Food ideas for a 5 year old? (BF, toddler, son, natural)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My son in 5 and I think he is half vegan. My son eats a very limited amount of things. They include mac and cheese, cheese pizza, hot dogs, bologna, chicken nuggets, and eggs. And of course he wants junk food. Everything goes with ketchup (pancakes, fruit, etc.). But we are trying to get him to eat better food, better fruits & veggies, meats, etc. We are a big meat family and he wont even try pork, hamburger, steak, breakfast meats, or real chicken. So any creative ideas on how to get him to try new things or different food other than pizza and nuggets? He hasn't eaten meat since he was 2 or 3 and everyone said it was a stage but how long do these stages last?
Do you want him to eat meat because you all eat meat? Meat is not important if you get your protein and other vitamins from beans/legumes, lentels and dairy. Meat is pretty bad for you in fact (red meat)
Does he like tacos? You can make chicken/turkey/beef/steak/fish tacos. Kids love to put the stuff together. My family gets together often for taco tuesdays. We let the kids make "taco stations" with veggies, avacado, onions, tomatos, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, beans and rice.
They also sell chicken nuggets and burgers made out of soy or veggies. They look the same and taste pretty good.
I'd try making your own ketchup and stay away from commercial unless it's organic. It's loaded with high fructose corn syrup, which despite it's healthy and natural claims is far from either
There is nothing wrong with eating like a "vegan" as long as he get's all his nurtrition from what he DOES eat
Have him help you cook something...I know when my 5 year old helps me make the meatloaf, she will at least try it... and she usually eats a good size portion after she tries it. But I have definitly noticed that when she gets involved with the cooking part, she is more willing to try things...and we have a rule they must at least try everything on their plate. They don't have to eat everything on their plate but at least try...even one bite.
My 5 year old used to be very very picky. She is just now starting to eat more. Even letting the crusts stay on her sandwiches!
How do you make your own ketcup? And no he doesn't like tacos, I tried having him help me make him a quesedilla with cheese on it so it was like a grilled cheese and he wouldn't even try that. He does like helping make stuff like mixing things. I am a bigger baker, my bf is the cook so Tyler is always helping me back but one time I was making stuffed peppers and he thought I was crazy wanting him to help with that. But I will definately try and let him help as much as he wants/can. And we try and have that rule too to at least try everything on the plate. But it usually ends in him crying and me frustrated. And I didn't know there are soy/veggie nuggets. I knew they made burgers out of the stuff.
how is he not eating meat if he is eating balogna and chicken nuggets?
I was a child who did not eat meat. My gramma used to feed me butter sandwiches (shutter) because she though I needed to have a little meat on my bones. If it werent' for Libby's fruit coctail (with cherries TYVM) I prolly would have starved.
Why not make chicken nuggets out of real chicken and bread it and bake it. Let him use all the ketchup he wants. Start by introducing one or two new itens a week. He doesn't have to like it, but he needs to try it.
My DSS likes a little food with his ketchup. We let him use it for pork chops, chicken, whatever. DSS is also ASD, he has major issues with tastes and textures. Some of the things we do for him is cucumbers in vinegar, apples with caramel, carrot sticks.
We also use snack foods as bribery. When the kids finnish dinner, they can have a snack of their choice. Ice cream, chips, cookies, whatever. But they have to eat all their dinner. It is thier choice to eat or not.
At 5yo, your son has little choice over what food is prepared for him. If you don't fix him special meals, he won't have access to them. It may be a challenge in the beginning, but you can introduce new flavors to him. After having these eating habits for the last 2-3 years, you're going to have to introdue things gradually... one item at a time.
My son in 5 and I think he is half vegan. My son eats a very limited amount of things. They include mac and cheese, cheese pizza, hot dogs, bologna, chicken nuggets, and eggs. And of course he wants junk food. Everything goes with ketchup (pancakes, fruit, etc.). But we are trying to get him to eat better food, better fruits & veggies, meats, etc. We are a big meat family and he wont even try pork, hamburger, steak, breakfast meats, or real chicken. So any creative ideas on how to get him to try new things or different food other than pizza and nuggets? He hasn't eaten meat since he was 2 or 3 and everyone said it was a stage but how long do these stages last?
You are very astute to mention that chicken nuggets are not meat.
Unfortunately, he should have never been allowed to eat this garbage to begin with. But it's too late for that.
Maybe the reason that he does not want to eat meat is because most of the meat on the market today is so horribly adulterated and full of chemicals, hormones and antibiotics that his untainted little palate is telling him that it's poison, which it is. Maybe if you bought better quality meat products he would be more inclined to eat it.
Personally, I'd be more concerned about introducing good, healthy vegetables and fruits into this diet than I would meats.
I wouldn't say he has a half vegan diet...more like a very processed diet. he is probably not used to the healthier options. I wouldn't wait any longer in life to make the switch to a better lifestylebut I wouldn't throw 50 new foods in front of him and tell him to eat. I would remove all the un heathly options and load up on the others and let him pick and choice among them.
It will not be easy as he as developed a taste for the junkier foods. Toddlerhood is when these tastes develop but I don't think its too late yet.
[quote=rockinmomma;8883135]how is he not eating meat if he is eating balogna and chicken nuggets?quote]
Chicken nuggets, hotdogs, and bologna to me are not real meats. I think of them as extra processed stuff that my kid likes to eat and I prefer not to think of what is in it.
When kids start dictating what they want, especially at dinner, all it does is end up in a control issue. Maybe allow him to choose what he has for lunch, then do no negotiating at dinnertime. Expect him to eat what is prepared for the family and leave it at that. If he chooses to not eat, I wouldn't suggest falling into the habit of fixing anything special just for the sake of him eating. He won't starve. If he doesn't eat what is prepared, he's out of luck. Maybe a small snack before bed, but not a seperately made meal.
Life becomes quite frustrating when a small child is in control of family meals.
Maybe the reason that he does not want to eat meat is because most of the meat on the market today is so horribly adulterated and full of chemicals, hormones and antibiotics that his untainted little palate is telling him that it's poison, which it is. Maybe if you bought better quality meat products he would be more inclined to eat it.
Personally, I'd be more concerned about introducing good, healthy vegetables and fruits into this diet than I would meats.
20yrsinBranson
What are the better meat products in your opinion?
And the fruits he eats is apples, bananas, melons, and fruit cup peaches. But veggies, he doesnt eat hardly any, every once in a while some carrots but I put veggies on his plate and he doesn't eat them. They are canned veggies usually or corn on the cob. But like I said it turns into a fight with him. I try and bribe him and he doesn't want to still or if I try and punsih him(like you cant go outside til you eat your peas) then he has a huge fit.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My son eats a very limited amount of things. They include mac and cheese, cheese pizza, hot dogs, bologna, chicken nuggets, and eggs. And of course he wants junk food. Everything goes with ketchup (pancakes, fruit, etc.). But we are trying to get him to eat better food, better fruits & veggies, meats, etc. We are a big meat family and he wont even try pork, hamburger, steak, breakfast meats, or real chicken. So any creative ideas on how to get him to try new things or different food other than pizza and nuggets? He hasn't eaten meat since he was 2 or 3 and everyone said it was a stage but how long do these stages last?
