Question: My name is LeeAnn and my 3 year old son, Cameron, has not eaten anything but ice cream and pudding for 3 months. We've had several tests done and his pediatricians don't seem to take me seriously because he is not losing weight. I think he is just maintaining his weight and that he needs to eat some sort of solid food. He complains of a sore throat and stomach ache but nothing is showing up in tests. This has been very stressful and I would appreciate any information you could provide me with. Hi LeeAnn,

Sorry to hear that you are struggling with Cameron's eating habits. It is not unusual for a 3 year old to have some very strange eating habits. And it is not uncommon for them to last 3 months. They even have a name for it � they are called "food jags" or "eating jags". Cameron's stomach aches/sore throats could be due to too much dairy in his diet. This is not uncommon, especially if he has any form of lactose-intolerance (a common problem among children). Common symptoms of lactose intolerances are stomach aches and heartburn (in Cameron's case acid reflux could what he is calling a sore throat), You may want to ask your physician about this, or if you truly believe there is a health problem, consult another physician.

The other explanation for his ailments could be that he knows a tummy ache or a sore throat is a way to get ice cream and pudding. Cameron might demonstrating his exception skills in manipulation � a tactic that is extremely common among toddlers.

Either way, ice cream and pudding is not a healthy, varied diet for anyone, especially a growing toddler. You need to take charge of the situation and begin correcting it. You have a picky eater, and you need to work on expanding Cameron's eating choices.

As a first step, you need to prepare yourself for resistance � crying, tantrums, refusing to eat anything, etc... This will not be easy � he has built up bad habits over the past three months. Start out by sitting Cameron down and explaining to him it is not healthy to eat ice cream and pudding all the time. Tell him his tummy aches could be from too much nice cream and pudding. Let him know is time for him to begin eating many other foods, so he can be a big, strong boy. You will need to have this talk many times.

You can continue to offer him some ice cream or pudding with meals. Give him small servings, � of what he normally eats. You do not want to give him enough to make him full. At meal and snack times, offer him three to five different choices (small servings) in foods. No pudding, no ice cream. Tell him he needs to try each food, before he can have a serving of pudding or ice cream. Do not make him eat everything. This is too much to ask.

As a first step, select foods that have similar textures to ice cream and pudding. Food such as applesauce (or other pureed fruits), oatmeal, grits, mashed potatoes (white or sweet) pureed veggies, cream soups, mashed beans, egg or tuna salad (no crunchy things). Introduce other food textures slowly.

Do not have ice cream and pudding stored in places he has access to (or can see) � HIDE THEM. This is very important. When you tell him there is none left, he will go looking for it.

Don't worry if Cameron's completely refuses to eat at a meal or two. When he gets hungry, he will eat. If he mentions he is hungry during the day, offer him food (no pudding, no ice cream).

Here are some other strategies that may help you:

Include them: Children are more likely to eat something that they have helped make, so get your children involved in preparing meals. You can also take them shopping and teach them how to find and select foods. Involving them in making decisions reinforces that you care about their opinion and want to make things that they like. Never ask "Do you want broccoli for dinner?" offer choices like "Do you want broccoli or cauliflower for dinner?".

Set Goals: Be realistic about setting goals. It is not realistic to try to force your child to eat a whole serving of food that they claim not to like. Instead start off with small expectations, like one bite of the new food, and work your way up from there.

Be consistent and firm: Use the same tactics at each and every meal. Put new foods on your child's plate first. Remind your child of the goal and offer plenty of encouragement. Don't give in to stubbornness. It may also work to try "Look mommy (or daddy) will try a bite with you."

Praise: Even if it is just one nibble, congratulate your child. For a picky eater - this little nibble is a big deal. Ask them if they thought it was tasty. If the say "no", tell them it may take a few bites to notice the delicious flavor or suggest maybe it would taste better with ketchup on it. The point being, don't let them shutdown the thought that this food may actually taste good someday.

Be a good role model: It is plain and simple. You cannot expect to raise children that eat a good variety

About the authors: Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers are sisters, the mothers of five children, and founders of Fresh Baby ( www.FreshBaby.com ). Raised by parents who love fresh foods and entertaining, their mom, a gourmet cook, ensured that they were well-equipped with extraordinary skills in the kitchen. Both with long track records of business success, they decided to combine their skills in the kitchen with their knowledge of healthy foods and children to create Fresh Baby. Cheryl and Joan put a modern twist on the conventional wisdom that when you make it yourself, you know it's better. Their goal at Fresh Baby is to make the task of raising a healthy eater a little bit easier for all parents. Fresh Baby's breastfeeding accessories and baby food making supplies provide parents with practical knowledge and innovative tools to support them in introducing their children to great tasting, all-natural foods - easily and conveniently. Visit them online at www.FreshBaby.com and subscribe to their Fresh Ideas newsletter to get monthly ideas, tips and activities for developing your family's healthy eating habits!

Q: Do you have any suggestions to encourage a 6 year old little boy whom has texture issues to try foods other than French fries, chips, wet oatmeal, and grits?

Sorry to hear that your son is having difficulty with textures. He is actually eating quite a few different textures. If he is experiencing choking and gagging from eating various textured foods, he needs to improve his oral motor skills.

To stimulate oral motor skills, you can try 1 x 1" cubes of firm cheeses (i.e. cheddar, co-jack, string cheese, etc....). Or yogurt with whole fruit pieces mixed into it. Also raw veggies are good. Avoid raw veggies that have strings (green beans, snap peas, etc...). Frozen raw veggies (peas, corn, French cut green beans) are also very good. They will help your son learn with textures because the food starts out hard and softens as it defrosts in his mouth.

In addition, soups and stews with firm but fully cooked chunks of meats, carrots, celery and potato are good too. Since he eats oatmeal, try adding healthy items to it (chopped nuts, raisins, dried cranberries, raisins, and sunflower seeds).

Avoid foods that are stingy or slimy (cooked spinach, okra, etc..). But encourage him to try raw spinach.

If your son is not choking and gagging, the texture complaint may be a comfortable excuse for not eating (or trying) a variety of foods. If this is the case, try making the meals more appealing to him. You can add sprinkles to oatmeal (with the new healthy touches added in) or a few M & M's , Make faces out of different foods on the plate. Instead of sandwiches in his lunch make kabobs (spear cubes of cheese, lunchmeat, and fruit or cherry tomatoes onto toothpicks).

Get him involved. Children are more likely to eat something that they have helped make, so get your children involved in preparing meals. You can also take them shopping and teach them how to find and select foods. Involving them in making decisions reinforces that you care about their opinion and want to make things that they like. Never ask "Do you want broccoli for dinner?" offer choices like "Do you want broccoli or cauliflower for dinner?".

Encourage him to TRY everything, he doesn't have to finish it just try it! Sometimes when you take the pressure off of a child they will respond positively.

You need to be a good role model. You cannot expect to raise children that eat a good variety of foods if you do not. This fact goes for all adults who have meals with your children.

As a final comment, we suggest you eliminate French fries and chips and from his diet and substitute food items with better nutrition. Foods such as whole grain crackers, bagel chips or baked pita chips are good substitutes for chips. Baked sweet potato fries are better than French fries.