Picky, Picky, Picky...

Do you have a picky eater?  I do!  Even worse then my picky eater I have a choosy eater too.  

My five year old has always been a picky eater.  After he turned one and started to eat "real" food he just stopped eating real food.  I can list the things he will eat on my fingers.  

I've learned to deal with this slowly.  I will make him what he wants for lunch and for dinner he needs to at least try whatever it is we are eating.  If he doesn't like it he can have something else (and I know when he is faking it).  He eats his veggies in fact two nights ago he had THREE helpings of spinach with is dinner!  As much as I prefer NOT to be a short order cook at least I know he is eating something healthy and he is so active that the extra carbs aren't going to hurt him.  What I'm really struggling with is my choosy eater.  My four year old choses what he is going to eat and when he is going to eat it.  On any given day he will eat what ever you put in front of him, going as far as calamari and I'm not talking about the fried stuff, I mean the fresh out of the water bearly dead stuff! To not eating anything I put in front of him!  There are days that he will not eat anything but an orange and a waffle because he refuses to eat anything else we put in front of him.  

The rule in our house is if you don't eat a certain meal the only other things you are allowed to have for the night is fruit.  I would rather they get something good in their bodies than nothing in them at all.

I know they say that if kids are hungry, but it is difficult to watch your skinny little four year old not want to eat anything all day. Not because he doesn't like what I made him but on that particular day at that particular time he decided he didn't want it.  I really struggle with that.  

Today example.  His FAVORITE meal in the world is Jasmine rice with meatballs, shreddad cheddar cheese and ketchup.  I know it sounds awful but that is what he likes.  Being as Daddy was working late and I wasn't all that hungry that is what I made them for dinner.  He didn't take more than 2 bites of it.  And when I gave the 10 minute warning for bed time all of a sudden he was hungry!  So I cut up an orange and more or less that was his dinner.  

I think he will out grow this.  At least I HOPE he will.  I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Do you have a picky or choosy eater?  What techniques work for you?