Eating the same thing always, diets

[seeeker]

My 4.5 yr old son always is begging for the same thing. Cereal. He seems fixated on grains, cereals, breads, muffins, pasta (mac & cheese, spaghetti), etc.

He wants cereal (with milk) for breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner, every day, and it drives me insane. The breakfast part is not so bad, cereal is typically a breakfast meal. The particular brand is a semi-sweet corn flake thing with berries. Initially he says NO to absolutely every new thing I make or suggest, but I have managed to get him to eat peas and carrots, chicken, sandwiches, for dinner so that's good. But it's always such a tiring battle. It's bowl after bowl of CEREAL CEREAL CEREAL!!!

Mainly I am concerned with him being fixated on cereal all the time, any nutritional concerns from this at this age, and trying to vary his diet and keep it mostly healthy.

Maybe it's just me, because it's making me very frustrated.

[IADad]

it's tough getting them to eat the right stuff, especially when we don't. But I'd be really cautious. The stuff you describe is all really high carb stuff with little other nutritional value. So, on the good side, a little kid who's active burns off a lot oa carbs. But remember carbs are essentially sugars. Now with breads and such they can get some useful nutrients from them if they're whole grain, but essentially they are big sugars, and just as you wouldn't give him a steady diet of candy, you shouldn't just give in to this. More than anything it seems like a habit that's going to be harder to break the older he gets and the longer he eats this way. Consider fruits. Now ideally lots of veggies and some fruits is a better balance, but for the kid who wont touch them, fruits are a better option than neither. Consider trying to make fun shapes etc. You can cut melon slices with cookie citter, or makepineapple and strawberry "flowers" anything to get them to forget they're eating something good.

I've read some stuff about sneaking vegetables inot their diets, like by pureeing vegis and adding them to recipes. Will he eat vegis dipped in ranch dressing? Sure you don't want to have him consuming a ton of dressing, but if it gets him to eat the veggie and after he's in that habit you can ween him off the dressing part a bit.

There's always the old ants on a log (celery stalks filled with peanut butter and garnished with raisins)

[superman]

just get rid of the cereal in ur house. dont buy it no more.

[steppinthrax]

Originally Posted by superman

just get rid of the cereal in ur house. dont buy it no more.

Yeah, cerial has lot of sugar, leads to other problems in the future.

[stjohnjulie]

Eating carbs causes increase in insulin and serotonin levels and people get a "high" from it. Tends to lead to overeating in the long run. You might want to get his blood checked just to make sure there isn't a medical reason behind the cravings.

Not having a ton of carb options in the house will help. Since he is young, you can control what he eats. Just don't give him the options. He will resist! And it won't be fun! But in time, he will eat what you give him. It's important that you put the work in now so he can have a lifetime of healthy eating habits.

All of that being said...it is not unusual for kids to eat one thing like crazy for a period of time then switch to something else. I read somewhere that as long as their diet balances out over the course of a month you should stress about it. My guy does this a lot. He'll eat PB&J like crazy for a week or two and then have nothing to do with them for a month or two.

[Snapperfish]

I would tend to be more relaxed about it. There are risks with processed carbs, etc., but there are also risks associated with turning mealtimes into a battle.

We model eating a balanced diet with our daughter. We offer her many varied foods and are not offended if she does not want to eat them. There was a time when all she would eat was tinned spaghetti (cold from the fridge). Nothing is forever. She now eats lots of different things without any coercion from us.

Try to believe that your son will get what he needs when he needs it if you offer him a variety of foods. Try to reduce anxiety (I know how frustrating children can be!)

This phase will pass before your son gets scurvy!

Matt

[1mom.4kids]

I have set meal times and snack times. I make the meal or snack and serve it. The children will either A) eat the food or B) Not eat.

I do not engage them in a battle or try to force them to eat or make them a special meal. If they do not want eat everything in front of them then they do not eat until the next meal.

I have a friend that does the same but she takes it a step further. She puts the food away and serves it at the next sitting to the child. I just don't have the time or the memory to remember which kid ate what and I just don't know if I agree with it. Even as an adult I don't like every food put in front of me and I don't want to be forced to it.

[Snapperfish]

I totally agree with having a fixed routine. Children need a fixed routine. Having meals at the same time every day gives them a sense of security. Also, dinner, bath, bed, reading, and sleep at the same times each day also help them. Yeah, I know, they will still attempt to prolong each step along the way, but those who "fail to plan..."

I don't believe in forcing anything. Like they say in martial arts, use the force of your opponent, do not try to block it! Anyway, we don't see our children as opponents, do we? Hmmm, we do still use the word "battle" a lot...

Matt

[sbattisti]

I have to say, this sounds an awful lot like me, and my approach would be to keep offering alternatives and teaching him about healthy choices, but don't force it.

I tend to believe that, in most cases, things will work themselves out. When I was a kid I had like four things I would eat. Cereal was one of them. It was like, spaghetti, balogna and cheese sandwiches, Cheerios, and Life cereal. That was IT. My mom was at her wits' end when I was growing up. They tried forcing me, cajoling me, educating me, everything. I was just a "fussy eater," and I really dug my heels in.

It really wasn't until college, and then later when I went to Japan that I finally opened up to different foods. And here I am, 40, 5'11 and 190 lbs, and healthy apart from slightly elevated cholesterol, which is a family issue.

[drogemeister]

How long has this been going on?