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dont start them on eating processed foods like chicken nuggets, french fries or fish sticks, REAL food only and small portions
Carolinajack, we agree on something!
I would not go to any great lengths, it's not good to make food an issue.
If you would *like* to become a more creative cook, that's great, but do not make mealtime a battle. It would be nice if you could introduce some "real" fruits and vegies.
I like Lorann's suggestions. I used to steam green beans and make an easy dip with plain yogurt mixed with a bit of mustard.
A couple days ago we went to a party that served big juicy strawberries with a bit of yogurt. So simple, and it sounds a bit strange, but it was refreshing and delicious and the kids gobbled it down. (It turned pink! )
All toddlers go through periods of being picky eaters. That's their job.
Never force a child to eat anything. Not even bites of things. Never discipline or praise your child for eating.
Doing those things helps lead to obesity and eating disorders. Children are programmed to eat when they are hungry and not eat when they are not. It's parents and society that come along and tell them not to listen to their body, instead go by what time it is or what's on the plate. That's why we live in such a fat society today.
With my toddler she eats like crazy some days and barely eats at all on others. That's fine. I still offer the food and she knows it's there for when she's hungry. And she's very healthy.
I'm thinking of getting him one of those booster seats so he can sit at the table with us instead of being in his high chair. It will be something new to him I think he might like. We'll see.
Yep, I guess most kids are picky eaters one time or another. I remember when my sister was little all she ever wanted to eat was mashed potatoes. She's 24 now and still loves her mashed potatoes. Me, I use to sniff and nibble my food like a rabbit to determine whether I liked it or not. My mom still teases me to this day about that.
With my son, there have been times where its been a battle to get him to eat. But I've learned that if we remain calm during mealtimes he'll remain calm (most of the time anyway).
You know, before I ever had a kid I would laugh when people talked about terrible two's. I figured "How bad could it be?" Now I know what people are talking about: the tantrums, picky eating, screaming in stores, etc. Parenthood can be hard but it is still so fun and rewarding.
I would not give a multivitamin. I would do what has worked for many many generations (pretty much up until ours): put whatever you are having in front of him too. If he's hungry enough, he'll eat it. If not, not.
I've done this w/all 3 of my kids. I make really healthy meals, and if they don't like them, they can wait til the next meal to eat. They catch on fast, and start eating whatever is in front of them. I hear parents say things like "my kid will only eat chicken nuggets so we have to make them" and I'm thiking WHAT?? NO YOU DON"T!!
Laura Ingalls ate rabbit stew for breakfast. I bet none of our kids would...unless they were REALLY hungry, and then they would too. Don't give them unhealthy foods or unhealthy snacks, don't give them snacks too close to mealtime, and then give them whatever you are eating and NOTHING ELSE. My kids eat EVERYTHING, and that's why. This is a "problem" for our generation only. No one else has ever catered to our children's eating preferences like our generation has.
My pediatrician gave us the same advice about giving him what we eat for our meals too. I think he doesn't like the texture of some foods, like pasta or creamy stuff. He wont go near mac and cheese or other pasta dishes. But he likes meat, like beef and chicken. Maybe I'll try the rabbit stew. Just kidding
The one thing he loves to eat is cheerios. He could eat that for all three meals a day if I let him. I try to sneak in fruit in his cereal but he always knows how to pick them out, that little booger.
Hi everyone!
I know alot of you have been through this so maybe yall can help me out some. My son is almost 2 and has never been much of an eater. He's growing well and right where he should be so I'm not concerned about him being underweight. He'll eat waffles, scrambled eggs, toast, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, fish/fishsticks, etc. But I can't get him to eat veggies or fruit. He likes applesauce or toddler fruit and veggies.
Any suggestions or recipes that your little ones like? THanks for your suggestions!
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I feel for you too, my daughter is almost 17 months old and yes, I give her the same type of food you are except for the scrambled eggs. ... any ways what I do sometimes is that I try to puree' (sp?) the veggies and mix it with stuff, like mix it in spaghetti or meatloaf. They won't know the difference...
Hi everyone!
I know alot of you have been through this so maybe yall can help me out some. My son is almost 2 and has never been much of an eater. He's growing well and right where he should be so I'm not concerned about him being underweight. He'll eat waffles, scrambled eggs, toast, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, fish/fishsticks, etc. But I can't get him to eat veggies or fruit. He likes applesauce or toddler fruit and veggies.
Any suggestions or recipes that your little ones like? THanks for your suggestions!
First of all you need to dump the chicken nuggets and fish sticks...if you want to give him those things make them yourself with healthy oil in the oven instead of the processed premade ones. But I think you need to give him lots of fruit and veggie options to round out what he is eating. Like others have said use reduced fat cheeses and salad dresses as dips for raw veggies. Have him help you make a fruit salad and maybe he will enjoy the process so much he'll eat it too! Also plant a garden, kids just love to eat the things they have grown themselves!! It opens up lots of veggies to them. I don't believe in cooking separate foods for the kids and parents, I think they should eat what we eat so after some tantrums with my first (didn't make the same mistake with my second so I didn't have the picky problem or tantrums with him) he eats what I serve.
Unless your pediatrician recommends a multi-vitamin I wouldn't just give him one, ask first. But there are many cereals (Cheris mult-grain is what I used per my pediatrician's advice) that have 100% of all the needed vitamins and you can give them for snacks instead of cookies or other junk...they are sweet and kids like them so that's what mine got for their "junk" snack of the day.
There is a great book "Super Baby Food" (I don't have my copy in front of me) written by a vegetarian. She has some great toddler recipes, like Tofu Nuggets (bread sticks of tofu and season, bake in oven) and homemade yogurt recipes. I was surprised that my son likes tofu, depending on the recipe. I'm not a vegetarian, so meatballs have been popular in my house. You can add lots of nutrition easily (wheat germ if no allergies, grated carrots or zucchini) without altering the taste.
Pick up the book, it's an excellent reference to read before your baby even starts on solids. It has info on all fruits and veggies, when to introduce them, how to cook them, how to store them, and portion sizes. The other big focus of the book is Super Porridge - any hot cereal type, you can add fruits or sweet potatoes, natural sweeteners, etc. It's great thing to introduce to your baby and it will continue to be a healthy habit through toddlerhood. My son is almost 6 and has hot cereal every morning for breakfast. I throw in wheat germ (folic acid) or flax seed oil, mashed bananas or blueberries, and a little brown sugar or honey.
My kids (son 6, daughter 18 mo.) are also lean (they have always been in the 5-10% for weight), so I make sure that what they DO eat has the most nutrition, bite for bite.
hope this helps!
I know everyone means well when they say I need to feed my kid "real" food and believe me he does eat "real" food. So he eats chicken nuggets or fish sticks occasionally, Big Deal. I don't feed him that kind of stuff everyday or even every week. I DO NOT give him junk food, Kid Cuisine, Lunchables, Koolaid, etc. I know moms who do and that is their business. For the most part he eats what we eat and our meals are fairly healthy and nutricious. He would rather take a few bites of food and then play or eat something else. Sometimes it hardly seems like he is eating anything (and I know they do this) but he is growing fast so I know I must be doing something right, lol.
I really appreciate everyones suggestions and they are good ones. Marymel, I have seen the book you are talking about at my local library so I will check to see if it is available next time I'm there. Irishmom, the garden idea sounds neat! I love it only we just moved into an apartment and don't have anywhere to put one. The town I moved to will start there farmers markets soon so I will take him with me when I do my shopping there. In the grocery store he would rather try toppling over the oranges from his grocery basket seat, hehehe.
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