parenting

[grandmacath]

can anyone give me any sugestions on how to get my grandson to eat he will not try anything only eats toast bread a butter crackers crisps also eats scoobydo pasta shapes,my daughter is at her wits end ,she has twins younger who eats anything but worries they may copy him please any sugestions would be helpful

[mgba_78]

Cruel to be kind method? Make food as per usual whatever she is making for the whole family for example Spag Bol...if he doesn't eat it then he doesn't get anything else.. just put it on the table don't force him..obv if he doesn't eat the food then he doesn't get pud. Try each day if he is hungry then he will try it.

My daughter is a fussy eater i do this with her..things i know that she really hates such as cheese i am not so mean as to give this to her!

If he does eat his dinner even a spoonful how about a good boy chart? If there is a toy he really wants cut a pic of the toy out stick it on the chart for the end of the week.. If he eats he gets the toy.

[Tizzi247]

My granddaughter is 3 and totally refuses to eat peas because she doesn't like them.. My son has now renamed them green puffs and now she can't get enough of them. Also, same problem with mash potatoes - these are now moon dunes and she loves it.

[retrogirl]

hello grandmacath, i had same problem with my son, he would only eat spagetti, chicken nuggets and not much else! i felt so bad making this every day but tried every trick in the book to no avail, took him to my health visitor and she said there was nothing wrong with him and that i to bear with it, which i did, he's now a healthy 11 yr old and eats lots of different foods, tell your daughter not to worry as it all come right eventually, his taste will widen as he gets older, my daughter ate everything put in front of her so i know how she feels. ask your grandson to try a forkful of her dinner say "at least you tried, you never know if you don't try" if he does'nt like it thats fair enough at least he tried, but he will grow out of it.try not to make it into a mealtime war. hope this helps, good luck xx

[shazbang]

I wouldn't worry much as long as he is healthy and continues to grow and put weight on at the appropriate rate. I was a really fussy eater as a child eating only chips and refusing most other things especially vegetables. My mum tried everything from making eating a fun experience to disguising foods but I was too clever for her. My dad was of the 'cruel to be kind' generation and tried to get me to eat by saying if i didnt then i would go hungry. Needless to say, i was a stubborn wee thing and went hungry just to spite him. i won in the end, eating only what i wanted. Nowadays I am fit and healthy and have the appetite of a horse although am naturally thin and love trying new foods including fruit and veg. Retrogirl is right, it will come alright in the end and he will probably grow out of it. Just make sure he's healthy and gets regular check-ups.

[zara 4]

All my kids would never touch eggs when they were younger said they didn't like them so we would do scrambled egg and rename it and they loved it and never knew they were eating egg!My nephew on the other hand for years would never eat anything except bread and butter this went on for years,then he started eating weetabix as well he is now 22 and eats for england it was something he just seemed to grow out of,the doctor said when he was younger that he had a food phobia,he associated food with when he was sick as a young boy,so which is why he would only eat what he did!

[grandmacath]

i would like to thank you all for posting your answersfor me they were very helpfull i have passed them on to my daughter thank you once again hope to hear from any one in future

[CLOWN TICKLE]

my niece in law would only drink orange squash, eating nothing and she is now a very healthy happily married 22 year old

[hannah333]

My mum would make good, healthy, home cooked food, and if I kicked up a fuss, she would send me to bed with the crust of the bread and some water, and then give the plate back to me for each meal until I ate it! Sounds incredibly cruel, but I did eat it eventually, because she always followed her threats through. To this day there is no food I dont like and I am the most unfussy eater I know!