Desparate for suggestions

[nagrom13]

Both of my girls (2 and 4) are on a GFCF diet. Both are EXTREMELY fussy and picky eaters. My two year old is turning out to be even more picky then my 4 yr old if that is even possible.

My two year old refuses to eat ANY breakfast. the only time i can get her to eat breakfast is when there is sausage or bologna (I do not always have these in the house or we happen to run out). She will not eat eggs, pancakes (GFCF of course but really good I make cornflour pancakes), cereal, cereal bars, cookies...you name it she does NOT eat it. I would make breakfast brownies (deceptively delicious but she wont eat brownies). All she wants to eat lately is pretzels.

I am at such a lose and suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

PLEASE HELP

[rebate_queen]

I don't really have any suggestions, but I can relate. My 10 year old is not on any kind of special diet, she just refuses to eat anything new. She has been a picky eater since she was 2 and the doctor said she would grow out of it....well, it's 8 years later and she is still the same way, if not worse.

I am assuming GF means gluten free, but what is the CF?

[nagrom13]

gluten free casein free (milk protein) so basically dairy free

[$Saving!]

I watched my brother and SIL go through this with their only daughter, and they gave in to her. She is now 19 years old and for the first time in her life (at college), she is eating a larger variety of foods.

They catered to her even if she spent the night at friends by bringing food over to whatever house she was spending the night at, and her 'diet' (selection of foods she would eat) consisted of about 7 items total.

Cheese pizza, turkey bacon, a certain brand of macaroni and cheese, white bread, deli white american cheese. Yes, that picky. And that went on for years.

Needless to say, it wasn't until someone did not cater to her did she 'grow out of it'.

As hard and as miserable as it would be, a week of putting food on the table and saying "this is what we're having" and if they choose not to eat, and throw a fit and carry on to the heavens, ignoring it and letting them go hungry won't kill them. But catering to their picky ways begets more picky ways and if my niece was any indication, it could go on all through high school even.

Just like a child who had a very long bedtime routine because they won't settle down until you read X number of stories, then get a drink of water, then another story, etc., food habits develop early and if given their way, control your life.

Sometimes you just have to have the resolve to offer what you offer and let them refuse it until they're hungry enough to eat what is offered. Better to break the habits now over the course of a week or so, then to face it for a lifetime.

[rebate_queen]

I watched a segment on Dr. Phil about picky eaters and he said not to make it a battle, just to let them eat what they want. So, I have been battling for so long that I have now pretty much given up. She is still growing fine and everything and I give her vitamins. I still try to introduce new foods to her, but if she doesn't want them, I don't push.

[nagrom13]

sending up hoping for more suggestions

[anaj06]

My 3.5 year old is really picky also and we really didn't realize it until our now 2 year old began eating from the table. Our 2 year old will eat anything; so we began to think...why won't our 3.5 year old. The reason, we have been just carrying his favorite foods along everywhere along with the babies food. How dumb were we! Before we started the process below, he ate less than 10 things:(

I will not lie to you, it has been a rough summer, but here is what we did with our 3.5 year old. We got the ideas from several books/websites on picky eaters and sort of combined what we liked.

I cook one dinner however I make sure there is at least something on the plate I know he likes even if that means adding some mandarin oranges or a yogurt to his plate. He is required to eat at least 2 bites of everything. (This is the hard part, but we don't let him down or let him have is vitamin gummies which he loves until he eats 2 bites of everything). Everything I have read says a child must see it 10 times before it is familiar so we just kept plugging along with this plan. I admit we have waivered when tired and have nights that we just fix him a PB&J because we are eating something very different than what he normally eats, but for the most part we have stuck with it since the end of May.

If we go to someone elses house for dinner, which we do a lot with my parents and DH's parents and siblings living in the same town, we let him have whatever they are fixing and it is literally that or nothing. We don't do the 2 bite thing at other houses though because it is just too stressful.

Here we are mid-August and I can think of 5 foods off the top of my head (probably a few more I am not thinking of) that we added to his 10 original that he loves now that he wasn't even touching in May. I can think of 10-12 more that I consider close...in other words he will eat them now with prodding and once he gets going he will finish what is on his plate.

I think no matter what you do, it is just a long process that takes steady, determination. Good luck! I do believe you are at the same place we were beginning of summer and our thought was it is now or never! We did not want to be carrying his food everywhere for life!

[3timesoccermom]

Were you told to put them on the GFCF diet by a physician?

Try thinking non-breakfast foods. You can have anything for breakfast, but she may just be one of those who hates to eat that time of day.

I don't know what the CF means - is that casein?

What about a fruit salad? A quick one is a can of pineapple chunks, a can of mandarin oranges, a sliced banana and a few maraschino cherries if the kids like them. My kids like coconut in it too.

Here's an odd suggestion - cranberry sauce.

If she likes meat, why not a piece of meat leftover from dinner the night before?

All I can think of right now.

I know it's hard but I'd do some toughening up on the dietary stuff - it sounds like you are becoming quite the food slave to two little ones.

[nagrom13]

Yes doctor and a nutritionist...blood test confirmed dairy for both (casein) and gluten for the older one

[3timesoccermom]

So what does CF mean? You might get a few more replies if we knew.