Does anyone else out there have (or have had) a picky eater on their hands? I guess it's carma, 'cause I used to be a picky eater until I was about 5, then one day something must've flipped in my brain and I just decided to start trying things and not be afraid of new tastes and textures. Now I'll try anything!
I thought I got lucky, because Mikayla ate anything and everything we gave her as a baby. She took breast milk, formula, any kind of baby food (even the disgusting smelling brocolli - uck!) It didn't matter to her. Then she hit about 8 months and we started introducing thicker, lumpier foods and her gag reflex kicked in - she couldn't swallow anything that wasn't smooth and she'd throw up and get pretty uptight. So....when she should've been able to eat little pieces of meat or peas or things like that, she was still eating baby food.
Now she is 18 months and still is very wary of anything new, especially if it has texture or a strong taste. She won't even eat cake or brownies! She will eat a total of 10 things! TEN!
1. Toast
2. Bananas
3. Apples
4. Cheese
5. Crackers
6. Yogurt
7. Milk
8. Applesauce
9. Chips (and occasionally refried beans)
10.Guacamole
She will still eat some baby food, and we can get her to eat casseroles or soups or other dinner foods, as long as we grind them up.
Our challenge is getting protein and vegetables into her. We play games, and we make a huge deal if she tries new things, like doing over-the-top cheering and clapping, which seems to be a huge motivator for her. But sometimes it just ain't enough and as I encourage her and hold the food out to her she looks at me like, "Yeah right, mom!"
I just don't know what to do to expand her diet. Does anyone have any tricks or suggestions????? Also, I don't want to encourage her pickiness by feeding her baby food veggies, but what's worse - eating baby food veggies or not eating veggies at all?
Melissa! I feel like we totally went through a similar stage, but just know it did eventually pass. I do not have a ton of advice except there is a really good book that I love! It is called "Child of Mine: Feeding with love and good sense" by Ellyn Slater. It is all about eating habits and feeding your child from day one up to I am not sure what age. Anyways, I would check the book out and read bits of it because it really helped me as a mother with suggestions and to not feel like a failure when my child was not eating what I wanted her too! Anyways, hang in there! Hope things are going well! Love ya xxx
ReplyDeleteMy kids all love cottage cheese which is packed with protein (15g/serving), more than cheese or yogurt or eggs. I don't think of it as having much texture - she might eat that. I guess you could always blend it up :) That is frustrating!
ReplyDeleteDitto to Nancy's comment. I think I recommended that book to her a few months back. Seriously check it out and read the chapter that addresses feeding the age that you are at right now. (note that some of the ideas are a little extreme--just follow your gut with what you are comfortable with)
ReplyDeleteI definitely was a short-order-cook for Hayley when she was at this age. There's some sort of hard wiring in our mothering-brains that makes us feel like it's up to us to feed our babies even if it involves doing back-flips and stuffing it down their throats! This book sorted me out so that I wasn't playing into that game. Once the rules were clear and she realized it was her job to feed herself she stopped playing that game to and we were all much happier. Now she eats most anything and I credit most of it to understanding that.
The book also helped me get a better plan for offering snacks before she got hungry because once she was begging for something that I didn't want her to have there was little I could do to change her mind. But if I offered the snack just before she realized she was hungry I was in control of the options. Also by being better at planning the types of snacks I had more control over making sure she was actually hungry when it was meal-time (sometimes I used "fluff" snacks to tie her over instead of filling her up too much at 4pm).
It's a great lesson in parenting to figure out now--I've had very few problems with my other kids--or at least I don't feel the stress when they are picky. I'm in charge of the where, when and options. They are in charge of what goes in!
Like Sarah Kaia loves cottage cheese. Also when I cook meals, I try to mix veggies in with it, Kaia (nor Chris) know that it's a meal that's healthier than meets the eye. That must be frustrating that she's being miss picky. But like you said I'm sure she'll eventually grow out of it!! Keep up the good work mama!!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had some good advice for you....but Sam is my pickiest!! I do mix vegetables into things I make and he has no idea, so that helps. My pediatrician told us if he could just add at least one new thing a year and he has tried that, so that is good. If they just weren't so cute!
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