Picky eater...at wits end here!

I am a mom of 7 and 4 grands and here is my thought on it.. At 5 she can help MAKE supper each night , even if it is just stirring something together or pouring something into a bowl. I know when I involve my kids in the meal making itself I have a willing eater because it is something THEY helped to make. And if you make a big deal of telling daddy, others, and etc that she helps with the meals they will become something she looks forward to each night. Also I ask my children to just have one bite of the things they don't like. My son, for example, hates broccoli. But he knows he must have 1 bite and then he may eat whatever else he wants from the menu. Anyway, just a few thoughts from a mom of many

Children will not starve themselves. However do not give in to anything she wants. Cook meals as is with no special consideration of 'well last time she didnt eat that...' Cook what you cook, and let her eat what she eats. I am a VERY picky eater even here in adulthood because my whole life my parents would make me special meals and always tell me 'Well last time you didnt like that.' Never tell her what she does and doesnt like. Just put it there. Unless she has an allergic reaction of course. But the biggest mistake parents make (besides giving in to all their requests) is telling the kids what they do and dont like. Their tastes will and do change... often. Let them. They're kids.

A lot of people won't eat certain foods, there are tons of picky eaters. When I was a kid I was a picky eater and I would not eat lots of food that I eat now.

There's not that much you can do as for making them eat, they'll eat when they want to, when they get hungry, just leave her food on the table and when she's hungry she'll eat it. I have a nephew that is 4 and my sister has a hard time getting him to eat when everybody else eats, he'd rather go play or something. So she just leaves his food sitting on the table, and he knows its there, so whenever he gets hungry he'll go eat. I think if he doesn't have someone hollering at him to eat, he'll do it, kids are like that, they don't have to eat much either to get full. The more you try to force her to eat the longer she's just gonna sit there, if you just forget about it and don't say anything, she'll eat on her own.

I am in the same situation with my 9 year old son. He is a little over 4ft tall and only weighs 53lbs. The doctor was very concerned and told him if he does not eat he will end up in the hospital. He still won't eat. I fix things that I know he likes, one time he eats it the next time he won't. He is also on ADHD medicine, so we are trying to let him eat about 8pm, this is when the medicine has worn off. He eats a little but still not enough. We have tried all the things, I even tried to pay him to eat, he won't do it.

I do what my Mom did. This is what was made, eat it or starve. Simple as that. If she doesn't eat what you make her, oh well, carry on. But don't give her something else latter. Save what was for dinner, that she didn't finish in the fridge, she can have that if she gets hungry later.

It is really like that or nature, little children at the age 5 it is hard to let them eat the nutritious food. It sometimes take a time to train little children like them to eat what we like them to eat.

Never try to force a child to eat. Eating comes naturally, so encourage it. The trick is to allow the child to get hungry. Cut down on milk between meals. Give her water, or failing that, water with enough milk to make it look right. No snacks what-so-ever between meals. No cookies or candies at all. When meal-time comes, don't make a big production out of it. Everyone sit at the table and begin to eat, let her see you eating. Give her food when she asks, but not before. Let her eat what she will, and take the rest away. Continue on with this at the next meal. After she gets into the habit of eating regularly you can relax a little bit in between meals.

She is manipulating you and it is working. Unless she is losing weight and growing normally there should be little to worry about. Most parents stuff their children with too much food and they end up fat children and fat adults. If she is grazing on snacks all day she will not be hungry at meal time. Previous posters have given some good advice.

My brother was a picky eater. My mother only cooked for one person: our father. She cooked foods he liked whether we children liked it or not. We had two choices: eat it or starve. My brother learned the hard way more than once that he better eat and not complain or he'd go to bed hungry. I never was that picky of an eater and still am not that picky. I don't like ketchup and mustard makes me gag due to the horrid smell of it, but I don't think that it's child abuse. You're the mother. You need to set boundaries or she's going to run all over you. If she won't eat what you made, send her to bed hungry a few times. She'll learn. When she starts slowing down, she's in control and you shouldn't allow that. When she starts acting up after being forced, take the plate away and send her to bed hungry. Give her a couple times doing that and she'll eat whatever you put in front of her.

I ahve have to children and when they were younger the oldest is still a very picky eater. I made dinner or lunch what not. If she ate it then she ate if not there was no supplement she had what every one else was having. you can eat around it pick out what you don't like but I was not doing seperate meals. I work in a daycare and we have picky eaters there. We put a little bit of everything on there plate they can eat what they like they don't have to eat it all. Other wise if you start making seperate meals she going to expect it all the time. As far as punishing I don't think a child should be forced to eat. That could cause anxity problems I belive down the line. Nor do I feel I child should be punished for not eating.

My son is picky like that too. If I make something that he definitely won't eat, he can choose a healthy alternative, such as applesauce or grapes - it always has to be something that isn't a hassle for me to. I usually try and make sure each meal has something that will please everyone. If he still doesn't want to eat, that's fine. When he's reminded that not eating a healthy supper means no dessert, he usually comes around to my way of thinking and eats his supper.

my son and nephew were both picky eaters..and i solved it by letting them help me cook kid meals..having sorta like a testing party..and having them help me cook cause you know when you cook you gotta taste it to make sure its right,.so by the time we got done tasting amazing they ate the whole meal with out a picky fit..you sometimes gotta reach down to their level to get them eating..and at 5 schools around the corner..so you gotta make it interesting,,like they dont want to eat at the table ask where they want to eat..then eat with them their then your welcoming their choice and they are eating...we all eat places of comfort a fave chair,bench,room tv...my nephew would watch disney movies while he ate...so you just gotta get a happy medium...like ok monday nite is tv-dinner nite in front of the tv,tuesday is camping out nite in the dining room..sometimes you gotta use your imagination..with children...

i have 3 kids, all of them went through that stage .. my girls are 2, 6, 7 my 6 year old will eat like crazy depending on what it is sometimes she wont eat at all. if she doesnt eat her dinner, when everyone is done i tell her dinner time is over and i clear the table. i put her plate in the refrigerator and if she says shes hungry and its not bedtime yet i heat it up for her. my kids know that what i make for dinner is whats for dinner end of discussion. if theyve been really good ill let them help within reason picking whats for dinner once in awhile. i refuse to jump up and create a whole new mean just because they dont like what i cook, i make balanced meals every night and we eat at the table. they wont starve they will eat if they are hungry. i make sure to keep a huge bowl of fruit on my table and yogurt and granola bars in the house. they know that if they want a snack they can have those things anytime they want. my two year old, will only eat junk food or veggies.. weird huh? she will eat plain lettuce all the time but hey.. eventually her taste buds will change and shell eat different things .. dont fret over it thell live.

It looks like you have other kids too. Did they go through the same phase? Maybe if she sees that they get dessert for eating their meal and she doesn't when she doesn't eat, she will start to do better so she can have dessert too. If she is hungry when the others are having ice cream, tell her she has to have fruit or a PBJ since she didn't eat dinner. Do not fall into the trap of cooking three meals! What you make is what there is.

I feel your pain I have a little girl who acts the same why. But what I try to do is try to make something that I do know shes going to eat. Even if its with every meal everytime I cook. She likes mac n cheese and broccoli. So those are some of the things I try to cook. Plus when my daughter wants a snack or something to that nature I won't give it to her especially if its almost dinner time. I try to make her whole out for at least an hour because the I know she's hungry and she'll eat a good amount of her food. I hope you'll find a suggestion or way that is good for you. Oh and as for the husband, try to ignore that because most of the time hes not dealing with your daughter nor the situation. My husband is the same way. give advice but when the tables are turn like when I 'm at work then he sees and come calling me on what to do LOL so dont worry I was told little girls go through these things. Honey from what I'm hearing we are just at the beginning LOL.

Maybe my story will help. I grew up in a German household that was centered around food and everyone was very concerned about how much was eaten and when. I, unfortunately, took after my mother's side of the family and did not have the stomach capacity to eat a large amount at a sitting. We were told to eat all of our food because people in the world were starving. I obeyed my parents and ate all my food and then always had indigestion and stomachaches. Now I am married to a man (German) who is a foot taller than me. He is always thinking I should eat the same amount as him. Now I'm trying to get these 50 extra pounds off so that I can be healthy by doctor's orders. There may be more to your question than we can properly answer at this time. Like, is she eating junk food all day long. Does she eat a good breakfast and lunch (nutritionally good) and just isn't hungry at the end of the day. Is she underweight. Has she just had a growth spurt and isn't hungry right now? Are you asking her to eat more than her stomach can handle? Do you know how to tell the difference? Is your doctor concerned about her weight or nutritionally? I guess I'm asking these questions to understand why there is so much concern.