This is how excited she was about the peas on her plate!
CALLING ALL MOMS OF PICKY EATERS...I NEED YOUR HELP!
This child was such a good baby food eater. Then came table food, and it went downhill from there. If she were in charge of her meals, they would consist of a rotation of mac and cheese, PB&J, pizza, and McDonald's cheeseburgers. Since I am trying to be a good mom, that won't fly at our house.
I told her to eat all her peas. She told me, "Let me see what my stomach says about it." Pretends to listen to stomach. "It says...no more, I'm full" Good try.
I came back through the kitchen and find her feeding her peas to her sister.
On the plus side, she loves fruit. Any and all kinds! On the down side, she does not love veggies...especially green ones.
Perhaps it is hereditary. When I met Steve, the only green things he ate were green beans and salad. I have since gotten him to eat cabbage, peas, butter beans, spinach, asparagus, tomatoes (not green but he wouldn't even try them and now he LOVES tomato sandwiches), and most recently broccoli. I am very proud. His mom said when he was little, he told her, "the only green thing I like you only make at Christmas" He was referring to Watergate salad (with marshmallows).
So, my question is this...do you
A) send them to bed without supper
B) make them clean their plate if it takes 2 hours
C) just make them try "one bite"
D) serve it up for breakfast the next day (Just Kidding...did you see the movie "Mommy Dearest" where poor little Christina gets rare steak for breakfast?) Even in my frustration I will not resort to that!
This one is a little better about veggies but is not fond of all things green.
Enough about vegetables...Steve came home with this surprise today. He and my mom went blueberry picking this afternoon and our freezer is stocked! He says we are all going back tomorrow for a family blueberry picking! And for FREE!!! Can't beat that! He was very proud of his jug contraption to hang around his neck so that he could pick with both hands!
8 comments:
AHHHH yes the veggie question. I have one who eats veggies(Benjamin) and I mean just about all veggies, but no fruit. One who eats fruit, but just about no veggies (Luke). One that eats chicken and blueberries. (David) So, my opinion is...
*Make sure they have one thing on their plate they enjoy. That is hard to do at every meal, but I try the best I can to. It helps me enjoy the meal as they enjoy what they eat.
*Remember, it is most likely a stage. We are going to have many issues in life. I might suggest not stressing about this too much. I feel your pain and know how hard it can be to try to fix a balanced meal.
*With the two older boys, we have them at least try a bite of food on their plate.
*When they complain about the food I prepare we remind them that is unacceptable.
*One night last week they went on and on about asparagus. They got it for 3 dinners after that. I spared them breakfast, but it graced their plate for 3 nights after that. We had asparagus contests-raced to see who could eat their stalk first. We do try to make it fun. :)
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I am laughing at her response of her stomach being too full. That is pretty smart. But I'm sure you don't think it's as funny as the rest of us.
Anyway, since I am not a mother I probably shouldn't give advice. But, I've always read that you shouldn't make a child clean their plate. Maybe just go with a couple of bites. My mother always fixed us something else if we didn't like what the main meal was, and I don't think that was the best idea either. I grew up a picky eater and just in the last few years have I branched out. And Jeremy eats less healthy stuff than I do.
So, I bought this cookbook called Deceptively Delicious. Instead of me writing you a novel today, go look it up (it may have it's own website) and see what you think. It's a little extra work but I think might be worth it once we have kids.
Good luck!
I'm out blog-hopping today, stumbled on your blog and first, your girls are precious!
as a non-mother I can only tell you what worked for me and the kids I baby sit for.
First off, condiments make a difference. for instance Honey on black eyed peas is to die for and makes it a little easier to stomach (think spoonful of sugar, just not too much, 'cause then you're being counter productive)
honey, honey-mustard and katsup can pretty much go with anything... and cheese!
second, my mom always made me ny eat "as many bited as I was old" so as a three year old I had to eat three more bites...
ALso, I found that eating the icky stuff first, so that the taste of the yummy stuff is the last in your mouth is a good way to go (I still live by that one!!)
I hope your precious babies learn to eat healthy!
well, it's nice to blog-meet you!
If you run out of recipes in Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious, you can also try Missy Chase Lapine "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals."
There was a big hullabaloo about plagerism-that is the only reason this childless non-cook knows about either!!!
Oh, sister, do I ever feel your pain. We have two picky eaters in this house, and it's the HARDEST thing I have encountered thusfar in parenting. Even James Dobson says it's one of the things that you can't force. But we have tried everything...
Scooter is a big fan of "eat it or die." This produced a season of me absolutely DREADING mealtime. Screaming, crying, people being sent to their rooms. Great family time, right? So we've moved away from that..whew!
Now I make sure that there is at least one veggie on the plate that they will consistenly eat, and they are required to eat that one. Then we encourage trying at least a bite of the newer one. It's a slow go, and lots of food goes down the disposal, but peace has been restored, and they're getting at least a tiny bit of balance.
I will say that I think it's something of a stage, because Britton is improving more than sissy...
I make mine try 2 bites. The first bite is always followed by "yuck, gross, I hate it, nasty"....etc. By making them eat a second bite, I've actually found that sometimes they'll back down and admit that they actually like it. Worked with asparagus. All 3 of mine will eat it. Not so lucky with broccoli, though. They hate it and it makes them gag. Even if they try 2 bites and still don't like it, that doesn't get them off the hook for the next time. The 2 bite rule always applies.
I enjoy reading your blog!!
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