my dd is 4 and won't touch red meat in any way shape or form...i can't get a hot dog into her...

chicken is a rare occasion thing

no ham, turkey, pork

we can trick fish every so often, but not for a whole meal....

i am afraid she isnt getting enough protein in her diet and can't figure out what to do...

thanks

If you figure it out I'd love to know!! My almost 4 year old son (in 2 weeks) only likes cereal, chicken nuggets, and pancakes. So for cereal I always buy the "good" kinds (nothing with marshmallows, chocolate flavored, etc.), so he gets a lot of the ones with raisins, nuts, oatmeal, etc in it. For chicken nuggets I make them myself from chicken breast and I bake them instead of frying them. For pancakes I don't have any tricks, just make them as you would think, but he has to eat some sausage or ham with it. Occasionally I can get him to eat a sandwich and I'll sneak a few spinach leaves between the meat and cheese. He does eat some fruits on occasion (bananas, grapes, apples, strawberries). Once in a VERY blue moon he'll eat spaghetti. Otherwise he eats NO red meat, no vegetables (unless I sneak them in), and I'm at my wits end trying to figure him out!! The dr says he's growing fine, nothing is wrong with him and he's just in a phase. Well it's a phase he's been in for about 2 years. And we DON'T succumb to his pleas for chicken nuggets only, so I don't know what else but don't want to starve my child (and if he doesn't want it he won't eat and will willingly go to bed hungry...very stubborn little man!!)

hj, it's funny you say that...

my dd actual perfers my Special K cereal or oatmeal, no problem with me, i buy the big boxes of cheerios and K at BJ's and Rice Krispies...once in a while i will buy Corn pops...

she prefers waffles toasted with nothing on them, not even butter, same with pancakes, though i butter those so they don't get stuck in her throat...

i can get grilled cheese, Mac n Cheese and pasta with butter on it, chicken nuggets HAVE to be from Mc D's, only i get the apple slices with it, it's better than nothing right!!

fruit isn't a problem, thank heaven, lol

the only other thing we can do ON OCCASION is those Lipton side dishes pasta things, but the plain ones....i detest dinner time

DS has always been picky. 'Course he'd rather have fresh fruit, pickles and carrot sticks than have anything with any substance. We give him carnation instant breakfast with his dinner to sneak in extra calories. Staples include mcdonalds cheeseburger, fries & white milk. Noodles -- have to hide butter in them. No sauce. After a trip to an italian restaurant, he's begun eating grated cheese on them. Spagettios. Pancakes (have to hide the butter again). Peanut butter and honey. He just started to eat hot dogs. Before he'd just eat the bun or gnaw the coating off of a corn dog.

He won't eat chicken mcnuggets. Casserole. Mac N Cheese. Meat.

Years ago my cousin took her son to the doctor because he was so picky. Doctor pointed out that he WAS eating a balanced diet, just wouldn't eat what the rest of the family was eating. He ate yogurt, peanut butter, bananas, drank milk...

rat well when you put it that way, my dd eats exactly that same balanced diet, lol...thanks

Well good to know my sons "balanced diet" is fine too. We do give him Pediasure a couple times a week, just to be sure he's getting some more nutrients and he always takes his vitamin in the morning. I try all I can to make sure I do the best by him, until he outgrows this "phase". Now my youngest son LOVES food and we have to be careful he doesn't eat TOO much. He will eat anything and LOVES anything with ketchup or ranch on it LOL. And he even eats his vegetables (haven't found one he doesnt like), any meats, fruits, you name it he'll eat it, so we don't worry about him at all. And we continue to offer him a variety of things (we offer them to my oldest as well but he wants nothing to do with it all). I can't blame my oldest though, I'm an EXTREMELY picky eater and could much more easily list what I do like than what I don't.

i swear it's like first child syndrom and second child syndrom...my ds (2 yr old) LOVES potroast, esp teh carrotts...and corn on the cob after a while he gets antsy cant bite it off fast enough so i have to cut it off for him...he had 3 bowls of ziti last night finally i said enough...

LOL!! That has got to be it...I've heard of "Middle Child Syndrome" (I swear that was my sister to a T...the middle child)...but now we have First Child Syndrome. They don't eat but swear they're starving. When they do want to it, it's chicken nuggets or nothing (well maybe cake or ice cream). But the Second Child, well, they'll eat anything that you put before them, so long as it doesn't run off their plate before they can put it in their mouth. ;)

I use to hate dinner time! It does get better.

My dd is 5 now. She still has the foods she would eat all the time like soup and peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches. However, she does now eat red meat if I give her ketchup to dip it in, so that is a plus. She loves fruit so that has never been a problem. Our issue is vegetables. Unless it's a cucumber or tomato she won't eat it.

I decided to try a new thing once a week at dinner time. I pick a vegetable (like broccoli or carrots) that she isn't too fond of. She gets 5 for 5 years old. Because it's about her and her age it's fun for her. She gets to do "minuses" everytime she eats one. Since she loves kindergarten it works for us.

Maybe there is a fun way to make a game out of it?

wow i feel a lot better now, my 2 1/2 year old is really picky. I know she isnt the only picky kid but the way she is picky has always made me wonder if other kids are like that. She will not eat bread, pasta and red meat. She will do chicken ever so often but she loves fish. She will eat the mcd's chicken nuggets but i have to pull of the bredding and she has to have apple slices but hates the carmel dip. Im afraid that im letting her drink her calories more than eating them, because she insist on having choclat milk every day i limit to one cup but then wants juice and tea the rest of the day. Im glad tho she loves fruit and veggies but im still worried that shes not eating enofe. She only weighs 26 lbs but is 35in tall. I love taking her to the store because i have the only kid around that dosent scream for candy just for apples. I should be greatful that she is eating healthy i dont want her to have my problems with weight.

ohhhh 5 for 5...i could do that...my dd will eat corn no prob...but seriously how much corn can 1 eat...now i can do it with carrots raw...she wont eat anything GREEN...heaven forbid...

ds, yup, he'll even go after the food that is running off the plate...kid has an appitite!!

wow i feel a lot better now, my 2 1/2 year old is really picky. I know she isnt the only picky kid but the way she is picky has always made me wonder if other kids are like that. She will not eat bread, pasta and red meat. She will do chicken ever so often but she loves fish. She will eat the mcd's chicken nuggets but i have to pull of the bredding and she has to have apple slices but hates the carmel dip. Im afraid that im letting her drink her calories more than eating them, because she insist on having choclat milk every day i limit to one cup but then wants juice and tea the rest of the day. Im glad tho she loves fruit and veggies but im still worried that shes not eating enofe. She only weighs 26 lbs but is 35in tall. I love taking her to the store because i have the only kid around that dosent scream for candy just for apples. I should be greatful that she is eating healthy i dont want her to have my problems with weight.

that was my dd...drink milk all day if you let her...Doc told me to give it to her, but with Ovalten (sp) not syrup or sugar powders, she loves the stuff (smells aweful to me but hey she's getting the vitamins...)

anyways, they told me to cut all her cups of juice with water, half juice half water, they said it should slow her down and if not then you know she is getting more water than anything...plus i switched to JUST apple and eve cranberry mix juices, like cran-apple, cran-grape and so on, it's 100% and helps with UTI issues since lil girls have a harder time keeping clean ya know...

my dd wont touch tomatoes, wont even touch spaghetti sauce (swear she aint mine) but loves apples and oranges