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October 2011 Moms
Eating Issues?
Ashlynn has gotten incredibly picky when it comes to meal time, so much so that there are only a handful of items she will eat. I know this seems ridiculous, but I am so beyond frustrated that I DREAD meal time, because I know she will just throw everything on the floor.
Right now she will only eat carrots, most fruit, crackers and cheese (which we have cut out due to constipation issues). I feel like I have spent a million dollars trying new foods for her with no luck. She will eat for MH and my mom because they make it a big game, I just can't do that for every meal...seriously.
Am I doing something wrong? Any tips?
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Re: Eating Issues?
You aren't doing anything wrong. Your little girl has her own personality and you can't actually MAKE her eat anything she doesn't want to eat (don't tell her that, though
)
Is there any way you could sneak some other items into the foods she will eat? Applesauce with pureed veggie snuck in? A soft meat smeared on the crackers?
I make a root vegetable medley for DD that is carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips baked with rosemary. Maybe, since they all take on the carrot taste and have similar textures, that would be a good way to introduce some new flavors.
Burned by the Bear
She's definitely a strong minded little lady! I'm just concerned she's not getting what she needs. She currently won't let us spoon feed her, which limits it a bit. I hope it's just a phase.
Is it possible that she might be full off of her formula? We haven't really weaned her down...she's still drinking about 24 oz a day.
I'm glad it's not just A! Sorry for you, though..it can be a bit frustrating. Maybe I'll try the gross meat sticks lol!!
E is more selective about how she eats her foods rather than what she's eating. When we first introduced real solid food, she liked anything that she could pick up and eat by herself and refused to let me spoon feed her. Now she wants big pieces. For example, if I tear a piece of bread into bite-sized chunks, she'll toss them on the floor. If I give her a whole slice of bread, she'll eat it. Does the form of the food make a difference (for example, sweet potato pureed vs diced vs cut into bigger sticks)?
The order in which I present items is also very important. I have an idea of what she likes and doesn't, so I have to present them in the order of least to most desirable. For example, I give her some veg. She'll eat it for a while then start tossing it on the ground. Then I give her the meat. Its new and interesting, so she'll eat it for a while then start tossing it on the ground. Then I give her the bread. Its new and interesting so she'll eat it for a while then start tossing on the ground. Fruits or sweets have to be last. If I give her everything at once, she takes a few bites of the most desirable item (either the sweetest or saltiest, depending on her mood), gets bored and stops eating really quickly. AND if she sees something she really likes sitting on or near the table (yogurt melts, fruit, etc), we're done for. That stuff has to stay out of sight until she's done with everything else.
My thoughts with food is that a big deal shouldn't be made in either direction - no big games, but at the same time, no getting worked up if she doesn't eat what you give her.
If she's still getting a ton of formula, how much solid she eats isn't terribly important. Solids are really to teach her what she can expect down the road, and making a big production, getting worked up, only teaches her that mealtimes are stressful - and that plays into the problem.
Kids go through different phases where they eat a ton, or don't eat very much. For the most part, they self-regulate if you're allowing them to feed themselves. If I were in your shoes, I'd just stop mealtime when the food is gone from the tray like it's no big deal. "Guess we're all done now!" And then maybe give a snack in an hour or two if she seems hungry.
This is what I do when she won't eat her meal. If DD is being picky and throwing her food on the floor or feeding it to the dog, I just take it away, offer her some milk and then try a little later (or if it is dinner she sometimes goes to bed without dinner.)
Sometimes she eats every morsel on her tray and sometimes she won't eat any of it (this happens mostly at dinnertime.) I just figure she isn't very hungry and probably already had enough to eat that day.
On a side note, this is why I want to throat punch people who say "I judge parents who let their kids be picky eaters." Pretty sure there is no cure for pickiness, especially if our babies are already doing this at the age of one.
Good points Blu and I have to say I especially agree with the bolded. I myself was a super super picky kid, and my parents forced me to eat whatever they made for dinner until I was a older teenager. My dad would yell and scream, I would cry, and sometimes he would force it in my mouth. I dreaded dinner almost every night of my childhood to the point where I would start worrying about it during the day at school, etc. My parents have pictures of me sitting at the dinner table crying, like it was funny. It totally backfired for them, and I am the pickiest grown up you will ever meet. I basically live on carbs, dairy, some fruit, and sometimes chicken. I hate almost all veggies and other meats. As soon as I was old enough and out on my own, I found that I gravitated towards comfort foods ALL THE TIME because I could. I admit I still live on mac n cheese, grilled cheese, pizza, chicken and fries, etc. and I have an incredibly difficult time trying new foods or eating healthier.
So the moral of my story is, there has to be a better way to encourage our kids to eat better, and I agree about not forcing it :-/
This is exactly what I don't want...I think I need to stop getting frustrated and just let it be. At this point in time she is getting plenty of nutrients from her formula. I'm going to continue to introduce new foods (what we are eating) but try to get all up in a tizz if she throws it on the ground.
must practice patience.
I am happy that she does prefer her fruits & veggies over the carby foods!!
Just for the record, when I said chicken nugget I meant baked, breaded, organic chicken nuggets that we make sometimes. Not some deep-fried fast food crap or anything. But I see your point JG.
No flames from me. Quick question...have either of your kids just refused everything, do you still stick to you plan even after a period of time? I have found myself caving because I "feel" like she just needs to eat. We don't eat junk, I don't want her to either.
Rocco is probably the pickiest eater on this board. He will eat the following non-pureed foods: yogurt melts, cheerios, and as of this week little pieces of chicken. That's it! And even those things are a struggle - you have to basically shove the first one into his mouth, and once he realizes he likes the taste only then will he willingly put it into his own mouth (and did I mention his pincher grip is still very hit or miss?).
He's still breastfed and he still loves pureed foods served via spoon, so I try not to worry. He's not going to go to pre-school with a homemade jar of pureed carrots, right? Right?!
Oh and did I mention he still has no teeth. I am hoping that has something to do with it, but it probably doesn't. I am a very picky eater myself, so this is karma more than likely.
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There may have been 2 times that DD has ever refused an entire meal and we gave her a banana or a yogurt, both times that I can remember she wasn't feeling well. She will never refuse an entire meal, there is always something she will eat.
And I didn't mean that all chicken nuggets are bad, just that we don't eat them so neither does she. I meant we don't offer quick "kid" foods in place of dinner because she won't eat.