Is it OK if my child wants a hot dog every day?
Yes it’s OK, but it can be a trap. Many toddlers get stuck on certain foods, otherwise known as a food jag.
These are typical of the toddler years and are characterized by eating the same foods day in and day out. Generally, food jags are self-limited. They fade over time when parents don’t draw too much attention to them, cater to them, or pressure their child to eat other or certain foods.
Parents can get trapped by a food jag when they don’t offer other foods or let the food variety dwindle. So, the daily hot dog isn’t the end of the world, but you will want to keep other foods showing up on the tray — plenty of other protein sources, fruit, vegetables, dairy and grains.
Reviewed by Dr. Sara Connolly, September 2020
a child a know only wants to eat hot dogs, for breakfast lunch and dinner..when other food is offered, the child has a complete meltdown. I now cringe everytime we have to eat together..how does ones help a child that doesnt seem to want anything but Hot Dogs. They throw temper tantrums if he is given other foods, or takes over 45min to eat what is given to them..the concern here is that they are losing weight, which i dont think is healthy..any suggestions??
I really appreciate your answer. I think sometimes when we know a food (or anything… screen time, for example) isn’t good for us, we try to ban it instead of using moderation. I wouldn’t want to give my kids hot dogs every day, but I know if they eat them every now and then, in addition to the healthy foods we offer, they’ll be okay. Thank you!
Oh this brings me back to when my son would eat only saltines for about one month….and what a long month that was! You are right, we found ignoring it was the best way to get him over it.
My four year old would eat a hot dog every day if I let her but because it isn’t the healthiest of foods I try to limit them to once a week or every two weeks. Luckily, there are many other foods she likes as well so she hasn’t really been stuck on just one type of meal.