Picky Eaters (S/O from Snow Flake thread)

[Kimblee]

A friend of mine had a picky eating toddler. (She would eat cold cheese, her mom's homemade steak fingers and various veggies/fruits. Everything else was a failure. And she drank water. Not juice, certainly not milk, water.)

The pediatrician told her mom to give her only milk to drink, and not to let her have her three foods, and eventually she'd get hungry enough to eat and drink what she was offered. Kiddo never fussed, never fought, just refused the offered foods and drinks. And as far as they can tell, went hungry for quite awhile. Everytime my friend would get freaked and call the doctor to say her daughter still wasn't eating he would insist she not give in and let the toddler "win". (yes, common sense would say the doctor is full of it. But my friend was a young mom and she believed in the doctor.)

Mom (and doc) lost. Big time. The kiddo dehydrated herself pretty badly. So Friend gave up, got a new pediatrician and figured she'd just make steak fingers forever. Of course her toddler then decided she loved EVERYTHING except eggs within four months of her hospital visit. My friend told me she was afraid to have more kids because she didn't want another picky eater.(I assume she was joking) She has five kids in all now, and the younger four seem to be human vacuum cleaners, they eat and eat and eat! And anything on an adult's plate is far better than their own food.

Oldest kiddo still won't drink anything except water though. She's kinda a weird kid. She doesn't like most deserts, except cheesecake, but loves spicy foods and anything vaguely asian. And veggies of any sort, she saw me eat an entire can of collard greens once and I'm informed I "ruined" her because that's now her favorite after school snack.

@Elfmama and Lady Snowdon: I love canned greens of any sort with vinegar. But it has to be that "peppered vinegar" So yummy.

[Cami]

A friend of mine had a picky eating toddler. (She would eat cold cheese, her mom's homemade steak fingers and various veggies/fruits. Everything else was a failure. And she drank water. Not juice, certainly not milk, water.)

The pediatrician told her mom to give her only milk to drink, and not to let her have her three foods, and eventually she'd get hungry enough to eat and drink what she was offered. Kiddo never fussed, never fought, just refused the offered foods and drinks. And as far as they can tell, went hungry for quite awhile. Everytime my friend would get freaked and call the doctor to say her daughter still wasn't eating he would insist she not give in and let the toddler "win". (yes, common sense would say the doctor is full of it. But my friend was a young mom and she believed in the doctor.)

Mom (and doc) lost.

That was the advice two pediatricians, two PAs and everyone I know gave me about my dd as well. Luckily, I knew enough to stop it before my dd got dehydrated, but the pediatrician scolded me for "giving in too early."

[Kimblee]

A friend of mine had a picky eating toddler. (She would eat cold cheese, her mom's homemade steak fingers and various veggies/fruits. Everything else was a failure. And she drank water. Not juice, certainly not milk, water.)

The pediatrician told her mom to give her only milk to drink, and not to let her have her three foods, and eventually she'd get hungry enough to eat and drink what she was offered. Kiddo never fussed, never fought, just refused the offered foods and drinks. And as far as they can tell, went hungry for quite awhile. Everytime my friend would get freaked and call the doctor to say her daughter still wasn't eating he would insist she not give in and let the toddler "win". (yes, common sense would say the doctor is full of it. But my friend was a young mom and she believed in the doctor.)

Mom (and doc) lost.

That was the advice two pediatricians, two PAs and everyone I know gave me about my dd as well. Luckily, I knew enough to stop it before my dd got dehydrated, but the pediatrician scolded me for "giving in too early."

Oh wow, it wasn't just one doctor?

My friend (7+ years later, since her picky toddler is a lovely, charming ten year old now.) still feels bad when she talks about it. Her daughter's reply shen she appologized.

"Don't feel so bad. All I remember is getting to eat a can of peaches in the hospital."

[Firecat]

A friend of mine had a picky eating toddler. (She would eat cold cheese, her mom's homemade steak fingers and various veggies/fruits. Everything else was a failure. And she drank water. Not juice, certainly not milk, water.)

The pediatrician told her mom to give her only milk to drink, and not to let her have her three foods, and eventually she'd get hungry enough to eat and drink what she was offered. Kiddo never fussed, never fought, just refused the offered foods and drinks. And as far as they can tell, went hungry for quite awhile. Everytime my friend would get freaked and call the doctor to say her daughter still wasn't eating he would insist she not give in and let the toddler "win". (yes, common sense would say the doctor is full of it. But my friend was a young mom and she believed in the doctor.)

Mom (and doc) lost. Big time. The kiddo dehydrated herself pretty badly. So Friend gave up, got a new pediatrician and figured she'd just make steak fingers forever. Of course her toddler then decided she loved EVERYTHING except eggs within four months of her hospital visit. My friend told me she was afraid to have more kids because she didn't want another picky eater.(I assume she was joking) She has five kids in all now, and the younger four seem to be human vacuum cleaners, they eat and eat and eat! And anything on an adult's plate is far better than their own food.

Oldest kiddo still won't drink anything except water though. She's kinda a weird kid. She doesn't like most deserts, except cheesecake, but loves spicy foods and anything vaguely asian. And veggies of any sort, she saw me eat an entire can of collard greens once and I'm informed I "ruined" her because that's now her favorite after school snack.

@Elfmama and Lady Snowdon: I love canned greens of any sort with vinegar. But it has to be that "peppered vinegar" So yummy.

Not a parent here, but if she was eating steak fingers, cheese, and veggies and fruit, I don't understand being terribly concerned. She was getting protein and dairy and veggies and fruit, and don't a lot of toddlers go through a picky stage? It just seems odd to me to be so concerned about it when it sounds like she was getting a pretty sound diet, for the most part.

[MrsJWine]

That's really odd advice from a pediatrician. We've gotten pretty much the opposite from doctors: if your kid drinks only water, that's really good; milk is okay but overrated and should only be given with meals; juice is vastly overrated, since you get all the sugar of fruit with fewer benefits, especially fiber.

[Kimblee]

A friend of mine had a picky eating toddler. (She would eat cold cheese, her mom's homemade steak fingers and various veggies/fruits. Everything else was a failure. And she drank water. Not juice, certainly not milk, water.)

The pediatrician told her mom to give her only milk to drink, and not to let her have her three foods, and eventually she'd get hungry enough to eat and drink what she was offered. Kiddo never fussed, never fought, just refused the offered foods and drinks. And as far as they can tell, went hungry for quite awhile. Everytime my friend would get freaked and call the doctor to say her daughter still wasn't eating he would insist she not give in and let the toddler "win". (yes, common sense would say the doctor is full of it. But my friend was a young mom and she believed in the doctor.)

Mom (and doc) lost. Big time. The kiddo dehydrated herself pretty badly. So Friend gave up, got a new pediatrician and figured she'd just make steak fingers forever. Of course her toddler then decided she loved EVERYTHING except eggs within four months of her hospital visit. My friend told me she was afraid to have more kids because she didn't want another picky eater.(I assume she was joking) She has five kids in all now, and the younger four seem to be human vacuum cleaners, they eat and eat and eat! And anything on an adult's plate is far better than their own food.

Oldest kiddo still won't drink anything except water though. She's kinda a weird kid. She doesn't like most deserts, except cheesecake, but loves spicy foods and anything vaguely asian. And veggies of any sort, she saw me eat an entire can of collard greens once and I'm informed I "ruined" her because that's now her favorite after school snack.

@Elfmama and Lady Snowdon: I love canned greens of any sort with vinegar. But it has to be that "peppered vinegar" So yummy.

Not a parent here, but if she was eating steak fingers, cheese, and veggies and fruit, I don't understand being terribly concerned. She was getting protein and dairy and veggies and fruit, and don't a lot of toddlers go through a picky stage? It just seems odd to me to be so concerned about it when it sounds like she was getting a pretty sound diet, for the most part.

True. I'm not sure what the doctor's problem was. I never met him. My friend says he was VERY fixated that children should drink five glasses of milk a day, and other dairy sources were somehow "inferior"

And I goofed in the OP. Kiddo will now also drink iced tea or hot tea, but only "as brewed" or possibly with a splash of lemon juice. Add honey or sugar and she won't touch it. Her mom thinks maybe she is sensitive to sweet flavors.

[Cami]

A friend of mine had a picky eating toddler. (She would eat cold cheese, her mom's homemade steak fingers and various veggies/fruits. Everything else was a failure. And she drank water. Not juice, certainly not milk, water.)

The pediatrician told her mom to give her only milk to drink, and not to let her have her three foods, and eventually she'd get hungry enough to eat and drink what she was offered. Kiddo never fussed, never fought, just refused the offered foods and drinks. And as far as they can tell, went hungry for quite awhile. Everytime my friend would get freaked and call the doctor to say her daughter still wasn't eating he would insist she not give in and let the toddler "win". (yes, common sense would say the doctor is full of it. But my friend was a young mom and she believed in the doctor.)

Mom (and doc) lost.

That was the advice two pediatricians, two PAs and everyone I know gave me about my dd as well. Luckily, I knew enough to stop it before my dd got dehydrated, but the pediatrician scolded me for "giving in too early."

Oh wow, it wasn't just one doctor?

My friend (7+ years later, since her picky toddler is a lovely, charming ten year old now.) still feels bad when she talks about it. Her daughter's reply shen she appologized.

"Don't feel so bad. All I remember is getting to eat a can of peaches in the hospital."

I feel bad about it too. My dd doesn't remember any of it, thankfully. But I'll never forget.

I think one reason I was willing to believe them was because my sister was incredibly picky and I believed it was because my parents spoiled her. "Don't like the meatloaf? Oh, that's too bad, poor baby. Have some chocolate ice cream for dinner..." Meanwhile, I was forced to eat foods that actually made me vomit (I seem to have an allergic reaction when fried ground beef and white rice are combined). I'm not picky and my sister is super picky. So I thought that my sister was picky because she was given sweets and treats instead of eating real food at many meals.

Then I had my dd and learned differently.

That said, having such a picky eater in the family was extremely difficult and made traveling impossible. She's gotten better as she's gotten older and learned how to order off menu by asking for a plain chicken breast, etc. But it's amazing how many wait staff feel the need to make comments about her choices.

My sister is still the pickiest eater I know personally. I do know of someone who eats only macaroni and cheese, waffles and white bread. She's 30 something and seems apparently quite healthy.

[dietcokeofevil]

My brother and I weren't picky eaters.  My parents were really good cooks and we always had a main dish, 2 or 3 sides, and bread with each meal.  So even if we didn't like one thing, there was always something we liked.

 When  I was 13/14 when I started babysitting for one family everyday after school and all day during school breaks.  I was responsible for cooking dinner for the kids every night and then wrapping up the rest for the parents to eat.  The mother left me a menu each day.  Dinner was always Meat, veg and fruit.  Meat was cooked very plainly with almost no seasons. The only fresh veggie was potatoes (mashed or baked).  The fruit was normally canned, but occasionally they would have something fresh.   On school breaks I would also fix the kids breakfast and lunch.  Breakfast was always frozen pancakes or waffles, lunch was normally Mac and Cheese-maybe hotdogs.  I always felt sorry that the kids never got to really experience fresh food.

[rose red]

I have a friend who's one child eat, or at least try, everything.  Loves food.  Very adventurous.

The other one, though, only eat sweets.  Every meal time is a battle.  I normally don't believe in forcing kids to eat, but with this one, you have to.  If there was one food she likes, they'll probably serve it for every meal just to stop the battles, but she doesn't like anything except sweets, not even sweet fruit unless it's in a smoothie.

[Kaora]

I'd like to be adventurous.  I am autistic (PDD-NOS is my exact diagnosis), so I have texture issues.  I can't eat broccoli or asparagus, though I've tried many a time, because it makes me gag. I also have allergies, and not quite sure what I'm allergic to, but usually follow my mum's guidelines, since we're both atopic.  I know for sure I'm allergic to avocados, and other things I'm just sensitive to, like cucumbers.  Not pickles, though.

This kills me more than some people might think, who write me off as being picky. I don't like being picky, I just really have to limit my food choices.  Doesn't help most of my allergies are to uncooked veggies, some uncooked fruits.

[Tea Drinker]

I am suddenly grateful to my own long-ago pediatrician.

My mother tells me that when I was quite young, there was a period when I refused everything but milk and cucumbers. Mom was worried enough to ask the pediatrician about it, and he basically told her "it's not doing her any harm, she'll get over it." (The logic seems to have been that I was getting protein, calories, and plenty of liquid.)

I'm told it took a few months, but I started eating other things. I was particular about vegetables for a long time, and at 20 or so discovered I like a great many things if they are stir-fried in a wok with ginger and/or garlic. I am still very fond of cucumber, but drink far less milk these days.

[Firecat]

A friend of mine had a picky eating toddler. (She would eat cold cheese, her mom's homemade steak fingers and various veggies/fruits. Everything else was a failure. And she drank water. Not juice, certainly not milk, water.)

The pediatrician told her mom to give her only milk to drink, and not to let her have her three foods, and eventually she'd get hungry enough to eat and drink what she was offered. Kiddo never fussed, never fought, just refused the offered foods and drinks. And as far as they can tell, went hungry for quite awhile. Everytime my friend would get freaked and call the doctor to say her daughter still wasn't eating he would insist she not give in and let the toddler "win". (yes, common sense would say the doctor is full of it. But my friend was a young mom and she believed in the doctor.)

Mom (and doc) lost. Big time. The kiddo dehydrated herself pretty badly. So Friend gave up, got a new pediatrician and figured she'd just make steak fingers forever. Of course her toddler then decided she loved EVERYTHING except eggs within four months of her hospital visit. My friend told me she was afraid to have more kids because she didn't want another picky eater.(I assume she was joking) She has five kids in all now, and the younger four seem to be human vacuum cleaners, they eat and eat and eat! And anything on an adult's plate is far better than their own food.

Oldest kiddo still won't drink anything except water though. She's kinda a weird kid. She doesn't like most deserts, except cheesecake, but loves spicy foods and anything vaguely asian. And veggies of any sort, she saw me eat an entire can of collard greens once and I'm informed I "ruined" her because that's now her favorite after school snack.

@Elfmama and Lady Snowdon: I love canned greens of any sort with vinegar. But it has to be that "peppered vinegar" So yummy.

Not a parent here, but if she was eating steak fingers, cheese, and veggies and fruit, I don't understand being terribly concerned. She was getting protein and dairy and veggies and fruit, and don't a lot of toddlers go through a picky stage? It just seems odd to me to be so concerned about it when it sounds like she was getting a pretty sound diet, for the most part.

True. I'm not sure what the doctor's problem was. I never met him. My friend says he was VERY fixated that children should drink five glasses of milk a day, and other dairy sources were somehow "inferior"

And I goofed in the OP. Kiddo will now also drink iced tea or hot tea, but only "as brewed" or possibly with a splash of lemon juice. Add honey or sugar and she won't touch it. Her mom thinks maybe she is sensitive to sweet flavors.

Heh. He'd have flipped his lid if he'd had me as a patient when I was a kid, then. I'll drink a lot of things, but milk hasn't been one of them since I was about 6. (At least not just milk; I'll happily drink hot chocolate or even milk steamers, and other things that have milk as a component - but not straight milk.) I'm pretty sensitive to the taste of milk that's even slightly "off," and I really, really don't like it. And being forced to drink it in elementary school even when I said it tasted bad pretty much ruined it for me for life, I think. And now if I'm going to have cereal with milk for breakfast, I have to get the lactose-free stuff or get a really nasty bellyache - weirdly, it's only first thing in the morning. Later in the day when I've had other things to eat, it doesn't seem to be a problem.

[Lorelei_Evil]

I don't drink milk either.  Dry cereal aka people kibble all the way.

[Venus193]

I don't drink milk either.  Dry cereal aka people kibble all the way.

I stopped drinking milk at the age of two.  I gag at the sight of it in a glass.  The dairy industry has been attempting to convince us that humans need to keep drinking it throughout their lives and many of us are mildly to moderately lactose intolerant.

As to the pediatrician telling the mother above to serve only milk to her child, that was abusive.  One has to hope that nobody does this anymore.

[Thipu1]

It's odd.  I liked milk as a child but, when I got into my late teens, I couldn't handle it anymore.  Once in a while, I'd have a glass with a slice of chocolate cake and suffer the consequences. 

Once I got into my 50s, I started to crave the stuff.  I now average a half-gallon a day, but only when we're at home.  When we travel, I don't feel the need for a glass of milk unless we're gone for a week or more.