loves fruit but not eating the simplest of foods is not an option in our house[/quote]

It's your house, your rules.  But I personally would not force a 9 year old to sit at the table for some random set amount of time staring at food or trying to gag down food that he doesn't like.

My son is a picky eater but he is an otherwise agreeable and good kid.  I have never for a moment thought that he was being "bad" for being picky.  He has had some genuine, very real food aversions.  But with time, patience and simply a growing teenage boy appetite he has branched out.

Make a platter of roasted chicken and put a couple of small pieces on toothpicks for him to try.  If he likes it he can have more.  Also, I've found that food cooked on the grill is more appealing.  Restaurant buffets also encourage branching out and trying new things.

As someone upthread mentioned.  Put a food that you don't like on a plate.  Now sit and stare at it for 30 minutes convincing yourself to eat it, maybe force yourself to eat it.  Was this a good experience for you?[/quote]

+1 to all of this.

Like a PP said, meals are for enjoyment and family togetherness. You responded negatively that your child is not a 2 year old, but it doesn't matter if your child is 2 or 9.

It sounds like you are really, really focused on what goes into your child's mouth, but you have not even mentioned: who else is at the table? What are your conversations like? How do you set up the table to make dinner a pleasant experience?[/quote]

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