picky eater help

I need some help with DS2. He's about to turn four and is THE pickiest eater I've ever met. He has struggled with anemia in the past and been put on iron drops but now I'm worried he's anemic again. I've long suspected he has Celiac like me because of digestive issues and poor growth but until we're able to get him tested for that, I need help with his poor eating habits. We've spoken to his doctor about it in the past but he didn't seem worried. His pickiness is out of control now and it's very frustrating. :hair:

The foods he won't eat: meat of ANY kind (not even hot dogs or nuggets), seafood, legumes of any kind, nuts, vegetables of any kind (except corn and only if it's on the cob), most fruits (except bananas, peeled apples, strawberries, raspberries...that's it). I can't even get him to eat potatoes or rice or really any other starch or grain unless it's pasta. I've tried smoothies with healthy foods like spinach snuck in there but if he spies any teensy tiny bit of green or texture in it, he won't drink it. Same with marinara sauce.

The foods he willeat are cereal (thank goodness these are fortified!), all dairy except cottage cheese and if it's yogurt it must be completely smooth(no fruit bits), bread/pasta/crackers, mac 'n cheese, peanut butter (glad for that one), fruit juice/coconut water/almond milk. He will sometimes eat eggs (scrambled only) but it's usually a struggle to get him to eat it. For the most part I feel like his diet is just carbs in some form and cheese. It's really difficult to come up with meal and snack ideas for him. It seems like every website or book that has recipes for picky eaters are still all things my kid won't eat. He does take a kids multivitamin daily so at least there's that.:shrug: DH thinks we should just give him protein powder shakes or give him something like pediasure. I have repeatedly given DS2 small tastes of new or disliked foods but he never eats it.

My other two boys will eat practically anything you give them so this has really thrown me for a loop! Any advice is appreciated!

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Juice might be a good idea because I was reading that the Vitamin C in it helps with iron absorption. I can't say whether or not he likes grape juice because I rarely buy it but I know he loves orange juice and apple juice. I usually don't give my boys much juice because of the all the sugar but I may start giving him a small amount each day.

I will have to look for the millet crackers. I know I've seen ones for adults since I've bought them for myself before. He's completely addicted to crackers lol so he may like them! Thank you.

I had a couple of those too and they did eventually grow out of it. My one picky eater even eats things like salsa now which I can hardly believe since he was about at the level your little guy is (also anemic and we had to give him iron, we used this stuff for 2 years before he finally started eating normally https://www.amazon.com/Pediakid-Vita.../dp/B01LMOQIVC)

My advice is to just let him eat what he will eat and don't worry about it because it is temporary. He'll come out of it eventually and I have only found (both with one of my sisters who was super picky and with my oldest boy) that the more you worry and stress over it, they gain power from aggravating you LOL and it turns into a power struggle. it's better to just do what you can with what he will eat.

Thank you Atomic! It's so good to hear from someone else who has experienced this. It seriously feels like I'm the only one with a kid this picky sometimes. I do have a friend with a DS about DS2's age that is super picky but he has developmental delays so I attribute it to that.

YES DS2 totally fights me even more, the more I argue with him over food. You're right, I should know when to pick my battles but it's hard because of course I worry about him (it is my job after all ;)). Some days I just want to wave a little white flag and surrender. lol He's pretty much just eaten cheese pizza and mac 'n cheese for the past few days but you know I have to say, I'm just happy he ate! We actually discovered he likes protein bars (he seems to think they're candy) so while I don't want him eating them all the time, I'd like to give him one on occasion.

pretty soon this will all be just a distant memory. :) I promise.

Hey, someone spammed this old post, just wondering how he's doing now, ks???

I feel your pain ks! My DS was the WORST. He wouldn't eat anything red. I'm not kidding. No berries, tomatoes, salsa. No juice of any color. No cheese, but pizza was okay. He would actually gag and leave the room if someone is eating yogurt or a banana, his teachers have approached me!

I want you to know that he is just this past year coming around. Salmon is his favorite food now! and rice. Neither of which he would even look at a few years ago. He just turned 8 :)

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

Hey, someone spammed this old post, just wondering how he's doing now, ks???

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STILL picky. lol However, lately he's been okay with eating chicken nuggets and hot dogs. They're processed foods but hey, at least he's eating some sort of protein. :shrug: He still won't eat anything of the things I listed in my original post though. I try to at least feed him the "healthier" or more "natural" versions of the otherwise processed foods he eats so I can feel at least a little better about his diet. He's been slow to gain weight though (he's been small since birth and has always either been at a very low percentile or not even on the chart). He only weighs 30 pounds at 4.5 years old. His doctor doesn't seem terribly concerned but of course I can't help but worry. Height wise he's small for his age but his growth rate has been good and he's in a much higher percentile now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Anchor

I feel your pain ks! My DS was the WORST. He wouldn't eat anything red. I'm not kidding. No berries, tomatoes, salsa. No juice of any color. No cheese, but pizza was okay. He would actually gag and leave the room if someone is eating yogurt or a banana, his teachers have approached me!

I want you to know that he is just this past year coming around. Salmon is his favorite food now! and rice. Neither of which he would even look at a few years ago. He just turned 8 :)

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LOL at the no red foods. Kids....I swear! I've heard some crazy excuses from my boys about why they won't eat a certain food and it's almost hilarious! DS2 has been requesting I pick the seeds out of his strawberries. :sigh: Ummmm, no.

DS1 is so sweet, he's been trying to convince DS2 to eat various meats by explaining to him at meals why it tastes so good. lol DS2 just gets totally grossed out and whines until his brother stops talking about it. :giggle:

I'm so glad your DS has been open to trying new foods! I seriously can't wait for DS2 to start wanting to eat foods like vegetables or beans or fish. It would certainly make dinner easier!

Hmm interestingly, my pickiest eater was also my smallest baby! I sometimes wonder if they know best about what their little bodies need. :)