Tired of playing musical mealtime

**McD** · 03-22-2009, 03:47 PM

Wanted to add, something we have had to do with Wesley is to creatively name foods.

Corn Dogs=hot dogs on a stick
Spaghetti noodles=worms
mashed potatoes have to be rolled in to a ball and called cheesey tots.

**ArmyOfFive4God** · 03-22-2009, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by MrsMcDowell

Wanted to add, something we have had to do with Wesley is to creatively name foods.

Corn Dogs=hot dogs on a stick
Spaghetti noodles=worms
mashed potatoes have to be rolled in to a ball and called cheesey tots.

When my oldest was little, if we called it pork, he'd eat it.

**Starlight9803** · 03-22-2009, 08:54 PM

I'm in a similar rut myself, fixing the same type of meals over and over, and wanting to branch out to more healthy foods, but the problem here is mainly DH!! He is the picky one of the family, though the kids do complain. While I don't fix items that I know no one likes, when I fix a meal in this house, they can either eat it or not....but I refuse to fix anything else. And, if they don't eat it that night, you can be sure it's served up as leftovers the second night, so they might as well eat some of it lol.

**MoonMommy** · 03-23-2009, 10:25 AM

It is funny I saw this today. I also have two picky eaters. My Ds who is 7 is getting better at trying things. He is horrible at eating anyting "green" but he is getting better. I try to have him count how many fruits and veggies he has had that day, I think they are supposed to have 5 servings) and so, we try to make a game of it. My Dd (3) is HORRIBLY picky. So far, she will eat about a handful of things. Everyday for lunch she has PB&J.

I told them both that starting this week, mommy is going to make a new dish. New to ALL of us. I told them that they can help me do it and that EVERYONE at the table is required to try it. If they don't eat it, they will go to bed with no snacks and nothing else to eat. Also, I have found, that with my son, the hungrier he is (no snacks after school) the easier he is at the dinner table. With my daughter, she is more a "peer pressure" type of kid. Doesn't care how hungry she is, but if she sees that big brother can now get down and go watch TV or a movie and she is going to miss it....she will all of a sudden get the urge to TRY something.

Also, with my son when he was about 3, he LOVED that show Oobi as well as the show Charlie and Lola. We would make Oobi hands and pretend that Oobi was taking bites of the food and tasting stuff. Then we would ask him to take a bite. Charlie and Lola had an episode where Charlie named all kinds of foods different things so that Lola would try it. It worked for him to some extent.

**ritabelle** · 03-23-2009, 10:50 AM

When I make up my menu for the week, I ask DH and DD7 for 1 or 2 ideas for dinners. It's easier for them to eat something I chose if they know 'their' dinner is coming up in a day or so. I also will cater to my DD's preferences slightly -- she doesn't like pasta sauces, so I will scoop her out some pasta before saucing the rest. And I give her much smaller portions that I think she'll eat -- her appetite varies widely so sometimes she wants more, sometimes not. But if she flat out refuses to eat something, she doesn't get any snacks and goes straight to bed -- strangely, she doesn't refuse much. lol

**scrap_candles** · 03-24-2009, 12:31 PM

My ds13 luckily will at least try anything but he hates pizza, lol. Now my ds9, and ds10, are both a lot pickier and will refuse to even try anything new or that they are sure they have had before and didn't like. What I started doing a couple weeks ago when I made out a menu plan that had quite a few things on it that I thought they may give me problems with was, I told them that they were going to be food critics for the week and they had to try all the new foods, and then review them for me. This got them to try it and also helped knowing exactly what it was about the dish that they did or did not like so that I knew to fix it again or try something different with it.

It hasn't been perfect, but they at least sat down to try it and took a few bites before I heard all the complaints, and it added some fun and conversation to the dinner.

**xtena** · 03-24-2009, 02:15 PM

I feel for you.

DD is 7 and has her 'moments' but she's just not permitted to refuse to eat, otherwise she goes hungry. Some people would call that abuse but we call it the real world.

In our case DH is from China. His parents survived the famine that resulted as a result of the Great Leap Forward in the '50's. DD himself grew up very poor, during the Cultural Revolution so he knows what real hunger is and he's explained it to DD ad nauseum. I've also lived in China, and travelled through some terribly poor regions, so I go along with him. It's a struggle sometimes but DD is expected to eat what she's served. She whines, and sometimes takes a long time to eat something she doesn't like, but 99% of the time she does eat what she's served because she knows it is expected.

I know that won't for your autistic son, but maybe the other one.

**MoonMommy** · 03-24-2009, 02:27 PM

My "New Meal Monday" worked OK. Ds tried it. Can't say that he LOVED the meal, but he did try it and eat about half of what I gave him. Dd ate most of the ham (which was new for her) and then we had a struggle with her to try the rice combo.

I think I will just keep attempting my New Meal Mondays with new dishes for the fam on each Monday and maybe I will tell the kids that they are food critics and I need them to try it so they can tell me what they like and don't like.

**annymoll** · 03-28-2009, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by MoonMommy

It is funny I saw this today. I also have two picky eaters. My Ds who is 7 is getting better at trying things. He is horrible at eating anyting "green" but he is getting better. I try to have him count how many fruits and veggies he has had that day, I think they are supposed to have 5 servings) and so, we try to make a game of it. My Dd (3) is HORRIBLY picky. So far, she will eat about a handful of things. Everyday for lunch she has PB&J.

I told them both that starting this week, mommy is going to make a new dish. New to ALL of us. I told them that they can help me do it and that EVERYONE at the table is required to try it. If they don't eat it, they will go to bed with no snacks and nothing else to eat. Also, I have found, that with my son, the hungrier he is (no snacks after school) the easier he is at the dinner table. With my daughter, she is more a "peer pressure" type of kid. Doesn't care how hungry she is, but if she sees that big brother can now get down and go watch TV or a movie and she is going to miss it....she will all of a sudden get the urge to TRY something.

Also, with my son when he was about 3, he LOVED that show Oobi as well as the show Charlie and Lola. We would make Oobi hands and pretend that Oobi was taking bites of the food and tasting stuff. Then we would ask him to take a bite. Charlie and Lola had an episode where Charlie named all kinds of foods different things so that Lola would try it. It worked for him to some extent.

I always did these little games with the kids.I used to tell them that there was a pretend boy at the table and everytime he ate his broccoli his muscles were getting bigger.They would at least try the food. To the original poster- I commend you for making an effort with your children concerning diet.The only tip I will offer is to keep setting a healthy example yourself and to tie it in with exercise and fitness, even at their young ages.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 03-31-2009, 12:01 PM

I'm glad I'm not alone with this. It's refreshing to see how many other people are trying different ways of getting the little ones to eat and it's given me some inspiration for the future.

Lately, we've had a hurdle with one dish in particular: chicken enchiladas. DS5 has gone from outright refusal to eat them to trying one bite to trying a bite with some salsa on it. It's the little steps that we're greatly focusing on and it's a slow process, but it's working! We always give him a bit to try new things and ask him to take one more bite each time I make the dish. I think that's our gameplan for now. It won't be so bad in the Spring and Summer because I've never seen DS5 or DS10 turn down much of anything that we make. It's the winter months that are a bit of a challenge, but we'll get through.

to everyone who has chimed in and helped out!

**Persimmon Lace** · 03-31-2009, 01:20 PM

You need to get your husband on board with those boys!

My dad would tell us "your mom worked hard to make this meal and you need to eat". We were welcome to go to our rooms with bread and water. I did it once over my mom's wonderful spaghetti at the age of 10, never happened again. No yelling or anything, just my dad getting up going to cabinet, getting a glass and a slice of bread and asking me to leave the kitchen. I thought my brother was going to faint, he told me later it only took him once too. Had there been a tantrum, life would've ended as we knew it! I loved my dad and respected him enough to understand that we didn't dis our mom. Period.

I would simply ask them to leave the table, that's what we did with ours. No tv or phone, just leave the table and you will eat tomorrow or you can have bread and water in your room. Throw a fit? There were consequences for that too.

You aren't asking them to clean their plates just to try something and be respectful at the table. Repeat...."this is what we are having for dinner...." as often as necessary. No need to lose your temper. You aren't FORCING them to eat but giving them choices.

It does work.

**MoonMommy** · 03-31-2009, 04:17 PM

Our second week of "new meal Monday" was a better hit with my son. I made Cheeseburger Macaroni. My Dd had a much harder time with it. We have even been having the kids help make the meal as much as possible. For desert we made banana pudding with sliced bananas in it. Ds (7) tried it and ate about half, wanted it for lunch today, but when he got home from school said he didn't like the bananas in the pudding. My Dd (3) wouldn't even taste the pudding.

It seems to be working with my son and even though it takes awile at the table, my daughter does eventually take a bite. My Dh is totally on board with it, which helps out a lot. I think he is also getting tired of the same foods hitting the table all the time as well as the kids avoidance of trying something just based on looks.