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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b]What I'm getting from the responses is that most folks don't have a picky eater. [/b]I had this battle with my DS when he was younger and I just LOVED (insert eye roll) people's response to a child that was both a picky eater and has food allergies. Its REALLY difficult to have foods on hand the kid would eat - especially if you are out and about. It was not my child manipulating us - he had a strong gag reflex to some foods (bananas), yogurt makes him throw up and no type of nuts will pass his lips. He also gets upset when he's hungry - you can tell his blood sugar is dropping when he becomes irrational and angry. A few things that have worked for him - liquids. We have water on hand everywhere we go - there seems to be a connection with him and being dehydrated as well. That is our first line of defense - get him hydrated. If he's heading to sports practice then it might be a gatorade but mostly water. We have found some snacks to have on hand - apples for instance are another item he will eat and are relatively easy to have in his bag, the car at home. We have also found a few protein bars that he will eat. Baby carrots were also something he finally came around to eating. But the item that has worked the best for him is pretzels - a small bag along with water is enough to get him back to a happy kid and more willing to think longer term about what his healthy meal will be. Its tough - keep working on it.[/quote]

No, you're wrong. I posted before. I had a terrible eater who had allergies, oral-motor issues, texture issues and a hypersensitive gag reflex. He was borderline failure to thrive for many years.

*That never made him nasty when he was hungry*

Again, this is a personality and training issue, not a food/pickiness issue. OP's children, and other children and adults, have to learn to be self-aware. They have to learn to recognize their mood, identify its cause (hunger) and keep it in check until they can eat. I'm not saying it's easy. I know plenty of adults who still aren't that self-aware! But the best gift you can give your child is teaching him to know and control himself, instead of catering to his every need by throwing food at him. Bringing snacks on the go is very American. As Europeans, we eat before we leave, and bring, at most, some water. If anyone is hungry, they can wait until we get home again. No whining.

[/quote]
I think your approach to parenting sounds similar to mine, but you don't sound as if you have experience with people who have extreme behavior changes when their blood sugar crashes.  This can be a tough thing to regulate for both kids and adults, because by the time they realize they are hungry, their thinking has already become disordered.  My sister and one of my teens, both lovely, reasonable people normally, can become monsters seemingly out of nowhere if they fail to eat enough.  They return to normal 15 minutes or so after a meal.  Since my teen is an extremely serious athlete, it can be hard at times for him to gauge whether he's taken in enough calories to avoid the crashes.  We don't engage with him when he's like this, just hand him, or direct him to, some food.

I agree with those who recommend keeping emergency supplies on hand just in case.  We always have a case of water, nuts, and apples in the trunks of our cars.  If your child is picky, adjust the emergency supplies accordingly.[/quote]

Agree with PP assessment. Each child/young adult is different with their reaction to being hungry. Just because your child doesn't get angry even though you were faced with failure to thrive doesn't mean other kids don't. Its night and day reaction to being hungry and thirsty. It can come on so quickly its shocking. I pick him up from the bus he's fine- 10 minutes to get home and I have a nightmare child in a breakdown. All because on that day I forgot a snack. Sure at rational moments we discuss being aware of how he feels, what brings it on, how to manage it. But that doesn't mean we get it right every single time. For instance, recently traveled for Thanksgiving - because of security I waited to get him water until we got through the security check point. 10 minutes, 10 minutes I had a kid on break down mode. We had him drink water before we got there, had him eat a healthy breakfast - but the heat of the airport was all it took to make him a cranky mess. As a family, we all work together to find a way to improve this situation - but just like I forgot the water or snacks, he forgets these things as well. We are all only human. [/quote]

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