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Let me start off saying I love my son, to death.
But I wish things were different.
I wish he would eat, he's almost completely stopped.
He doesn't sleep anymore.
He can't stand to be in his crib.
(We're converting it to the bed.)
He's losing weight,
And I know if someone saw him
In his shorts with no shirt on...
They would think I was starving him
And hitting him.
His ribs are sticking out
And his legs are all bruised up.
I try to take breathers from him
But I can't leave him alone in our room
Since he's able to climb out of the crib.

Does anyone have a really picky kid?
Can you give me some pointers on some type of foods they like?
I'm desperate here, hehe.

Thanks. He doesn't really drink a lot. He'll eat bananas, thank goodness. And I'll look into the pedialyte and pediasure. Because we're having a hard time getting him to take his vitamins.
He doesn't eat any sort of meat, no veggies...
It is scary.
And I'm trying to stay strong, but it's proving to be really really difficult.
The more he doesn't eat...
The more I feel like a bad mother.
(My stepdad already thinks I am... maybe I'm just proving him right.)

Well, first off what does his pediatrician say? First off, I'd make sure there's not something physically wrong. It's also best to do that before starting him on any particular diet be it high-carb, etc.

Oh if you want to save money, pediasure is just about the same as slimfast, just don't use it as a meal replacement, use it as a supplement. A bit of a warning though, it can turn kids off to drinking regular milk. Depending on his age, vitamins help to make sure they aren't wasting away.

I actually am going to disagree with the pedialyte instead of juice. While yes it's good to make sure they aren't dehydrated, it should only been given if he is constantly active (like atheletes and gatorade) or if he's sick and not drinking practically anything. It's not good for their urinary systems for prolonged periods.

The bruise thing, NO good pediatrician is going to say you are beating him. My son is very active and I've never met a child who didn't have bruises on their legs. The BIG thing here is to take a deep breath and try not to overworry. Just remember a LOT of kids go through a picky phase! Don't let it get to you!

My son went through a whole year of zero growth and practically ate nothing. They won't starve themselves and people forget that their stomachs are very small, only a size of their fist approximately. It's a challenge, but if he likes something and will eat only that everyday, do what you have to do! Give him a chance to try new foods, but don't push it if he says no. As long as there isn't something else, he'll be fine, don't worry so much.

My cousin is the same way. The ONLY thing he would eat at one point was this piece of breaded chicken that came in a box. You like... heat it in the oven. That's ALL he ate for the longest time for dinner.

Hmmm... My brother was also somewhat picky, though not that bad. If he likes bananas, you can always try peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Some kids like those (I don't see how, but some do...) Also, if he wants something that seems gross, but isn't bad for him, let him eat it. My brother eats tuna and jelly sandwiches.

Hmmm... also try homemade nachos. Take tortilla chips and cheese, and microwave. Kids love it (at least it works at the afterschool care I work at!) and... it's not that hard. You can give him like, sour cream, mild salsa, guacamole, whatever, to put on them. It's more a snack than a meal, but, it's got calories and nutrients in the cheese.

This is kind of old school and may seem abusive now but tell him if he doesn't eat what you give him, he doesn't eat anything at all. My parents did that with me and even if I didn't eat all of it, I ate something. Seriously, I don't know what's wrong with kids now.