[mom2fabtwins]

We have the "no thank you" bite. Even if it is something you think you will not like you have to have a no thanky you bite. It seems to be a poltie way to say try it - if it kills you I won't make you eat it again - like my mom told us. I remind the kids that your taste buds change every 21 days. Just because you didn't like it last time doesn't mean you still won't like it. I allow seconds of what they like, but thirds is only if they eat a complimenting food (veggie/meat).

[jphollen]

I really like the "no thank you bite" idea! We require our kids to try everything. They have to try it even if they have had it a few times before and don't care for it.

As far as having to waste food, maybe you could put really small portions on their plates so they are not overwhelmed and don't waste anything??

[mommytoelmolover]

We had two girls ages 4 and 6 that lived with us for a while. These children had to have all there front teeth pulled (similar to bottle rot). They had never had a veggie. They said it was because their mother didn't like them either. Well I would fix their plate at dinner and give them a little of each food offered. At first I would only give about a tablespoon of veggies. They had to clean their plate if they wanted more of something. If they ate their veggies at dinner the could choose their evening snack (peanut butter crackers, ice cream, cookies, etc.). If they refused to eat their veggies at dinner then they had to have veggies for snack (they got to choose what veggie they ate at snack, and it was almost always baby carrots and ranch). I also would puree veggies and add them to our main dish (they never knew). Cauliflower in mash potatos, spinach in spagetti, broccoli in alfredo, etc. Eventually the 6 year old would ask for seconds on veggies and tell others how much she liked her veggies, the 4 year old continued to resist but some days the lure of choosing her snack was enough to get her to eat her veggies. So I would say this method was much more effective with the older one.

We then had a placement of a 3 1/2 year old girl. She only ate about 10 food total. She absolutely refused to eat anything if it was not her choosen foods. If you tried to make her she would make herself throw up. So...we decide to try another method. She absolutely loved the little white powdered donuts. So I told her for every new food she tried she could have a donut. SO at dinner if she ate one bite of each NEW food she got a donut. So if she ate peas one night she got a donut but the next night they were not a "new" food anymore so no donut. Only for the "new" foods. I tried to offer a lot of new foods that I thought she would like so that it was a rewarding thing for her. After a few weeks we weeded out the donut offering and just made the rule that she had to try everything on her plate. More times than not she ate the food. I'd say their were about 5 foods she really did not like.

One morning I was fixing eggs and she said I don't like eggs. I said well we are having eggs so I guess you'll be hungry if you don't eat them. She ate all the eggs on her plate and asked for more and ate all those and asked for more. After that she would request eggs at breakfast.

I think alot of it is lack of exposure and fear of the unknown.

Good luck with your food battles but I would NOT prepare a seperate meal for any member of my family unless they had an allergy or were sick.

[reesegayla]

"I think alot of it is lack of exposure and fear of the unknown."

I totally agree with this! I have a very strict food policy. They have to take one bite of each thing on their plate. if they dont like it that is fine but they dont' get anything else, and can't leave the table until they try a bite.

Big K came to us with a label of being a "picky eater" but i have found most of what he tries, he likes. THe only down side is if he really doesnt' like it, he will make himself sick instead of swallowing. At first I thought this was a defiance thing but after a few weeks I realized, he really feels bad when it happens. I think he just has a really bad gag reflex. So now I just get ready with some paper towels before he tries the stuff. The good news is, even when he does get sick, he will continue to eat the things he likes afterwards.

[NotAMomYet]

We give kids two choices: take it or leave it. If they are eating breakfast and lunch (cereal, sandwiches) then they won't starve from missing dinner. And, when they realize that "take it or leave it" means just that, they'll take it.

My sister has a "three bites" rule with her kids: 1 to try, 1 to taste, 1 to decide. They can't say they don't like it until they've had three bites. This is a great tool, and when they stayed with us last summer it helped them to learn that the LOVE fried tofu (kids didn't even leave enough to share!) and that they actually do like some of those strange veggies we served ...

[Biblemom]

We also have the 'no thank you bite' rule. I have had children sitting at the table for up to an hour before they realized I was very serious about the 'no thank you bite'.

If I am fixing a meat that I know my children do not like I make sure we have at least one side they do really like . That way i know they are eating something. In order to get dessert or seconds everything has to be eaten on their plates. Most of my current children are not big meat eaters so I only give them small portions of that.

On school days at breakfast they have the choice of rice crispies or honey nut cheerios (and banana). That's it. I do buy 'sugary' cereals that they are allowed to have on nonschool days. I buy only the Kroger brand sugar cereals because they add nutrients to them and are actually healthier than some of the regular brands I had thought to be good for them.

They also are not allowed to whine about any food I am putting/have put on their plates. That gets them extra that they have to eat of that item. I have only had to follow through with that one a few times. They catch on pretty quick!

[fostapeepz]

We had more than just a 'picky eater'. The kids came from a fast food and heat-n-eat background, so it's true that they did have the typical fear of new foods, and rejection of vegetables etc... But we got past that fairly quickly. The girls, however, came from an abusive background, and the one was the primary target of that abuse (and had been allowed to be dominated by her sister, also). She, in particular, would decide she didn't want to eat and she would hold food in her mouth for hours. If she was told she would sit until she finished eating, she would eat and then go stand over the toilet trying to make herself puke. It was a control issue for her. All our typical methods just did not work. If we allowed her to walk away and choose not to eat - she would willingly go without eating for 2 days. We were very concerned about setting the foundation for an eating disorder, and her counselor agreed that she seemed to be already training her body to regard hungry as a normal feeling. From what I've read, the answer is to give her back a feeling of control in other areas. That's why I really like the idea of letting the kids each pick 5 foods they don't have to eat. It puts some control back into her hands in regards to meals, without giving her free reign to choose what to eat, or whether to eat. We sat down with the 3 older kids and they were all very excited about the idea. So we'll hope it will make meal time less of a war ground.

[thelowlanders]

Maybe I'm a big meanie but..... Like I wrote on another post...

If you're serving perfectly family friendly foods, and it turns into a battle, we basically went vegan for over a week. They quickly realized how much they appreciated the "suzie homemaker" type casseroles. It may not be cheetohs and milk, but it tastes alot better than eating like a rabbit hehe That put an end to our battle. And that was with some VERY strong willed little F-girls.