Feel like you’re banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your child won’t eat anything or refuses to eat at all? There are real reasons and ways you can help picky eater kids. Learn how from a feeding expert and mom.
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As an occupational therapist, parents ask me all the time “Why does my child refuse to eat anything?”
It’s frustrating when you try to serve new foods, or worse, when you serve something they’ve eaten before like their beloved chicken nuggets or peanut butter crackers and they refuse to eat!
Most kids will do this occasionally, but some kids are refusing to eat on a regular basis.
What’s going on with kids that almost never seem to eat?
Or, will only eat if you feed them?
Or, the child that won’t eat and is losing weight?
As a parent, it’s scary, confusing, and stressful. You may wonder if you’re just dealing with a picky eater’s preferences that are like shifting sands.
It’s often much more than picky eating – more on that in a minute.
“My 2/3/4+ year old won’t eat anything” – Where to Start
To help kids that are refusing food, we have to start with figuring out WHY they aren’t eating, because consistent food refusal is not a typical part of development.
In fact, when a kid is repeatedly not eating with or without weight loss, it’s a BIG red flag that something more is going on.
It’s time to put on your detective hat and get to the root of the problem so that you have the tools to help your child eat more food, and avoid power struggles at family meals.
5 Reasons Why a Child Refuses to Eat Anything
The truth is that there are A LOT of reasons why kids refuse to eat food. In my experience, as a occupational therapist with a specialized feeding background, I believe that most can be organized into 5 different reasons.
However, we have to be clear that when a child is regularly refusing to eat very little of any food or has only a few favorite foods that they are willing to eat, they may qualify for a diagnosis of Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD), which was just added as a diagnosable code in October of 2021.
Another option is Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, however this is closely linked to anxiety. See more in number 5 below for more info!
This is a good thing because children that are struggling to eat have often been described as picky eaters, which isn’t an adequate definition and leaves kids not getting the help they need.
As you read through the list below, look for signs you’ve seen in your child as a possible explanation. It’s very possible that several of the the underlying difficulties below are present in a child that often won’t eat.
Keeping that in mind, let me explain in some more detail.
#1. Physical or Medical Issues
Although this may seem like the most obvious reason kids don’t eat, it is often the most overlooked, or isn’t explored thoroughly. When kids have a well documented medical condition or are visibly sick, it is obvious that their eating is affected.
But, sometimes there are more subtle signs that are incredibly easy to miss. Two of the biggest culprits are silent acid reflux and constipation. Both of these very common problems for kids can put a halt to eating.
Although acid reflux is common in babies, it can also have an impact on kids much older, even if they weren’t diagnosed as an infant.
Unfortunately, many times it’s because kids don’t complain that their stomach is hurting. Many of them don’t even realize it because they have felt that way for so long OR they are too young to put into words how they are feeling.
Read more about acid reflux in children and to find a few natural remedies.
My older son has struggled with constipation since he was about one year old. I have to carefully watch his fiber intake and when he starts to get a little backed up, his eating is greatly affected.
Every time he doesn’t eat well, I have to ask myself, “Does he need to go to the bathroom?” The answer is usually, yes! Managing your child’s constipation can be a huge game changer in helping them eat new foods.
Read more about severe constipation in children and natural remedies to fix it.
If your child’s refusal to eat is more of a phase, you may want to consider teething, not feeling well, or fatigue as possible reasons for not eating.
And sometimes, if your child is chronically sick or tired, then food refusal or picky eating may become a way of life for them.
I strongly encourage you to see a pediatric GI if your child has any physical symptoms, or if you’ve ruled out the other causes listed here because there could be other possible digestive difficulties. There are many other, although less common possibilities such as:
- Food allergies (3-5% of kids)
- Food sensitivities
- Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE)
- Delayed stomach emptying
- Physical abnormalities in the throat, mouth, or gut
- Tongue, lip, or cheek ties
Some signs that your child may have any of the above medical issues are:
- Eating only small portions
- Difficulty swallowing dry or rough textures
- Dropping a food they used to like such as milk, yogurt, or eggs
- Only wanting liquids and not solid food
- Holding chewed food in their cheeks (pocketing food)
However, each of those signs can have multiple explanations! That’s why that detective hat is important!
It’s a good idea to discuss it further with your doc!
#2. Sensory Processing Causing Food Refusal
For many picky eaters, sensory processing plays a big role in their refusal to eat foods. Simply put, if something feels gross in their mouth or on their hands, they aren’t going to eat it.
The fancy therapeutic term we give for when a child doesn’t want to touch different textures is tactile defensive. And, when they don’t like certain textures in their mouth, or chew/bite/lick everything else but food, it is a sign that their oral sensory system needs some help.
Clues that your child may be refusing foods because of sensory input are: gagging, squirming, or seeming frightened by the sight, smell, touch, or taste of a particular food.
Often, the first signs appear when parents try to feed babies baby or table foods. Sometimes, these reactions start as the taste buds become more developed between 1-2 years old.
And, other times, older kids can develop texture and taste sensitivities that weren’t there when they were younger!
Extreme Sensitivity and Fear of Anything in or Near the Mouth: Oral Aversion
Oral aversion also fits into this category.
If your child has had medical testing, feeding tubes, severe vomiting, or a physical incident in or around their mouth/throat (even from a infancy), they may be scared to have anything come toward their mouth and be overly sensitive in the area.
On the other end of the sensory spectrum, a child may not be able to discriminate food in their mouth well and they will unsafely stuff a large amount of food into their cheeks like a chipmunk.
This helps give them some feedback as to where the food actually is. These kids lose track of the food easily and can’t chew it well. Soft foods that aren’t easily discriminated (think mashed potatoes, cheese, etc.) are usually refused because they can’t manipulate them well in their mouth.
Sensory is often the hidden link in picky eating and food refusal, and while a lot of parents haven’t heard of it before, it’s critical to address it so that your child can learn to eat a variety of nutritious foods at meal times with the rest of the family.
If you can understand why your child is refusing food from a sensory perspective, well, it changes everything. To understand the connection better, read sensory processing and picky eating.
What May Be Causing Chronic Poor Appetite: Interoception
While frequent snack times and drinking milk throughout the day can spoil a child’s appetite for the next meal, some kids never seem to feel hungry or understand what fullness is.
This is related to one of the hidden senses called interoception. Basically, a child with poor interoception isn’t recognizing signs from their stomach that it’s time to eat or to keep eating until they feel full.
It’s like they’re lost in transmission. The good news is there’s a way to improve this appetite awareness! Learn more in our interoception article.
3. Oral-Motor Skills
We take it for granted, but chewing is a coordinated skill just like walking, talking, and learning to read. It doesn’t come easy for all kids. Therapists call the ability to bite chew, and swallow, oral-motor skills.
Signs that your child may not be chewing well are:
- Choking/gagging after the food is already in their mouth for a few seconds/minutes
- Pocketing food (holding it in their mouth)
- Wants to eat soft or pureed foods
- Spitting out half chewed food
- Food falls out of mouth accidentally
- Can’t remove food or crumbs from lips or corners of mouth with their tongue or lips
- Throwing up food that looks like it has hardly been chewed
- History of difficulty breastfeeding
Often, these signs are apparent in young children because they have a hard time learning to eat table foods or even pureed foods. While kids with any of the underlying causes listed could have a difficult time with weight, kids with poor oral motor skills get tired and frustrated.
They give up on eating quickly and may not get on a growth curve.
Some kids will start refusing to eat foods because they don’t know how to chew it or they are scared they are going to gag/choke/throw up again on the food they literally don’t know how to eat.
This can continue into the teen years, although when left untreated, kids may figure out some workarounds.
But, it’s not uncommon for a 12 year old’s refusal to eat to be linked in some way to oral motor skills. Head over to Oral Motor Exercises to learn more about how to help your child improve their oral motor skills.
Sometimes, oral motor difficulties snowball to include sensory defensiveness too, because when a child hasn’t eaten any other textures in a really long time or ever, they become very sensitive to them.
These other textures may seem strange and even uncomfortable when they touch or feel them.
If your child never transitioned well to crunchy table foods, then you’ll want to check out How to Transition to Finger Foods
4. Routine, the Typical Picky Eating Phase, and the Snowball Effect
I strongly believe that structure and routine around food and meal time is critical to kids eating well.
Because for some kids with average picky eating, changes to the meal time routine can help your child reduce “junk food”, come to the dinner table easily, and eat more of what we often consider “healthy” meals.
There are some kids that will manage to eat well with a lack of routine, but by and large, most kids’ eating habits will suffer greatly without a regular routine.
Without a routine, kids can slide into eating a separate meal away from the rest of the family and may not eat much food when they eat alone.
If you don’t have regular meal times, pay attention to how frequently your child is eating. Do you eat in front of the TV often, and/or mostly let your kids pick what they want to eat?
If they don’t have a wide variety of foods, only want snack foods, or aren’t willing to try foods, lack of routine may be the reason for it… or at least part of it.
I commonly see this compounded on top of one of the other 4 reasons kids don’t eat. When there is a problem with eating, we get overwhelmed and start grasping at straws just to get them to eat.
This is another way the bad habits can begin and then play a role in food refusal.
That’s not to say that you’re to blame, I mean our kids have to eat, right? And, we do the best we can with what we know. Don’t feel guilty about choices you’ve made in desperate situations.
I promise you that even with the pickiest eaters, there is a way out of eating in front of an iPad or them having their own separate meals. It is one step at a time and I’ll show you how in my tips below.
Although many kids that rely on a screen to eat often get to that point because eating is difficult because of oral motor, sensory, or medical issues.
The Typical Picky Eating Phase
One other common factor is that some children start off as good eaters, and then between 1-2 years of age, eating starts to go awry. Annoying, upsetting.. yes!
Like it or not though, it is NORMAL for toddlers to go through a picky eating stage as their taste buds mature and they begin to want to exert some control into their lives. Parents, sometimes, get scared when their child that had healthy eating habits is now not eating as well, and will begin to throw routine and structure out the window.
The Snowball Effect
With parents just wanting their kids to eat anything or at least some healthy snacks, short order cooking is ushered in, among numerous and otherwise well-meaning, but sabotaging techniques, and parents are left with a bona fide picky eater months or years later.
Although the intention was in the right place, the lack of routine can lead to long term eating refusal and difficulties.
I call it the snowball effect because the eating difficulties started off small and grew with momentum over time, just like a snowball rolling down a big hill!
To make sure you have a solid routine, grab our free Picky Eating Essentials printable, it includes 9 important steps to improve eating and 25+ food ideas for picky eaters.
5. Anxiety
Most parents I talk to with kids over 5 think that anxiety is the main factor for kids that refuse to eat, and it is often a component. Kids that have a hard time chewing, get stomach aches or worse when eating, or can’t stand the texture of so many foods are scared to put new or different foods in their mouth.
Eating has often not been enjoyable and filled with negative experiences, so yes they are scared. They are anxious.
But, I don’t consider anxiety the main underlying cause unless it goes into clinical psychological anxiety. In which case, kids will often make the following types of statements:
- I’m scared to eat the spaghetti I might choke
- I really want to eat that, but it might be contaminated with germs
- What if there’s poison in the pizza? I just can’t eat it
With clinical food related anxiety, kids often become irrational. And, they often have clinical anxiety in other areas of their life.
This is different than a child saying, “I’m scared that food is going to feel slimy like the avocado”. That is a sensory based fear and is treated differently.
If a child has clinical anxiety and NO OTHER underlying causes that have impacted their eating and are typically over 5 years old, they may qualify for an Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder diagnosis (ARFID), however I see this diagnosis frequently mis-diagnosed when PFD is more appropriate.
If you aren’t sure, get a few opinions and please feel free to leave us a comment below, we answer every one!
What if My Child is Refusing to Eat Because They’re Being Bad?
A lot of people advise parents that kids are being “bad” or that the reason they are refusing to eat is behavior-based. Although behavior plays a role, it is actually a small percentage of kids that actually refuse to eat based solely on behavior.
In fact, with the hundreds of families I’ve treated and the thousands I’ve taught in our online picky programs, I’ve never seen one kid’s picky eating that can be solely explained by behavior.
Now, please don’t mistake me, even the youngest of tykes will learn quickly what they need to say or cry or throw to get what food they want.
All kids go through different stages of development when they are testing boundaries and you can bet they will test it at meal times, too. After all, this is one of the few areas where they actually have some control. But, these kinds of little phases are short lived and aren’t severe.
For kids that have a history of being picky eaters, behavior is a piece of the puzzle, but typically, it has evolved from one of the legitimate reasons listed above.
And, when you address the underlying cause, the behaviors around meals decrease!
What to Do When Your Child Won’t Eat
If you can’ tell yet, here at Your Kid’s Table, picky eating is our thing. We have a lot of resources for parents and therapists working with picky kids.
No matter what combination of reasons are causing your child to be a picky eater, you’ll want to start with not pressuring them during meals while putting a consistent routine in place for them like having regularly scheduled meals with no snacking in between to help them start eating.
Then, focus on specifically addressing the underlying cause, whether that is sensory processing, medical, or oral motor skills.
Once you have a solid routine (grab this free printable to help develop one) and are addressing the underlying cause, you can also use some of my favorite picky eating tips. I love to use dips (even if you think your child hates them, I show you how), fun tools like toothpicks (trust me) and divided plates.
Plus, there are lots of novel ideas like making food fun, and I’m not talking about elaborate food scenes that you spend an hour cutting out.
And, my favorite tip that can make a huge difference is cooking with your kids! I know everyone says that and parents think, “Not my kid”. But, hear me out. I show you how to do it, tell you why it’s important, and give you these recipes designed for picky eaters:
- Pumpkin waffles (added nutrition)
- Bruschetta bar (this seriously is the best dinner for ANY picky eater that likes bread)
- High calorie smoothie
- Homemade chicken nuggets your kid will eat! (my special recipe)
- Not-spicy homemade tacos (check out the very motivating taco truck that can come to the table!)
- Banana sweet potato bread
- Roasted Cauliflower (2 of my kids tried cauliflower for the first time with this recipe)
- Crispy Potato Skins (basic recipe that’s perfect for picky eaters, got one of my kids to eat potatoes with this recipe)
For even more food ideas, head over to healthy snacks for picky eaters and healthy recipes for picky eaters (you’ll find a free printable too!)
If you’ve tried a lot of these tips before and want to dig a little deeper (only use these after you have a routine and positive environment), then you can move on to my heavy hitting picky eating tips. These require a little more thought, but can have a huge impact.
Read about how to get your child to explore new foods and build on what they are already eating with food chaining.
Lastly, to save your sanity, find out how to have just one family meal, even with a picky eater (you can do it!) and how to keep mealtimes positive, even when that seems impossible.
I know you may be tempted to feel overwhelmed at this point, but resist! This page is here (pin it so you can come back). Remember, one step at a time!
Getting More Help for the Child that Refuses to Eat Anything
Having a picky eater, let alone an extreme picky eater or child with PFD, can be extremely overwhelming and paralyzing. I’ve experienced it myself and the worry can take over your life. But, there are a few ways to get help from a professional:
- I highly recommend learning proven strategies that you can use everyday to start improving your child’s eating, this is possible no matter how picky they are! There’s so much bad advice out there, but in my free workshop I teach you exactly what 3 strategies to start working on now. That could make a difference, today. It’s totally free and you can grab a spot in here!
- Learn more about feeding therapy for picky eaters, and if it would be a good fit for your child. However, feeding therapy is often just once a week, which is why it’s important to have those strategies you can use at home.
You might need the tips and link shared here again. Save it to Pinterest here!
More Articles for the Child that Refuses to Eat Anything
8 Tips to Keep Your Child Seated at the Table
Fun Plates, Forks, and Other Cool Stuff that Get Kids to Eat
8 Things You Can Do When a Toddler Refuses to Eat
Are Food Jags Affecting Your Picky Eater? What you need to know…
Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 19 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.
My 19 month old girl always keeps food in her mouth, all types of food – liquid, smoothie, solid. She can store food there for more than 30 minutes without swallowing. Mealtimes take hours. It’s really frustrating. Any advice please?
Only thing I notice she takes easily is orange, and water:)
Hi Mic! Thanks for reaching out! Food pocketing can be common amongst kids that have sensory issues or difficulty chewing/swallowing- or maybe even other reasons! We have an entire blog post that talks about it and gives tips for stopping it. Check it out here!
Best,
Kalyn
Hi doc my San is 2yrs but he refused to eat from 5months till now
He doesn’t eat nor drink
He loses weight every day
Wat can I do plz
Hi there! Thanks for reaching out! So sorry to hear that you’re struggling. Because of his age, we would recommend reaching out to your pediatrician, who could potentially refer you to a feeding therapist or OT that can provide some hands-on help. It sounds like he could have some sensory sensitivities, which may be preventing him from eating or drinking certain things. Getting to the root of the sensory cause is the best way to improve all other areas. We have a free sensory workshop that goes over all of this and more! Save your seat here!
Best,
Kalyn
My daughter is 2.5 years old, she loved similac formula until I decided to stop it last week. I tried with other brands but no way she will take it in the form of powder. I am exhausted not sleeping reading and researching how to make her transmission for her age formula.
She likes only banana, rye seeded toasted bread, popcorn, waffles and kids strawberry/bluebery yogurt everything is organic but she doesn’t like any fresh fruits or vegetables in any form prepared or cooked. I am afraid she will lose all her vitamins that she had until she was drinking the ready similac formula.
She has extremely sensitive taste and smell like me and if it is not appealing by texture will not even touch it.
I am at loss.
Hi Loana! So sorry to hear about your daughter’s picky eating- we understand the struggle! It’s always a good idea to consult your pediatrician to make sure she’s healthy and not underweight. In addition to that, we always recommend promoting a no-pressure environment with meals. Serve everyone the same thing at mealtime, but include 1-2 of your daughter’s preferred foods with each meal. This will make her feel more comfortable and more likely to try the other foods she normally refuses. Now that she’s refusing the formula, maybe she will start to have more of an appetite for food. Refrain from forcing her to eat anything or a specific amount. The more pressure we put on them, the more they push back! We have a free picky eating workshop that has more information. You can save your seat here!
Best,
Kalyn
Hi- My 9 year old recently the last couple months has completely refused too eat any solid food due to the fear of choking. Only thing he will consume is shakes and apple sauce. Anything with texture etc is a no go. He was already thin to begin with and recently he has lost weight and looks very thin which is concerning to the dr because based on his records he is the same weight now as a year ago. He is now complaining of always feeling so tired and really wanting to eat solid food but he can’t because how he’s scared of choking. We’ve talked with his pediatrician and mentioned getting him tested for EOE as what was recommended from the hospital but pediatrician does not feel that is what he has and that it is not necessary. We’ve done lab work and everything is normal. Waiting too see a child psychiatrist and dietitian for help. We’re praying for much needed answers. We are desperate at this point. Have you come across anything like this?
Appreciate the feedback!
Blessings
Hi there! So sorry to hear about the struggles you’re having with your child’s eating. It definitely sounds like there’s anxiety and fear related to eating and choking. Oral aversions due to fears like this can be difficult. I think it’s great that you will be meeting with a child psychiatrist- this should really help get to the root of his fear. And once that fear is tackled, then his eating struggles should improve! It’s possible for your child to get a better handle on their anxiety with food and food phobias with your help, so in the meantime, try some of these tips: don’t pressure your child to eat something he’s not ready for, talk to your child about their anxiety/fear and learn why they feel that way, make a plan for a small step by asking your child what’s one thing they could do with the food(s) they’re fearful of, create a positive atmosphere around meals, brush their teeth with a firm pressure 2-3 times a day (this helps desensitize oral sensory sensitivities and strengthens oral muscles), practice and play with pretend foods and toys, have positive interactions with foods without the expectation of eating (like cooking), play in sensory bins. Check out this post for more tips! Hope that helps!
Best,
Kalyn
My daughter is 7 and she use to eat all food ontil she was 2 now she only eats chicken nuggets and sometime she don’t want to eat at all, she is been saying her stomach hurts or she throws up or her throat hurts , she is been to the hospital and her doctor said she is not worried but I’m so stressed out . She eats cookies ice cream etc but not real healthy food . Please help.
Hi Shirley! Thanks for reaching out! We understand how stressful picky eating can be and we’re here to help! We always recommend starting with a no-pressure environment at mealtimes. This means serving the foods you’re choosing to serve, but allowing your child to choose how much -or how little- she wants to eat, without any force or pressure. Try serving a family meal for dinner, but pair it with at least one of her preferred foods. Seeing her preferred food on the plate will make her feel more comfortable with the other foods. We have a free picky eating workshop that would be helpful- save your seat here!
Best,
Kalyn
9 year old that eats very few foods. Usually finds one food that works and eats it till he no longer likes it or eats less and less of it. As time goes by he struggles more and more with finding something new to try and is now crying out of frustration of not liking what he used to like. He is unsure as to why he won’t try anything new. He has a very sensitive palate in terms of tasting the difference between waters (tap, bottled, filtered, vitamin drops in water…) for example. Weight is good for his height but also very small for his age. Not sure how to proceed at this pt. Any suggestions would be appreciated
Thank you
Hi Tam! Thanks for reaching out! So sorry to hear that you’re struggling. Because of his age, we would recommend reaching out to your pediatrician, who could potentially refer you to a feeding therapist or OT that can provide some hands-on help. It sounds like he could have some sensory sensitivities, which may be preventing him from eating a wide variety of foods. Getting to the root of the sensory cause is the best way to improve all other areas. We have a free sensory workshop that goes over all of this and more! Save your seat here!
Best,
Kalyn
Hi my name is lina i have question about my son his almost 6 years old his not eating I offer him so many different food hell say am nt hungry and if he eats hell eat fries and ones a day and nt a lot a very small amount but hell eat fruits and vegetables so my question is .is that normal or I should take him to his dr because his never hungry I have to bag him to eat and hell say no am nt hungry .thank you .
Hi Lina! So sorry to hear about your son’s picky eating- we understand the struggle! It’s always a good idea to consult your pediatrician to make sure he’s healthy and not underweight. In addition to that, we always recommend promoting a no-pressure environment with meals. Serve everyone the same thing at mealtime, but include 1-2 of your son’s preferred foods with each meal. This will make him feel more comfortable and more likely to try the other foods he normally refuses. Refrain from forcing him to eat anything or a specific amount. The more pressure we put on them, the more they push back! We have a free picky eating workshop that has more information. You can save your seat here!
Best,
Kalyn
Thanks for your articles! Was wondering for this one- you mention kiddos still needing/wanting to be fed but its not mentioned again- where would this fit for picky vs sensory eating issues?
Thank you!
Hey Melanie,
It would depend on the situation and how old they are! If they are wanting you to feed them because they don’t want to touch it, that’s definitely a sensory component. Most picky eaters do have some sensory difficulties!
Hope that helps!
Best,
Desiree
My 4 year old only eat purée food with distraction. Even if hungry will take only chrunchy and very very small bits like bird. He has milk and egg allergy and history of oral aversion. Looking for help. Feeding therapy did not help much. His tounge tie was removed when he was 11months old.
I am at loss to make him eat anything or willingly accepting food even if puree by himself
Hey Sonali,
So sorry for all that you are going through, we know how hard it can be, especially with allergies added to it! We do recommend a no pressure environment as well as getting your child involved in touching and engaging with the foods! We have a free workshop that is a great place to start. You can check it out here.
Best,
Desiree
you’re not alone. My son only eats pureed veggies and gets sooooo angry when I ask him to feed himself. He has no interest and only wants to be fed, but has very poor appetite. I’m sure without me he’d be failure to thrive. His feeding therapy hasn’t done much. She said she felt he needed an appetite stimulant. We tried that and it really hasn’t helped. I’m having him ruled out for autism, but it is all a slow process. In the meantime, with each meal I feel overwhelmed, exhausted and at a loss….as it seems the professionals are too
Hi Amanda! So sorry to hear about your son’s eating struggles. It’s great that you’re working with your pediatrician to test for autism and a feeding therapist! We have a blog post that offers some tips for getting a child to feed themselves. Check it out here!
Best,
Kalyn
My son is 3 years old and he refuses fruits in any form. No juices, milkshakes, cakes or muffins. I have tried everything like keeping fruits where he can reach, buying them with him, slicing, eating myself to set an example etc., fruits will be wonderful option for a quick snack and he hates any type of fruit. Any advice?
Hi Lavita! Thanks for reaching out! We would recommend continuing to offer them in a variety of ways, without any force or pressure. Keep exposing him to them, including him, involving him, getting him hands-on with fruit, etc. Try using dips, fun spears or shapes, for fruits to see if this makes him more interested! Dips can be helpful since they tend to mask the flavor of most foods. Aside from consistency and patience, getting to the root of his picky eating surrounding fruit would be most beneficial. We have a free picky eating workshop that can help with this, check it out here!
Best,
Kalyn
Our 5 year old daughter was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor when she was 22 months old. Her eating habits before then we’re fairly typical, but she ate less and less as the large tumor was growing. She was underweight when the tumor was finally discovered. After major abdominal surgery, she went through radiation and 9 months of intense chemo due to the genetic makeup of the tumor. She had an NG tube inserted and relied mainly on formula tube feeding, but she would nibble a little food throughout treatment. She threw up frequently from treatment and had to have the NG tube reinserted about a dozen times. When treatment was over, I weaned her successfully from the tube and she quickly gained weight, partly aided by some calorie dense food like pancakes made with heavy cream. She got up to the 25th percentile for weight. Although she keeps getting taller, her weight has leveled off and she has not gained weight in a year. She eats a variety of foods, but she eats small bites, slowly, and only seems really interested in the food at the start of the meal. Once she gets past the first “very hungry” part, she gets distracted and just loses interest. She chews for a long time as the meal goes on. We have to urge her through the whole meal (unless it is one of her absolute favorites or she’s particularly hungry) to keep eating. She would come home from summer camp and I would find her lunch uneaten because no one was there to urge her to eat it. She will eat faster if someone spoon feeds her like I did when she was in treatment- the only way she would eat- but she gags if the bites are too big for her or come too fast. We’re seeing a speech therapist and OT now, but they said this is an unusual case and they’re not sure what to do. Again, the range of what she eats is good and healthy, but the speed and quantity is a problem. She’s not gaining weight. Any ideas you have would be much appreciated!
Hi Kara! Thanks for reaching out and sharing your situation with us- it sounds like it’s been a journey! Glad to hear that your daughter has come so far since then, but so sorry to hear that she’s having some issues with eating- it’s completely understandable considering all that she’s been through! Trauma can play a huge factor in oral aversions (more about that here!) It’s great that you’re currently working with a speech therapist and OT. We always recommend a no-pressure environment, allowing the child to choose how much or how little they eat, without forcing. That, along with oral/sensory play, might help make her feel more confident and comfortable with eating foods! Try sensory bins, playing/touching/feeling her food, using a vibrating toothbrush inside her mouth, drinking through straws, or making silly faces- these are all sensory/oral exercises that can help to desensitize her gag reflux/sensory sensitivities and build her oral muscles. Hope that helps!
Best,
Kalyn
Thank you! Her older brother also had an oral aversion, but he was in the “no variety” camp- he’d only eat a few things. We went to an OT and I used a lot of the tricks I learned there to wean her from the feeding tube. Since she’ll eat such a variety, it didn’t occur to me that it could still be in the same family with oral aversions, but you’re right, it absolutely makes sense. I’ll suggest to the speech therapist that we try coming at it from that angle. Just to reassure you a little, we don’t nag her to eat in a mean way, more like reminding her to focus. And the spoon feeding comes when she asks me with a smile to feed her. 🙂 We’ll try not to worry so much about her weight while we work on this- she’ll get there.
Thank you again!
Hello.
I have a 7 year old. I wouldn’t say her diet is terrible but it could be better.
She was born prematurely and had a feeding tube, she had colic, reflux,constipation. As she got older she developed dairy and gluten intolerances. Over time we got over them by slowly re introducing foods. How ever she now constantly gets tummy aches. At least one a week.
It’s like she has developed “safe foods” so she knows which ones won’t make her feel ill so won’t try anything new.
I’m happy with what she eats for breakfast, lunch and snacks and she eats a varied amount of fruit. Veg not so much-carrots&sweetcorn.
How ever dinner time meals I’d love to all eat the same. She will eat pasta, pizza, nuggets, sausages. She hates any type of potato. She doesn’t like combining food eg- she loves tuna and loves pasta but won’t eat tuna pasta. She also doesn’t like “wet” food so lasagne etc. How can I introduce new meals without the cries of “I don’t like that!” Without actually trying it. Or trying a mouse sized nibble and then not liking it.
Hi Michelle! Thanks for reaching out! We understand how stressful picky eating can be and we’re here to help! We always recommend starting with a no-pressure environment at mealtimes. This means serving the foods you’re choosing to serve, but allowing your child to choose how much -or how little- she wants to eat, without any force or pressure. Try serving a family meal for dinner, but pair it with at least one of her preferred foods. Seeing her preferred food on the plate will make her feel more comfortable with the other foods. We have more tips and information here in this post!
Best,
Kalyn
I used to think he was going to grow out of it, but now my son is four years old and is pickier than ever. He won’t eat any meat or vegetables and sticks mainly to plain buttered noodles or mac & cheese, certain types of fruit, and crunchy carbs. I’ve made us all separate meals almost his entire life. Just a year ago, though, he would at least eat meatless spaghetti or baked and breaded chicken nuggets, but now I rarely know what to put on the table for him because he usually has a breakdown if there’s anything slightly different or novel about the food. He developed GERD a few weeks after he was born, and was on medication for that until he was six months old, and subsequently we were terrified to give him anything that wasn’t very neutral tasting because he would have a reaction. So I feel like we’ve created this problem. I don’t think he was ever exposed enough to different types of food as an infant/toddler, and now exposure does nothing. We can expose him to something 15 times over the course of a few months, and he rejects it all 15 times. His daycare tuition covers the cost of his meals, but I almost always have to send him a lunch because he simply won’t eat there. I am at a total loss and feel so sad that I have failed him in some way. I’ve tried so many things I’ve seen on this website, but nothing seems to work.
Hi Chelsea! Thanks for reaching out! We understand your frustration and know how difficult it can be when struggling to feed your child. But you are definitely not alone and we are here to help! First of all, please don’t blame yourself or think that you’ve failed him in any way- it’s simply not true! You are a great mother and are doing your best! It may sound redundant, but keep trying. We recommend serving your child the same food as everyone else at the table, plating the meal with at least one of his preferred foods. Promote a no-pressure environment at mealtimes, making sure he knows that it’s okay for him to not eat something if he doesn’t want to. This will make him feel comfortable with new foods, to the point where he may willingly try them on his own. We have many more tips and in depth information in our free picky eating workshop. Save your seat here!
Best,
Kalyn
Hi,
My daughter is 6 yrs old. The problem with her is that she never chew food immediately after she take a bite. She keep the food in her mouth until i say to chew. I have to yell at her for eating food and to chew. Till date she has never come and told me that she is hungry. She takes one and a half an hour some times more than that to finish her meals and breakfast. She has this problem only with the food. But she is very much comfortable and happy in eating snacks. She can chew it very well. But I am very much worried that why she do not want to chew the food. She never sit in a place while eating food. I have tried all the varities of food to make her eating time more comfortable. Her this behaviour has made me put in more stress. I do not how to make her to eat and how to change her behaviour.
Hey! Thanks for reaching out. Focusing on getting your daughter to sit at the table for all her meals and snacks might be a helpful first step (although we know it can be a challenging one!). You might also check out our article on pocketing food. It might give you some good ideas on how to help your daughter.
Best,
Andrea
My kid is 2.9 year old he is used to eat with screen and he likes to eat the plain rice and what ever given he has the hesitation to have the first bite he wants to eat but hesitates to eat
Recently I have started by not giving the mobile even though he is hungry he asks for the food and besides drinks water without tasting it.
Hey Jyothsna,
Thanks for sharing your experience with us! No screens at mealtimes can be such a help in the long run. It sounds like he’s making some improvements, which is great. If he’s still having trouble with picky eating, we have a free online mini course going on right now. It would be a great thing to check out. You can sign up HERE.
Best,
Andrea
Hello, my 7 year old boy doesn’t want to taste any fruits or veggies or even something that he thinks is gross. When he was 3 he was eating, tasting everything almost. He used to chew on celery stick or even green onion stick! When I try to take it back he was crying to not to give them back . Since around 4 year old he start to eat only home made or fast food burgers, chicken , macaroni , etc. For dinner and cheese, pancake , yogurt etc for breakfast and not tries any full apple yet! Or banana. But he eats them if it is pureed puch fruit sells in stores. He eat icecream, chips, popcorn all.kind of chunk food. I did everything putting some in his plate but no matter what I did he doesn’t try or taste fruit or vegetables. Since his taste buds only like more of a bread type of stuff he is getting chunkier and I scare, Please help.
Hey Ozzy!
Thanks for reaching out. We know it can be extremely frustrating when our kids don’t eat a variety of foods! We actually just ran out live mini course targeting picky eaters, that would be a huge help to you. The replays of videos will be up for the next 4 days. You can sign up HERE to receive access to all the videos! It would be a great place to start. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Best,
Andrea
Hi, I have a 4 year old who is refusing to eat only wants milk drinks. Before he ate food and now just stopped. It frustrating and I am loosing my mind. Please help.
Hey Amanda,
we understand how hard this can be! I’d try to focus on setting up a good schedule and environment for eating. You can try to provide him with a small amount of milk during the meal/snack time while he is sitting at the table with family! You can learn all about setting up a great environment in our free workshop! Save your seat here!
Best,
Desiree
Hi I have a six year old that was a healthy eater never had any problem eating until recently. She just stopped eating she says she having trouble chewing and swallowing foods. She can eat chips but not eat regular food like rice and beans, chicken, mash potatoes pasta meats, salad fruit. Her favorite fruit is strawberries and she just can’t eat them
anymore apples she will chew and spit it out please help I need answers and if there is anything I can do to help her eat again she will only drink liquids yogurt or apple sauce.
Hi Rachel! Thanks for stopping by! We understand how stressful it can be. Since she reports difficulty chewing and swallowing, it might be good to have her checked out by a pediatrician, just to make sure everything is okay. But since she is able to eat chips, it might just be sensory or picky eating. Try offering one food she likes with every meal that you serve, making sure to also promote a no-pressure environment. We have a free picky eating workshop that covers all of this and more! Save your seat here!
Best,
Kalyn
My 9 year old boy choked on a hot dog about 2 weeks ago. He was scared and thought he was going to die. After the incident he ate as usual… chicken sandwich, eggs, hamburger, spaghetti, beans, ham, rice, potatoes, juices milk, etc …then about 5 days ago he became teary and refused to eat. Now he only drinks smoothies, soups, very buttery waffles, chopped up breakfast sausage, strawberry milk with protein powder, and water. What should we do to help him? I’m confused and overwhelmed.
Hello! So sorry to hear about your son’s recent choking incident. Choking can be very traumatic, which can commonly lead to food related anxiety and aversions. Try to encourage positive interactions with food, such as cooking together or grocery shopping. Calmly talk to your son about his fears, making sure to be supportive and patient, while promoting a no-pressure environment. You can find more information and tips here in this post.
Best,
Kalyn
Hi,
I have a 3.7 years old boy. The issue is from last 3 to 4 month he has completely stopped eating homemade solid food. Being Indian we prefer Rice & Indian bread( made out of wheat) along with vegetables, curries,pulses and at times eggs and chicken. We tried different ways and means to make him eat his meals but no luck. Now, he doesn’t eat breakfast nor lunch or dinner. So as worried parents we have started giving him formula food ( mixed with milk) which he drinks as a substitute keeping in mind the fact that atleast he gets the required nutrients out of the formula food(Pedia sure).Though he eats fruits like kiwi, pineapple, banana, guava, orange in small quantities and also dry fruits -almond & walnut. Beside these he only likes to eat cakes, potato chips and chocolates. I have also observed that he picks up things at home, chews and licks them, very fond of eating toothpaste. I feel it’s related to his hormonal changes but I am really worried about his fooding habits. Any help would be highly appreciated.
Hi Bhaskar,
Thanks for reaching out! That sounds really challenging. We suggest offering some new foods along with the foods or formula that he regularly has. Doing this without pressure is a really helpful step! We actually have a free online mini course going on right now. Our next class is today at 2pm EST. It would be a great resource for you. If you miss a class, we also send out the replay afterwards. You can sign up HERE.
Best,
Andrea
Hello, I have an 8 year old son. Who only will eat waffles, pancakes, pizza, and plain chips. He won’t eat any butter or even syrup on his waffles and he barley finishes them. I give him protein shacks every day but he won’t drink them. He smells everything I give him and he won’t even TRY to eat anything I give him. I have tried making pizza with him and adding veggies or meat to the pizza. He will not eat it. He sometimes eats cheese and crackers or jello. I’m doing everything in my power to help him have taken him by many doctors and therapist, they don’t have any solutions!!!!!!!! He’s not growing. He’s very skinny. He tells me he hates food. He has seem videos of kids with tubes being fed. And he is highly considering it!!!!! He will tell me , those kids can still do normal things. I’m at shock, lost for words, sad, I’m so worried about him. He’s so defiant when it comes to food.
Hi Sade,
Oh that sounds really discouraging and heartbreaking for you. We always encourage positive, no pressure solutions to feeding. We have a Facebook Live event going on tomorrow at 2 EST, you can find our Facebook HERE. Be sure to follow along, we have tons of new free picky eating resources coming out. You can also sign up for our email list to get all the latest details. I think they will be a really helpful resource for you guys. Let us know if you have any questions!
Best,
Andrea
Hi my 5 year old son never eat any vegetables or any pulse and he don’t like any fast food also he eat only one or two chapati for day so I am so worried about it
Hey Urvashi,
We know that can be so challenging! We actually have our free online mini course open right now for picky eating. It would be an awesome resource for you! The next part of the class is this Tuesday at 2pm EST, but we send out replays once you’re registered! You can sign up HERE.
Best,
Andrea
Hi,
My granddaughter is a 2 1/2 years old, before her 2 years old moulders were starting, was eating most of her solid foods, when her moulders started, she completely went off her foods. Eats only mum-mums, rice cakes mashed avocado spread onto her bread, goat’s milk & on/off soft-boiled egg. When I offered the food she used to eat, she looks at it and pushes away her plate, without tasting it first. It’s been nearly a year, that her appetite has gone, her stools are soft, sometimes too loose. Sleeps well and is a happy toddler. Yours truly, Josie
Hey Josie,
That sounds really frustrating! We have our free online mini course up for another week. There are 3 different lessons. That might be a great place for you to start to figure out what might be going on with her. Alisha talks a lot about underlying causes and setting up a positive mealtime environment. You can sign up HERE.
Best,
Andrea
Could be a sensory issue . Same with my child till I found out she had high functioning autism . Very hard to find out in girls .
Hi I’m violet my son is a year and 4 months he doesn’t want to eat anything I give him…he will throw the food on the ground for the dogs to eat but he only wants to eat sweets and I give him a surtain amount of sweets daily he gets his daily vitamins but he still doesn’t want to eat he takes a small bite of the food en then he spits the food out what can I do to get him to eat
Hi Violet,
We know how difficult it can be to have your son throw food on the ground and refuse to eat! Toddlers just love that cause and effect game! You can try repeating “We keep food on the tray” when he tosses his food overboard. Sometime the small shift in words can make a difference! We have a post about throwing food that has some other helpful suggestions. We’d love to have you check it out!
Best,
Andrea
Hello, I have an 8 year old son. Who only will eat waffles, pancakes, pizza, and plain chips. He won’t eat any butter or even syrup on his waffles and he barley finishes them. I give him protein shacks every day but he won’t drink them. He smells everything I give him and he won’t even TRY to eat anything I give him. I have tried making pizza with him and adding veggies or meat to the pizza. He will not eat it. He sometimes eats cheese and crackers or jello. I’m doing everything in my power to help him have taken him by many doctors and therapist, they don’t have any solutions!!!!!!!! He’s not growing. He’s very skinny. He tells me he hates food. He has seem videos of kids with tubes being fed. And he is highly considering it!!!!! He will tell me , those kids can still do normal things. I’m at shock, lost for words, sad, I’m so worried about him. He’s so defiant when it comes to food. I gave him a bowl of soup today and he flipped the whole bowl over on my kitchen table :”(
While you’re article was informative, it wasn’t complete. My daughter was such a picky eater that every year her school would call me and discuss her weight and eating issues. It wasn’t until she was 13 that I finally got a professional answer for it. She has ARFID. “ARFID often co-occurs with other mental health diagnoses such as anxiety disorders or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Like any other eating disorder, ARFID is not a choice and is considered to be a severe illness that requires professional treatment.”
So were anorexia and bulimia deal with body image ARFID deals with the issue of not liking to eat. They just don’t like the food or they are afraid to choke on food (not my daughter’s issue).
This is a condition that has only been recently discovered and has some kind of treatment to help with this issue. Personally, it was so intensive and involving (having to take my child out of school three days ever other week) it wasn’t realistic to keep at it.
She stopped the program. While she’s still skinny, she’s still managing to gain weight (covid restrictions being suspect). She’s doing alright but AFRID needs no awareness and more information the public can get is good to get the help to those who need it.
Hey Kayleen,
Yes, we are aware of the diagnosis and when we discuss “extreme picky eaters” on our site this would fall also with someone with an ARFID diagnosis for the information we are relaying. We have a lot of information on extreme picky eating and can’t cover it all in the article. But hopefully you find that it is helpful. We do have free workshops as well that can help for those “extreme picky eaters”. Hope that helps!
Best,
Desiree
Hi, my 4.5 yr old chocked recently. She became cautious after, but continued to eat all the normal foods she loves. Just a couple days ago (weeks after choking incident) she stopped eating anything solid. Her fears of choking again suddenly over took her. I’ve been having to sit with her and help her take nibbles and a sip of liquid after every bite of anything. I’ve tried everything I know to do…talking, giving her lots of different food options, encouragement, praise when she does eat…etc. Her home life is VERY happy, full of fun, both my husband and I are very loving/affectionate parents. I believe the Situation is strictly from the choking incident, nothing emotional. I don’t want to make eating food a negative experience because of all this, but in order to make her eat, I have to sit there and strongly encourage and coax her through the whole meal in order to get any calories in her. I have been making smoothies for her, but I feel like the longer this plays out, the more solidified the issue will become in her mind. I’m trying not to make a huge deal out of it, at the same time I’ve had some serious talks with her about it
Hey Sara,
Thanks for reaching out! We understand how these incidents can leave a lasting impact on kids. We do still recommend a no pressure environment even in this situation for basically helping her to re-trust all these foods. Not sure if you are familiar with providing no pressure but we do have a workshop that might be helpful for you. In your case since she is okay with the smooth foods you’d make sure that you do have that included with every meal as her (preferred). Hope this helps you can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
Already planning to see a dietician but maybe I could get some advice here as well. My 4 year old (5 in october) started out eating very well, he would eat his veggies, I didn’t have to cook separate meals, sure there were some small things he didn’t like but that was normal. Then around 2 years old he changed completely, to where he would litterally only eat very limited and specific foods that I very often didn’t want to give him because in large quantities it wasn’t good for him (mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, casadillas, cheese) but of course being concerned that he wasn’t eating enough I caved to his demands so he would eat. Now he eats hardly anything at all and has even started losing weight to the point I can see his ribs! I’ve tried routine, I’ve tried presenting new foods with the old familiar ones to entice him to eat, I took tablet away during meal times and made him sit at the table to eat and still I can hardly get him to eat 800 calories a day! I took juice away, and now he’s only allowed water and milk and still no progress no nothing and his pediatrician has no solution and just constantly guilt trips me because he is underweight….im at my ropes end and now I’m just getting ridiculous amounts of anxiety during meal times because I’m trying so hard not to lose my cool when he doesn’t want to eat! I just want him to be healthy and to grow and nothing I do seems to make it any better. My daughter eats great, litterally everything she can get her hands on and she’s as healthy as an ox. Im just so concerned about when he goes to school next year that he won’t have the energy to learn or he just won’t eat all day. Or even that his teachers will be concerned that he doesn’t have enough food at home because he’s just so skinny. What do I do?
Hey Samantha!
We know it can be so challenging and so scary when our kiddos don’t want to eat! You’re not alone at all! So many other moms have this same challenge! Here is a great list of high calorie foods that we created. We’d also suggest our free picky eating course. It’s a great resource and gives you some ideas to start right away! You can save your seat HERE. Let us know if you have any questions.
Best,
Andrea
For Samantha – my son stopped eating about age 2yrs. Had been fine before that. I, too, worried myself sick about his poor eating habits, for years. A good tip I got from specialist is to cook minced beef with veg (finely chopped onion, grated carrot & courgette, & any other veg u can get in there (grated pumpkin, sweet potato, celery, spinach, mushrooms, etc)! Thicken with a little cornflour/water & allow to cool slightly. I told my son the doctor said he MUST eat mince for dinners (& he ate it !!!). I was bowled over – I cudnt believe it – seemed so simple! He liked white rice, so he had a separate little bowl for that. He seemed to like cute plates & different styles of cutlery. Yes take aeay juice, get on water at mealtimes. Save milk for snack-time (as it takes the iron out of system). It was a start. It has taken years to get to be a better eater. It has always helped to put him at a table with other people, he tries harder eat when he wants to look like everyone else eating around him. School lunches are the worst, but lately he has even tried small wraps with lettuce/ham (v finely sliced). He seems to eat the same thing for ages then gets sick of it & u hv to figure out the nxt thing he’ll eat, might last a year or 10-weeks, but it’s some progress. The mince/veg has all the iron etc they need for a day. I found he just seems to be a slow learner, but if he helps prepare food, set table, has a voice/is heard about what his thoughts are abt foods/textures it helps. He is now growing rapidly & has flesh on his ribs! It has taken yrs, some days no eating but most days at least 2 really rounded meals. Think about the week’s intake of food, perhaps aim for that, rather than daily (to start with). It eases the worry & takes a bit of tension out of mealtimes. Good luck finding the foods they will eat!! It’s a learning curve for everyone!!
We moved to Poland , so whole trip in airport my 4 year old toddler ate only cookies and bananas. One week we are in new country and he still eats the same refusing to eat any dairy or normal meal:( though a little progress he picked up vanilla icecream and at least tried something new .. Im worried how long this adaption will last 🙁
Hey Aphina,
so sorry you are having trouble with your little one during this transition, it can be hard. It does take some time for kids to adapt. I would try to make things the same as possible utilizing the same plate, cup, etc. So he knows that it’s time to eat and has something familiar. Also, make sure you are eating with him and modeling for him. If he ate a variety of foods before, I’d continue to present those with his current preferred food at meals and model eating for him. I’d make sure not to pressure him into eating, but modeling and hopefully getting him to engage in the foods would be really good first steps to get him back to eating!
Hope that helps!
Best,
Desiree
My 7 year old refuses to eat unless its processed food or junk food. She will eat as long as it is that and even refuses to eat stuff she used to. Help!
Hey Jess,
We totally understand how frustrating this can be! I’d try to remove all pressure from mealtimes, as this can really help. We do have a free workshop that walks you through how to remove all pressure as well as looking at the underlying cause of picky eating. You can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
Hi.. My baby boy is 10 month old, he used to eat well in his early months but after 8 months he is consistently refusing solids. He is not gaining any weight at 10 months his weight is 6.7 kgs. Now he taste every food but never takes second bite. He starts drooling on & off and whenever his drooling starts he stops eating everything. I am really worried can you plz suggest
Hi Shilpa,
It can be really tough when our little ones refuse solids! You might try to start brushing teeth (gums) twice a day. Sometimes that simple activity can make a big difference in sensitivity for little ones. We also have a free workshop about transitioning to table foods. It might be helpful. You can save your seat HERE.
Best,
Andrea
ARFID. It’s called an eating disorder. I just commented earlier about my daughter having this. I just happened to scroll down and see you post about the fear of choking and that’s a big red flag for ARFID.
“ Behavioural signs of ARFID
Sudden refusal to eat foods. A person with ARFID may no longer eat food that that ate previously.
Fear of choking or vomiting. …
No appetite for no known reason. …
Very slow eating. …
Difficulty eating meals with family or friends. …
No longer gaining weight. …
Losing weight. …
No growth or delayed growth.”
Unlike anorexia and bulimia that deals with body image, people with ARFID just don’t like eating. I’m not a medical professional or anything but I would suggest finding out everything you can about ARFID and see if it might be. I’m not sure the treatment for adults is the same for kids. But I’d research to see if it applies.
Hey sara!
I’m no expert but had the same thing happened to my 10 yr old (9 at the time it happened) last year. He chocked in June 2020 and after that he got cautious while eating. As days went on he started to eat less until the fear of chocking took over and he stopped eating completely. At that point i couldn’t get him to eat anything solid and he was already a picky eater so didn’t like soups. All he was consuming was water, gatorade and gogurts. I was so scared and concerned he was dropping weight really fast. His doctor referred him to a speech therapist so they could work with him. Also recommended to give him pediasure to his diet and to give him vitamins. The vitamins were hard to give him, I couldn’t find anything soluble. He was afraid to eat the gummy kind and the tablets ones i would try to crush them but they wouldn’t really dissolve in the water and he would get scared of the bits of crumbs he would get. By the time his referral was approved from his insurance it was already September when i was finally able to get him in for therapy. His doctor would see him often in the meantime to keep and eye ln his weightless. I’m so glad for the referral by December he was back to eating again his usual foods. Therapy also helped for him to not be so picky. He is now eating more foods including vegetables and fruits which he hated. And is now more open to trying new things before shutting them down. I don’t know if you are still going trough this but if you are I would recommend to see a speech therapist. They don’t only work with speech they help with the oral/feeding/swallowing skills. Which is something I honestly didn’t know. Hooing for the best for you and your kid.
Hi Alisha, My 6year old daughter suddenly stopped eating hard food and started spitting out her saliva. She has never struggled with eating. She complained and said she feels like there is snort in her throat and is afraid that she will choke if she eats, she has gone from normal food to eating only pureed foods that we have to put on the blender. We have taken her to a GP then ENT that did not see anything wrong with her even after x-rays. The ENT suggested that we sit her down and chat to her to see if there’s any trauma she has gone through recently, she told us that she witnessed a child choking in nursery school and she has also had choking episodes and so is afraid of choking, she chews the soft food until it is watery and sometimes swallows and sometimes not. Four days ago, we took her to ER ads she had pain when urinating, the doctor diagnosed Candida (Oral thrush and UTI ) she is currently on medication for 7days . We are now on day 4 and she still refuses to eat solid food. I am so scared as her weight keeps dropping, the only available date that we can get with a therapist is in February due to the Covid 19 and Christmas holidays. She last had normal food on the 30th November.
Hello YB, my daughter is going through the same exact thing. She is also 6 years old and it came on suddenly about a week ago. I would love to chat if possible. MK
Hi my daughter is currently facing this problem too but she is nearly 5 and spits out her food,would love to talk!
My boyfriend’s 6 y/o daughter is going through the same thing! She was peeing ALL the time! She took medicine for that and now just now just REFUSING to eat ANYTHING. The night this started she just started crying that she had choked before and didn’t want to do it again.. That happened days before this started. She has been known to be dramatic before if she doesn’t want to eat or something like that.. but now it’s been over a week. He took her to her doctor last Wed. dr. said it could be a bug or GROWING PAINS! No one I have asked has ever heard of this.. He is very upset and doesn’t know what else to do for her. Any help would be appreciated. Side note: I think it is very strange 4 of us have kids about the same age, all doing the same thing around the same couple of days!
So sorry you are going through this! Having Oral thrush will have an impact on her eating. I’d continue to offer the soft foods and slowly start to work up on foods that are easier to manage ie: meltables such as townhouse crackers. Showing your daughter that these will melt without any chewing (to help with her getting over the choking thoughts) can be helpful. I’d also be engaging her in some play/cooking help in the kitchen to get her touching/engaging with the foods as this is really important to move towards eating (even foods she was eating before).
Hope that helps!
Best,
Desiree
Hiya
My daughter is 10 and is struggling to eat at her fathers house. He has recently split from his partner and bought his own house. He has a fairly good set up, regular mealtime and at a table which is something I don’t have (table).
She feels pressured by him and can’t talk to him.
She doesn’t have this issue with me or her aunt. She feels it maybe a ‘table’ problem, although my sister has a table. He was sitting opposite her and now he sits next to her so he doesn’t stare or make eye contact.
She will make any excuse possible not to eat with him but then feels he’s getting angry and will kick off ( which he is known for but is conscious about this in this situation)
She eats at school with no issues either.
Do you have any advice that may help as I haven’t a clue what to suggest or advise him or make her change her thinking.
Hey Maxine,
Thanks for reaching out to us! I’d talk with her father about making sure he is setting up a no pressure environment and what that means. Helping to set rules around mealtimes like: I’m providing food, at least one thing she likes, but that she does not have to eat. And try to have him conversate with her about other things. We do have a free workshop all about removing pressure that may be helpful in this situation. You can save your seat here
Best,
Desiree
My 6 yo has been doing the exact same thing. She will only eat hummus and yogurt for the past week. She says her throat doesn’t hurt but she can ‘feel something different’ in it. Getting ready to schedule an appointment, will keep you posted. Please keep me posted on what everyone else is doing!
Hi there,
We are having difficulty with our 16month old daughter and eating on her own. Since we started introducing solids at 6 months of age, she has never been super interested in eating on her own. With us really trying to get her to eat food we unfortunately created the bad habit of having videos playing to distract her and then she would eat mindlessly as we shoved food in her mouth. At the time we were happy as she was finally eating solid food and thought she would then start to like food. Of course this was not the case. We now have a behavior and routine in place of eating with videos. We just removed videos and are back to square one of no food going in her mouth. She pushes it all around on the high chair and squishes it but never to her mouth. She will put some of her favorite food items in her mouth on her own but only a few bites… So we know she can do it but how can we get her to do it more so that she eats enough at meal time. Do we just continue trying with putting food in front of her and hoping one day she will just “get it”. Everyone says they will eat when they are hungry but she’s not eating alot of food resulting in us still having to do a bottle at night still. Just looking for advice and support.
Hey Taylor,
Thanks for reaching out! We truly understand what you are going through and know how hard it can be. I think it’s great that she is touching and squishing the foods, this is a huge step. I would keep modeling for her while being silly putting the food in her mouth. We do have a free workshop as well that will walk you through some other strategies that can help with getting them to eat. You can save your seat here
Best,
Desiree
We are in nearly the exact same boat. Is your daughter eating better now and did you figure out anything that worked?
My 3year old has gone from eating everything to any wanting fruit or sweets for every meal. When he doesn’t get them he screams, throws things and is refussing to talk. I have tried to wait out this behavior, but he is so strong willed and will go many hours without eating anything. Even to the point of missing up to two meals before I finally give in. This has continued for a couple of weeks. I really don’t know what to do anymore. Please help advise me on this. Thank you
Hey Carla,
So sorry you are going through this, we know how hard the food battles can be! I’d recommend starting to remove all pressure at mealtimes, this can help to have them relax more at mealtimes. We do have a free workshop that walks you through how to do this, plus other strategies for working through this picky eating! You can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
Hi my 3 half year old son was a really good eater ate everything you would give him but then he choked and now will only eat yoghurts that is it I very ywprried as I want h to have a good hot meal like he used to i try not to force him as he is eating something even though its not what I would like him to eat if he gets a taste of anything different than yoghurt he spits it out and wipes his mouth and tongue as he cant bare the taste , he is going through a paediatrician at the moment and he has always has sensory smell problems but this is to the extreme . What should I do to encourage him more to eat other foods or just let him eat when he is ready as he thinks he’s litterally going to choke on everything apart from yoghurt.
Carrie
Hey Carrie,
So sorry you are dealing with this, but love that you aren’t forcing him! Sounds like he is sticking with his safe foods, I would try branching out slowly to similar textures and working your way back up to the foods. So trying a pudding, but talking him through this is soft just like your yogurt. Working your way up to trying a “meltable” like very small piece of graham crackers “look at mommy it melts on my tongue” but again, no forcing. This can help, but will take some time. Make sure to keep offering! We do have a free workshop as well, if you find that he’s not making any progress and you may need it. It can help set up that positive mealtime experience. Save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
Hi Alisha,
I know you have addressed this in your blog but seeking reassurance! My little one is 14mo old now. History of long standing reflux associated with failure to thrive and previous bottle aversion. Background of some dairy and nut allergy that is slowly getting better. She has always been a nibbler and never eats much food of significance in terms of amounts. (except for fruits! She can chew and swallow this in any shape and form!). In saying that she is still definitely filling up her belly with 240mls of milk x 3 bottles (24oz) all after meals, so I am guessing she isn’t hungry enough for solids with the next meal. She takes water in a straw sippy very well (loves water in fact!). Today I offered milk with her bfast via the sippy and she took about 50mls max without eating any bfast. I got nervous and gave her some milk via the bottle afterwards. Less volume than usual but I went back to the bottle sadly. At barely 8kg at 14 mo, my anxiety about her not drinking milk if not eating enough solids obviously plays up! And of course we do not have that many alternate Calcium options apart from her milk as her food intake is low. (Apart from starting supplements).Do I keep offering sippy with bfast and lunch meal (and not offer bottle afterwards even if she doesn’t eat/drink much) and stick with that? Keen to keep the bedtime bottle as is for now as it helps her sleep through the night. How long does it usually take to see an improvement in food intake when milk intake is cut back? Sorry for the long post!
Hi Vinita! Thanks for reaching out! Due to her medical history, we always recommend consulting with your pediatrician first, but generally speaking, we encourage offering meals with 4oz of milk in an open cup or straw cup and then waiting until the next meal or snack (~2.5-3hrs later) to give another 4oz serving of milk. This schedule will help make sure she is hungry at each mealtime and will therefore eat more of her food, rather than filling up on milk in between meals. We have a blog post that breaks all of this down with a sample schedule. You can check it out here! Hope that helps!
Best,
Kalyn
My 2 year old was very good eater.She eats everything and byherslf.She still breastfeeding with me sometimes especially when she goes to sleeps.But unfortunately everything has been change,when her little brother arrive,she get jealous a lot.Im struggling with her attitude because she have more tantrums and the tiry part is she don’t want to eat and she back to full breastfeeding. If she saw her brother having milk she also wants it or else she cry and shouting.please advice me what to do.im so worried about her because she have medical conditions and she’s not eating anymore just depends on my milk.
Hey Gene,
So sorry you are dealing with this situation. We know how hard it can be! I’d try to find time in the day that can be mostly just you and her, so she can get some 1 on 1 time. For meals, I’d start making sure you have a good space for them and setting up some rules as far as she letting her know “when” mealtimes are and making sure she has preferred foods. You can also try to set limits on when she’s able to nurse, as to make sure it’s not interfering with her eating. We know this transition can be hard for some, take it one day at a time.
Best,
Desiree