Is it normal that my 3 year old wants to only eat hot dogs?

Its normal, my mom says for about a year (2-3) all I would eat was Chef boy-r-dee (sp?) And, today I am a healthy, fairly accomplish cook, with a speciality in Northern Italian dishes and couldn't eat Chef boy-r-dee today if you paid me. LOL

That being said, you helped a bad habit by giving in, as we ALL do!!! Try to get him to eat more by acting like you don't care about his culinery selections...never make food a fight or a battle. The ONLY thing a 3 year old can control in his life is what he swallows, so be very casual. I'd suggest making your family dinner and offering him say, your chicken parm. When he refuses and demands a hotdog get up cook one, cut it up and give it to him...act casual like it doesn't faze you at all.

Then make him feel slightly left out of dinner as you're all enjoying the chicken. Play with you food, feed each other and make it 'fun' -- never acknowledging him and his 'boring' hotdog....but every 15 mins or so make a casual offer to him to try a bite. Everyone wants to fit in and join the party...I promise you in less than a week he'll ask to try some new stuff.

And, if he doesn't he'll grow out of it soon enough. I'm in my 30s and now say to my picky-eating mother who fretted over my eating habits 30 years ago "how do you know you don't like sushi if you never tried it?" LOL

As a food lover, one other piece of advice I'd offer. Promise me you'll never say the following sentence when your child is curious about food: "No, you won't like that."

I have a neice with 5 y/o twins, I've never seen them eat anything but mac and cheese, nuggets or cereal with their mother. When I cook and mom is around she tells them all the things I make "they won't like" and they don't touch it. When I'm alone with the kids, I always say, "OMG this is soooo good you HAVE to take a bite...yummy." 85% of the time they LOVE it.

Also, have him help you at the store, if he picked out the strawberry or stringbean at the store himself he will be more willing to eat it.

Hi Jackie,

All kids go through a picky stage and some are much worse than others. But you can't give into his want for hot dogs etc, because then that's showing him that he can control mummy and eat what he likes. As a parent, you need to know that he does need a balanced diet for later life. I do not object to children eating things like you have described -- I think that's better than some parents who serve practically cuisine every night -- BUT the issue here is that you are the mummy and you need to decide what's for dinner.

So if you cook something, you can't let him tell you no and you won't cook anything else for him. But we won't start on a bad note, we'll start on a good note and he only has to eat a certain number (or a certain portion) of the food to begin with and you can be really excited. Another thing that helps (I don't know if you're already doing this) but sit and eat with him. Sometimes when he sees mummy eating, he will be more inclined to eat too. Kids can amaze you, last night with my three year old I look after, he was point blank refusing to eat and I said "Come on, you can be like a digger and scoop it all up -- You can be SCOOP FROM BOB THE BUILDER!!!" and he ate the entire plate. I was amazed beyond belief.

You can also keep a chart called "My Good Eating" and every time he does a plate of what you deem "good eating" he can put a sticker on the chart, when he gets through a week of good eating he can have treat -- going to the park, you might make him his favourite meal to show that it doesn't mean he never gets it, getting to have a lollipop (I am not opposed to using food as treats -- so long as it is balanced out with other rewards).

Positive praise works well at the dinner table but it doesn't always succeed and I believe you have a few options.

After you think he's messed aorund too much, you can put him into time out. (I am opposed to smacking children). You can put him in time out until he's ready to eat, and if he comes out of time out you say "Are you ready to eat?". If he doesn't respond or if he says no, he goes back to time out.

The other thing you can do is take away TV time if he doesn't eat, things like that.

Or you can do what we call in the business, "Natural Consequences".

If he doesn't want to eat, he doesn't have to but that is it. No other food. He can go to bed. With a three year old, you may just want to put the dinner away until he asks for it again, or you can throw it in the bin and he can go to bed without dinner. I assure you that the next dinner time will be much more of a success if you do that.

Of course that second natural consequence -- you don't want to use it too often, because you have the mother bear instinct to feed your child. It's a natural instinct, but if you do it once, it does work. I've only ever had to do it once.

My last suggestion is to make the food fun -- a face on the pizza, a birds nest of noodles, etc etc.

~Bee

Yes, it's totally normal. I work in a daycare and I've got a little 3 year old who will only eat mac n' cheese. Keep introducing new foods, healthy great tasting foods, the natural stuff is always good like fruit for snacks. I'd also try rewarding/encouraging variety. i.e. "We will have hot dogs for lunch, if you'll eat ____ for snack." Or even "We're going to have this tonight, we can have hot dogs tomorrow." This way they might find some new foods that they like, and they don't feel like they have to give up the food that comforts them/that they prefer. But you know in the end he will grow out of it, its just a phase!

Good Luck!

Sam

I was like that when I was little and the kids I've worked with are like that too... I would give him options some nights to have hot dogs or spaghetti and then the next night chicken or pork chops and alternate like that... Eventually he will have to eat something else. =)

I used to watch my cousin (who was 4 at the time) alot and when I met her she would ONLY eat mac n cheese and those tator tots that are smiley faces.... And after watching her for a week that got old (for me!) so I started making other stuff like pizza, hamburger helper, ect... and would make tator tots as a side dish (make her 3 or 4 of those instead of a whole meal worth)... So she still got what she wanted but it wasn't enough to fill her up. :)

Maybe you can puree the meat and add it to the spaghetti sauce. You can also puree veggies and add them to spaghetti sauce as well. He won't even know it and will be getting his vitamins. I guess yes hotdogs ARE the lesser of two evils when it comes to junk but try things where he doesn't even know that he's eating it. Even try the "three bites" of a new food and see what happens. Try meatloaf, lasagna, stews, chili, stir fry. Hide the veggies and meat in sauces or cut them up so fine and put them in chili, stews and soups. Make meals and include stuff he likes too but if he doesn't want to eat then he can do without some meals...trust me, he's not going to let himself starve. He will eventually learn to try new things. Just be patient and tell him "this is not a restaurant, you eat what I make". My mom used that one or let us go in the fridge to find leftovers...they were usually other good foods anyway so we didn't have much choice...we learned and are good eaters to this day.

Good luck

Very similiar to what my four-year-old eats! I think you're doing just fine! My Felicity is a little older than your daughter, but she is quite small (very healthy, though, just petite) and they have a very similar portion preference. I love the fact that your little girl has a lot of fruits, veggies, and proteins in her diet. My only concerns are: 1.) Does she drink milk? You mentioned that she eats dry cereal. Milk has a lot of calcium and vitamins and is very important in a child's diet. Granted, my oldest daughter decided when she was four that she didn't like milk, and still doesn't like it seven years later. But I still make her drink a little everyday. A little Ovaltine makes it yummy. 2.) Hot dog, pizza, nachos, nuggets, Spaghettios...that's junk food. It's okay once a week or so but she needs to have substance for breakfast and lunch especially, because that is what gives her energy to make it through the day! I suggest using the meats, veggies, and carbs for lunch.

I see a lot of children who are much like your son where I work (child care). Many parents come in with the same concerns, but we see a completely different side of their children. Many children will eat almost anything at daycare, but won't at home.. this may because there is no other choice, or may be because they see all of the other children eating those things.

Does your child attend a child care centre where he will eat the food there?

You could try hiding other foods (like veggies) in the foods he likes now.. (veggies can be hidden in pasta easily if cut up small enough)

You could continue to offer certain foods that you want him to eat.. like chicken, give him a small piece of chicken and say he can have a hot dog when he finishes the small piece of chicken.. Offer it with a dip or something for flavour.

A child will eat when they are hungry, they will not allow themselves to starve, so if you only allow him to have what he wants after having a small portion of something else first, he will eventually give in.

Good luck! I know dealing with picky eaters can be tricky.. I'm quite a picky eater myself and have to trick myself into eating many healthy things. :)

Tell him that from now on he would only get those foods that he likes if he eats what you want him to eat. For example- If you want him to eat his chicken make some mac and cheese to, put it on the table, but tell him he can't eat it unless he finishes the chicken first. Start slow, but make him have less of the foods he wants and more that you want him to eat. Also, if he goes shopping with you and really wants to buy some hot dogs, tell him that you will only buy it if he promises to eat so-and-so for dinner that day and save the hot dogs for lunchtime

It is perfectly normal for him to only what certain foods, he is a three year old, and likes to pick his

My son is 18 months and after they fed in fruit in daycare for a month or two thats all he would want. He wouldn't eat anything else!! So sometimes what I tried to do is get a plate of fruit and a plate of mac n cheese and when he's not looking I'll give him the spoonful of mac n cheese. It worked for awhile untill he caught onto it lol. The pediatrician says its just a phase though and he'll eventually get sick of eating just fruit. My son is still picky now but he eats more of a variety of things however, now he won't eat anything brown or black or dark colored like meats *sigh*...he just wants the colorful foods -pink, green, yellow..yeah lol.

Personally I would take away the hot dogs! One thing I have learned about being a parent is you are the boss and you do not let your child pick their dinner, it only causes them to be picky. My mother in law let her youngest son pick his dinners and he is so picky! I make ONE dinner and if my kids don't like it, then they don;t have to eat it, but I am not making anything else. They won't starve! Once they are hungry enough, they will eat it! Don't give in! You have to stand your ground!

Hot dogs are fine once in a while but not the best nutrition wise! Good luck to you, I know it can be a struggle! Just hang in there! And don't give in!