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I’ve touched upon what a picky eater my Cbear is. I think he turned 1 and decided he would dictate what he would eat. I’m pretty sure the child ate mac and cheese for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 2 months straight. Then he moved on to waffles for every meal. I was lucky after that… he decided he would eat waffles and mac throughout the day. Sigh. Even at 3 1/2 years old, he’s still a problem eater. But, we’ve had some success too. Last week, while making our pizza at home, last week I instituted a new rule: Cbear must take 2 bites of whatever Mommy and Daddy are eating as well as his own dinner to get a “Special Cookie”. The cookie is nothing more than a chocolate chip cookie with M&M’s in it, but it does the trick. He really wants those cookies so he does take a bit, sometimes gagging through chewing. But he’s eating it and he now knows the rules. In a few weeks, I’ll up the ante and increase what he has to eat, or maybe I’ll even put it on his plate to begin with.
In any case, it’s take us 2 1/2 years to get this far. Two-and-a-half years of crazy mealtime battles. So you can imagine how stressing it is to see Bbear going down the same path – only with more stubborn requests. At 2 years old, Bbear is now insisting to eat only cereal. Granted, we don’t have the super sugary cereals in our house, but still. There is the odd day where he’ll eat a jelly sandwich (we’re still staying away from peanut butter as a precaution since my brother has the allergy) or a slice of cheese, but most days he’s a cereal or waffle eater.
Ah…. frustration.
Just as I am starting to get one child to eat a variety of things in the hope of only making 1 or 2 dinners, I have Bbear now insisting on a completely different course. I’m feeling like I just can’t win. I know some moms, and even our doctor suggested this, say they put what they can eat on the plate and if they choose not to eat it that’s too bad because there is nothing else. I just can’t bring myself to do that. I can’t let my boy(s) go to bed hungry. For one, I fear that I’ll be hearing that 3am call telling me they are hungry. For another, it just seems mean, especially at this point since they aren’t used to me not feeding them. Maybe I should have taken a harder line way back when, but I guess that’s just not me.
I’m just holding out hope that Cbear continues to try new foods and that Bbear gets intrigued. I should probably re-read my own tips for a picky eater to chill myself out on the topic. Maybe next winter when Bbear turns 3 I’ll have a sporting chance?
How do you deal with a picky eater?
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Sometimes it takes prying a food item into their mouth to realize they actually like it. That’s what my mom had to do with me for strawberries
Not always the best tactic… but well :/
We did try that at one point, but the fight just wasn’t worth it! lol So… you love strawberries now?
My children are 16 and 11. I have never given them the option of eating only one type of food all day – every day. Like everyone they have food they love and food they would rather eat dirt then eat. But, oh well. If I make dinner then find something from the dinner table to eat or be hungry. And I make a different type of meal each day so, do not expect to find mac and cheese everyday. Of course, now that they are the ages that they are I am not so strict about food and thankfully, they like a variety of food. Well, except for certain vegetables . . . those will never get on the plate.
I swear my son changes his tastes everyday. He will eat something and say its the best thing ever but the next time he will just look at and say he doesn’t like it. Ugh. It was nice when they were babies and would eat everything because it was all new and exciting.
Exactly! My boys were excllent eaters when food was being pureed!