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My 3 year old is not eating well and a very picky eater. Though I know this is a common thing, it doesn't make me feel any better knowing that my son is not getting the necessary nutrients that he needs. I've heard of Kiddie Florish, a natural supplement to increase appetite. Has anyone used it for some time or used it period? I would love to hear you opinions. ”

Asked by Aping on 23rd January 2008 | 5 replies

5 replies so far...

What I do with the daycare kids when they start showing signs of pickyness is to put a very small portion of some new food on their plate - one tablespoon, usually. They have to eat that before they get anything else. Then, before they get seconds of the stuff they like, they have to eat another tablespoon of the new food.

Sometimes, especially at first, they will point-blank refuse to eat it. That's okay. You simply smile, say, "Okay, then, away you go and play." And off they go. Will they get hungry? Yes, they will. They do not, however, get to eat again until the next scheduled snack or mealtime.

And then, they have to eat whatever it was, first. Oooo... When they do manage to eat that tablespoon, you praise them for trying, and encourage them with "Hey, that was pretty good, wasn't it?"

It works. At my house, because I did this consistently for a couple of months, I have five two- and three-year-olds who eat absolutely anything, and I no longer have to do this any more. I've used this with every group of toddlers for years, and their parents are uniformly astounded at how well they eat for me.

(Now, there is actually a medical condition whereby a child will allow themselves to starve, and you couldn't use this tactic with those children -- but it is, obviously, *extremely* rare. Most children will eat, eventually. You just have to be more stubborn than they are!)

Flag as inappropriate Posted by MaryP on 28th January 2008
I just had the same conversation with my sister about my son who is 3 1/2. It's important for him that I he eats foods that can be digested fairly easy because of his Hirschsprungs. If it was up to him he would have rice everyday, which wouldn't be such a good thing for him. I do let him eat rice with a little beans to help balance it out but I have to beg. He is SUCH a picky eater it makes me crazed. He actually just had pizza for the first time last july. He is a big pizza fan but we do that in moderation.

I make him whole wheat pancakes in the morning with wheat germ sprinkled on it and syrup. He loves it so that is good. Then he will have a yogurt sake. He also LOVES waffles w/ wheat germ(we call them sprinkles).

For lunch - I give him morning star veggie nuggets and sometime perdue with slices of avocado.

For dinner - spaghetti with brocoli
Cous Cous with corn or string beans

snack - strawberries, raspberries, cookies, granola bar cereal bar and ice cream

My daughter is complete opposite. She eats like its her last meal every time. My son actually has to hide his food from her because she just walk up to him and take it. I love it...meaning that she is a good eater.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by on 24th January 2008
Can you make rice pudding? It has a ton of calcium -- my picky daughter will eat it. Oh, and the storing in the mouth thing -- do I know all about that! Literally, she would sometimes chew the pasta and keep the chicken, for example, in her mouth for like 10 minutes. I make a lot of soups with veggies and chicken -- and of course, pasta. Somehow the liquid helps it all go down:)

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Nataly on 23rd January 2008
My son likes to eat plain white rice. Occasionally he'll like pasta and mac 'n cheese. But if it were up to him, he'll eat plain white rice and crackers all day long. The other thing that really bothers me is that he likes to store food in his mouth, especially if I had sneaked in the good nutrious stuff. I can totally relate to your frustrations when seeing your friends' kids eat. My girlfriend's 2 year old daughter would eat raw brocolli!!

Anyway, thanks for your response.

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Aping on 23rd January 2008
I haven't heard of it and I know it won;t make you feel better, but I have a very picky 3yr old as well. She eats pasta so my strategy is to just try and mix things into pasta, cut them up small, and hope she will chow them down. But I know it's really frustrating -- especially when I see our friends' kids eat things like Indian food at this age! Is there anything your son likest to eat? Milkshakes?

Flag as inappropriate Posted by Nataly on 23rd January 2008