How can I get my sons to eat better?

No thank you bites. I do this with my girls you don’t need to eat it but you do need to take one bite to see if you like it.

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Just feed him!! He will outgrow it! Give him vitimans and stop bringing the stuff you don’t want him eating into the house

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i would take the food he likes and make it healthy. he likes chicken so buy raw chicken and instead of frying it make baked chicken or chicken spaghetti or instead of buying pizza, you make it yourself using cauliflower crust and cutting up vegetables and make it in front of him

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What he wants plus one bite. At this age it’s tough. Vitamins

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I don’t negotiate with terrorists.

Mom makes 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.

I’m happy to have help with suggestions of future meals to make BUT I make family meals. Not individual.

My job to provide. Their job to decide when to eat and how much.

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I tought my kids where the only ones :woman_facepalming: either chicken or beef fajita nothing else and breakfast is cereal or French toast

Feed your kids what they want. They’re people too, what if someone forced you to eat food you hated constantly? And starving him? That’s literal abuse and neglect. Do better for your child.

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Hes 12 SOON TO BE 13 IM ASSUMING HE HAS SOME SORT OF TECHNOLOGY HES ADDICTED TOO. TAKE IT AWAY :ok_hand:

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My son used to be THE PICKIEST eater around that age, he is now almost 18 and he eats way more variety then i do! It’s a phase, if he’s healthy, let it be. See if he will try different things here and there but dint force it. Try getting him a cookbook, kids are more willing to eat what they cook knowing whats in it

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It my son doesn’t want what’s being served I have him make what he wants (with help depending on what it is) that has helped a little. Good luck mama, the struggle is real!!

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Make the things he likes, but healthier. Like whole bread bread with French toast using real maple syrup.

Or put veggies and healthier meats on the pizza.

You could do air fried chicken for him. Meet half way.

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They’ll grow out of it eventually. I just make what my kids eat other wise they will starve lol

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Eat it or starve around here. When I was that age, I could go a week with almost nothing to eat. Stick to your guns and he’ll learn to eat.

Those are his safe foods. You have to introduce new food gradually and try to keep them similar to his safe foods. Otherwise you get locked into a battle of wills that you cannot win.

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He’s 13 he knows what he is doing. You are get what your given otherwise it’s served for breakfast

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Change up your shopping list. Outta sight, outta mind, yeah!?

It’s a phase; I used to hate some foods that I love now 1 0 years later; try healthier alternatives ( fresh toast etc ); chicken can be air fried; cereal is bad for you anyway :rofl: pizza can be great if it’s healthy

Well, he’ll have a eating disorder if he doesn’t already. Seriously, wtf. This is so psychologically traumatizing.

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This is how you give your child an eating disorder ma’am

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My son is the same age and the same way. Eats maybe 5 different things. He has taken the same exact lunch to school every day since preschool and he is going into 7 grade

I’ve been having some trouble with my 12 year old as well when it comes to food.
Lately we’ve been looking up new meals to make together & it’s actually helped! He looks forward to trying them out & they are always pretty healthy too!

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As long as they are healthy, they will eat when they are hungry.

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They eat make what you make or they don’t eat.no need to make anything else. So if they are truly hungry than eventually they will eat what you provide them

Does he go grocery shopping with you? let him help you plan meals.

At least he is eating :woman_shrugging:

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He will eventually get the urge to eat. Every child is different… I offer him what he likes. My 10 year old eats chicken fingers or nuggets, Pizza and loves spaghetti and hamburger helper… But when little all he ate was the nuggets and fingers ONLY…

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Fix what he eats just healthy. Don’t starve him or force him to eat foods he doesn’t like. These things cause so many issues with food

let him eat whatever he wants, he will outgrown this soon

I also come to realize genetics have a factor in this… My dad When younger was skinny I stayed skinny and could eat alot and never gain 1 lb. Eventually when older we both gained weight… So look into you or his dad and he is probably eating like you were as kids that age… He will have a growth spurt and eat you out house and home…

As long as he’s eating let him eat.

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That is why my daughter learned to cook the things she likes an learned to use the air fryer hee self she is 13 yrs old also I swear it’s a faze because she was stuck on romen for months then she switched to chicken nuggets an fries

My kid is the same. She’s 8 & will go without eating than to eat something she doesn’t like. She has about 8 items on her menu & that is completely it. I’ve tried everything over the years and it never changes.

You’re not talking about a toddler who has recently started eating foods other than baby food and pureed foods. This is a teenager. He does what he’s been allowed to do.

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Eatting food is alot different than other things. Maybe the kid doesnt like the smell, taste, texture or something else. I’m a grown adult & I would rather starve than eat a banana. But I will eat & enjoy banana bread. It’s on the kid & the mother. She needs to talk to her kid & get to the bottom of it otherwise it could turn into an eating disorder or the kid will distrust & resent his own mother.

He will survive… Dont worry

Just have a conversation about what different kinds of things they’d like to eat. I mean I was forced to eat things I didn’t want as a kid and now as an adult ill eat whatever I want. You really can’t force anyone to eat anything they don’t want. It’s just food, as long as they’re healthy there isn’t a problem

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If he isn’t autistic or something along that line… stop giving in :woman_facepalming:t3:

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Take him shopping with you. Let him pick out foods. Show him how to cook. They are many ways to cook chicken. My son is 15 and is the same way. We bought an air fryer and he loves to cook in it. Maybe yall can come up with a chicken meal yall both like. We buy alot of chicken wings, breasts and legs. Let him help you in the kitchen when cooking.

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Let him eat it… I mean. Hes 13 years old. He obviously just knows what he likes and doesn’t like. Make meals out of what he likes. .

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Make him eat what everyone else is eating. This is not a cafeteria! Dont give in to his complaining. He will eat

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At least he will eat that, just keep feeding him, and one day he will get a girlfriend who’s mom makes lasagna and he will eat it for her…lol

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what type of doctor? I’d look into feeding therapy, speech pathologist, a psychologist, or dietitian. Something is going on. I have a child with extreme sensory/texture issues that is very similar. In the meantime, don’t let your baby starve. Just feed him what he’ll eat. “Fed is best” extends beyond breastfeeding. A child with a medical difficulty will absolutely not just “eat when he’s hungry”.

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I have the same issue with my 9 year old. I was 100% one of those people that said, “my kids are going to eat what I make”. Well, then I became a parent of one of those children, and it turns out, it’s not so easy to just make them eat. He’s had early intervention for nutrition, we’ve planted and harvested a garden together, he’s helped write a grocery list and even shopped along side me with his own cart. He’s helped me cook and I also make him try what I make, before he’s offered anything else. If he doesn’t like what I’ve made, than he has to prepare something for himself. I do not run a restaurant. I make 1 meal and that’s it. He has recently started trying new things on his own, which we always highly encourage. This has been an ongoing issue and is addressed at every doctor’s appointment. It’s extremely frustrating and often discouraging, but at the end of the day, he’s healthy and ultimately that’s all that really matters. I wish you luck on expanding his diet. It’s definitely not easy.

Unless he is paying for his own food, and most 13 year-olds don’t, then he can only eat what is provided for him. At 13, if he refuses to eat, so be it. It’s more for you. Eventually he will eat. I might also recommend that he start helping with the cooking, and this might really get him interested in all the ways food can be prepared and enjoyed. Let him make suggestions by taking him shopping, and then creating meals together. Then…give yourself a break by having him completely prep some meals; see where it goes!

As long as he’s eating just let him eat. It’s a form of abuse to withhold food from a child just because YOU don’t like what he eats or because he won’t eat what YOU want him to eat. I’d say if he’s eating, count your blessings.

Let him eat what he will eat. He’ll be fine.

It’s not a big deal!! My older kids eat it all now!!! My 10 year old gets what he will eat…because of experience, I know he will be fine! Gets a vitamin every day, and I encourage other foods, but will never force him to eat them, and definitely will not starve him!! It s amazing having children later in life the things that you thought were a big deal are really not!:v:

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Just let him eat what he wants keep plenty of personal size pizzas, cereal, and frozen French toast on freezer ots not that expensive he will eventually try other things when he feels like it is his choice, besure he takes a good daily vitamin. He will be fine

You are the problem, not him…

My doctor said don’t force my son to eat what he doesn’t want to eat he will eventually start liking stuff and than he will eat it.

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I’d stock up on cereal and milk.

Unless He’s Got A Job And Shops For Himself. You’re The One Deciding What He Will Or Won’t Eat…as my Mom said. They’ll get hungry after a few days and stop arguing

It’s hard to say, as every kid is different…if he’s autistic/picky eater/eating disorder…not knowing the situation, the best advice would be to take the pressure off the situation and incorporate baby steps into the items he does like. Also, get him involved with meal prep…so you can try different kinds if breads in or toppings on the French toast as an example.

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Try healthy things with spices, idk you but I know many parents that complain their kids won’t eat healthy then make steamed broccoli with no spices that taste bland as heck
Vegetables are delicious but if cooked like that you do nothing but take away from it instead of adding to it like if you cooked it in water, some butter, and basic spices like salt and pepper make it taste even better, with the right spices you can make it better as well

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If he doesn’t like what you make he’s old enough to make his own food. I am a picky eater and growing up I just made my own food if I didn’t like what was for dinner.

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He’s eating so what’s the deal… I would be worried if he was starving or over weight.

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I hid mushrooms in spaghetti if that helps :blush:

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I don’t think you can force it. . I was 40 before I touched seafood & shrimp… my granddaughter was a salad eater Forever. . As a toddler she loved them, never liked red meat, pizza sauce on pizza, just the most unusual choices… I always said she’d be made fun of by friends in school & eventually try something!!! I took her out to eat one day & she ordered a medium rare filet!!! I almost fainted at the table. She was 14. . It just happens sometimes all by itself… it might be a texture thing too… some things just feel weird to kids!!

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Have you had him evaluated for sensory issues? A lot of people will only eat certain foods if they have sensory issues within certain textures. Sometimes it’s not actually being ‘picky’ or a bad behavior, but possibly something else. Good luck

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When my daughter was little there were very few things she would eat. My doctor told me to stop trying to force her to eat. He said he had never heard of a kid that would starve themselves to death, that if I continued trying to force her she would have bigger eating problems later on. I backed off and it was quite a while and a lot of worrying on me but she finally started eating on her own

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My son only ate 5 foods until he was 18. Now he eats anything!

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grandson 25 is same. still very healty otherwise. i dont worry anymore also is autistic and asperger

You gave in after two days…

Give the little bastard a week.

Ugh no human will ever starve themselves if food is available…stop making shit food available and cook a meal.

My 12 year old daughter is the same way too

My daughter did same thing…mac and cheese…with hot dogs…for bout year…now she lectures me on my diet…very good cook…one of healthiest eaters I know…even does kale and apple juice drinks…yuck

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My behaved similarly. I stumbled upon Oral Sensory Processing Disorder. It is a REAL thing. Look it up and see if your son has some of the other symptoms.

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We had the choice of eat or don’t growing up… I’m the same with my family now, what I make is what we eat, I am not a short order cook. If food is there and they choose not to eat then that’s on them. They are old enough to understand.

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I used to be that kid and I was spanked every day for months and I still don’t eat my vegetables etc.

It is probably a texture and taste thing . At one point I could not even put butter on my bread as I hated that I ate dry bread I still some days do.

Teach him to cook it will allow him to explore what tastes textures he can stand.

He will eat other foods when he wants to. It doesn’t matter as long as he is growing properly. Perhaps you could give him a multivitamin to ensure he is not missing them.

He likes pizza? Make him a low carb base or the cauliflower bases. The are delicious.
I don’t understand kids who don’t eat veggies. I am surrounded by vegan kids and my own kids eat veggies and crave it. If we haven’t had a veg in a while they will ask.
Good luck🤞

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Snack crate? Makes trying new foods fun…also try cooking together

If he’s 13 & is that picky you gave him into him his life. I’m not sure what you can do now. The eat what’s given or go without method doesn’t work at this age. He can make his own food. He’s in smart & knows how to manipulate you. I doubt he went 2 days without eating. He’s eaten at a friend’s house or at night when you’re asleep. Please talk to his Dr. He may need counseling or other treatment.

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Maybe make it fun for him. Find a fun healthy recipe to make, like cauliflower pizza crust and have him add the toppings. Just a thought. It’s a start…:woman_shrugging:

Mom it have healthy eating for kids groups on fb…join… I know this to well with my 9 year old son.

12/13 is old enough to make your own meal. If my daughter (same age) doesn’t like what I cook, she can make herself something or starve :woman_shrugging:

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Well I guarantee he isn’t making that French toast, so let his ass go hungry. Healthier options in the house & he can make his own meals.

Fed is best works for older kids as well as babies

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Give him pediasure to drink and let he eat what he wants. I have a son that went thru a 3 year span of only eating French fries and peanut butter sandwiches. Now he’ll eat anything

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Mine did that too. Now he’s 21 and for the past several years loves to try all kinds of different foods. It’ll pass.

Personally don’t think there’s much wrong with his choices for a teen…most of the food groups are covered .
Teens are notorious for being awkward and the more it worries you the better
If he wont eat what you cook let him eat on his own. He can prepare his own food and clean up his own mess. He wont go hungry mom

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My son is the same. He’s 7.5, nothings worked so far

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Have you considered he most likely has a sensory disorder? Or possibly autism?

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chicken is good for you if its not fried.

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Did you try taking away privileges? Like no games/whatever he’s into, until he has ate something not on his list of likes.

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What did the dr say? Could be just a texture issue…or a picky pallet…
Chicken can be made 100 different ways…1 of mine cannot stand red meat, so we have never forced it….also had a picky boy eater…refused all veggies except corn…lol he finally branched out around 14-15…he’s now 19 and eats all kinds of stuff…as long as they are healthy…:woman_shrugging:t3:
I will say i never made a separate meal though….eat or don’t…he’s also old enough to cook some of his own food!
what does he eat a school when they don’t have either of those?

Pick and choose your battles…

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Oh they openly admitting to child abuse. :woman_facepalming:t4: Maybe it’s AFRID.

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Let him cook let him make home made pizza or the things he like then gradually make other things like spaghetti or pastas

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Does he have sensory issues?

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I’m right there with u… My last child is 16 and a boy… He’s the only one out of 5 kids that has done this…

Keep offering good options, don’t make him another meal. He is old enough to cook a frozen pizza. I would get a stack of the same pizzas that he could make day in and day out. Eventually he may get sick of pizza and have your healthy dinner. But it is up to him what he eats.

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Does he eat bolognase or lasanga? You can grate and blend vegies into that. Or chicken nuggets make home made ones and blend some zucchini and coliflower into the chicken before coating. My son was the same and still is at 22. I worry for his health and try to get him to eat little bits but it’s hard. We tried everything when he was a kid and nothing worked so we just did what we could. My son will only eat bolognase or lasanga chicken snitzel rissoles sausages chicken nuggets. Lettuce mushroom carrot coliflower corn. Literally take him to a buffet and he’ll only eat ham and hot chips lol

My 13 year old son will not eat any fruits and veggies. Will only eat chicken if it’s in breaded form. Hotdogs, Mac and cheese, pizza. Mozzarella sticks. Only 2 types of cereal too.

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Lrt him eat what he wants, just keep putting different foods on his plate…dont push it ,maybe he’ll try something that looks interesting to him. Give him gummy vitamins, if he’ll eat them.

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I would meet with a nutrition specialist and a therapist, but I wouldn’t punish a child for food aversions.

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Okay…vegan cauliflower-based pizza.

I have a child who is exactly the same! She would live off pizza rolls if I would let her but I usually get the gain and grow milkshakes which have lots of good vitamins and also her doctor told me they are equal to 1 meal but at meal times even if it’s something she absolutely hates she has to atleast take two bites then she can have something else and a milkshake. Don’t give up momma it’s a struggle but I was told they do eventually grow out of it.

Everyone in my home eats the same thing at dinnertime. I make 1 dinner and it’s served to everyone. If you don’t eat it you don’t get anything else or desert. We have 4 kids and will taper to little things. But everyone eats healthy and delicious meals.

Honestly I would eat or at least make a family dinner. Take those foods out of the house, or incorporate them in a healthy manner. Air fryer Chicken burgers with cheese tomato and avacado (or guac) is a fav In Our home.

What you teach him now will stay with him for life!! Don’t let him be unhealthy!!!

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I wouldn’t push it personally. I’d talk to them about healthy food and why its important teach them the science behind it. Teach him to cook. Teach him to garden. To bake. Get him involved in grocery shopping. But don’t even mention what he actually eats.
I’d also start out by making regular meals, make sure you get your own favorites and same with the rest of the family. If he wants one of his favorites that’s fine if he cooks his own. Otherwise he eats some of what’s already made. If you’re really nice you could make sure there is a side choice he will for sure like.

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