Just Try It!

[Happy Hearts]

I am so frustrated with dcg. She won't try anything and comments that it's yucky. Today we had leftover chicken tetrazinni, so scrumptiously yummy comfort food. She had a fit and refused to even try it, screaming for her mommy and said she wouldn't eat it. She cried through the whole lunch. This happens almost daily unless it's eggs, french toast or chicken nuggets.

Now, I know you may suggest that she just chooses not to eat so let her wait till snack. I've tried that but I feel so bad letting her go hungry. And, she's so stubborn she doesn't care.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I don't know what your state's laws are but if you can, I would save her lunch for her snack. Those who are hungry eat. Those who are not hungry don't. So simple.

[daycare]

I am so frustrated with dcg. She won't try anything and comments that it's yucky. Today we had leftover chicken tetrazinni, so scrumptiously yummy comfort food. She had a fit and refused to even try it, screaming for her mommy and said she wouldn't eat it. She cried through the whole lunch. This happens almost daily unless it's eggs, french toast or chicken nuggets.

Now, I know you may suggest that she just chooses not to eat so let her wait till snack. I've tried that but I feel so bad letting her go hungry. And, she's so stubborn she doesn't care.

I would not feel bad, but what does make it hard is that when the kids don't eat it does affect their blood sugar, which then affects their behavior.

I would tell her that she needs to try one bite before she gets to decide that she does not like it. I would also have her sit away from the table until everyone is done so that she can eat alone. People who have rude table manners can't sit with the rest of the group.....

[My3cents]

I am so frustrated with dcg. She won't try anything and comments that it's yucky. Today we had leftover chicken tetrazinni, so scrumptiously yummy comfort food. She had a fit and refused to even try it, screaming for her mommy and said she wouldn't eat it. She cried through the whole lunch. This happens almost daily unless it's eggs, french toast or chicken nuggets.

Now, I know you may suggest that she just chooses not to eat so let her wait till snack. I've tried that but I feel so bad letting her go hungry. And, she's so stubborn she doesn't care.

Chicken Tetrazinni sounds horrible to me. Kind of scary to be honest. I don't like much food mixed, that would throw me off too.

With that said, I would probably love it

but for whatever reason she looked at it and decided she did not want it. Don't worry about it. Kids have issues with all kinds of things when it comes to food, smell, texture, color, being combined, not being combined, put on the wrong plate, not the right spoon or fork, Mommy not feeding me, seasonings, etc...... Kids taste buds are different from adults also, stuff I didn't like as a child, I do like now.

For myself, I am on the food program and have to serve a variety of things, so if they don't like one thing more then likely they are going to find something on the plate to eat.

Don't ever force, just keep trying to introduce and eventually more then likely not they will taste it and discover new things they truly like. I would not serve it again at snack, snack is snack and it is enough to hold them till supper. I am so stubborn that I would go with out eating if you did this to me. Also come to find out, forcing me to eat mashed potatoes with milk in them and milk as a kid, there was a reason I didn't like these things, they made me sick. Lactose intolerant. If the child was not thriving it would be an issue to take up with the doctor but not to many kids out there are starving these days- Introduce but don't worry if they choose to not eat it.

Just how I see this......

[My3cents]

I would not feel bad, but what does make it hard is that when the kids don't eat it does affect their blood sugar, which then affects their behavior.

I would tell her that she needs to try one bite before she gets to decide that she does not like it. I would also have her sit away from the table until everyone is done so that she can eat alone. People who have rude table manners can't sit with the rest of the group.....

I would ask her to try it but if she chooses to not, I wouldn't mention it again.

If she started making fun of my food, or getting the other kids to not like it I would call her out on it and tell her it is ok if you don't like something but you have to let other people decide if they like it, so you need to keep it to yourself that you don't care for Scary looking chicken. You can get the monkey see monkey do chain reaction going on. Most kids get it. We also do nap after lunch so if it became an issue this child would be removed for nap time first as to not disturb the others from having a peaceful lunch.

[Blackcat31]

Now, I know you may suggest that she just chooses not to eat so let her wait till snack. I've tried that but I feel so bad letting her go hungry. And, she's so stubborn she doesn't care.

Good for you for being so concerned but honestly, she isn't that concerned about going hungry so really why should you be?

If she doesn't want to try something or even come to the table, I would not make her. She has to be the one who decides what she is going to eat because forcing her willonly create bad ideas about meal time and that is never the way to go with kids.

Take her power away from her and you do that by not caring if she eats or not, whether she tries something or not. Just don't be concerned. She WILL figure it out when she is ready.

When snack time rolls around, give her the normal serving size and that is it. If you stop worrying about it, she will more than likely stop putting on such a show about it.

[Meyou]

I would serve it again for snack as well but I'm able to do so. I don't do tantrums at the table.

[Nickel]

I understand having a picky eater. My dd is a terrible eater. She actually lost weight because she went through a spell of not eating anything... It was awful. I don't believe in forcing children to eat. As a child I was forced to clear my plate and now as an adult, I eat beyond full which I think is one of the reasons I am overweight. I never force a child to eat anything.

I do encourage them to TRY it, but I do not force or bribe. With my own daughter (and the dcks) what I do is make a variety of items as well. So they can pick and choose what to eat. If I am making something I know someone doens't like I make something I know they will eat.

For instance, my daughter doesn't like burgers . Today we had turkey burgers, so I made baked beans because I know she loves them, and we had pears, which I know she won't eat, dinner roll and milk. She only ate the beans and drank the milk. That was all, but she had to at least try the turkey burger and pear before she could have more beans. And she did, even though she gagged on the burger and spit it out I was still able to get her to try it.

That to me was an improvement. I dont offer substitutes or alternate meals. I do make something for each person though, if that makes sense. If she really doesn't like it toss it and move on. She wont starve. But no matter how many times you offer she may never eat it.

Example, as a child my grandmother made homemade clam chowder. I took one bite and didn't like it (I hate fish, to this day I don't like seafood). She made me sit there from dinner at 5pm until my dad came home at 9pm and finally told me to go to bed. I went to bed without dinner and I didn't starve or die.

[nanglgrl]

I hated beans when I was a child. The only beans I liked then were green beans and now I only like green or refried beans. Sadly when I was a child and attending a daycare center in Texas I was forced to eat brown beans (my nose pinched and the worked shoved the beans in) and I vomited everywhere. I still don't like beans and it probably has something to do with that experience. I'm a picky eater and there are a lot of things I didn't like as a child, young adult or even now. Of course throughout the years I've tried new things and liked them but I had to do it at my own pace. Up until recently I hated coleslaw and I still don't like pie of any kind or pork. I also have trouble with other people preparing my food (I work through it but man I'm a mess ). I'm that person at holiday gatherings that has a little turkey and little stuffing and a roll on my plate but I never starve and neither will this child. If she doesn't want something I wouldn't make her anything else and I would simply tell her to go get her nap mat out. I wouldn't be mad about it and when snack time rolled around I would offer her a normal size portion of snack. If she didn't like snack either then "too bad go tell your dad" .

I do serve my children all the things I don't like and they are the exact opposite of picky. My daughter asked if me could try snails the other day! We always by the "what the heck is that?" fruit at the grocery and try it and my husband is not a picky eater so he prepares pork, meatloaf, chili....and all of the other things I don't like so the kids won't be jaded by my odd taste buds.

[spud912]

I have my kids try one bite of everything on their plate. Yes, it is a requirement to try everything, even if I know they don't like it. The child will not get seconds on something else nor will they be allowed down until they've tried one bite of everything. Yes, it sounds mean but to be honest it's really UN-dramatic. My kids all know my rules and they get it down (usually with a gulp of milk if it's not liked). I've actually had children learn to like something! I have a little girl who hated dried fruit and after having her try one dried cranberry approximately once a week for months on end, she now likes them and asks for seconds. When she first started, her mom always talked about how picky she was. Now, her mom frequently says to me how she is so amazed at how much she is eating now!

[sharlan]

Not one of my kids will eat anything that mixed, except for spaghetti and meatballs. They won't even eat fruit ****tail, but will eat peaches and pears seperate. I have very picky eaters.

I use the little plates that have the seperators so that nothing touches.

I give each child a teaspoon of something new and don't worry if they don't eat it. I will not turn food into a battle. I take it off of my taxes whether they eat it or I throw it away.

I have one that is a fantastic eater as long as I don't give her her fruit and drink until she's eaten everything else. I place her fruit on a seperate plate and set it behind her lunch plate

[sharlan]

I hated beans when I was a child. The only beans I liked then were green beans and now I only like green or refried beans. Sadly when I was a child and attending a daycare center in Texas I was forced to eat brown beans (my nose pinched and the worked shoved the beans in) and I vomited everywhere. I still don't like beans and it probably has something to do with that experience. I'm a picky eater and there are a lot of things I didn't like as a child, young adult or even now. Of course throughout the years I've tried new things and liked them but I had to do it at my own pace. Up until recently I hated coleslaw and I still don't like pie of any kind or pork. I also have trouble with other people preparing my food (I work through it but man I'm a mess ). I'm that person at holiday gatherings that has a little turkey and little stuffing and a roll on my plate but I never starve and neither will this child. If she doesn't want something I wouldn't make her anything else and I would simply tell her to go get her nap mat out. I wouldn't be mad about it and when snack time rolled around I would offer her a normal size portion of snack. If she didn't like snack either then "too bad go tell your dad" .

I do serve my children all the things I don't like and they are the exact opposite of picky. My daughter asked if me could try snails the other day! We always by the "what the heck is that?" fruit at the grocery and try it and my husband is not a picky eater so he prepares pork, meatloaf, chili....and all of the other things I don't like so the kids won't be jaded by my odd taste buds.

I cajoled a child once to eat something he didn't like. I got to clean the vomit off the table, chair, child, and the child sitting next to him. I will NEVER do that again.

My job is to put food in front of a child. It's their choice to eat it or not.

[daycare]

I am an adult and I hate it when food touches each other. I will not eat my food if it is mixed. not sure why I am like this, just am.

If I go to a restaurant and order a salad I ask them not toss it or mix it...i always get crap for it, but that is just the way that I am..

I eat very simple food. I dont use salt, butter or any kind of sauces...well except hummus.....

I know that kids are like that too, so I don't ever force them to eat anything, I just ask them to try it and then decide if you like it or not. If they try it and don't like it I will offer up some veggies I know they like...

[lovemykidstoo]

I don't like my food touching either and I eat 1 thing at a time. Done that since i was a kid. My family makes fun of me.

I have a little girl that I've talked about on here before and how bad she is at eating. She is a twin and so much smaller than her sister. She will literally only eat the bare minimum and only really a select 4 items. Today at clean up time I was joking with the kids and told them if they didn't pick up they were going to get only noodles for lunch. The kids all yelled nooooo in a joking fashion they were laughing. This dcg started crying. I asked what's the matter. I don't want noodles crying. She was in a full blown panic that we were having noodles. UGH! If she sits down at the table and her plate is put in front of her with something she doesn't like, she will immediately go into cryin hysterics. She's 3 1/2.

[daycare]

I don't like my food touching either and I eat 1 thing at a time. Done that since i was a kid. My family makes fun of me.

I have a little girl that I've talked about on here before and how bad she is at eating. She is a twin and so much smaller than her sister. She will literally only eat the bare minimum and only really a select 4 items. Today at clean up time I was joking with the kids and told them if they didn't pick up they were going to get only noodles for lunch. The kids all yelled nooooo in a joking fashion they were laughing. This dcg started crying. I asked what's the matter. I don't want noodles crying. She was in a full blown panic that we were having noodles. UGH! If she sits down at the table and her plate is put in front of her with something she doesn't like, she will immediately go into cryin hysterics. She's 3 1/2.

I cant say I have her twin, but OMG I have 2 just like that. Sometimes if they just hear that we are having a certain food, like oatmeal they will have a massive melt down..

only difference is that these two kids are over weight....they fill up on junk at home