What happened to my good eater??

TJ1979

From the time E was 6 months and we first introduced foods via BLW, E has been an outstanding eater. She never liked yogurt much, and won't eat bacon. But everything else she gobbled down with enthusiasm.
Until now (1 week shy of 17 months.) Now suddenly she's picky. She wants ketchup on her meat (bc mommy has it) or she will only eat sweet potatoes, nothing else on her plate. Or she wants to dip everything, including apples, in salsa. Even if it's mommy's hot salsa. And she will scream and throw things until she gets her way, or until we out her to bed, whichever comes first.
Is she going to turn into one of those chicken nugget and corn dog kids? Is our good eater gone forever? Or is it just a phase?
Have you been here? How do your LOs eat? Tips or tricks?

TJ1979

But... But... I don't WANT a picky eater! She's been so good!

kaf7

Very typical. Keep offering healthy choices. I think studies have shown that over the course of a week or two if provided healthy choices they still eat what they need from the different food groups. Also, keep in mind that around this age their metabolism and growth slow so they don't need to eat as much in a given day. Can you get creative and make some of those much wanted foods from scratch? Like bread a chicken breast for her before baking it yourself? Or mash up some tomatoes to use as "ketchup" or salsa? I'd also try to give her other options to assert her independence...choosing between two foods, picking out her clothes etc. GL!

pb_bride

I sure hope it is a phase!  M has been through many variations of being picky already. I can't tell you how many times I was so fed up after dinner (no pun intended) that I had to go to another room to cool myself down while DH plays with M.  I cook from scratch every day and put lots of thought into the meals, making sure it is nutritious and delicious and is soft enough for M.  I get so frustrated when he won't eat anything (won't even taste it) - he just looks at me and throws the food on the floor.  There have been so many times I considered "giving in" and buy him some chicken nuggets or whatever dino nuggets!  

But I'm holding on to my position so far. I refuse to buy him any foods that I myself won't eat, so we'll just keep on trying and offering.  The last thing I want is to give in, let him eat stuff that I don't approve of, then have him demand to eat that all the time.  

M lately demands to eat bread only whenever we have bread.  I wouldn't mind IF he would at least try some of the other foods on his plate in addition to bread.  But all he wants is bread and nothing else.  As a result, I'm not eating any bread lately.  He can only eat whatever we are eating.

Ruthie04

Our boys ended up switching roles around 10 mos. DS1 ate everything with so much joy until around 10 months and DS2 spit everything out. Around 10 months, it switched. DS1 doesn't like anything but snacks, veggies, and yogurt. Every once in awhile, he'll eat some meat, but that's it. No bread at all! On the other hand, DS2 will shovel everything into his mouth (with the exception of banana). 

Both boys are crazy throwers (unless I feed them separately, then they don't throw a thing!) when they are cranky or displeased with the food. I don't know if it is a phase (DS1 has been doing this for nearly 5 months), but I'm also worried he's going to be a french fries only kind of kid. At least he already hates pizza!

kmc84

I'm sure it's just a phase! Although, she doesn't eat bacon!?!? You may want to get her checked out. That's just not right

CarrieB.

Yup, when they get close to 2, they all become picky because they realize they can be. My DD would live off of cheese and bread if we let her. Just keep offering other stuff. If you started her off right with lots of healthy varieties, she'll still eat well. It's just not as simple as it once was.

Mrs.AmyDylan

Ugh. J has been sick and stopped eating food in favor of the boob. Consequently, I've been starving and eating everything is sight. Sigh. And the dog is probably getting fat because J is flinging her food on the ground.

Sounds like you have gotten good advice. Good luck!

PennyLane26

Oh dear. All of these post are giving me a glimpse into the future and I'm not loving it! Even at 8 months G has picky days. Sometimes she even refuses her favorites (blueberries, avocado and yogurt). It's confusing! 

I babysit an 18 month old (my friend's younger daughter) and she is definitely testing limits. E's pickiness may be more about that than anything else. GL!!

TJ1979

Sorry I posted and ran last night. I got in an epic hormone-induced fight with mh and stormed off to bed, haha. Perhaps E wasn't the only cranky one last night.
@kaf7 and @pb_bride We don't have food like nuggets or corn dogs at our house, and we cook really healthy, real foods. But she does get that kind of food at DC, so I worry about her developing a preference. And E does the same thing with bread! If it's on her plate, that's all she eats. Same with fruit.
@pennylane26 I do think it has a lot to do with testing limits and asserting independence. I just don't always know how to react. If the only food she wants to eat on her plate is the sweet potatoes, and is screaming and crying for more, do I just keep giving her sweet potatoes until she is satisfied? Where do I draw the line? Do I let her eat an entire sweet potato today, and hope she eats an entire chicken breast tomorrow?

kbeach82

Ugh, it is so frustrating when they suddenly become the picky eaters we've all dreaded having. At 2 1/2, the list of things that DS1 will actually eat is pretty limited. There is some truth to the notion that their little bodies do often have some idea of what they need. V will want only carbs one day, but crave protein rich foods the next.

Some of the best advice I ever got regarding nutrition for a toddler was to try to aim for a nutritionally sound week at a time, and not concentrate so much on each day. Based on that advice, I don't see anything wrong with letting E eat an entire sweet potato one day if that is what she wants.

V is offered fruit and/or veggies with each meal and snack. We offer him a variety of healthy foods along with certain staples that we know he will eat (homemade pizza, chicken, whole wheat quesadillas made with spinach or broccoli, stuff like that). Some days he eats a variety of foods, and other days he only wants one or two items. I try not to stress about it too much 

Robeano

Not gonna lie, this post makes me nervous for what's to come... well at least if Hannah becomes a picky eater I'll be in good company.

PennyLane26

Have you tried only offering food that she is refusing? Sort of the "out of sight, out of mind" technique? 

PennyLane26

I want you to figure this out so that when my time comes you have some advice for me!

itsmevkb

Yes, welcome to the club.  Whenever I hear parents of young, ie under say 18 months, kids bragging about how many things their kids eat I think silently to myself "just wait."  I think it's a natural thing for kids to get pickier with their eating, just as adults are pickier with their eating.  I mean, even if you eat a wide variety of things, there are probably still things you don't want to eat or don't eat at all but you actually have a choice.  For kids, someone is just putting that food down in front of them.  So, I think part is about actually developing their own tastes in food and part is about developing as little people who want to be more in control of their little lives.

Anyway, the good news is that they do grow out of it, although I'm talking sometimes over years not months.  Shannon started really being willing to try more new things again I think around age 5- 6 and Quinn is still picky but a combination of allowing her to take a bite of something new and actually spit it out if she can't stand it (talk about driving a type A personality like me crazy) and good old fashioned bribery (she gets to go to Build a Bear after she tries a certain number of new foods) seems to be helping out somewhat.

As for how to deal while they are in those picky years, I agree that you try and balance things out over the week, not single days.  Also, you keep giving them healthy choices but realize they aren't always going to take them.  Pick your battles and then try and figure out what works with your child's personality to get them to get back to trying new things.  What works with one very well may not work with another.  Shannon will try something just because I tell him to.  Quinn, well, Quinn would sit in her room for an entire day rather than let one speck of broccoli touch her tongue so I learned quick that threats don't work with her!

mdiblasi10

Grayson is the same. Some days he eats everything and other days he is pickier. And he was a great eater for so long too. I just continue to offer all the healthy choices. Thankfully he has a good selection of healthy options that he really likes. The one that surprises me the most is his love for broccoli. Plain old, nothing on it, broccoli. It's always my go-to for a veggie

mcgeeva

I have no trick here. We always had an amazing eater but he goes through phases. I swear some weeks I can make allllllll his favorite dishes and there is nothing he will eat. Some times due to teether other times I haven't the slightest. But then bomb one day back to normal.

Dragonfly1226

I just want to echo the other bumpies who said to focus on E's nutrition over the course of a week instead if a meal or even a day. Over time she will get what she needs. Just keep offering healthy options. What really helps here is to offer two choices for most meals. Either choice would be fine with me. So today at lunch I asked DS if he wanted an egg with peppers or a veggie burger for lunch. His choice. It doesn't matter to me which he chooses. Then when he chose a veggie burger I asked if he wanted carrot sticks or peas with it. I usually only offer two choices so it isn't open ended but letting him choose has really helped. I also don't push food on him. If he says his belly is full I believe him. I figure he isn't going to starve himself. If he says he is hungry later we take out the rest of the meal he didn't finish but most times he doesn't.

laura1

OMG, welcome to my life.  DS was a great eater until then, too.  Now?  All he wants is pasta, mac and cheese (and not homemade, only Annie's), or grilled cheese.  That would be ok, if anyone else liked those things.  But DD#1 and #2 don't like pasta.  They used to eat meatballs, but now DS and DD#1 won't eat those (DD#2 loves them).  So on pasta night, I make DD#1 try some pasta and some meatballs and give her cereal, yogurt, or oatmeal.  All things DS doesn't like.  DS won't eat meat, but loves fruit.  DD#1 will eat all sorts of fruit - DD#2 won't eat any fruit unless it is a puree.  I still give them all what the whole meal is, but they each eat what they like - I have so much food left over at the end of a meal (or on the floor - thanks DD#2).  I just keep hoping that one day they will all surprise me and eat everything.  Hasn't happened yet, though.  The only thing they all eat?  Pancakes.  When I get lazy, that is what I make - at least I know they won't be  hungry.  

Good luck - pickiness is so painful!

pb_bride

TJ1979 said:

If the only food she wants to eat on her plate is the sweet potatoes, and is screaming and crying for more, do I just keep giving her sweet potatoes until she is satisfied? Where do I draw the line? Do I let her eat an entire sweet potato today, and hope she eats an entire chicken breast tomorrow?

Does E scream and cry for more sweet potatoes because you and YH are still eating it?  Or does she do that even though you two are done eating yourselves?

M isn't old enough to scream and cry for more yet, but he is now old enough to point and "request" (uh-uh-uh sounds) the foods on my plate.  At least at this point, when I'm done eating and I clear my plate, M realizes the "good food" is all gone and won't demand more.  Then depending on his mood; if he's in an okay mood, he might pick around the rest of his plate and eat some of the other stuff.  If he's in a bad mood, he'll just push the entire plate off his tray (he'd rather go hungry).

amandaleigh1

OMG!! D is doing very similar things, though he has never been a super adventurous eater. I have been losing it at dinner the past few nights because D has gone super picky and is also very angry when things aren't just to his liking. Last night all he would eat was mashed rutabaga. I am pretty sure he has eaten no other fruit or vegetable in the past few days. He has never met a french fry he did not like either.

Given the age, I think this too shall pass. My patience can't handle it very well though Just keep offering the good stuff along with at least 1 item you know that E will eat. 

imoverit

LeahB12 said:

Ahh yes, welcome to the picky phase! DS1 ate everything until that age. It goes in phases. He'll have weeks where he's still picky and days where he eats most things. I never know. I keep offering a variety of foods and hope that he won't be picky forever. I think it's very typical.

All of this. One day he will eat one thing and the very next day he wont. So annoying but I keep offering.

kaf7

Also I've heard the mantra that you can control what they eat (ie what you offer and have in your house) but not how much they eat. I try to remember that while strong willed and asserting their independence, toddlers still have a survival mode that will lead them to eat something eventually.