What do your children eat?????

During a conversation with a friend today, we got on the subject of our childrens' diets. I'm curious .... are we the only two parents who have children that survive on chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, pizza and hotdogs???????

I've tried everything ... and I do mean EVERYTHING to get my children to eat better. However, I have no success.

Anyone else experiencing the same difficulties??? Just curious.

Re: What do your children eat?????

I don't think you're the only mom who gives those things to your child. However, if you don't offer them your child won't have the opportunity to eat them. And I know everyone's going to say that it's "not that easy", and I know that, but if you truly want your child to eat healthy foods, then that's all you should offer. Eventually, DC will begin to eat it. And yes, I know that people will disagree with me, but I truly, one hundred percent believe this.

Re: What do your children eat?????

Let's see. My one year old eats whatever we give her

Sammy ( 4 1/2) eats:
Soup
eggs
chicken nuggets
fish sticks
couscous
meatballs ( sometimes)
mac and cheese
noodles and cottege cheese
grilled cheese
yogurt
french toast
pizzza but not often
notice how I dont have veggies in there. He really does not like veggies. Sometimes he will eat creamed spinach
Any fruit - Sammy loves fruit


Hope this helps

Re: What do your children eat?????

I would also like to add that if your kids love pizza and chicken nuggets, try making them yourself, this way you can control what goes into them.

Re: What do your children eat?????

I had other plans but my DD eats all of those things because she is super, super picky and will go without eating and since she's only in the 2nd percentile for weight I'm not going to let her go without eating.

I try to give her a healthy breakfast most days (eggs, yogurt or organic wheat cereal and fruits)
Lunch is often chicken nuggets because she is not on a hot dog and mac n cheese stirke.
When she was eating those they were both organic.
She does like chili and beans so I try to make a pot of something every week so she gets that for one meal a day.
She also likes grilled cheese so that's not so bad either.
It's hard when you have picky eaters but I try to always keep offering her new and old things hoping she will like them again so we can get away from the nugget habit.
I think it's about balance. If that's what they are eating then make sure they snack on fruit not processed junk and make sure they get a veggie and milk with their meals instead of sugary juice and other drinks. I think it's up to us to teach our kids balance and moderation.

Re: What do your children eat?????

Right here with you! My daughter is 2 1/2 and I feel guilty about her diet everyday.

She eats any kind of ice cream or baked good- no problem. She basically lives on cheese-string or slices. Mac and cheese EVERY DAY! Sometimes chicken nuggets, a little pizza, sometimes a hotdog and maybe yogurt or cereal on a good day. She will eat a banana- but only in the supermarket when I am shopping. Chocolate milk and water...

She will eat absolutely no veggies, eggs or meat(She says it looks like poo).

I make about 3 different things for her at each meal...crazy

So don't feel bad- you are not alone..

Re: What do your children eat?????

My 5 year old has the exact same diet! We have always made him healthy foods, and when he was much younger he would eat them. Now, he eats only chicken nuggets, fish sticks, mac and cheese, cheese slices, ice cream and muffins. (Occasionally he will eat fries, mashed potatoes, rice, and if we're really lucky, corn.) I have tried making all of them myself with many different recipes, and HE WON'T EAT IT!!! My almost 2 year old will eat ANYTHING we give her. (The nanny gave her oxtail and she ate it!!! ) I think that there are a lot of people who judge, but I know my kid, and he will only eat those things, so that's the way it is. I don't think anyone who hasn't been there can possibly understand that it is completely impossible to force a kid to eat something s/he won't eat. DS once went on a hunger strike for 3 days (water only) when we refused to give him the foods that he eats.

Re: What do your children eat?????

Posted by MomofMandB

My 5 year old has the exact same diet! We have always made him healthy foods, and when he was much younger he would eat them. Now, he eats only chicken nuggets, fish sticks, mac and cheese, cheese slices, ice cream and muffins. (Occasionally he will eat fries, mashed potatoes, rice, and if we're really lucky, corn.) I have tried making all of them myself with many different recipes, and HE WON'T EAT IT!!! My almost 2 year old will eat ANYTHING we give her. (The nanny gave her oxtail and she ate it!!! ) I think that there are a lot of people who judge, but I know my kid, and he will only eat those things, so that's the way it is. I don't think anyone who hasn't been there can possibly understand that it is completely impossible to force a kid to eat something s/he won't eat. DS once went on a hunger strike for 3 days (water only) when we refused to give him the foods that he eats.

Re: What do your children eat?????

My kids eat whatever we make for dinner. There are times that they go to bed hungrier because they didn't like something. That means they eat a bigger breakfast in the morning.

We used to do the chicken nugget/mac & cheese thing for a while There is no doubt if it was up to them that is what they'd survive on. We still make a hot dog occassionally. We'll have mac & cheese as a side dish. We don't buy chicken nuggets anymore but always have breaded chicken cutlets available.

I agree with Rachel that you need to offer other foods. You don't have to force them to eat it. Just put it on their plate next to the chicken nuggets. If they want it, they can try it. If it's not ever offered, they won't ever try it.

Our worst dinners are when my husband has made something like pea soup and yells at Joseph because he won't try it. IMO, if you make it a battle of wills, you'll definitely lose.

Re: What do your children eat?????

I agree with Barbara and Rachel - it's all about what you offer to them. From day one DH and I decided we wanted to raise Alex with a very healthy diet - no meats, no junk food, no sweets, etc. Her daycare teachers comment all the time on what a healthy diet she has, and let me tell you, it has taken A LOT of work to get to this point. Of course when they're younger, you can't allow them to go on a food strike, but at the 14-15month mark, we decided, what we give her is what she will eat. Yes, there are nights she's cranky and picky and screams at what I put on her plate - but, instead of running around the kitchen finding something she'll find palpatable, I take her out of her highchair, let her play for 15 minutes, and then try again. Usually it's just her "mood" that was getting in the way of eating and she'll start eating a little while later. If not, she goes to bed without dinner, and wakes up earlier, and we give her a big breakfast. Mind you, my daughter can be VERY picky, but if she gets to that point, we'll experiment with different healthy foods instead of giving her junk.

Keep in mind too, there are healthy alternatives - for example, my daughter likes chicken nuggets - the fake kind by morningstar farms, made with soy protein - it's a nice, healthier version of chicken nuggets. Once in a while we also give her soy hot dogs - again, a nice, healthier alternative to the real thing.

Re: What do your children eat?????

I feel your pain. Alex lives on Peanut Butter and Jelly, Pizza and anything with tomato sauce. He won't eat meat unless I sneak it in a quesidilla or grilled cheese sandwich. His diet consists of those things plus

Crackers of any kind
banannas
applesauce
Eggs
drinkable yoghurts
Milk
Water

I complain to my mom about his eating all the time and she says not to stress about it, but its hard not too. I have tried so many other things about a million times but he refuses. I don't want him to be forced to eat because it may cause food issues later on, so I am just going to go with it. He will still eat some baby veggies so a few times a week I will give him a jar of that.

Message edited 2/3/2007 9:13:09 AM.

Re: What do your children eat?????

Re: What do your children eat?????

Re: What do your children eat?????

you are not alone-- this is what Jacob eats:

waffles
pancakes
bananas
challah
whole wheat bread
Boars head oven gold turkey breat
Boars ham low salt ham
grilled cheese
yogurt
string cheese
chicken nuggets
Dr. praegers spinach pies
french fries( Mccain smiles that I \bake)
manadarn oranges
pineapple
pizza
peaches..

He is not a big milk drinker but I will put a drop of chocolate syrup so he drinks it, only twice a week

waterdown apple juice and white grape juice..

It is very fustrating to me that this is what he eats. The advice you have given of making your own versions I have tried to no end and then I end up throwing food out. I leave the veggies on his plate just like you have advised...

If you are not in the situation and your son or daughter are very good eaters, I applaud you and I hope they stay like that... I really think once they get older and are in school where there are kids eating junk food all around, it will be a bit harder to say what you are saying....

I will though keep trying but if he only wants the perdue dinosaur chicken nuggets and a spinach pie everynight for dinner than so be it....

xxxxxxx

Message edited 2/10/2007 4:44:53 PM.

Re: What do your children eat?????

I am just gonna ignore the debate that inevitably happens with this topic.

To the OP you are not alone

My 4 year old eats more than most of the kids of people I work with but his diet consists of

pancakes
waffles
cheerios
kix
puffins cereal
any kind of yogurt
string cheese
american cheese
grilled cheese sandwiches
crackers
THE ALMIGHTY CHICKEN NUGGET
Pizza
macaroni & cheese
fish sticks
Noodle soups
grilled chicken
steak, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, sausage, meatballs (definately a carnivore)
rice (only the way MIL makes it)
tuna fish (again only my MIL's)
LOVES fruits

Again- notice no vegetables I offer them all the time, nothing, I sneak them in, he finds them. Half the time he doesnt know its a vegetable but still wont eat. Kids have their own tastes. I recently spoke to my ped about this and he said as long as he was eating fruits and taking a MVI it was nothin to worry about.

HTH

I am trying oatmeal this morning that he wnated to buy because it had dinosaurs on the box and has magic hatching dinosaur eggs in it. I'll let you know how it goes. He loved oatmeal as a toddler. It's so sad how their diets changed. I started out so well...... boy how things change.

Message edited 2/3/2007 11:36:03 AM.

Re: What do your children eat?????

Re: What do your children eat?????

Kevin is allergic to milk so getting a variety of foods into his diet that he will eat is a big concern for me.

He eats:

Cereal (cheerios) for breakfast

Snacks: Dole fruit cups or fresh fruit (especially cantaloupe, blueberries and bananas)

Lunch: turkey or ham or a scrambled
egg

Dinner: chicken nuggets, teriyaki meatlof, hot dog, plain pasta and veggies or if I make a "allergy-friendly meal' and he won't eat it - I still give him oatmeal.

I keep looking for dairy free recipes for him but its hard to find ones that a 1 year old will eat.

I'd try adding some "hidden" veggies into meal (ex: adding minced zucchini into meatloaf, diced veggies into mac - n - cheese, more veggies into tomato sauce.)

I never knew feeding my child would be so hard!

Re: What do your children eat?????

My daughter also eats a limited diet at times, although she will try just about any fruit and veggie and does eat fruits and veggies on a regular basis.

However, some of her favorites and regulars include"

Breakfast:
Gerber Breakfast Bars
French Toast sticks (she won't eat them if they are homemade)
Toast w/ melted cheese
homefries (homemade)
dole fruit cup or fresh fruit.

Lunch:
Pasta Pickups- cheese raviolo
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Mac & CHeese (kraft, won't eat organic)
Pasta w/ Tomato Sauce & Parm Cheese
Purdue Chicken nuggets

Dinner:
I'll usually try something that we are eating, and sometimes she'll eat it. If she doesn't I'll offer her something from her lunch list or give her some fruit.

Veggies that she loves:
Brocolli
Fresh slices of green peppers
green peas
all kinds of beans
corn
zucchini

Snacks are usually goldfish crackers, ritz crackers, or some kind of gerber cookie like arrowroot or banana cookies

She also loves sweet potato fries, which I feel more comfortable giving her then french fries since I make them myself and they are baked, not fried. She basically doesn't eat any meat, she just refuses it.

One thing is that I do offer her our dinner, every night. Some nights it pleases her, some she outright refuses and throws it all over the kitchen, so I have things as backups. But I see dinner time as an opportunity to always give her a chance to try something new or develop a taste for a different food, so I am persistent with offering it to her, even if she is persistant in refusing it.

Re: What do your children eat?????

I struggle with this too. I want her to eat healthy, but really don't know how to cook.

I am lucky that she likes green vegetables, she has either peas or broccoli with dinner pretty much every night and is willing to eat them.

Other then that, I give her mac and cheese but not boxed, I make it with real cheese and will throw some peas or broccoli in. I try and give her grilled chicken instead of nuggets, but she really likes nuggets!

As far as the junk food in school stuff, most of the things she loves (like Ellio's pizza and fish sticks) were introduced to her in daycare.

Most days dh gives her breakfast, which is almost always frozen waffle or pancakes and an apple.

Message edited 2/3/2007 12:55:36 PM.

Re: What do your children eat?????

As a teacher, I disagree with this. I work in a school where we promote healthy eating and do not allow junk food. I have students whose parents do not allow them to eat junk food and they don't.


I am a teacher too, and while the school lunches are better than they were when I was a child, they still would not be considered "healthy," even though the school would like you to believe that they are "good for you."

I can't help feeling a bit "put off" by people who aren't parents telling me how to parent, and just like CIO or other parenting decisions, I really do feel that unless you've lived it, you really can't imagine the reality of the situation. That being said, every person has to do what works for him/her. My son has severe ADHD, and related sensory issues. Food tastes and textures are a big issue for him, and I am doing the best I can. There are so many things to deal with on a daily basis, this is one struggle I only choose to deal with occasionally. Of course, we offer new food choices regularly before the "stand bys" and hope for the best.

Re: What do your children eat?????

Re: What do your children eat?????

Re: What do your children eat?????

Re: What do your children eat?????

Posted by anon

i agree w/prncssrachel, but will even take it a step further...I HATE PICKY EATERS! i'm talking adults here (can't blame the kids), but i do believe a lot has to do with how the child is/was raised around food.

HEY