My 3 Year Old Won't Entertain Any New Food!

[tgm1974]

Does anyone have any help on how I can get my 3 year old to eat and try new food. His diet consists of porridge, bread, pasta, jacket potatoes, Philadelphia crackers, pizza, yoghurts, cereal, spaghetti hoops!! This is all I have to play with for lunch or tea time - breakfast isn't much of an issue.

I have tried to make things fun looking, get him to make things with me then he eats them, etc but even last night when I put something new in front of him he took a small mouth full (if that), then made a face showing me he didn't like it. I would love him to have a better varied diet but he won't even "try" anything.

I don't know whether to contact my HV for advice or see a Dietician for help?

[ummmm]

What does he have with his bread, pasta, jacket, and on his pizza?

And what does he drink?

It doesn't actually sound too bad for a 3 year old.

[Ric.ror]

Try grating a carrot in the hoops or adding a spoonful of peanut butter
Its probably all about disguise now

[Retrochic]

It is a worry when little ones won't eat certain things but to be honest it doesn't sound that bad to me. What goes on his pizza -is it home made? You can disguise veg by blending them in with tomato sauce (not ketchup -pasta sauce)so it just looks like tomato sauce and use that to top the pizza. One of mine only ate mashed potatoes, cheese and ham from weaning until she was four and is a healthy 32 year old now with kids of her own.

[AlwaysConfused]

You will have to introduce a new food at least five times to a child before the will accept it. Perseverance is the key

[tgm1974]

He likes to eat bread randomly on its on or as toast! Pasta is with a tomato sauce which I've made in the past myself and he pushed it away, he normally only entertains the jar stuff now but I will try again with a tomato based one and purée some other veggies to add in. Jacket potatoes he will eat with either butter or philadephia and pizza is only marguerita (no toppings)!!

He is very used to certain taste so adding something that may change it will then put him off whatever it's mixed with hence me having to be careful.

I know I really need to just let him pick something new from my plate maybe as over 6 months ago he randomly took one of my spring rolls, on chinese night, and loves them. I think seeing other children eat a better varied diet from chicken curry, spag bol, etc just wishes that for him. He used to eat allsorts when he was a baby and it's all gone so down hill. My 7 yr old is only just eating more different food than he did with me putting him onto school dinners!!

[Mamyalynne]

I used to find that making a 'snacky' plate up with things they'd had and liked and a couple of new ones often led to them having a try of something new - but as said above it can take quite a while,don't expect speedy results.

Most importantly never make a fuss,as I'm sure you don't.

[Mamyalynne]

There are some books too that may help with encouragement,The very hungry caterpillar of course and maybe something like this.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Can-Eat-Rainbow-Annabel-Karmel/dp/1405339063

[woofgang]

My friend's niece lived on mostly on yoghurt and plain crisps until she was around 9. She has just had her third child and is a normal healthy adult who eats normally. If he is willing to taste food and isn't chugging the sugar then don't worry and don't make an issue of it provided that he is fit and healthy.
Some children are "super tasters" and anything that isn't bland does taste horrible. My own great niece, although she would eat a varied diet, disliked anything with any kind of flavour. She would only eat undressed pasta and salad and preferred salad to fruit which she found "yucky sweet" As she got older she would eat "tastier" things.

[woofgang]

PS It hasn't "gone downhill" Its a change. Changes happen.

[ummmm]

My daughter lived on toast, ham sandwiches, yogurt and cucumber for quite a long time.

She eats everything now. She can't think of a food she's tasted that she doesn't like.

[Barmaid]

I have a step son with "food anxiety issues" - his diet is far less adventurous that your step son.

I find that I can persuade him to eat most things - although there is some deception involved.

Ie, your son likes pasta out of a jar. Let him see you prepare pasta out of a jar and he will eat and enjoy. Then make your own pasta sauce and put it in the same jar - let him see you opening the jar. He thinks he is getting the same pasta sauce.

Give him a pizza out of a packet - then make one with potato dough and put it in the same packet. Or make one with dough and fold poached chicken or fish into the dough. As has been said, pizza sauce can hide a whole range of foodstuffs.

But dont stress about it. He will develop (mine has) albeit slowly.

[Barmaid]

Sorry, I meant your son! Not step son. Sorry.

[soapnumpty]

I'm glad I'm not the only one! My daughter is 2yrs & 3 months & she won't even try anything new. I'm going to try some of the suggestions. Where I live we have a Children's Centre and they do courses for parents of fussy eaters, so I'm not sure if there is a similar thing near you. I have put my name down for the course but it's not until March.

[ummmm]

You don't often see adults that only eat the range of food posted about. Taste Buds change and one can only presume that it's different for every person.

[ladyalex]

I'd just like to add my voice to the chorus of 'don't worry' on here.
The son-and-heir would really only eat plain pasta, plain rice, tomatoes and the occasional pea from about the age of 3 or so until he was a teenager.
He's absolutely fine, always has been really and eats anything and everything now.
Before he was about 3 he ate everything.
I'm sure your son will be fine.
:-))

[murraymints]

my nephew would eat only tuna mayonnaise, cinammon taosties cereal and drink milk for the first 6 years of his life..is now 24, 6'3'' and eats everything in sight..don't worry !

[MargoTester]

I know it's not exactly 'top' nutrition but have you tried him with fish fingers, good quality ones, put them with the spaghetti hoops that he like and half a jacket spud and see how he goes. My son (34 now) loved them when he was little but he would not eat any other fish.

[tgm1974]

I've been to those fussy eaters sessions and it was great making stuff for the kids but he still wouldn't try anything. I've tried talking to him tonight as he wouldn't eat the new style spaghetti I gave him and has had a bagel and yoghurt instead. Told him that he needs to try eating nice new tasty things and he can have a taste of a strawberry tomorrow with Mummy. He actually wanted it tonight and we managed two small bites before the "tang" kicked in!! Suppose we have to put that as some form of progress. Tomorrow we are making homemade pizza and I will purée some veggies before he notices!

Thanks for the advice and good to know I am not being totally paranoid!

[bednobs]

i am with you TGM - mine is 2 and a half and has a small range of things she will eat. She is somehow wise to the hiding things. Like your son, she ate everything i pureed for her previously. Her problem is less about taste and more about texture - she won't eat anything slimy (so no baked beans, nothing with a sauce, no cereal with milk and so on) Luckily she wille at fruit (but not stuff that's been chopped up as that has a slimy side) she'll eat a whole strawberry, but if i chopped it in half she wouldn'ttouch the cut surface, or have it near her lips!