Picky eater "yucky"

[Lee-Bee]

I have an incredibly picky 3 year old (turns 3 in a month). Eats nothing. Completely plain bread (no grains, or anything). Zero veggies, applies and bananas but no other fruit, completely plain yogurt but not if it has fruit in it etc etc.

It doesn't effect me much as he is only here 4 hrs a day and I could care less if he chooses not to eat.

BUT, until recently he has just sat, staring at the food and others until everyone is done (works for me). But he has recently started saying "yucky" with all food (play and real). I have firmly told him he is not allowed to call food yucky, it is rude. He can choose not to eat but he needs to sit and wait.

I am very concerned his calling foods yucky with taint my very good eater daughter (almost 4) and the boys younger brother who eats decent.

Any tips to keep this under control? I want to nip it in the bud before his dislike of all food spreads to the others! I am not looking for ways to get him to eat more foods, but rather just to make sure he doesn't get all the kids calling foods yucky!

[Peacefulbird]

Hi, can you ask his parents? What are his food choices at home. Some children have food texture sensitivity. I have exprienced the very same kind of behavior in my group and or new children joining to daycare. I usually start very slow. First serving the very same thing that everyone is eating but in a smaller amount. I usually ask them to try just two bites and then they can have what they like ex. Their favorite yogurt. I ask them if they want to be helped by cutting their food in small pieces they usually like that. But I've also a small food processor so I pureed things and mixed in their yogurt. At first not too much and I have slowly increased the amounts until they develope a taste for that food.

I always remember in a nutrition course I took "it takes 40 times ta sting a new food before our palate becomes familiar to it"; and works even for adults. Sometimes we make the mistake of not serving a certain kind of food because the child doesn't like it, leaving that poor child with a limited poor food choice. Just keep trying at times peer pressure works wonders.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I don't like when they say yucky either, especially if they haven't tasted it!

I say, "5LM made this for you and it took a lot of time. It's not nice to say yucky. That's rude. It's yummy stuff (and then if it applies, I point out what's in it that they do like). I want you to try it and then if you still don't like it, that's fine."

I can usually get my kids to take 1-3 bites at least and then if they like it, they finish and if they don't, they finish the other food or wait patiently for their dessert (fruit)

I have one incredibly picky eater and one who can be picky. They're both 3.5 and will try to say yucky too. This has decreased though after multiple days (months? Lol) of saying what I do.

[ebhappydc]

I tell them to take a 'polite bite' which works occasionally, but if they don't they have to be quiet...I'm firm about that. Some eat nothing and still grow healthy. I don't get it.

[Lee-Bee]

Hi, can you ask his parents? What are his food choices at home. Some children have food texture sensitivity. I have exprienced the very same kind of behavior in my group and or new children joining to daycare. I usually start very slow. First serving the very same thing that everyone is eating but in a smaller amount. I usually ask them to try just two bites and then they can have what they like ex. Their favorite yogurt. I ask them if they want to be helped by cutting their food in small pieces they usually like that. But I've also a small food processor so I pureed things and mixed in their yogurt. At first not too much and I have slowly increased the amounts until they develope a taste for that food.

I always remember in a nutrition course I took "it takes 40 times ta sting a new food before our palate becomes familiar to it"; and works even for adults. Sometimes we make the mistake of not serving a certain kind of food because the child doesn't like it, leaving that poor child with a limited poor food choice. Just keep trying at times peer pressure works wonders.

He eats very small amounts of very limited foods at home. I have asked if they have noticed a pattern (around textures, colours, etc etc). They have not. They are stressed about it. But they do feed him protein and veggie shakes (from powder) to try and compensate, he is small but growing. He eats plain oatmeal for supper every night. I can't judge, my kid eats well. Whether it is because we have trained her to or just her nature I can't say for sure and I am sure it sucks to have such a picky eater (whether there habits have trained him that way or not). They have spent many days tracking his intake to see how many calories etc etc.

I don't expect to change him. I merely serve what I serve and hope he tries it. He's not here long enough to be starving to have to eat anything. He's here 4 hrs and gets milk before he comes and fed oatmeal when he leaves so in my mind there is no pressure for him to reach out and try something.

Anyways...I will keep reminding him not to call food yucky and hope it ends before it goes to far! I would hate for his poor eating to spread to the others!!! I am not offended when he calls my food yucky, but it isn't an acceptable behavior.

[kindertime]

Have you tried getting him to apologize for saying "yucky?" To you and also to the others at the table. That is a consequence for being rude. And, I don't think you have much to worry about, long term. If the other kids like eating, they won't stop eating because this child doesn't. It might make them eat less of the things they aren't super keen on, but if they really like yogurt with fruit, or toast with jam, they aren't going to go hungry, IMO.

[ebhappydc]

I have a 3.5 hr old dcb who eats absolutely nothing for the 9 hrs he is here many days per week/month. His parents and I know he has always had trouble with textures and is a very picky eater (although cookies, cheerios, chocolate cake, and pizza seem to work fine...) He is seeing a nutritionist to help him get used to better foods choices, but I don't see improvement.... he's growing fine, and not underweight. he will eat bananas/yogurt, but we're not always having those every day and if I give to him then all the kids want same.
I was starting to worry about blood sugar levels and energy because on the days he chooses to eat nothing, he does tend to lie on the rug a lot by the end of the day. So I tried giving him Cheerios when the others went down for quiet time because somehow it made me feel better that he had something in his tummy, but now he has started to announce at lunchtime to his friends that he's going to wait til he gets his Cheerios when everyone's asleep..... Do we have to worry about fainting/sugar levels etc if they're only drinking water for the day, or is staying hydrated for 9 hrs enough at this age? I always let his parents know when he hasn't eaten so they should at least expect him to eat at dinner. They are great parents but don't know what to do either. Water enough for the day? Tx!!

[Suzie_Homemaker]

I bet you anything, that when he says "Yucky" at home, he's given an alternative meal because Mom's feeling guilty that he's not eating. While I'm sure her goal isn't to reward the rude manners but to get him to eat something, in his three year old mind, yucky means that what he doesn't feel like eating is removed and what he'd prefer materializes.

Like you, I don't worry if a child declines to eat. I don't offer alternatives. I will provide a meal but it's entirely up to the child whether or not they eat it. They eventually learn that if they don't eat what is being given, they will be hungry. I don't engage at all with cajoling, encouraging, bribing to eat.

I'd have a little chat to Mom though not about his pickiness because that's not something you or she can control. I'd chat about the vocabulary choices. It's entirely up to her if she wants to make a rod for her own back by encouraging the pickiness and presenting options - though she'll regret it down the line. However, I would strongly request that if this is how she is choosing to parent, that the vocabulary is more acceptable.

A thee year old can just as easily say "No thank you" so that's what I would request she enforces at home in order that acceptable language is used in day care when a child is declining a meal.

[Busy ECE mommy]

@ebhappydc- I don't provide an alternative food here, unless it's an infant in their first few weeks of transition into care, who is just getting used to our menu. A 3.5 yr old definitely has the ability to tell you when they are hungry or not, but I wouldn't be offering the cheerios after everyone goes to bed. He knows that the cheerios come if he holds out long enough, so he knows he doesn't have to eat the meal being served.
It's not up to you to provide substitutes, especially at that age.
If he's too lethargic to properly participate in care, then he shouldn't be there.
It sounds like he needs a referral to an occupational therapist to be screened for sensory processing issues.

[ebhappydc]

@ebhappydc- I don't provide an alternative food here, unless it's an infant in their first few weeks of transition into care, who is just getting used to our menu. A 3.5 yr old definitely has the ability to tell you when they are hungry or not, but I wouldn't be offering the cheerios after everyone goes to bed. He knows that the cheerios come if he holds out long enough, so he knows he doesn't have to eat the meal being served.
It's not up to you to provide substitutes, especially at that age.
If he's too lethargic to properly participate in care, then he shouldn't be there.
It sounds like he needs a referral to an occupational therapist to be screened for sensory processing issues.

You're right and giving the substitute has only backfired as the other older child doesn't think it's fair if picky gets to be up eating for part of nap time. Good intentions gone awry! Thanks