Reply to Picky 7 yo's eating getting worse

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DS is a very picky eater.  He eats a ton of breakfast, some lunch and virtually no dinner.  His lunch choices are peanut butter on wheat or roast beef (we got that into a sandwich recently, but used to be just meat in a bag.  Fat must be trimmed off.)  At home he'll eat grilled cheddar on wheat.

Dinner has become a tremendous problem. Tonight he had a fit about beans and rice, which he happily ate about 10 days ago.  He sits at the table and just wails and whines about what is served.  This is not allowed, so he goes to timeout.  He is required to take one bite of a meal.  There is no food served after dinner.  He does not eat sauce, hates chicken outside of chicken fingers, refuses all condiments and seasonings beyond salt and pepper.  We do not eat dessert during the week (I will occasionally serve fruit with the meal.)  Things he eats at dinner are steak & mashed potatoes, lamb chops, spaghetti & meatballs without sauce.  In the recent past (last 1-2 years), he happily ate salmon, tilapia, roast chicken legs and when he was a bit younger he ate everything (risotto, ziti/lasagna, lentil casserole, come to mind but it's been a while).  He eats some vegetables like broccoli, corn, peas and raw spinach leaves.  Absolutely no tomatoes.

We have two younger children who are better eaters, but his issues are rubbing off on them.  I am going nuts.  I cannot cook to everyone's preferences and I just don't know what to do.  I feel like I'm cooking around him and shortchanging everyone else, but if he's not going to eat it anyway, why should I?  Last week I got so sick of everyone's issues that I cancelled their Friday chicken finger night and fed them the eggplant pasta dish that DH and I had planned.  Do I plan each and every meal?  Right now the kids get their pick of easy breakfasts.  DS eats a TON of breakfast -- 3 eggs and several pieces of bread (no toast, no butter), or 4 huge bowls of cereal.  Do I limit that?  Do I pack the lunches he likes or just give him whatever is on the menu that day?  And then there's dinner....  HELP!  Oh, he's thin, but he has always been that way and comes by it naturally.  I am not concerned with putting meat on his bones, just powering his body and brain to function and grow. [/quote]

Am I the only one who doesn't really see a problem with this child's menu? Perhaps his repertoire of foods is narrow, but it contains the essential nutrients he needs to grow. He eats fruits, he eats vegetables, he eats meats, cheese and  whole grain.
He eats raw spinach, my goodness! I agree that wailing and whining at the table isn't acceptable, but it does sound like he will eat a nutritional meal. I would just try to remove the power struggle - if he complains, he can leave the table - I agree with PP that you're handling it well. I would try to at least have a side dish that you know he will eat, and offer some multigrain or whole wheat bread, apple slices or multigrain crackers and cheese. That way if he refuses the meal, he at least goes to bed with something nourishing in his stomach. Don't plan all meals around him, but maybe once or twice a week. He's only 7 and his palate will change over time.  If he enjoyed rice and beans one day and complained the next time you served it, then that's behavioral, not true pickiness - he can eat the side dishes and leaves the table if he continues to complain. He'll eventually outgrow this. Just keep a poker face and hold your ground, which removes the power struggle. [/quote]

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