I know this should be in the preschool section but I need more visibility for this one! My ds, just turned 5, has become a pretty picky eater. He has real texture issues with almost all chicken (except chicken tenders/nuggets, and sometimes he will hardly eat these) and most meat except sausage, ham, and bologna. He had BAD reflux as a baby and his ped. said that he might have texture issues for many years. Boy was he right. Ds gags on most meat.

My dh and I try NOT to make a big deal about his 'picky-ness'. I usually serve several things that go along with the meal and most times he will eat enough to fill him up. We do tell him he has to try three very small bites because of of these days the texture issues will be a thing of the past but we won't know it unless we keep trying. He is good about trying the three bites. He eats veggies OK, not the best variety but OK. He loves fruit, that is no problem. It's just the main meals that we have such a hard time serving him. His repritore (sp?) is pretty small. His favourite food is basil pesto on pasta - he could eat this all week. I do serve spaghetti-type food once a week and he likes this too. But there is only so much pasta dh can handle.

Anyway, unless I am serving something I KNOW ds will have a real REAL problem with, I do not make two meals. Like I said, I supplement with bread, veggies, etc. and along with dessert (fruit) and milk ds is usually filled up. OK, now here is the problem:

We went for ds's 5 year checkup and although he has grown a bit, he has only gained a pound and a half since last year. The Dr. wasn't alarmed but said that we should 'watch' this but now I am scared. Now, when I was young I was a teeny tiny skinny thing. Dh is a very slight man. So ds isn't going to be a large man. But this lack of weight has me pretty worried.

So what would you do? Would you start serving ds meals you know he'd probably like? Like I said his likes are few and far between and the last thing I want to do is 'feed' his picky-ness and also I don't need the work of making two different meals. However, does his health now take prescidence (sp?) over behavior issues? For now I've just been doing the same thing as I usually do, and I started buying those high calorie toddler 'nutrition bars' and maybe I'll start something like Pediasure or Boost or something.

What would you do? MAKING ds finish the food he can't tolerate is not an option. I won't play that game and don't need the stress. But on the other hand, I am on a low-cholesterol diet and just can't have some of the things that ds likes all of the time. I am trying to have us eat a healthy, lowfat diet. Any suggestions? Thanks!!

My dd has similar issues with eating meat. now she is chewing better and can handle ground meat. She is also on the small side 36 pounds but is considered ok for downs child. I just make shore she has higher fat milk, more calories. eggs for protein lots of fruit and veggies. When I was younger I never ate meat I ate a lot of peanut putter. Could he handle that? Also my dd eats a lot of iron fortified cereal and her iron is good so the drs are not to worried about that just to make she gets in protein. Would he like yogurt? Good vitamins there. Many years here of having to make different things for our family. Our kids need more calories bur mom and dad don't. Dd is 5 years old too. hope this helps but am shore he will out grow it. For me right now it is just about nutrition and some weight gain through high calories of things she likes.

I'm also the mother of a very slim child. My dd is 7 1/2 and only weighs 50 lbs. My dd's weight has fluctuated between 45-47 lbs for the past 3 years. She's finally at the 50 lb. mark where she will probably stay for a while if past history is any indication. The doctor has noticed the dd's a bit on the lean side, but he said that she's very well proportioned and that's the thing to look at. Height wise she's growing like a weed, so I know she doesn't have a problem. Plus, I'm a slim person and there are slim people on both me and my dh's side of the family, so dd's slim build is something she's obviously inherited.

IMO, it sounds like you are currently doing everything right in feeding your ds. If you want to add some whole milk, some of those high-calorie nutrition bars, and possibly some ice cream or a milkshake in his diet as a treat to put some weight on him, I think that would be fine. If your ds is currently getting filled up at dinner, I wouldn't suggest making two meals. Also, since you said your dh has a slim build, chances are your ds has inherited his build from his father.

Please try not to worry. I think, as long as your ds is periodically gaining some weight, that he should be fine. As kids start getting older, they don't gain weight in leaps and bounds like they did when they were little. If he was losing weight, then that would be something to worry about.

Will he eat beans & rice? I found out when I was on WIC that beans & rice together make a complete protein. If not, maybe give him a few peanut butter crackers as a snack in the evening.

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I’ve been SWAK’d!

peanut butter, eggs, and beans will work in place of meat, like the earlier post said it makes up proteins. I would just keep on the same track of trying.

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