BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Cooking For Kids God Child refuses to eat

Hi there!

Do you have any advice for a child (now 7) that refuses to eat since birth. He'll make himself sick, cry, and run away when food gets dished for him. He only eats white bread with apricot jam, chicken drumsticks and strawberries. It's a constant battle. He is not sickly, just a bit thin. Do we just leave him to it? Declare him alien?

Hi Adelle,

What if you put appricots on his drumsticks and strawberries on his bread? I think I'm almost half kidding, lol In all honesty if he's eating that's good. If it was my child, though, and I knew my neighbors wouldn't convict me with the screams no doubt that would follow, I would at least change the shapes or offset the drumsticks with chicken fingers. Does he have issues with other things having to be just so? Some kids really like the bone of the chicken, too. It brings back soothing memories of teething. Just some ideas.

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Karen Elleise
Clairvoyance Editor

Adelle,

Sometimes a really great way to get picky eaters to eat is to get them involved in the cooking process.

If you have a farmer's market near you, take him with you and let him pick out some foods that look interesting to him.

Then let him help you cook. He'll be so proud of what he made, he'll be dying for you and everyone else (including himself) to try it.

I have a friend who has a child (now age 15) who has always been like that with food. Even now he only eats certain foods and hates some textures and smells, which make him physically sick.

not to scare you but he was diagnosed with asperger's syndrom which is a type of mild autism.

Has she consulted a pediatrician about this?

My grandson would never eat anything and it got to be such a big battle to get him to eat, my stepdaughter ended up giving him anything he would eat - incuding ice cream, chips, whatever - so his diet now that he's 5 is pretty bad.

Hi Adelle!

You've gotten some great feedback thus far. And no, I don't think you have to declare him an alien, lol!

The first thing that came to mind was if he had been looked at for having reflux, or a food allergy or food intolerance, or something along those lines?

When you were talking about how he makes himself sick, is it more like a "fake sick" so he doesn't have to eat what's on his plate, or does he really feel like he's going to gag or throw up if he eats a certain food?

There are so many different schools of thought and ways that families have coped with picky eaters. Many have been posted on this thread (thank you, everyone), and there's more out there.

One nice thought--at least he likes strawberries, lol!

Is there any other fruit or vegetable that he likes? Assuming there is nothing wrong on the medical front (and if there is, I have some great resources that I will forward to you), I think continuing to provide new healthy foods is a great idea. Not making it a battle, just having some new foods around to try, and, maybe even during non meal times, where there�s less pressure. For example, if his family is playing a board game, maybe having a bowl of raspberries or blueberries on the side to snack on?

Does he like cheese? When you said he liked white bread, I was wondering about adding some slices of cheese for a toasted or grilled cheese? Cutting a grilled cheese up into tiny squares or strips makes it a fun food to snack on for some kids.

I think the important thing is to make sure he is getting enough of the nutrients a child his age needs. His pediatrician may be able to suggest a child nutritionist that can give excellent advice on additional ways to get the nutrients a child needs (fruit smoothies, nutritional drinks, etc) especially if the child is a picky eater.

I�ll be back with more ideas, and looking forward to reading what others have to say!

Sometimes, when my kids were little and refused to eat, I would take away their place setting and ask them to leave the table. Eventually, they came sneaking back when they saw me continue to eat and would climb up in there chair and ask for some of the food. It usually worked. I never forced my kids to eat when they did not want to or did not like the food I fixed for them. I always included something in the meal that I knew they liked and both of them were always willing to try new foods. I never sent my kids to bed hungry and never punished them for not eating. I think by using these methods, it may be why they are both very healthy eaters and have a wide range of tastes and both are good cooks.

I am absolutely gratified to all of you for all the wonderful ideas. I'm printing this IMMEDIATELY to give to his grandma (Nonna), mom, dad, stepmom - THE LOT. He also does poorly at school, and I suspect there's more to him than just not eating his food. I love him so - and want whatever his problem is corrected!

Hi Adella!

Let us know how it goes! I hope it's just a phase that he'll grow out of, and nothing more!

Shall keep you posted - although he moved to another town now! (sniffff). Thanx again!!