While I have never had a really picky eater on my hands.. thank goodness.My daughter would eat anything I put in front of her when we first came home, she has recently begun having preferences and getting more picky. I have been having a hard time getting her to eat or even taste veggies. She is starting to show a picky nature… one day she will love chicken and the next turn her nose up. I use to be able to get her to at least taste vegetables- now she basically turns her nose up at anything green. She does not even like corn and most kids will eat... more

Continued from Part One and Part Two

How should parents respond to help a child with eating issues?

Some suggestions found recently on the adoptive parenting forum discussion include:

Continued from part one.

Why would a child feel a need to hoard, binge or sneak food? What is behind a need like this?

The best explanations I’ve come across center around the same basic philosophy. The child needs to have some control over his life, whether consciously or subconsciously recognized. The child is not yet willing to trust an adult to properly care for him/her. Likely, there were times in the child’s... more

I’ve been following a thread recently on the adoptive parent support forum. Several posters are discussing concerns about their child’s eating issues and hoarding behaviors.

Eating issues with newly adopted children are a very common concern. Still, when it happens with YOUR adopted child, it doesn’t seem to matter how common it might be. It’s a big deal and all parents want to be sure they are handling this issue in a... more

If you’re a toddler Mom you probably have a pantry full of goldfish cracker, teddy grahams, Chocolate chip cookies, snack packs of pudding, mac & cheese, chicken nuggets and other toddler centered foods. If your one of those Mom’s who manage to eat all organic, whole wheat and get your kids to eat the same…. How do you do it? I know, I know our children can only eat what we offer them and all that jazz. But getting toddlers to eat is difficult and sometimes a whole grain teddy graham is the only grain they will eat. Surprisingly I did not gain... more

The first tantrum our daughter had was over food. It would not be her last food related tantrum. Things have progressed in the almost ten months we have been home but I’m not sure if some of these behaviors will ever be completely resolved. I had read about hording food, picky eaters, or those with sensory issues that could not tolerate different textures. Our daughters issue seemed to be a voracious hunger all the time and her rages over food. In Russia a tantrum would ensue as soon as she saw her food being prepared, she screamed between... more

When I was a home visitor for a birth to 3 program. The biggest complaints hands down from Mom’s were regarding eating & sleeping. My daughter is far from a picky eater…but she has her days. In the beginning she would eat anything and everything we put on her plate for the first few months home. She had a voracious appetite and could out eat me. This little 19 lb wonder could easily eat two slices of pizza or an entire breakfast and still want to eat. It amazed me at the way she could eat and she would not turn a thing away and even... more