How do you deal with child that is a picky eater - but not because of food type but FRESHNESS?

Question

My son refuses to eat things that are either 'leftover' or not just very recently purchased (this includes frozen dinners, crackers, snacks, canned food, beverages etc.) He doesn't want it unless it was just purchased! He always asks and he seems to take an inventory of items and if I didn't just get them he doesn't want them even though they are PERFECT! What should I do?

Answer 1

what a frustrating situation! it's time to take back control and show your son who is in charge here.

Offer him some leftovers for a meal and refuse to get him anything else. if he chooses to leave it, dont make a big deal of it. Just say to him something like "alright, i hope you don't feel too hungry before dinner time". then at dinner time, serve him the exact same plate of left overs.

if son refuses, act like you don't mind at all, but do not give anything else.

next morning for breakfast, bring out the same plate of leftovers.





keep this going until the leftovers aren't safe to serve and therefor have to be replaced by a new plate of leftovers.



if you over NOTHING BUT LEFTOVERS for a week i can assure you, your son will eat some.

when he does eat it, don't praise him, act like you don't really care.



otherwise the attention that comes from eatting something can trigger that picky eatting habit again.

Answer 2

I was the exact same way as a kid, only with both taste and freshness. Like most children do, your son too will grow out of it...although I havent grown out of the 'leftover' thing. Dont worry about it. This can acctually be a blessing, because you know for sure he wont put anything rank or bad in his mouth.

Answer 3

wow that sounds hard,,



me being me,, would try talking to him ( again we don't' know how old he is,, ) but ask him why , or what he thinks is wrong with it? Getting to the bottom of the problem is a good start to fixing it.

I wouldn't eat ravioli for ever because my brother told me it was made with cat meat,, LOL I never ever told my mom that,, but when I got older I found out for myself that that just wasn't true,, so it could be something that he heard and misunderstood or is afraid of.



If he's too little to explain it , then I agree with others,, you can't go out of your way to please him,, he will be in school and have to eat lunch there , even if you pack his lunch, there are snacks and things like that , that he will be faced with,, and then there's always the sleep overs,, and birthday parties,, that he will have to learn to navigate through,, you really don't want him telling the host family he can't eat their food because it isn't fresh?



Good luck!!!

Answer 4

LOL my kids hate leftovers too!



It depends on how far you're willing to go to cater to this (sorry but I've got to say it) neurotic behavior. If he's old enough to understand the "sell by" and "use by" dates then just explain to him. If you're into Tupperware then *snap* for freshness. Individual packages are another way to go, or have him open the big package and fill ziploc bags himself.



Big picture though - you're the parent. If he refuses to eat something reasonable he must be prepared to go without.

Answer 5

look for a balanced vegetarian nutrition ordinary. not something incorrect with an afternoon or 2 each and each week without meat. it is going to help your funds besides. be sure he's getting a reliable source of protein. Beans and rice are common yet there's a grain referred to as Quoina this is an entire protein. I truly have chanced on that even youthful teenagers like to help in making nutrients. With mine i chanced on that in the event that they helped plan the meal, save for the products and helped make the meal they have been extra apt to consume. I extensively utilized to take the youngsters on a "scavenger hunt" interior the produce area they could each and each %. out something New or thrilling and we'd look it up and attempt it. the youngsters enjoyed parsnips whilst they tried them and that i defined them as being like "albino" carrots. ascertain you apart from could attempt new products besides. reliable success, maximum toddlers will out advance the picky ingesting point. maximum whilst they visit preschool and peer tension starts.

Answer 6

Picky eaters are so much fun. They do grow out of it though so thats a good thing. My step daughter got so bad that I had to tell her "Look this is what we are eating. If you do not want to eat it thats fine but..you WILL NOT get anything else period. I will not give you anything that is bad for you and the rest of us are eating it so its fine." That gave her a chance to make a decision on wheather she was going to eat or not. Plus it helps you out because they begin to relize that its that or nothing. And something else she also relized that the food that I was feeding everyone else wasnt so bad after all. She tried new things. Hope this helps you out. Good luck.

Answer 7

My husband doesn't like left overs either.



But the more you give in the worse your son is going to get. DO NOT put up with rude behavior, demanding, sulks, and tantrums.

Answer 8

Stop giving in to his every want and needs, I had the same problem with my daughter... she didn't want to eat anything... so what we did is stop feeding her the things she liked (seems harsh I know) and started giving her the food we ate and she started to eat them and now we are eating leftovers, canned fruit, crackers, cheese sliced turkey and everything. Use the foods he wants as a reward!

Answer 9

Sounds like your in quite a pickle. I'm not sure what age he is, but it sounds like he is either just being really picky or might have some kind of form of OCD. If it doesn't get any better after a while, I would take him to the doctor to have it checked out.

Answer 10

Let him skip a few meals......he'll very quickly learn to enjoy that leftover pizza!

Answer 11

your the mom, if he doesn't eat what you make then he goes to bed hungry. sorry its harsh but, he has to learn not everything can be fresh all the time, it costs too much.

Answer 12

Don't let your son control you. Tell him either he eats what's on his plate or he goes hungry. That usually gets picky eaters into shape.

Answer 13

bless , well if he wants fresh food there no reason to deni him it , its cute

Answer 14

You are the parent or is he. He should eat what is put in front of him without complaining.