I remember lamenting exactly the same thing to my Grandma.  She just asked me "Do they eat fruit?" and then it finally clicked that raw fruit is an excellent source of fibre, vitamins and minerals.  Sure it has more sugar than vegies, but kids burn that off with all the running around they do. 

I keep telling my kids how wonderful vegies are and how they make you healthy and strong.  Tonight they both wanted vegies for dinner! (only frozen peas and cucumber, but better than nothing).  Just keep loving them and trying them - and try to avoid the negative connotations with vegies (e.g. they get punished in some way if they don't eat them) and eventually they'll come round.

Here we go, my mum never made us eat anything we didnt like she put all the food on the table and we helped ourselves therefore eating only the amount we waqnted but also having the oppurtunity to choose what we ate so long as it was on the table and if we didnt like that then we could go with out.  it worked, i dint eat cauliflower till i was 20 but hey at least i eat it now. if your son eats one vege be happy with that and just encourage him to try other things and when he tries them praise him like u never have before forget the bribes and the treats just give him special hugs and kisses works every time for me.

Hi there, this sounds exactly like my 7yo son was. He would eat nothing but nuggets, sausages, sandwiches and hot chips. We tried sending him to bed without dinner but he didn't care, we tried bribery, treats, you name it we tried it. In the end we threw everything out of our house that we didn't want him eating and restocked only with fresh healthy alternatives. After a couple of weeks he eventually caved in and started eating normally coz he was getting rather hungry lol.Since then he has never looked back, it is still a bit of a struggle getting him to eat his vegetables but as long as he eats some we figure its good enough for us. Maybe if you try it this way it might help. Good Luck.

you've got a lot of great advice below, but one more thing occurred to me.

Kids like strong leaders, especially IMO boys do! Perhaps your 6 year old is trying you to see if you are a strong enough leader for him to respect & follow. Dont think of it as mean, think of it as proving your metal.

You have the right to lead - you're the parent. But perhaps he's not sure you're strong enough??? Win this battle & win his loyalty.

He will open up hostilities on other fronts if he wins this one - you dont want to go there.

I'm sure you're a good mother, otherwise you wouldnt be worrying about this.

Well, my son is 2, so not quite the same, but he has his supper-time moments.

What seems to work for us are these little tricks:
- If he doesn't eat his super, he doesn't get dessert, like everyone else.  Not really a bribe as everyone has a bowl of ice cream after supper.
- He doesn't get anything else.  I have three kids, and I'm not making special meals for anyone..... Though I do try to make sure I provide a variety of foods everyone likes.  This rule is somewhat flexible; if I'm preparing something I know he won't eat (something spicy or too wierd), I'll serve him something else.  But I don't tell him I'm doing it.  He just gets a different plate when the time comes.
- I don't make him sit at the table all night; it just becomes a battle of wills and nothing is accomplished.  I will put his plate in the fridge and if he's hungry later, that's what he gets.

I think it's important to understand that young kids aren't going to starve themselves.  It sounds like your son eats well on a fairly regular basis, so I wouldn't be too concerned.

However, no matter what you decide; I would suggest you stop letting your little-man manipulate you.  You're his mom, not his pal, and it will get out-of-hand in a hurry.

Hi there,

Well your have a very intellingent 6 yr old. Your son has mastered manipulation to perfection when it comes to food . . . Sorry if i sound harsh but he really does have you right where he wants you.

The only way to fix this is to stand your ground . . .  So what if he falls asleep at the table . . . . Eventually he will eat it.

My eldest tryed this on me and I stuck to my guns . . When she refused to eat she was made to sit at the table. If she didn't eat it i would reheat it for breakfast on so-on . .  I know this sounds harsh but it worked.

Trust me when i say that if you lose this battle then you will lose many many more . .

Your 6 year old has you right where he wants you.  Giving him exactly what he wants and he knows that you feel mean and he plays on it.  The truth is that being a 'good' parent isn't going to be easy and for the sake of all your family, your 6 year old has to learn that he is not going to get a special meal just for him.  It's fine if he doesn't want what everyone else has - it is also fine if he doesn't eat dinner.  He wont starve from missing one meal, but he will get the message that  dinner is what you put on the table, not what he might want.  What is this?  A restaurant?  What would you do if all your family pulled this stunt?  Make a seperate meal for everyone?  Its not that he cant have a special meal once in a while, but at the moment it sounds like he is calling the shots. What will happen if he decides to take it to other areas?  He is a little young to know how to make good choices and so as his Mum you need to help him to make them.  I know that he will not take kindly to you changing the way things have been done, but if you dont you are helping him to develop a really bad habit and the longer it goes on the harder it will be to break.  Like I said, he wont starve if he refuses to eat what you serve but I think that you will find if you stick to the rule of 'what I put on the table is what we eat for dinner - no exceptions' then it will only take a short while before he becomes a lot more willing to eat what you provide.

ok found a few articles on this that may help, my bro ans sil have been thru it with thier eldest (now 10) and number 2 (now 8) has been playing this for nearly 2years...it's very frustrating.

The Panicky Parents Guide to Fussy Eaters 10 Tips to keep you sane

Prepared by
Catherine Saxelby
Based on the Nutrition for the 90's campaign
    Feast or famine - feeding kids right!
With Nutritionist
Catherine Saxelby

"My kids won't eat vegetables!"
"How can I get my toddler to eat new foods?"

1. Set a good example. Eat healthy foods (and look like you enjoy them!). Don't make disparaging comments about foods you dislike.
2. Kids have small stomachs. Small meals with snacks in-between are easier than three big meals a day. Don't pile food onto their plate.
3. Children thrive on routine. Keep mealtimes regular and, even though its boring to you, serve them the same meal a few times a week with some variation, once you have hit on something they like.
4. Bribes - "Eat you Brussel sprouts if you want ice-cream" tend to backfire over time. Children may consume an unappetising food (or medicine) in order to obtain a reward, but that doesn't make them like it. Usually they end up disliking it intensely.
5. Don't fill them up on fluid (juice, milk, cordial, even water) just before a meal.
6. Kids tend to eat up if they can serve themselves or help. Little ones can set the table, call everyone to the table, wash and tear lettuce leaves, time the cooking with an egg timer.
7. For every food, there is almost always a substitute. If they hate vegetables, offer them plenty of fruit; if they won't drink milk, buy yoghurt or cheese; if they dislike chewing meat, try mince dishes, chicken, fish or baked beans.
8. Don't ignore problems that interfere with eating, such as teething, sore throat, blocked nose, upset tummy.
9. Keep offering new foods even if kids reject them at first. They need to see them several times before they look 'familiar'.
10. Fussy eaters are often slow eaters who dawdle over their plate. It is pointless trying to hurry them.

And remember: don't lose your cool at dinner! Simply remove uneaten food (perhaps offer it again later) but don't let them have snacks an hour later.

http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/Nutrition_for_All_Ages/Children/panicky_parents_guide_to_fussy_eaters_fs.asp

 

will your child eat spagetti bolonase? most children that i have met have liked this dish if your son likes this dish then its really easy to hide veggies in it by greating it in.

i see your son likes pizza does he like all types of pizza or just one as you can make some really nice pizzas that are really healthy you could also try making veggie nuggetsand crumming them. i am studding diplomia of childrens services but i have met some children like your son that will not eat anythink but junk food at home but would eat for the childcare.

The thing i use for my cousins as i babysit them often,  is they have to try it as long as they try it they could have something else if they liked it they would eat it after a few time i would get them to at least have 2-4 spoon fulls and they would get a treat not food or junk i would read there favourite book or we could sing there favourite song or they could watch so many minutes of tv per bite if not they couldnt watch there favorite show for a week. i hope that i might have been some help too you hope that he will eat properly soon.

Not sure if you want to try this but with my eldest when we had food battles at dinner time he got 2 chances to eat his dinner and if he didn't he went to bed. He is pnly 4 but we have done this form 3. He never did this a second night in a row and now he only needs a reminder and he eats a fair amount of his dinner.  Your son might eat healthy during the day but that sort of food before bed is not good as it is not being worked off by activity. If you said this was a lunchtime thing I'd say don't worry about it as long as the portions are small and he is getting plenty of other foods and activity.

IMO he is old enough to know how to play you and he must know by now that you are not mean enough to send him to bed without food so he knows that if he sits there long enough you'll give in.  He might be a bit more stubborn then my son and might go many nights without dinner. Just make sure he has plenty of breaskfast and lunch as well as healthy snacks and then it is his choice to go to bed hungry or not.

hope this helps