[sarah_20pgn]

My 3 year ols son refuses to eat.He will not try any foods such as chicken,sandwich,he doesn't even like any sweet food (which is not a bad thing).Ive tried making him food,and if he throuws a fit and doesn't want to eat it he will just haveto go to bed hungry,but that doesn't work.He would go days without eatingHe has always been like this when it comes to eating ever sincehe was a baby.He wouldn't actually eat cheerios till he was almost 2years old.I don't know what else to do.

[J_9]

Why don't we start with what he DOES like?

So, what does he like?

[N0help4u]

Try finding recipes that contain the foods you want him to eat and see if you can get him to eat them in that. Like a casserole or stew with things he likes. Cut it up small enough or even shred it so that he can't pick it out and maybe even small enough that he doesn't recognize it.
Maybe with sweets if he likes jello but doesn't like a fruit try giving him the jello with the fruit diced in it.

[sarah_20pgn]

He likes to eat spagetti,snack foods such as cheese nips,and cheerios,and occasionally green beans.Thats all.We have tried eveything.I just don't understand why he won't at least try the new foods.He was diagnosed with autism almost 2years ago,and they said it may be because of the texture of the food.I know he gets hungry,he just won't eat

[J_9]

Thanks for the help here. At least the foods he likes are healthy. I have a picky eater too, so I know where you are coming from.

Have you tried different shaped pasta with the spaghetti? Or does he prefer the spaghetti noodles?

You know it takes at least 12 times to introduce a food before some children even try it... longer with autistic children.

[sarah_20pgn]

I have tried different shaped pasta with the spagetti,and sometimes it works.Imjust stomped on why he won't at least try a new food when he sees everyone else eating it becaue I know he's hungry

[N0help4u]

My sons were picky too. Shawn only liked beef and potatoes.
Lee only liked macaroni and cheese and fish sticks.

Try shredding up a little piece of chicken with the green beans and maybe adding a little sauce like maybe spaghetti sauce or make chicken Parmesan with the spaghetti and green beans.

[NowWhat]

You could always just give him what he likes. Make sure he gets a supplement, such as a vitamin, to make up for what he isn't eating.

If you make him a plate of spaghetti each night, add a different veggie for him to try. If he tries it great, if not that is okay to. Try that for a couple of nights and then try a different side. Maybe a fruit.

You can also try adding things to the spaghetti like meatballs.

From what I read about autistic children, they don't like change. This maybe why he only eats certain things.

Here is a recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs from a "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook. It has a few extra things hidden. The recipes are supposed to be good for picky eaters.

1/2 pound lean ground turkey
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup butternut squash puree
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (26 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juice, pureed in a blender
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup carrot puree (optional)
1/4 cup garlic powder
pinch of cayenne peper
1 bay leaf
1 pound of spaghetti or angel hair pasta, preferably whole wheat or whole grain.

1. In a large bowl, mix the turkey, breadcrumbs, butternut squash puree, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper until well combined. Shape the mixture into 1 inch meatballs and place on a sheet of waxed paper or aluminum foil.
2. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the olive oil and then the meatballs and brown for 4 to 5 minutes, turning occasionally.
3. Add the pureed tomatoes, water, carrot purree (if using), garlic powder, cayenne, bay leaf and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center. Remove the bay leaf.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander, turn it into a serving bowl, and spoon the meatballs and sauce over it.

There are a ton of recipes in this book and I, obviously, just typed one from it. I hope this helps.
I bet if you wanted to do less work, you could use canned sauce and add the carrot purée to it.
The great thing about these recipes is that the kids have NO IDEA that you add something "special" to it because they can not taste it.

[Wondergirl]

When my autistic son was small, I enlisted his help preparing the food (according to his age and what he could handle). He put the layers of cheese on the bread and with a little plastic knife spread the butter on the outside for grilled cheese sandwiches. He sorted cans for me after shopping -- all the Campbell's soup cans in one place and all the fruit cans in one place, etc. He and I wrote up the grocery list together (as we checked the pantry) -- good for practice in printing, by the way -- and then, when I went shopping, he was in the baby seat and was an active participant in shopping. Of course, through all of the above, we talked and talked and discussed and enthused. Also, I set him up on the countertop (made sure he was safe at all times!) when I was making cookies or meatloaf and had him help me dump stuff from measuring cups and measuring spoons into the mixing bowl.

In the spring, we made a garden. First we looked at seed catalogs that came in the mail and talked about what to plant. Then we went to the feed store to buy the seeds. Then, after Daddy dug up the plot for the garden, Daniel and I broke up the clods of dirt, made rows with a long stick, planted the seeds, watered and weeded, and, when things got ripe, harvested them together as we needed food to eat. (Broccoli turned out to be his favorite food, thanks to the garden.)

Because he was invested in the food search and growth and making, he started to try out different foods. He's 38 now and eats everything--and will try anything new. (And he still loves to garden and bake and make grocery lists. When he was little, I branched out into having him help me clean house as appropriate for his age. He learned early to change his sheets and clean his room and do his own laundry, and now he cleans house with the bathroom being his speciality.)

Of course, we praised each other at every opportunity!

All of the above works with "normal" kids too. My younger son Jeremy is a good eater, loves to work outdoors in a garden and in the yard, and is a careful grocery shopper and good cook. He considered being a chef, but is now working in the data analysis division of a major brand frozen potato products company.

[gkaiser3]

I had the same problem with my son (the same age) but he used to eat EVERYTHING.
The doctor said that they'll eat when they're hungry, but you shouldn't get in the habit of making separate meals. But put it in a place he can reach it when he does decide he needs to eat. They won't be malnourished, I just buy the vitamin chocolate breakfast drinks and those help keep in their daily intake of vitamins.