Participating with Shell!
http://thingsicantsay.com/2013/01/pour-your-heart-out-the-sitting-moms.html
We’ve hit a wall with K’s eating habits. He’s slowly gotten pickier and picker the last few weeks until he would be just fine with a diet that consisted of nothing more than:
Yogurt
Fruit
Breakfast grains (muffins, cereal bars, pecan twirls, dry cereal, etc)
Mac n Cheese
PB sandwiches
Pizza
In just the last few days he has refused to TRY an english muffin pizza, butternut squash, baked beans, sausage, chicken fries, spaghettios, a non cheese sauce noodle…the list goes on. Note I didn’t say he “tried and hated”…he won’t even taste anything that looks remotely new.
If you think I’m pushing my luck with any of the above items, he is also no longer eating items he used to love…carrots, green beans, corn, grilled cheese (gave that one up a while ago) and even jelly on the PB&J.
Granted…there are some healthy things on his “yes” list. I’m so thankful that he will eat fruit and yogurt. And between the yogurt and PB I feel like we’re getting enough protein in him. But what’s a mama got to do to make a veggie appealing? And why STOP eating something he has clearly liked for a while? And what 2 year old doesn’t like grilled cheese!?!
So I’m curious…if any of you have dealt with a picky eater, what helped him/her overcome it? If it is a phase…how long are we looking at here? And where did you fall on the 0-10 “they have to eat…just give them something healthy they WILL eat”…to…”send them to bed hungry…they’ll learn to like spinach eventually” scale. I don’t know how hard to try to push and reason with a 2 year old whose will has proven to be surprisingly strong…
In case you are wondering…we are careful about fluids, especially milk around meal time. We try entertainment while he eats, and no entertainment while he eats. (Tonight tv would have been a reward IF he had eaten. Tomorrow we’re going to all sit at the kitchen table together with no other distractions. Etc).
Man can not live on bread alone…but can K live on mac n cheese?
Mama Laughs 
Eating phases are so hard! Both of my boys have gone through this, and we still see little food quirks. One day a food is a favourite and the next, they don’t want to taste it. It seems like you are doing everything you can; it sounds as though there are some healthy foods your little one will eat. I would just say keep offering different choices and hopefully the variety will come back.
Yes, it’s so hard. I didn’t deal with it first-hand when she was little but now Miss Independent is on her own streak with refusing certain things. But I have friends who have faced this. I’ll be honest – some wound up going to food therapists, which helped TREMENDOUSLY. Others waited it out and it turned out okay, and others still tried something different. Each child is different, and I think depending on how you feel about what is being eaten, and the growth and whatnot, that’s important. Maybe talk to your ped about it? And hang in there! You’ll get through it as a family eventually, it’s just a bumpy ride for now. Oh, and I just re-read the list he is eating, and looks like it’s okay for the time being. A friend’s kid ONLY ate mac-n-cheese for dinner. Like EVERY SINGLE NIGHT and she’s a bright and funny 6yo now.
My middle son is a picky eater. He has a list of things he’ll eat and there are healthy things on it. We try to get him to eat new things. Sometimes it will work, other times it doesn’t- and I’m okay with giving him a pb sandwich if he doesn’t want the dinner I made.
Wow, that’s a really tough situation and I’m really sorry you’re going through it. My daughter is/was fairly picky and always has been very strong willed.
When it became really bad we started to do this thing called “adventure bites” where she’d get to wear a blindfold and a special crown and we’d feed her an “adventure bite” of a new-to-her food that the rest of us were having for dinner anyway (kiwi, frittata, meatball, nothing too crazy). If she didn’t like it we didn’t push it but she had to at least give everything a couple shots. It ended up working well because she thought it was a fun game.
That being said I’m a 9 on the “send them to bed hungry” scale. We’re very blessed to have a child of normal weight with no health issues. At dinner she gets offered what I prepared or fresh fruit and veggies. If she doesn’t want to eat any of that, that’s okay with me. She’s fully capable of eating healthy foods and won’t starve to death if she goes without for a night.
Good luck!