Monday, February 6, 2012

Into the Land of Picky Eaters

From Drop Box
Well, folks all good things must come to an end.

And my streak of children who eat most things is over.

Henry has been developing a picky-streak in relation to veggies for a while, but he can still be coaxed into them on most days. (Like, "You want a piece of bread? The peas have to go first," style).

But then there is Ezra. What is up with this kid? He doesn't eat MOST things. I don't understand it.

He will eat the following:
Cereal with milk
Pretzels
Crackers
Crackers with peanut butter/jelly
Apple slices
Oranges
Bananas (kind of maybe)
Cheese
Potatoes
Sometimes rice
Sometimes beans
Sometimes noodles

ANNNNDD that's it.

(Please note the distinct lack of meat. He started out liking them and now just throws them on the floor.)

He doesn't like bread of any kind most days (Randomly he ate a quarter of a peanut butter sandwich yesterday. Progress?)

Ezra thinks veggies are gag-worthy (raw, cooked, sauted, NO! NO! NO!)

It's hard only because we do the whole "offer lots of healthy variety" thing and it hasn't worked. All my other kids appreciated a huge range of things and only Henry has gotten remotely picky about stuff.

I don't quite know what to do with him. It goes against everything in my little Morgan-heart to offer foods to children that are not "the meal". Yes, I know he's 14 months old, but this a NEW problem, after three other kids.

(Spencer has eaten exactly ONE THING he didn't like and it was mushrooms. I don't blame him. Oliver is pretty steady, he likes most stuff.)

Anyone have some brilliant ways to convince a baby to try new things?

2 comments:

Alice said...

Jus tell him he will have to be held by and taken care of by aunt Alice for three hours unless he eats whatever you are offering. I think that will do the trick for sure! ;)

Angie said...

All my boys are exceedingly picky. I refuse to be a short order cook, but I have begun to get really good at making things in layers--pasta with sauces, rice with other things etc, so that each child with his particular proclivities (they can't be picky in the same way) will be drawn to at least some portion of the meal. I also know that even with that, there is no way I can make a meal that everyone likes, so I make a mix of new things, old things and rotate who gets shafted and they all know that failure to eat what is available (no allergies here), means "breakfast is in the morning." They will not starve if they refuse to eat one meal. Slowly, they are getting less picky. It can take 8-16 tries of a food to decide to accept it. I make them try everything new and keep trying. My BIL does something called "no thank you" portions--enough to genuinely say they don't like it, but his kids are older and less picky. I also do a lot of trying to figure out what is the problem--texture, or smell, color, stars' alignment--that makes a food unappealing. That helps me to avoid some things or jack up other things. But one thing I won't do is make them finish something they don't like. I suffered through too many dinners growing up where siblings cried to the point of vomit because they didn't like an option.

All that said, I HATE cooking for my kids sometimes. It is distinctly disheartening to spend time making healthy and tasty food only to be told it's "doo-scusting" time after time. Good luck, hopefully your good luck will return.

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