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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
katiekate1974
member
::clears throat:: I have something to say (ventish)
katiekate1974
member
Mothers who feed their children only non-processed foods, lots of fruits and veggies, don't have to "hide" veggies for their kids, and never fight a food battle are not heroes, miracle workers, or better mothers than those who do. Mothers who don't have to do these things don't have a magic key. They don't do something special or miraculous. They are blessed with good eaters. And don't try to tell me it's all in how it's presented. Or how often. Or in my attitude. I follow your "rules". I give a very good variety of veggies and Lean meats in lots of different and yummy presentations. I did BLW. I allow him to explore food. I feed him. I play with him. I send new veggies/meats to school when I know he's more likely to try them. And you know what? He STILL only eats chicken fingers, mandarin oranges, peaches, bananas, peanut butter toast, yogurt, grapes, and a healthy diet of his beloved "crackahs". So you can all get off your high horses and accept that my child, like a million others, has food preferences. Just like any other PERSON. And we do the best we can to make sure he gets a good diet. ET: he also eats eggs, pizza, and most pasta...don't want to sell the kid short LOL
This discussion has been closed.
Re: ::clears throat:: I have something to say (ventish)
The food posts have been getting a little out of control around here. I really dont care what anyone feeds their child.
Edit: In hindsight this looks a little biitchy. I mean I dont care in general what anyone decides to feed their child. Not OP
**applause!!**
I made yummy spinach ravioli Alfredo tonight and DD ate 2 before declaring she was done I made chicken nuggets and she squealed with joy and ate 5!
Our Twin Baby + a Big Girl Blog
And with the delivery trifecra of one twin vaginal, one c-section with general anesthesia for twin B, Spencer and Sidney joined us at 35 weeks exactly on June 18.
I definitely agree with you about good eaters vs picky eaters and the high horse moms.
I have a good eater, thankfully, but what would happen if you just slowly removed the foods you didnt want him eating (nuggets, etc) from his diet. I mean if the food isnt available, he cant eat it. Babies wont let themselves starve, he will just have to eat the food that is presented. It may take awhile but maybe once he realizes that nuggets arent an option anymore he will start eating the baked chicken (or whatever you offer).
GL!
I replied similarly in the lunchbox thread earlier today. I'm sick of the holier-than-thou mom crap about this kind of stuff.
Tonight my kid completely skipped over the veggies and chicken we gave her. Instead she ate a piece of cornbread, mandarin oranges and yogurt with squash.
Amen sister! I will be the first to admit I thought I'd have a natural delivery, breastfeed until my kid went to preschool, and feed only organic food fit for an Olympic athlete. Yeah, I ended up with a c-section, supplementing with formula, and despite my most noble and bend-over-backwards efforts my LO's eating habits have taken a turn for the worse. He used to eat asparagus, salmon, tomatoes, veggies on pizza.....yeah...not anymore. Yesterday I was jumping for joy because yesterday he ate his first fruit other than bananas and tomatoes in his whole life...green grapes. Tonight I proudly packed up grapes to bring to dinner, and they all went on the floor. I have fed him every type of fruit under the sun and this child will....not...eat them. For the life of me. I say if you're making a good concerted effort that is all you can do. I resort to giving my LO purees to get fruit and veggies into him. So I wholeheartedly agree with you. Just because you give a kid wonderful healthy food doesn't mean they will eat it.
I have to ask, what prompted this?
On a good day a few weeks ago my DS ate a few goldfish and some milk....that's it. He is getting better at accepting new food but it's still hit and miss.
My older DD is terribly picky. We do all the things you've described, and now that she's older, she has to have a "no thank you bite" until she can say she dislikes something. She also has to eat what we're eating (unless its something spicy) She's slowly getting to be a little bit better.My pediatrician told me that for most kids, this passes as long as its handled correctly.
You're doing a great job and don't let someone who was lucky enough to have a good eater tell you otherwise.
Annelise 3.22.2007 Norah 10.24.2009 Amelia 8.7.2011
Oh man! Ok then, I totally agree. Chicken nuggets and crackers are better than no food lol.
FTR my LO eats all that stuff daily too. I don't have a problem with it. He eats veggies and fruits with every meal. I just try to get the healthies version I can. Wheat goldfish, the Tyson's Natural chicken nuggests, the mandarin oranges packed in white grape juice instead of syrup, etc. It is what it is. As long we are thinking about, worrying about, and trying our hardest with nutrition we are great mommas.
You still don't really get it, you have to experience a picky eater to understand.
To OP: My second child is picky. He will eat the minimal amount just so he can leave the table. 15 months is a common age for kids to realize they control what they put in their mouths. You cannot force them to eat. They will also cycle what is on their list of things to eat. He might drop the nuggets and pick another fruit. Good luck.
You tell 'em KK!
::throws egg::
That's what my sister used to call me when we were little.
(TK's random tidbit for the night.)
Same here, Katie!
Here's Jace's list of foods he will eat:
Gerber Cheetos
Regular Cheetos (the puffy, fat kind)
Graham Crackers
Yogurt
Pizza but ONLY from daycare (sigh)
Puffs
Purees
Formula (yes, we still do a bottle a day- sometimes even two- gasp)
It's ridiculous. I've tried EVERYTHING. And people say, "keep trying." I do- I try, try and try. And I am sure some of the perfect mom squad think that the only reason he eats those things is that it's what I give him so it's what he eats and if I didn't give it to him to begin with, he wouldn't have eaten it. But you know what? That's not how it happened. Each of those items was introduced when we realized he wouldn't eat the food the rest of us eat and we were desperate to find something he would eat. So we'd introduce the "baby junk food" and he liked a few of them.
It's so frustrating. And most moms of good eaters just don't get it.
We did BLW too and DS used to be such a good eater. He's gotten to be really picky lately though. He'd eat mandarin oranges all day long if I let him.
I should add that some days that IS all he eats. Not for lack of me giving him numerous other options though.
You are actually wrong. Some children will starve themselves. My son did. He still will if I don't give him special formula to supplement his diet. My DD was the same way. I have been to a half dozen doctors and even more nutritionist between the two of them. It is entirely possible to starve your child, or at least let them get malnourished to the point of impacting their health.
This. I know I'm totally blessed with a great eater... hey, he didn't sleep the night through until 17 months and still gets up nightly with his molars so I deserve it...lol..... but they can't eat crap if there's none offered. Kids won't starve themselves. If they like chicken nuggets, make them yourself. If they eat ravioli, at least get them a healthier version than canned or processed stuff.
My LO won't even eat mandarin oranges-seriously, I hope this picky eating turns around.
I can imagine how frustrating it would be to have an LO who doesn't eat. I don't see anything wrong with any of the foods you listed - chicken nuggets and pizza can be made in a perfectly healthy way and it's easy to do. There's nothing wrong with catering to your LO's eating desires - just change it up wherever you can. Use whole wheat bread and pasta. Make your own marinara sauce rather than using jarred. Use natural peanut butter instead of the kind with added sugar. Etc, etc. It sounds like you're doing what you can.
However, I do have to say (not directed at OP): Cheetos is NOT better than no food, IMO.
lol. OK, for the last time, if you have a good eater, you don't get it. You may think you have the answer...but the rest of us are not morons - we just have different kids than you do.
Well, sure, it's POSSIBLE, and it sounds so frustrating and scary that your children have both had feeding/FTT issues, but I don't think that ALL or even MOST kids who are picky about what they eat will truly starve themselves. It really sounds like your kids are an extreme case, not just kids who prefer nuggets and pizza. I don't think the kids we're talking about here are the ones seeing specialists etc. We're talking about run of the mill picky eaters, which at this age is pretty much all kids on any given day.
I am sure it is frustrating, but, and this is just my opinion, unless your kid has a FTT/weight gain issue (like JOEBunny's kids), I do think you can get a little "tough."
I don't think that all people with good eaters were just blessed with them, just like I don't think that all people with picky eaters created those habits. But for MOST kids, if you keep trying, don't offer foods you don't want them to eat (so if he'll eat nuggets, offer the baked or homemade ones, not the crap ones etc), they WILL eventually eat. Maybe not veggies, but there are some reasonably healthy foods out there that they'll eat. I think serving a variety, not making it a big deal, maybe try doing Bentos or some other fun presenation, eating a family meal, etc....all the usual stuff, may not work miracles, but I do think that if you do those things you have some influence in whether your kid is a good eater or not. Not total control, but it's not just dumb luck, either.
ETA: I have one picky eater who I have to really get creative with, and one garbage truck that will eat anything I put in front of her, so I do understand how frustrating picky eating is!
So, you're saying that some kids will only eat McD nuggets and will rather starve to death than eat the homemade chicken nugget?
Come on. I get that not every kid is going to eat great. But they can't eat junk if none is offered. Sorry.
Man, you have me beat in the sleep department. I'm lucky that dh now is in charge of Adam at night. Some nights he gets up more times than his 8 week old sister! Ugh.
I'm sorry to hear he's that picky. I think for a lot of the "average" picky kids, they will eventually eat, though. It's a tough battle, these little buggers. I know I'm probably going to get a fussy eater with Ava since she's so opposite her brother in the sleep department.
No, this is not what I'm saying. I just thought the bolded part was beyond obvious and a bit condescending. It's not like people jump right from serving organic vegan food to throwing up their hands and heading for McDonald's.
I'm cranky tonight - ignore me.
I didn't mean to be condescending. Just making a point that you don't have to give up their favorite food in the quest to make them eat. I'm sure it's incredibly frustrating though. Like I said, nature blessed me in the food department to make up for one of the world's worst sleepers.
DS had his 15 month appt today. I told my pedi what he eats, and she is sending us to speech therapy for a feeding evaluation. There is some kind of sensory therapy that can help. She thinks we might be able to just get some exercises to do at home, rather than having to go to formal therapy sessions after the evaluation. My son has a lot of texture issues, and he had a feeding aversion when he was a baby due to severe reflux, although he is not FTT.
Maybe this is an option for some of you moms of extremely picky eaters?
I understand what you are going through.
I offer DD everything (organic, non organic, fruits, veggies, meat, fun-looking foods you name it) and she happily puts it in her mouth chews it up and spits it out.
She is afraid to swallow food (had really severe GERD) and we are now being recommended to go see an occupational therapist. She will eat some purees if she can squeeze the pouch (plum organics) herself.
We just got her to swallow puffs after giving them to her almost every day for the last six months and having her spit them out after chewing on them.
And to the pp who suggested we should just "get tough" I would like to raise my middle finger to you! You don't understand what it is like to have picky eater and we, as mothers, will do anything to get our children just to eat something other than formula and water.
Obviously, you don't have the average kid who is picky. Most kids don't need OT to eat. I'm talking about kid is going through a picky phase, so instead of Gerber ravioli, mom could try to find a healthy alternative to the foods the kids eat.
Do I still get flipped off?