Picky eater suggestions?

[houseelf]

O.K. Is this the section where we first time moms ask all the mundane questions that somehow baffle us to no end?



My son is attempting to survive on approximately a single cheerio a day. Is this normal behavior for a toddler? Seriously, at 17 months, he is only in the 4th percentile for weight and 10th percentile for height. I can't get him to eat vegetables for love or money. My best attempts include hiding the evidence by mixing carrot juice with orange juice or offering spinach bagels. Does this mean that my son will grow up to be malnourished? Or am I the one with the syndrome: First time mommy-dom?



Please pass on any spells, chants, or mantras that work for you to get your children to eat healthy food. Thanks!



Kelly

Kelly,



I think that most toddlers go through that "picky eater" stage. I know that Andrew wouldn't eat anything that had a smooth texture, and my daughter has been a self-proclaimed vegetarian since she was 3. My youngest will basically eat anything...including rocks



I remember when I was concerned about Andrew's eating habits the pediatrician told me not to push it...that as long as he was healthy and growing that there was no need to worry....have you spoken to your pediatrician? Andrew was on the small side of the charts as well for the first two years...and now he is right in the middle.....



Does that help at all? Probably not....I'm sorry I can't be more useful, but I do understand how frustrating it can be...



Kris
The Medical Spouse Network

My son has no interest in food at ALL! He's 4 now, and continues to grow while consuming nothing except liquids, so it's probably ok. The pediatricians always say that they won't let themselves starve, and if they're growing and acting healthy not to worry. Still, it's hard to watch them eat nothing but chocolate milk for days on end.



So for practical suggestions - if he eats cheerios, would he go for other finger foods? Let him carry a hot dog or string cheese around and chew on it? Or (amazing thought!) a carrot? A lot of toddlers care more about texture than anything, and if you can figure that out you can work with it. With Galen we have gotten good at sneaking nutrition into liquids: instant breakfast instead of chocolate milk, smoothies with lots of protein powder, canned soups for dinner (which he drinks with a straw).

Hope this helps!

Kaaren

OK- I'm not yet a mom, but as one of the world's pickiest eaters (still!) I actually can relate to this. I've had several friends battle this same problem with very similar responses from thier pediatricians. Most have said 2 things: 1) as long as they are growing, don't spend too much time worrying about it, 2) Don't force food on them-- it's a battle you will not win. Unfortunatley, that was not the thinking when I grew up one of those horrible picky children and I remember sitting at the dinner table forever because there was something on my plate that I didn't want and my parents were going to make me sit there until I ate it. I always got the lecture about starving children in China. I also remember vomiting at day care because they made me eat spinach. I think those kinds of experiences when you are younger have a major effect on your attitudes toward food later on. I never got over that texture/ smell thing with food, largely I think because of things being forced on me when I was younger.



I've got to go too my psychoanalysis appointment now....



Wendy

[houseelf]

So strapping him down and force feeding him healthy foods isn't a viable solution? Ha Ha.



Seriously, thanks for all the valuable input. When my hubby and I talked about having kids, we imagined this perfect, clean slate in which we could mold into a loving, intellectual, healthy human being. Needless to say, we have a Teletubby watching, jello eatin', fiercly independent little toddler who has plans of his own. And by the way, hey, I believe that zuchini bread is a viable vegetable. I guess for now, we'll play hide the vegetable. I'm glad to know that he won't starve himself or anything. I swear, he survives on air.



He acts like we're stabbing him with a million knives if we place anything green on his tray. Hopefully he will grow into a healthier eater. Meanwhile, Sean and I have to sneak any treats that we want!



Thanks for all the great advice!



Kelly

My 22 month old won't eat any vegetables or meat (other than hotdogs if you can call that meat ) I haven't worried about it too much because he will eat fruit and Cheerios actually have pretty good vitamins and minerals. For protein, I occasionally can get him to eat a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich and french toast will at least get some eggs into him. Kids at this age will go through stages where they eat almost absolutely nothing and then they will have a growth spurt and eat more. It is different for each child but usually nothing to worry about. Zuccini bread is as close to vegetables as I can get my son to eat. His brothers were the same way at this age and now my 9 year old likes most vegetables. Will your toddler eat pasta? Maybe really small pieces of vegetables mixed in might work. I have tricked my baby a few times anyway. One thing I noticed with Dallin is that he would drink milk all day and not eat anything if I let him. So cutting back on what he could drink and trying to get him to eat more healthy foods worked a bit. It is still a challenge.



Welcome to the toddler stage!!!!!!



Robin

Kelly,



We did a lot of games with the kids and veggies that seemed to work. When they were into Pokemon (kids at school introduced them to it), I would make mixed veggies and we would give them little Pokemon names...and they ate them. I have named my spinach Quiche "cowgirl pie"...big hit! and have a casserole with meat, veggies and potatoes in it that is called "cowboy casserole"...etc, etc....



Having them help me cook has also made them more likely to eat it......



Kris
The Medical Spouse Network

[Meenah]

I went through this with my girls. My pediatrician told me to just look at what they ate over a one week period, not daily. This was to calm ME down, the kids were healthy!!!!