Any tips to get to get my son to eat? At first I thought it was pickiness. But this isn’t a “phase” this is nights on end of him refusing to touch anything at supper. I’m at a loss. This phase his doctor said he was in, has been going on since shortly after he turned 1. He hasn’t touch a veggie or fruit since he was 12 months old, now he’s refusing meats, except cheeseburger which essentially leads him to eating just the cheese typically. I’m literally at loss.
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Following because my 5 year old is the same way!
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Let him make some ‘special milk’ -milk of choice, a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, and a pouch of stage 2 puréed baby food (mix of fruits and veggies)-add it all to a sippy cup and give it to him to shake(you can give it a few shakes first when handling it to him until he gets the hang of it)…since he ‘made’ it and it’s just a milkshake he might be more apt to drink it (and it’s fun to shake lol) but really it is full of protein, vitamins and nutrients!
My son only eats certain things. And when he wants too… not to worry… 
It might be a texture/sensory thing?
Don’t give up on offering him foods you’d like him to try to eat hopefully he will pick back up on eating better. Have you tried sitting and eating with him also? I’m asking because I know moms sometimes sit kids down to eat but are still busy themselves. I was thinking if he seen you eating fruits and vegetables maybe he’d try them.
Just be glad he is eating and give him a daily multi vitamin. He will outgrow the phase eventually
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Let him starve till he eats…
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Kids will eat when they get hungry!! It’ll get better.
My daughter only gets junk food or juice if she eats her dinner. When we started this she didn’t have any junk food until she ate her dinner every night for a week. We started when she was 3 she’s 4 now and will eat almost anything.
Make smoothies with veggies. My daughter loved spinach and blueberries, yogurt pumpkin and spices. She’s 17 now so I forget what else she liked. She knew to grab a bag of spinach when we were shopping for smoothie ingredients
I kinda cheated, I bought my son baby food puree pouches and he LOVED them. He had 1 every morning for a couple years with all kinds of fruits and veggies He wouldn’t normally eat but he didn’t start his day right without it. They make LOTS of different favors even for toddlers
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what time are you feeding him? Is he too tired to eat, is he sitting at the table with you while you eat your dinner?
Cut snacks and drinks at least 2-3 hours before super, and also you can try to feed him a little later ( maybe he is not hungry at the time you want him to eat )
Also , do not get frustrated, he will definitely eat if he is hungry , a child will not starve themselves
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My oldest has survived on basically vegemite sandwitches, plain rice/pasta and chicken nuggets. She has only just in the last few weeks started trying new foods. She went from eating anything we put in front of her at around 12-18mo to only wanting plain stuff, basically overnight. She’s 4 now.
when he is hungry, he will eat. don’t pamper him, give him the food and let him eat when he is hungry
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My kid was like this. Literally took her until 4 to start wanting to eat again. But we are having to have her tested for autism. She’s still a little picky, but definitely not as bad as it was. Just be patient, because that’s all it is, is a phase. As long as your child is eating SOMETHING, and not losing weight and staying healthy, you’re fine.
We are doing feeding therapy for my son to help with his eating. Asked for a referral to be evaluated for feeding therapy. It will be throughout occupational therapy that will cover the feeding. My son used to eat so well but for the last three months he regressed with his eating. He chews and spits out the food. He does have an autism diagnosis that’s why he started occupational therapy and we were able to incorporate feeding. I noticed my son does better with liquids and soft food. But we still give him the food even if he spits it out because we want him to get him exposed to different food with hopes that he will eventually eat it.
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Try having him help you make meals, snacks, smoothies, shakes. There are a lot of healthy options you can make together. I got my picky eater to consume veggies by adding them to smoothies. Example I put Kale, bananas, blueberries, baby carrots, milk (or other alternative to milk) and blend it. Try it before you give it make sure it tastes good. Then have them serve themselves. Blend it for extra time to get more foam. Gives it an extra fun concept (shake mustache.
There are so many things you can do with food to make it fun and interesting. You can google or look on Pinecrest for fun ideas aswell.
Including them may help in them eating or trying new things.
First of all, you’re doing a great job by being concerned , mama.
Secondly, kids do go through phases. Eating great one day and then eating hardly anything the next day.
Maybe try supplements like PediaSure shakes or something similar to help get him the nutrition. (Lots of coupons/deals if you sign up for them or Google a coupon)
Nobody will have the exact answer. Just keep trying things until it works for your situation.
Take him to a pediatric gastroenterologist -
My kid went through this too: they were having gastrointestinal issues with eating and it made them not want to eat.
Seriously: they have easy tests and solutions to get him back on track.
Please don’t wait.
Always put a small amount of whatever you are eating on the plate. Encourage him (lightly, or by example) to touch, smell, lick, but don’t talk about eating it. Also always put something he will eat on his plate. New foods can take 15-20 introductions before one feels confident to try it. Hang in there.
You know what I did when my kids went through this phase … I always made myself a plate of healthy snacks and sat in the living room munching on them… pretty soon little fingers would be on my plate snacking on them too.
The more you fuss about them eating, the more of a power struggle it becomes
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My kids do this to. Keep offering them a variety of foods. It’s a phase
My son was (kind of still is) a picky eater. He ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every meal for a year when he was 5. He then moved on to only spicy chicken sandwiches, and then finally only pizza. As he moved into his tween and teenage years, he would rotate those three items, but added things like steak and pork chops (plain with no gravy or sauce) hamburgers, scrambled eggs and, believe it or not, broccoli. To this day those items make up 90% of his food intake. What we did was ensure he ate organic, mostly home-prepared foods of the best quality we could afford. I also flooded him with vitamins including Vit D, Vit C, magnesium, iron and Iodine. He’s exceptionally healthy and on his own now. I’m expecting that once he meets the right girl, she will positively influence him to try new things. Hang in there!
What about lunch and breakfast? If he’s eating those; serve the dinner you cook, don’t make a big deal about refusal but also offer nothing else. If he is not eating ANY meals, get therapy.
Don’t serve anything else. They’ll eat. It’s not pleasant to watch them struggle but ultimately that’s the answer. They don’t only eat the cheese off the burger when broccoli is the only thing on the plate. They might choose to skip 5 meals before they decide to eat it but if you don’t offer anything else, eat it they will.
The kid doesn’t have a problem, they are learning the rules. What rules they learn are up to you.
My 6 year old still won’t eat fruits and veggies to save his life. The dietician we were assigned once he became type 1 diabetic said just keep offering. It may take 10 years but one day he will try some and like them. 
My 22 month old has suddenly decided he ONLY eats fruits and veggies and fries. And the last week or two he’s barely eaten anything. I tried to give him the vanilla toddler formula but now today his belly is gurgling, he’s farting and puking. I’m not sure if it’s an intolerance to the formula or he’s just sick.
You can’t force a baby to eat, unfortunately. Just stop offering the same foods all the time.
My son did this too and our doctor told us it was a phase. I really wish I would have pushed it or kept finding different doctors until one did something then. He’s now 12, still eating the same maybe 3 things, and we JUST found a doctor to listen. He’s now in feeding therapy (please ask your doctor about it and get a recommendation) and that’s helping but it’s a fight, one reason being because he’s an older kid. Also, not that this may be the reason for you, but we just got an autism diagnosis that every doctor has been refusing to do for years, it took over 11 years of me fighting doctors to get here and I wish I would have made that first doctor who told me everything was “a phase” actually LISTEN and do something. Start with forcing recommendations. You want a recommendation for feeding therapy, they’ll evaluate and take it from there. You want a recommendation for ADD/ADHD/ Autism testing. If he won’t listen, say you have family members who was diagnosed with something and they share similarities or something. A lot of places won’t test over the age of 5 (which has made my life incredibly difficult and put us on multiple 18+ month long waiting lists for the few places who DO test over that age).
One more suggestion. One of the things my son eats is plain salted white rice. Yeah it’s boring and isn’t very nutritional, but it’s one of the only things he’ll eat and at least he’s eating SOMETHING. Try very simple things, don’t combine stuff at first, and see how it goes. Good luck momma, you got this 
How old is your son? If he’s a toddler I’d just keep trying foods in new ways with different seasonings cooked in different ways. Our only food rule is, you can’t say you don’t like it if you haven’t tried it four ways. There are lots of foods my son will only eat grilled while my daughter hates eggs unless they’re egg salad or deviled. My son hates brown rice unless it’s in a salad with citrus. My husband hates curry with coconut milk in it but loves Japanese curry. If he gets to be around 4-5 and has better understanding ask if it the flavor or the texture. I have one nephew who just hates certain textures and he’s an adult, but he’s always willing to try new foods at my house because he knows I’ll make it anyway he wants to try it
You can try the look, smell, taste/try method. It’s not quick but it helps. Offer the same food in small amounts several times as it can take several tries for the eyes, brain and taste buds to adjust to a item and even consider it acceptable let alone really like it. On the first offer let them just see the item on their plate and nothing more. The second time it’s offered ask them to smell it. The next few offerings have them taste/try it. This step doesn’t have to be anything more than touching tongue to it, taking a small nibble or up to a full bite as the individual is comfortable. If after a few taste/try attempts they still absolutely do not like then remove that item for a few months before restarting the process. As we get older taste buds change and things we disliked we make find we like or at least can accept as tolerable. That’s why it’s important to retry items every few months to once a year.
You can also see if child qualifies for food/eating therapy.
My daughter has sensory issues and will refuse to eat. These have been a game changer. She can now tell when she forgets to have them. There is a more expensive version we were getting with cleaner ingredients, but Amazon was out one month and sent us these. They work the same and in this economy, I’ll choose less clean if it still works 
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0B1MKR8GY/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_6?smid=A2SXVX7JR0DTS&psc=1
They eat what they’re given or they go hungry. They’ll eat eventually
Parents don’t make their kids do anything any more. They allow the child to rule the home.
Sit him at the table with food in front of him. Advise him. He does not get up, to play untill he takes two bites. Then sit there with him until he does. If it gets close to bed time. Remind him that will be his breakfast tomorrow. Then do same thing next day. Stop babying these kids.
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Kinda wish I had that problem spend over 1200.00 a month on groceries