Cribsheet
Help! My son doesn't eat fruit!
by moonfever0

When I was little, I was forced to eat prunes everyday despite the fact that I hated them.  I had to sit and eat three prunes every morning to be "regular".  The prunes would sit and slowly dissolve in my mouth for what seemed like hours, and I would try not to gag.  Of course, I vowed never to impose foods on my own children.  Little did I know that I would face myself in spades.

When my son was a baby, I breastfed him and then followed all the rules about introducing foods.  He had rice and oatmeal cereals, followed by organic fruit, vegetable and meats.  He loved every type of food when it came in a jar, but transitioning him to the real solid food was a challenge.  At first, he first he would eat a variety of foods, as long as they met his texture requirement.  Slowly, but surely, he started refusing various fruits, from bananas to blueberries.  At age 2, the only fruit he would eat was pears, skinned and sliced into triangular and rectangular pieces.  Finally, he refused the pears as well, and I found myself trying to push the pieces into his tightly clenched mouth. 

It dawned on me that history was repeating itself, forcing a child to eat.  He simply did not like fruit.  I tried apple sauce and smoothies to no avail.  For a while he ate raisins, but then the dentist said they were bad for his teeth, like gummy candies.  He doesn't like jelly or jam or even fruit-flavored ice cream or sorbet.  He doesn't even like to drink juice except when he is sick or ordering a drink on the plane.  He runs from the room if he smells a banana.

I got lucky with vegetables because I found a secret weapon - soy sauce.  He had a special dipping bowl which he was allowed to dip his vegetables.  He still claims that broccoli "makes me want to barf", but drowning it low sodium soy sauce still gets it down.  And thankfully, he does like taking his children's multivitamin and fiber pills, although it's no substitute for the real thing.  He's healthy and growing despite the lack of fruit.

When my son was three, his baby sister started to eat solid foods.  She loved all types of food and ate almost every type of fruit from berries, apples, oranges, stone fruit and even pineapple.  I made the important realization that the fact that my son didn't eat fruit was not a parenting mistake, but simply his own preference.  So I laid off fruit guilt trip and let him be.  I still offer him fruit with the rest of the family but even at age eight, he still refuses.

My son has been an avid soccer player since he was five, and at every game, he was the only player that did not partake in the soccer oranges at half-time.  No amount of peer pressure was going to persuade him.  Finally, last year, he started having one orange slice per game.  Hallelujah!  He hasn't ventured beyond one or two slices per game and won't eat oranges outside of soccer games, but it's a start.  Maybe, just maybe, he'll try other fruit someday.

  

Contributing editor Angela blogs about her kids and their idiosyncrasies at mommy bytes.

Submitted by moonfever0 (view blog) on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 7:31pm

Comments

 

It'll eventually happen

Don't you worry, he'll eventually find a fruit that he enjoyes.

Submitted by GraceGoesThruLife on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 20:44
 

I'm still hoping!

Maybe by the time he is a teenager and eating everything in the house, he'll only find fruit one day and cave.

Angela at mommy bytes
BlogHer Contributing Editor in Mommy & Family Cribsheet

Submitted by moonfever0 on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 06:21
 

This sounds very familiar...

 I've never been a fruit eater either. I can't really think of even one fruit that I like. I do drink apple juice and like some fruit-flavored things, but not actual fruit itself. And I've wondered if it's genetic at all, because Hannah is the same way. My two other girls adore fruit, but from the time she was a baby, she wouldn't eat any of it. She's been known to eat applesauce from time to time and and she loves juice (Abby who loves fruit will only drink orange juice - no others. Weird!), but that's it. And I've never pushed it (much) since I'm the same way.

Your story about prunes makes me remember back to my mom forcing me to drink grape juice (which I hate) for the same reason...  ;)

Deb - Mom of 3 Girls

http://www.momof3girls.net

http://www.momstakeonthings.com 

Submitted by DebMomOf3 on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 20:52
 

An apple a day...

My husband eats an apple a day and never gets sick. I have the same aversion to apples as prunes because I had one in my lunch for 12 years and I hated them, but I catch all the bugs in the winter. Same with my son and daughter. The one who loves fruit never gets sick! It must be genetic...

Great to see you on BlogHer Deb!

Angela at mommy bytes
BlogHer Contributing Editor in Mommy & Family Cribsheet

Submitted by moonfever0 on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 06:14
 

Me neither

http://amidlifeofprivilege.blogspot.com

I've never liked fruit. But give me brussels sprouts, kale, dandelion greens. Bitter tastes sweet to me, sweet tastes acidic. Body chemistry is a powerful factor...

Submitted by LPC on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 21:15
 

Fruit sweetness vs.candy

I used to think that my son just didn't like the sweet flavor. He always complained that fruits were too sweet. But he loves all and every type of candy! Go figure.

Angela at mommy bytes
BlogHer Contributing Editor in Mommy & Family Cribsheet

Submitted by moonfever0 on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 05:32
 

Finding Fruit

Frozen fruit popsicles (shhhh...made with real fruit juice) or even frozen grapes are a cool and very sweet treat. It's the same for me. I just keep trying to introduce the same thing in different ways and perhaps one day he'll cave  (-" 

Best,

Melyssa

Submitted by Grandmasunderwear.com on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 05:04
 

No fruity frozen treats

As well as not eating soccer oranges, he usually shies away from popsicles because they are mostly fruit flavored! He will only eat cotton candy and root beer flavored popsicles. Can't pull any frozen fruit on him! Great idea though, I'll keep trying.

Angela at mommy bytes
BlogHer Contributing Editor in Mommy & Family Cribsheet

Submitted by moonfever0 on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 06:20
 

Baby steps

I agree with GraceGoesThruLife, I think he'll come to it eventually.

 It's good that you're still having him try, even dipping the veggies in soy sauce. It sounds like that'll keep him from being a picky eater!

 

www.anony-mom.com

Submitted by anony-mom on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 05:05
 

Picky all around

My son is definitely picky when it comes to all foods. His main sources of food are milk, cheerios, chicken nuggets, pizza and ramen noodles. I do sneak spinach onto pizza and peas and corn into ramen noodles, but he is extremely wary of trying any other foods.

My daughter loves all food! It's great to have two different kids, if only to save my sanity when it comes to eating.

Angela at mommy bytes
BlogHer Contributing Editor in Mommy & Family Cribsheet

Submitted by moonfever0 on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 06:18
 

Tough One

Wow! That is absolutely horrible yet terribly funny that you had to eat prunes every day! Have you tried mixing creativity with fruit along with other foods that he may like such as using cookie cutters to make fruit shapes. Perhaps it is merely the thought of fruit being something "healthy" that shy hime away? Let him run his own ropes. Buy some different fruits, eat and enjoy them your self without asking him to try. Stop all offers. When all pressure of having to eat fruit is off...one day he may just open the fridge and pull out some grapes! 

 

Kristie Lane,

Avon Independent Sales Representative

Certified Beauty Advisor

http://www.youravon.com/kristielane

Submitted by FountainOfYouth on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 09:25
 

Nature/Nurture

it's things like this that really make ya think about nature/nurture, isn't it? The same two parents can have two TOTALLY different kids that they raise in the same house, and they can be like night and day!

My son went through a stage of thinking he hated squash. Just the look of it was enough for him. But we have a rule, you don't have to like it, you just have to try it. One bite of everything.

My only real suggestion is to help him see the value in the odder veggies. There's nothing that says you HAVE to eat fruits. You can get all of your nutrients from veggies. Stuff like jicama or kohlrabi or leeks or pink kale or okra or asparagus might appeal to him.

We used to tell my son that the foods he didn't like the looks of were "pirate foods" and that made him trust them more. But your son is 8 now, so that tactic likely isn't going to work lol

We too were forced to eat prunes as kids. Stewed prunes. For almost 30 years, I couldn't stomach even the thought of prunes. Then last year someone offered me some prunes (dried plums *eye roll*) in the new drying method, and omg it was a totally new experience. Just goes to show, with time, your son might turn into quite the fruit eater. And if not, eh.

(I had never heard that about raisins. What a downer!)

Submitted by Leighbra on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 11:39
 

Healthy eating for kids

Over a year ago, I wrote about healthy eating for kids.  Things haven't really changed during that year. My kids do enjoy fruit - it's vegetables that are not appealing to them. Just like you, I have unpleasant childhood memories of being forced to finish food off my plate.

It's a struggle, because while we don't want to force our kids to eat something they don't like, we also want them to eat healthy. For now, I just keep serving them the same food my husband and I are eating, including the veggies. Sometimes they try a little, sometimes they refuse. I still don't force them. It just doesn’t feel right.

----

Need to hire a blogger? I’m a mommy blogger and a blogger for hire.

Submitted by Vered on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 19:25
 

SAME PROBLEM

I was actually browsing trying to find a solution to the fruit problem when I found your blog. I have exactly the same kid and the same story. My son, who is 5 years old, stopped eating fruit as soon as I switched from puree baby food to little pieces (texture issue). He used to like all fruits as a baby but since then, he won't have any. He does like orange juice but that's about it. He is even sacared of fruit if I place it on his plate. Even when I am eating a fruit next to him, he moves away and asks me to please eat it somewhere else, of course I don't do it. He has a little brother, just like your daughter he eats everything and loves fruit. I have to hide fruit from him 'cause that will be the only thing he would eat. I used to think it was my fault but now  I understand it wasn't me. Still, I just can't understand why. I am really frustrated 'cause he never wants to try new food (even food that is not fruit). I am hoping for some kind of miracle, I have tried everything I can think of. He is healthy but skinny. It just feels good to hear I am not the only one going through this.

English is not my first language, sorry about spelling mistakes if any.

Thank you.

Submitted by trixx on Thu, 08/20/2009 - 06:17
 

Food aversion

You know, I think sometimes we take it for granted that other people will like/be comfortable with the things we like. I think mashed potatoes are sheer heaven, while my husband absolutely hates them. It's a texture thing.

I believe that we force a lot of things on kids that they are rejecting for valid reasons. The texture, acidity, etc., bothers them - sensory issues are common and can be really traumatic. Some kids may even have an allergy to certain fruits (fruit allergies are often tied to tree pollen allergies and can create an uncomfortable itching sensation).

My philosophy on food is to keep offering healthy options, require "just one taste" for new foods and then let it go. If I need to start pureeing veggies (and, since hubby won't eat ANY, I just may) to include in favorite foods, I will. Not as a sneaky maneuver, but as a palatable way to get essential nutrients.

Here's what else I believe... If I could live until I was 105, but it meant that I had to eat brussel sprouts every day, I'd say no way.  =}

 

Christy

Submitted by MoreThanMommy on Thu, 10/15/2009 - 09:24
 

food dislikes

The Spamwise Chronicles

I can definitely relate on the pickiness factor.  When I was growing up, it was all my mom could do to get me to eat anything GREEN, much less garlic or spicy food.

Fast forward 20 years and it's been a complete reversal.  Hah!

I'm sure he'll come around eventually.

Submitted by Stash on Thu, 10/15/2009 - 09:39