Kids Eating Better

My children aren't that great of eaters bc of my husbands eating habits. But I told him and them they are going to eat what I cook or they aren't going to eat anything. That is the way I was raised and I lived. They don't have to eat everything on their plate but they will try it and how old they are that is how many bits they have to take of something they don't like. If I fell they did an ok job and they are still hungry they can have Peanut butter and bread. It is healthier than a hotdog. I am on weight watchers so I try to only have healthy snacks. Now my husband does have his own snack cupboard, but he is an adult.
I have had my mother in law say well children need to be able to make choices, well I told her yes of what color underwear they want or if they want an apple or peach but not whatever they want to eat. It is my job to teach them healthy eating habbits now.
Try apples and peanut butter for a snack or raisins and peanuts, cashews, or something else with good protien and fiber. Sorry for rambling, I just know what a food battle can be sometimes..

Hi, L., I'm a mother & a grandmother. My grandson won't eat anything but hotdogs also, so what we do is give him a hotdog for lunch & tell him he has to eat a good dinner, even try letting the kids choose the veggie,you know like a trade. If they get a hotdog for dinner they have to choose a veggie to go with it. Good luck!!!!! D. from ky.

I know thatyou are tired of the hotdogs but maybe one way to get them to eat better is to mix the hotdogs, cut up of course, into the meal. Like mixing hotgodogs, broccoli and cheese. Maybe add some rice in with it and make that a meal. It will be a gradual process since they are used to eating nothing but hotdogs but maybe try mixing it into their meal so that your kids think they are eating the same thing.
Just a thought

I'm a mom of a picky eater (2 1/2) and a wife of a very picky husband. One thing I do is cook up veggies like zucchini, onions and mushrooms, puree and add to any old jarred spagetti sauce - I feel good about giving them as much of that as I can. I also find ways to get my son to help me cook in the kitchen - I've found that he's more likely to eat something if he helps me make it.

Hello, I am a 31yo mother and wife if 5 years. A total of five kids at any time. One of which I share with my husband (3yo). One from previous relationship (9yo). My nephew which is currently in my custody (7yo), all of these live here 12 out of 14 days. I also have two stepdaughters 9yo and 12yo, which are here as often as we can.

I have always been told as small children if they are eating let them eat what they will eat. BUT this applies when they are young, like 2-4 years old. These children are expected to eat better as they get older. My stepchildren came over wouldn't eat any of the healthy food they were given. I have a rule in my house you eat at least one bite of everything I put on your plate whether you like it or not. Your taste buds will change. If I make peas tonight and tomorrow night, you will take one bite each night.
If you do not eat because you don't like anything you don't get dessert. I also will put the food in the microwave till they are ready for the dessert we are eating, yes we enjoy our dessert in front of them. After they are use to the concept they don't get a choice for dessert later and my kitchen is not a 24 hour kitchen so you eat when we all do, or you wait til the next meal.
I know some will feel like this is hardcore and mean, but the boss in the house needs to be the parents. And if you don't get control now, this will be leverage for them to come between the two of you. I am blessed to have support from my boyfriend then, husband now. This may cause problems with the ex so you may want to discuss things with her. I so hope this helps.

L.,

I would recommend this website for your review: www.ellynsatter.com

I've heard this woman speak and I like what she had to say. I think her basic philosophy is parents control "what" and "when" and children control "if" and "how much." Meaning, the parents have to be in charge of what's offered and when (she recommends set meal and snack times). But the child has to be in charge of "if" they eat and "how much" they eat (which may sometimes be nothing). Remember, we are mammals . . . we will eat if we're hungry enough!

Hope you find her info helpful.

L.- Invest in 2 great cookbooks. The first one is called "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids Favorite Meals" by Missy Chase Lapine, the other is "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. You can purchase both of these books from amazon.com for around $10.00 each. They give you great ideas on how to hide vegetable purees inside food so that your family will never know. Don't tell the kids. Keep it a secret and sit back and smile knowing they are eating something that tastes good as well is providing the nutrition that they need! Good Luck! S.

Maybe try that book by Jerry Seinfeld's wife, I think it's called Deceptively Delicious. I have a friend who uses it with her husband - he sounds the same as those kids! Good luck

i understand you want your stepkids to eat better, but it's gonna be really hard to get them to unless thir mom is on bored with it too. but just tell them...this is what i'm cooking for this meal...take it or leave it...and stick to it...don't let them have treats or fix something just for them. if they are hungry enough, they will eat. just make sure to tell their mom the situation before hand so they don't go home and say that you wouldn't feed them. it will be a long hard batter, but jsut keep at it.

If there are no hotdogs in the house- well they'll have to find something else to eat won't they? BF needs to put his foot down with his kids and inform them that they eat what everyone else does when they're at your house.

Let the kids help plan and cook meals - from the grocery store to the dinner table. If you don't want to take them to the store with you, ask for their input while you're making your list. There are a lot of cookbooks now that are geared toward kids with easy instructions. My 2 and 4-year olds are eager to help me in the kitchen and my 4-year old will eat anything she has a hand in making and encourages my 2-year old to eat what she's helped create. Let them be a part of the process and they'll be more eager to eat what they've created.

Tell them they can have their hotdogs if they can come up with their own creative recipe that includes them and tell them what needs to go into it.

It may take a few weeks to get them on board and convince them cooking is fun, so just be consistent and hope they come around.

The key is consistency. Offer fruits/vegetables at every meal and require that they try it, not necessarily eat all of it. They may not have had they opportunity to try a variety of new foods, and it takes some time to get used to new tastes. And like everyone, there may be some foods they do not like, so take that in to consideration. Also, your boyfriend should stand behind you on this. It is important that children learn good eating habits early.

I teach health and nutrition seminars all the time, and you are not the only one with this problem. I have a great cd you can borrow called 9 simple steps to a healthier family diet and it shows/tells some really easy steps and tools to get kids reprogramed and to like these healthier foods better. Sometimes it takes up to 20 times of tring something before the like it! Email me if you want to borrow it ____@____.com

Well, you know what they eat when with their mom!!! I battled the same battle with my step-son. Just be really strict about eating in between meals and discuss it with them. Set house rules, we fix one meal and everyone eats it. If they don't want it, they don't eat (believe me they will eat). For veggies, add butter and cheese (broccoli, peas, potatos, carrots, etc), no not the healthiest but they'll start eating it and you can cut back on add-ins gradually. Also, offer raw veggies w/dip, kids usually love them.
May want to have dad talk with the mom about their eating habits!
Good luck!

Fruit smoothies are yummy and nutritious. I usually freeze the fruit of choice and use that as the ice...strawberries, chopped bananas, melon, etc. I really never measure, but add equal amounts of milk, juice, yogurt, add of course the frozen fruit and add all of the ingredients to the blender. My kids love this and always think of it as having a special treat with their meal. I think it is possible to buy a bag of frozen fruit as well if you choose to go that route.
Good luck!

You mentioned apples...add peanut butter or carmel dip on the side. This is a good snack choice!

Try the book by Jessica Seinfeld called Deceptively Delicious. It's all about hiding veggies in foods so the kids don't know they're eating good stuff! Really neat! Also, think about improving their nutrition through supplements. Try Shaklee Ocean Wonders for flavors kids love, without all the chemicals and fillers in store bought vitamins. See my profile for ordering information!

uhhh, prepare ONE MEAL and serve it-if they don't eat it, fine, nothing to eat until the next meal you provide. In too many families children are being allowed to think they are the bosses-if they are in your house, cook hot dogs.

Try the cookbook Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld as a good starting point : ) The rule in our house is that I am not a short order cook. My 4 yr old is very picky so he at least has to try 4 bites of the dinner before i will consider fixing him something different or he doesn't eat dinner at all. He has gone to bed many nights hungry but is also starting to try new things too so I think it is working. Just some thoughts.