Changing what your child eats

Anyone successful at changing the eating habits of your child? DS is 8 and pretty picky (mostly pasta, bread, yogurt, snacks, and fruit). It's definitely our fault - neither parent likes to cook so we've catered to his preferences. Thankfully he eats mostly fruit or popcorn when he wants a snack but he'll rarely eat veggies. STBX is the same - picky about what he eats and rarely veggies.

I'm trying to change my own habits to lose weight (and stop eating so much junk since I'm getting older), but I'm afraid DS is going to push back on my meals since he'll continue to get the stuff he likes at his dad's house (we switch each week).

I'm planning on making healthy stuff for me and a few things DS will like - having them all on the plate, but any recommendations on how to get him to eat more of the healthy stuff instead of just the stuff he wants then being excused? I refuse to make him clean his plate bc I HATED when my parents did it to me. I'd prefer he at least tries everything, but honestly that's not a fight I want to have each night.

Re: Changing what your child eats

My oldest (9) is very picky, but he will try anything once, mainly bc I push the issue and I’m not above bribing .. but I think it also helps bc there are 4 kids so when I say “if you take at least 3 bites of your veggies, you get dessert”, I have been the mean mom who won’t let the one eat dessert if they didn’t eat the veggies, and typically they will then go eat 3 tiny bites and get dessert. We have now instilled that rule for a few years and my older 2 don’t even bat an eye and take 3 real bites, and have found favorites where they eat the entire thing.

We have found roasted carrots, broccoli and asparagus are winners, as well as fresh spinach with garlic. Edamame, peas and corn I leave for nights with activities since the steamer bags are perfect.

I have even started ricing cauliflower mixed with regular rice and only my 1 YO complains lol but he will eat cauliflower crusted pizza.

Meatballs and lasagna are easy to slip veggies into. I still make my own puréed foods just so I can throw it in my sauce, pancake mix and muffin mixes!

Fruit on the other hand is a very hard sell for my oldest. Grapes, and apples are the only ones he will eat. And if the apple slices have any brown, he snubs it ... anyways my point is, it doesn’t hurt to try new things and hopes he takes a liking to certain things. I’m not sure how hard it will be to go back and forth, so I wish you luck that he surprises you and starts eating healthier with you!

Changing what your child eats

I heard that bribing for dessert isn't good bc it sets them up for bad habits in the future - that sweets are supposed to occasional and not looked at as a treat. I don't remember exactly why. However DS is very motivated by sweets and I'm not above bribing him each night if it got him to try the different stuff I put in front of him.

Funny story - I made some chocolate oatmeal cookies for Christmas and I went to see if he wanted to lick the spoon. He wrinkled his nose and pulled away so I said that he's missing out by being so picky. To just try things bc it might be the tastiest thing ever. He took a little nibble, smiled, then shoveler the whole spoon in his mouth! :D

Changing what your child eats

I have an extremely picky eater (11) and my rule is that you need to try things 3 times. After the third time if you don't like it then you don't need to eat it again. I find just having them try once is not really a good indicator if they like something or not. That being said, she still eats nothing lol but at least she tries.

Re: Changing what your child eats

It's a battle I choose not to fight.
She's very healthy and not even remotely overweight so it is what it is.
I also really can't say much when I never eat a vegetable. Like ever. They make me gag actually.
I'm still alive so.....

Changing what your child eats

i also choose not to fight that battle. my DS are 7 and 4. they are both picky... .but the 7 year old i can reason with a little bit. i make sure they have a fruit or veggie that they like with each meal. its a short list, but theres a list LOL so i'm happy as long as they get some kind of fruit or veggie at a meal ( even if its one of those peach cups or apple sauce pouches). they also like things like sliced strawberries with whipped cream on top as a "dessert". i've also found random things they like, like Kale chips. so... i just stick with the few things they like that are healthy, and leave it alone.

Re: Changing what your child eats

I think your plan of just changing your diet is a good one.
We put one meat and 1-2 veg (2 if the kids aren’t crazy about one of them) for dinner every day. Fruits are for dessert or part of a meal. We try to keep carbs for breakfast and lunch, since that’s easy and what’s for lunch at school anyway.

Things that worked for us: cutting out snacks before and especially after dinner, salads are good for fiber and getting an extra veg in, a hearty soup once a month gets carrots, celery, potato, turnips and parsnips in and provides at least 2 days of meals, tacos are a great idea and you can do them with fish. All my kids love cilantro, who knew? Meal schedules are good because they make you look at the components of the meal.

Re: Changing what your child eats

I would say as you are cooking more and changing your eating habits, involve him. Let him cook with you. Maybe let him pick out a recipe and tell him you will try it for him;). That was a great start that he was open to the new cookies.

On a side note, my 4 year old (who has autism) is an extremely picky eater. I can probably only name about 8 things he eats. So much so, we had to get a feeding therapist to see if it was a textural issue or just food aversions, etc. (turns out it’s just preference). Anyway, she said a child has to try something 10 times before you can say they don’t like that (10 different times and differently-for example tomatoes... in a salad, in a sauce, cut up, whole, you get my point).

The 2 best things we got from her were: 1. We could get my son to drink a smoothie because he loves milk and some fruit. She said stick spinach in there. It’s tasteless and full of vitamins. Sooo true. I tasted it myself and couldn’t taste the spinach at all.

2. She said many of our food preferences are in our mind so think outside the box...for example, my son loves French fries. She had me cut apples to look like French fries. Well u know what? He tried it!!! And he liked them. And he eats apples now. This didn’t work for everything but was handy, so I thought I’d share.

Good luck!

Message edited 1/1/2018 11:02:31 PM.