How do you get a kid to eat something other than peanut butter?

United States
March 24, 2007 4:40pm CST
My kid will not eat anything else... well maybe waffles, but he will literally starve himself for days without eating, if he doesn't get peanut butter! How can I get him to at least TRY the foods I fix for us to eat each night? I'm getting worried this will cause a bowel issue if I can't get him to do something different!
2 people like this
3 responses
• United States
24 Mar 07
Try getting him to take 4 bites of something else first, then give him the peanutbutter. Tell him fine, he can have his peanutbutter, but he must give you what you want too, and that is 4 bites of meat, veggie, cheese, whatever. He may discover he likes something else, despite himself.
1 person likes this
• United States
25 Mar 07
lol, that is good advice, but as I said, he will starve himself before he does that. I've tried that trick and it never works, he goes to bed hungry or sits and screams or cries for hours and hours until he falls asleep. I just really am at my wits end. I give him a multivitamin everyday, but I know that its not enough for what he should be eating. It all started with my mom feeding him whatever he wanted and now, hes gotten too narrowminded. Her excuse of course was "didn't want to see him starve" cause she used to watch him when I worked...
1 person likes this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
24 Mar 07
LOL, well it IS a good source of protein. :) More than likely it is just a phase he will give up when he's ready. Until then, encourage him to eat some of the other things by adding something with peanut butter to your meals (even if it's just for him). Peanut butter is good on celery & would provide some necessary roughage. They even have peanut butter ice cream. Peanut butter crepes, on toast, with carrots as dipping sticks, peanut butter brownies or muffins or cakes, etc. Phases can be long or short term & unfortunately vary by the person. Hopefully he'll outgrow his sooner rather than later. :)
• United States
25 Mar 07
I can always hope. I think he would be more open to eating other things if he was around other kids. When my man and I were in splitsville, we stayed with a friend and he ate what her daughter ate most of the time. Not that her diet was any better. :/ Hot dog city! I'm not fond of him having that all the time either. Don't get me wrong, there are certain things I'm glad he never acquired a taste for. Fast food being one of them. Except fries, he loves those. And some other things too, but he just worries me, hes my baby boy and I want him healthy...
1 person likes this
• United States
25 Mar 07
LOL, it could be worse. My daughter liked ramen noodles and that phase lasted for a few years. Especially when her friends would eat them too. Not much nutrition in them though, I'm afraid. By your comments, I take it he's not in school yet? It will definately get better & worse! lol
• United States
25 Mar 07
He is not in school yet. I'm hoping to afford preschool this year, which will actually not feed him lunch or anything. lol.. Just "snacks". Which I'm not sure is so nutritious. I have actually tried some stuff like peanut butter on celery and he does like that, but fixing him all stuff peanut butter isn't going to help either... Although, if I want him to eat the chicken I made.... maybe I could make a peanut sauce...
@jme9606 (38)
• United States
25 Mar 07
Maybe try to put peanut better on other foods. Peanut butter and banana, peanut butter and celery with raisins? You may wanna try other variations, it may look bad tasting to you, but your son may like it.
• United States
25 Mar 07
I have already thought of a peanut butter sauce for chicken, a chinese food place made it once and it was good. He might like that... who knows...