Befor I had a child, I just knew I'd never have a picky eater. Right from the start, I thought to myself, I will only give him healthy foods, so he'll be raised to like them and gobble them up. Sounds logical, right? Wrong! Though I have made a habit of giving my child healthy options to eat- plenty of veggies and fruits, a balance of protein and carbs, etc, etc, Keaton seems to have a mind of his own when it comes to eating. He has major texture issues. He'll eat chicken that I've cooked and put in the food processor, but he won't eat a Chick-fil-a nugget. Come on- what kid doesn't like Chick-fil-a? We went to a Tex-Mex place for lunch today with some friends and ordered Keaton a cheese quesadilla. Sounds safe, right? He likes cheese. Wouldn't touch it. He had to be starving. It was 1:00, and he hadn't eaten since breakfast. Wouldn't touch it. I decided not to offer him something else- just let him sit there with the quesadilla. Still wouldn't touch it.
So I'm asking my wise mom friends for some advice. How do you keep from creating a picky eater? Help!
4 comments:
Not that I am thankful you have this problem too, but I am glad to hear that I am not the only one that struggles in this area. I heard a message from either James Dobson or Dennis Rainey about getting kids to eat their vegetables. They said that at the dinner table the children are always going to win. Not what we want to hear! But I have learned to stop forcing Easton to eat when I eat and what I eat and try to feed him throughout the day. He loves fruit, so I just constantly give him bananas, peaches, oranges, apples/applesauce, yogurt, etc. As much as I can. Anyway, I don't know if that helps, but I have also been challenged in this area and am still trying to get him to eat well.
I don't know- because Kinley is doing the same thing! I've tried just letting her skip meals; pseudo forcing her to eat; making funny faces and noises... nothing seems to work! I say maybe get super creative- and hide nutrients in his food or drinks (but still giving him the option on his plate, just in case he eats it there). But again...I am no expert either!
I know several people who swear by Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious". It's basically how to sneak nutrition into foods the kids like. Maybe just be sneaky about veggies until he grows out of it? Good luck!
i don't think there is a way you can avoid it. nearly every toddler goes through a time where they are very particular about what and how they will eat something. grace used to LOVE anything you would give her and since she has gotten about 2 she won't hardly eat anything. my best advice is to just keep offering good choices of food and to do what you did with the quesadilla ... if he won't eat then don't give him something else. if he wants to eat then re-offer what you originally tried to get him to eat. toddlers will eat anything when they are hungry. :) grace is living proof of that. also, perhaps he doesn't need as many snacks ... i have cut back on grace's snacks some and have seen improvement in her eating at meals ... just make sure he continues to get all the calories he needs. anyway, hope that helps!
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