Moms of picky eaters, UNITE!

[RileyMom]

Back when my daughter was eating pureed food, she would eat absolutely anything and everything. Carrots, squash, apples, spinach, sweet potato, you name it. Solid foods - well, not so good. She is two years old, and here is a complete list of what she will eat.

Breakfast
cinnamon and spice oatmeal
Earths Best Cereal bars (she would eat these every single day if I let her)
cinnamon toast
scrambled eggs

LUNCH/DINNER
Spinach - (yeah, go figure, huh?)
brocolli - (she used to LOVE it, but has been rejecting it lately)
Perdue nuggets - (depending on her mood :rolleyes: )
cottage cheese
yogurt
mac 'n cheese
pasta with sauce or (pasta with chopped or canned tomatoes)
Hummus on pita or cracker
Ravioli

SNACK
cheese sticks
veggie crackers with cheese spread (real cheese, obviously)
Earths Best cookies
100% fruit and vegetable juice

She hates fruit of any kind. I've tried apples, oranges, kiwi, strawberry, and bannana. She is very finicky when it comes to the consistency of these foods.

She will occasionally take a bit out of what we are eating, but unless its one of the things listed above, she generally turns her nose up at it. Oh, and the kid would drink Milk until it comes out of her ears. She LOVES her milk, which I actually have been trying to cut back on so she would eat more.

I am so tired of battling the food issue. There has got to be other Moms out there who are banging their head against a wall like me. :o

[NicoleWisconsin]

Did you ever try doing dried fruits? Blake doesn't eat a lot of fruits because of texture, but he loves dried apricots, prunes, peaches, pears, apples, and raisins. I cut them into pieces so he won't choke, but they've really been helpful.

[vjel]

rileymom , i'm there with you. my dd will NOT eat fresh fruit, except bananas. i've tried and tried and she just spits it out, like they are tart. :rolleyes: veggies are not much better. i feel like all she eats is pasta and maybe some bites of what i'm eating. in general she gets enough to eat, just not enough of the right foods to make a well balanced diet.

[margiepgh]

RileyMom - How old was your DD when she became picky?

My 19 month old son was a great eater until about a month ago, but seems to be getting more picky lately.

[mamax2]

I feel your pain! My DD has been a picky eater since she gave up purees too. I think she spent a good 6 months eating nothing but fruit & grilled cheese! These days, she's starting to pick up a little, but we also fortify her diet w/Pediasure about 4x/week because she's so picky and her weight was low (she was low to begin with, then got a bad cold and lost 2-3lbs! :eek: so we started Pediasure to at least keep her on the charts).

Breakfast:
Bagels w/cream cheese
Waffles
Pancakes
Cheerios

Lunch/Dinner:
Pizza
Chicken Nuggets
Grilled Cheese
Baked Ziti *sometimes* (btw, no other pasta and we've tried many, it has to be whole wheat ziti - baked!)
Grilled chicken *sometimes* or grilled turkey tenderloin - if we call it chicken
French Fries (if they're from just the right restuarant :rolleyes: )

Fruits:
Bananas
Grapes
Pears
Apples
Peaches
Mandarin Oranges & Clementines
Blueberries
Strawberries

Veggies (these are very hit or miss):
Peas
Corn
Green Beans
Carrots

Snacks:
Mozzarella String Cheese
Any kind of cracker or pretzel
Goldfish-type things
EB or Gerber Cereal Bars
Raisins, Craisins
Ice Cream cones (actually, sherbet - my Mom started this ;) )

Actually, seeing everything listed out like that makes me feel a little better, since, as I mentioned, it wasn't too long ago that it was just cheese and fruit! I also limit her milk to 16-24 oz, juice to 4oz (although Daycare pumps her full of juice unless I specifically tell them not to each day - grrr) and then an 8oz Pediasure if she's having a particularly bad day w/eating (as in quantity, not quality).

[RileyMom]

RileyMom - How old was your DD when she became picky?

My 19 month old son was a great eater until about a month ago, but seems to be getting more picky lately.

It seems like she has been picky since we transitioned from pureed, about 15-16 months. Sometimes I wonder if we waited too long, but she was never really interested before then.

mamax2 Thanks for commisserating. :o Its just so hard to come up with different dinner ideas when she really only likes certain things. I guess I just need to keep plugging away. I forgot to add that she likes Salmon too. You would think that if she would eat spinach and salmon (two of her faves) she would eat ANYTHING. My kid is something else. :p

[TrulyBlessed]

Subscribing to this thread b/c I can TOTALLY relate to all you mommies with picky, finicky eaters. My DD is 21 mos old & weighs 21 lbs and has been -3% in weight ever since she was 6 mos old. The only saving grace is that she loves her milk but everything else is a constant battle. She hates all fresh fruit except bananas. So, combined with milk, bananas & her next favorite food, rice, she is constantly constipated. :(

Looking forward to getting advice from y'all.

[mamax2]

Sheryl ~ Yes, Riley *does* throw a curve ball by eating salmon & spinach! :p Is she as picky at daycare as home? I find that C eats (or at least tries) foods at daycare that she won't even look at in our house. What I've started doing lately is giving her whatever we're eating - directly off our plates b/c she seems to like that novelty of having the food from our plate. Then, if she doesn't eat what we're having, I just pull out the old stand-bys: applesauce, yogurt, cut up fruit, string cheese. If all of that fails and she hasn't had a Pediasure yet, she gets that before bed.

Last night, she was being particularly disagreeable though and this morning, she got up at about 5:15 (for the day :eek: ) and when we were laying in bed I could hear her little tummy growling :( So, it's not just a matter of picky in terms of types of food w/us, she just doesn't eat much in the way of quantity either. She's still growing though, so I think it's just how she's built. It still amazes me some days though!

[RileyMom]

mamax2 - I know, I always feel so bed putting her to bed when I feel she hasn't eaten enough. Hubby doesn't seem concerned, as a matter of fact, he tells me I need to "chill out" and that I am becoming "obsessed" with the food issue. Isn't that a mother's job? ;)

Actually, I am posting to report that I had a success story at lunch today. I made cheddar cheese and brocolli quesadillas (sp?) right in the frying pan with whole wheat tortillas. It was so easy, and she gobbled it up. She LOVED it. So there's one more thing. She also is loving cinnamon graham crackers lately, so she's been getting that for a snack.

I guess the only thing I am really bothered by is the fruit issue. She loves fruit "flavored" things (like juice) but she has a complete texture aversion to fruit. I hope this is something she will grow out of soon.

Heres a question: since she doesn't eat fruit, is it okay to give her 8 oz. of juice a day (100% juice obviously). I have these juice boxes that I get in the natural food section that she loves (its called VRUIT - 100% fruit and vegebable juice), but I know juice is not necessarily good all the time. I just want to make sure she's getting enought vitamin C, and without it, she is lacking (except for the occasional brocolli). thoughts?

[mamax2]

I think it's fine to give her 8oz juice if you want to, although, you'll probably find that 4-6oz of 100% juice contains more than 100% of her RDA of vitamin C. I've given C extra juice whenenver she is constipated or even if it's just inconvenient to give milk (travelling, etc.) Also, have you tried puree-ing (is that a word?) fruit and making your own slushies or popsicles? Another thing that works well, if Riley likes yogurt is mixing some yogurt, milk and frozen fruit in the blender for a smoothie. If she likes that, you can even get brave and add a little flax seed oil or wheat germ for extra nutritional value. Note: she needs to be able to drink from a straw - not a sippy - for this smoothie idea to work. Also, does she have the texture aversion to dried fruit? Like, raisins, craisins, prunes, apricots? What about those dehydrated fruit bits from Gerber - they're really light and dissolve easily.

[RileyMom]

Hmmm....I haven't tried the dried fruit. Its worth a try.

Now that I think about it, I did a smoothie in the blender once, and she really liked it. I used frozen strawberries, frozen bananna, and milk, I think. I had forgotten about that. I was really surprised she liked it because her other aversion is anything frozen or really cold. :rolleyes: Maybe I'll try that again. Good suggestion.

[vjel]

what do you do if your DC doesn't eat much of what you offer? do you offer other things until s/he eats enough?

today is not a good eating day for us. she barely ate any lunch and I keep trying to offer other things (crackers, yogurt, milk) but she's not interested. After awhile I get tired of trying and figure if she really wants to eat, she will.

I know, I always feel so bed putting her to bed when I feel she hasn't eaten enough. Hubby doesn't seem concerned, as a matter of fact, he tells me I need to "chill out" and that I am becoming "obsessed" with the food issue. Isn't that a mother's job?

I am this way too! But I at least offer her milk close to bed time so she at least feels somewhat full (or I think she does)

[mamax2]

vjel ~ I do offer other foods if DD doesn't eat, but I don't go overboard w/that. In other words, I won't give her cookies just so she'll eat, kwim? Breakfast is fairly easy and lunch we just stick w/the same few foods, but at dinner I'll usually offer her whatever we have first. If that's a no-go (usually the case), we move on to safety foods like applesauce, bread, string cheese, cut up fruit - just depending on what she's already had to eat that day. If none of those work, I mix a YoBaby in w/some milk or give her a Pediasure.

Sheryl ~ That quesadilla sounds yummy! Actually, that reminds me of a lunch I sent to daycare (shredded chicken, zuchinni & cheese on whole wheat tortillas quesadillas) that DD would eat at daycare but not at home. When she was in the grilled cheese/fruit phase (basically from 12-19 months of age), I used to alternate cheese quesadillas and grilled cheese on bread, but then she started refusing the quesadillas :rolleyes: Definitely give the dried fruit and also the dehydrated (totally different consistency) a try - it's very sweet and the texture is nothing like fresh fruit so Riley may actually like it.

[jay&erinn]

Oh, we need help in this area too. DD is 22 months and weighs somewhere around 22 pounds (probably with clothes on :rolleyes: ). She basically lives on:
fruit (luckily she will eat most kinds, particularly blueberries, applesauce, peaches, pears and bananas)
pasta (only with marinara sauce)
macaroni and cheese (only Kraft)
a few veggies (peas, corn and green beans)
wedding soup minus the meatballs
toast
waffles
occasionally pancakes

Snacks:
Cheerios
fish crackers
flavored rice cakes (like those are going to help her gain weight)
fruit snacks

That's it. Other than breakfast, there really is no variety. We offer her what we're eating first and then break down and give her whatever she'll eat. It's very frustrating. We've been struggling to get her to eat meat since she was an infant (she wouldn't even eat the baby food meat, but who could blame her). She won't touch it. I've tried shreading bits of chicken to slip in with soup. I'll think she ate it, but out it pops after she's swollowed the broth, noodles and veggies. Any suggestions for more iron and protein in her diet?

I also think this food thing interferes with sleep. She often wakes up bright and early with her little belly growling. I keep thinking that if we could get her to eat better she'd also sleep better (and so would we).

[screetch]

Here to commiserate with y'all. My 20 month DS is quite picky and it drives me nuts. Here's his list of (mostly) "sure things"--

toast or english muffins with peanut butter
blueberry waffles
blueberry pancakes
bananas
blueberries
pears (sometimes)
apples (sometimes)
strawberries (sometimes)
applesauce
YoBaby
oats
canned apricots mixed with yobaby (must be mixed)
bread
pizza crust
tuna salad (sometimes)
chicken fingers (sometimes)
feta cheese and laughing cow wedges (usually.... and they are the only cheeses he will eat)
milk
water
Triscuits
Goldfish
graham crackers
grapes
cereal


He won't eat pastas of any sort (I've tried every sauce imaginable), won't touch any veggies, and usually refuses meats. Sometimes when I have something I think he will like but he refuses (even ice cream!) I will sneak it into his mouth and that helps get the eating process going.

When I first asked my doctor about it, he didn't have much to say except don't worry. He said as long as he's not getting junk food and I start off with offereing veggies/fruits, then meats/proteins, then breads I've done all I can do. I did ask him if it was okay to only give him what's on his tray and not give in to giving something I know he will like, and he said that's what he would do if it were him. Said if he gets hungry enough he'll eat. I personally have a hard time being totally tough about that but I try.

Sad thing is he was one of those kids who ate almost anything until he was about 14 months. He ate broccoli, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, meat, chicken, tofu, etc. The only thing he ever declined from the start was pasta. I'm hoping it's just a phase, but this has been going an awfully long time!

[mamax2]

Any suggestions for more iron and protein in her diet?


We've struggled w/this too since my DD is also slightly anemic. Fortified grains are great - Cheerios, bread, pasta. The trick is to read the labels. There are breads that have 4% and other brands have 10% RDA/slice! Also, try buying whole wheat pasta or that new Barilla Plus - again, more iron & protein than traditional refined pasta. To increase iron absorption, serve w/something high in vitamin C. Prune juice is also fairly high in iron (higher than prunes themselves, but those are also good).

In terms of protein, will your DD eat cheese or yogurt? That's basically what we relied on until she started accepting chicken nuggets a couple of months ago. Oh, or I used to be able to make quesadillas w/a slice of chicken or turkey lunch meat, but that only worked a few months and then she was on to me :p

[RileyMom]

Also, try buying whole wheat pasta or that new Barilla Plus - again, more iron & protein than traditional refined pasta

I have been doing this too. She likes that pasta as well as the traditional, and we have been eating it more too, which is better for all of us.

So, just to be clear - the dried fruit is like, crunchy -- like potato chips, while the dehydrated is soft and chewy right? I was in the health food section of the grocery store and couldn't figure out what I wanted, so I left without getting any. :rolleyes: (We have company so I was in a hurry.)

I tried warming up the quesadillas in the microwave today and found that they DO NOT re-heat well. The cheese on the inside was all dried out and awful.

For breakfast, she had cinnamon toast crunch cereal with just a little bit of milk. She LOVED it! :) She started rejecting it when the cereal got mushy, though (don't blame her.) So the trick is going to be to just use a little bit of milk, I guess.

When she wakes from her nap today, we are going to do a smoothie with frozen fruit. Later on this week we will take the deydrated or dried fruit test.

How's everyone else doing?

[vjel]

*bump* for lildan

[NicoleWisconsin]

So, just to be clear - the dried fruit is like, crunchy -- like potato chips, while the dehydrated is soft and chewy right? I was in the health food section of the grocery store and couldn't figure out what I wanted, so I left without getting any. :rolleyes: (We have company so I was in a hurry.)


Actually, just the opposite. Dehydrated has all the water removed... dried is mushy. And that is what Blake will eat.

HTH!

Nicole

[mamax2]

Sheryl ~ Dried fruits are basically your typical raisins, craisins, prunes, etc. There are, obviously, many others to choose from, but that pretty much describes the consistency. My DD likes all of the above plus dried cherries. The only dehydrated foods we've tried are those new packets by Gerber - they have apple, strawberry & banana and corn - all 3 varieties are successful in our house. Oh, and I've found that grilled cheese and quesadillas are best re-heated in the toaster oven.

Our weekend was about average, oh wait, DD DID eat a new food - we took her to a Greek festival and she's now a big fan of Loukoumedes - puffs of fried dough covered w/honey and cinnamon - nice and healthy, huh? :rolleyes:

Does anyone have good recs for cereals to try? I think DD is getting a little burned out on Cheerios, but I'd like to find something that's equally fortified and not too sugary. Any ideas? She just eats them dry I don't think she can handle the milk in a bowl thing yet.

[christyz1]

Mamax2 - I was just browsing in this thread and came across your post. My DD and my niece love Kix cereal. I ususally give Cadi a some on her tray while i'm making her breakfast, but I also carry it with us when we are out. She loves them!! Not sure how they compare to Cherrios, but if you want to know any of the nutritional info on it let me know and I will post it.

[mamax2]

Christy ~ Ohhh, thanks for reminding me of Kix! They are basically the same, nutritionally, as Cheerios. I have given them to DD in the past and she did like them, just not as much as Os, but they are worth trying again. I had totally forgotten about them! Any others?

[screetch]

Does anyone have good recs for cereals to try?
DS has been eating one of the Kashi cereals lately. I also give him a cereal I found in the organic section that looks good nutritionally and still has a sweet taste to it. Can't remember the name but it's got Clifford the Big Red Dog on the box so you can't miss it. IIRC it's pretty inexpensive, too.
I used to give him Total until he started rejecting that and tossing it on the floor. :rolleyes:

[jay&erinn]

Thanks for the iron suggestions. I've been cheating and giving her the "white" pasta since I can buy it in bite size pieces (I'm so sick of cutting everything). I need to start buying the whole wheat and just deal again.

DD will occasionally eat cereal and milk- she also hates when it gets soggy. We've been trying Crispix since it seems to stay crunchy a little longer.

[mamax2]

Thanks for the iron suggestions. I've been cheating and giving her the "white" pasta since I can buy it in bite size pieces (I'm so sick of cutting everything). I need to start buying the whole wheat and just deal again.

You should be able to buy whole wheat pasta in a variety of shapes. I usually buy ziti or penne, but I've purchased macaroni too. Annie's Organics makes very kid-friendly shapes too, like Arthur, little bunny rabbits, etc.

[Dotsie]

Add my ds Aidan to the list of very picky eaters. Here is what he will eat.

Breakfast
Pankcakes
eggs (very rare that he will eat them)
cheerios

Lunch
wonton soup
spaghetti o's
mac and cheese
chicken nuggets
french fries

snacks
yogurt
magic mighty mini's (tiny posicles perfect for toddler sized hands)
cheeto's or pirate's booty
potato chips (baked)
gerber granola bars (depending on his mood)
gerber veggie puffs
gerber wagon wheels

dinner
steak
chicken
fish

no fresh fruit or vegetables. He used to eat bananas but now he won't even look at them. From the list above you can see why at 25 months old he weighs a whopping 24 lbs. :rolleyes:

[Orange]

I've got a picky eater here too. Sarah just turned 2 in July and has been slowly but surely eliminating things from her diet for the past year. At 12 months, she would eat anything. In contrast to some of you though, she does not have a low weight. She's been consistently in the 50th percentile so I'm not worried about that. She gets plenty of calories, she just eats very few things.

As she's getting older, I really want to stop catering to her so much and get her to try some more foods. We offer her stuff over and over and she refuses to even try it. I read a chapter in a book recently that touted the ethod of "offer a variety of healthy foods and yur child will eat what s/he needs to stay healthy". I think that in theory this is a great idea but 1) it seems very wasteful and 2) I can't see it working. She always picks her favorite foods to eat if they're in front of her. If she's still hungry she'll ask for more of that food and if she doesn't get it then she just won't eat.

We've got a few "trick" foods that we use to help get her nutritional needs met - I have to get back to work right now but I'll be back later to post what I know and hopefully learn some new tricks!

[RileyMom]

I read a chapter in a book recently that touted the ethod of "offer a variety of healthy foods and yur child will eat what s/he needs to stay healthy". I think that in theory this is a great idea but 1) it seems very wasteful and 2) I can't see it working. She always picks her favorite foods to eat if they're in front of her. If she's still hungry she'll ask for more of that food and if she doesn't get it then she just won't eat.

Orange- I am glad you said that. I have often heard other Moms say that they just put all healthy foods in front of their child consisntly and they will eat it. Ummm....been there, done that, didn't work. ;) For my DD, the phrase "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink" rings true. She will reject it and go hungry unless we give in and offer her what she likes.

I cannot TELL you how much food we have either a)wasted/shot in the trash or b)had to eat ourselves. :rolleyes:

[RileyMom]

BTW, I did the smoothie thing last weekend, it went over like a lead balloon. :o I don't think I put enough sugar in it, so it was a little tart. Here's the recipe I used, if anyone can suggest a modification I am all ears:

2 cups milk (whole organic)
1 cup fresh/frozen fruit (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries)
1 ripe bananna, sliced
2 tbsp orange juice concentrate
3 tsp sugar
1 cup ice

[Renrel]

Hey there, I have a good eatter (so far) but I was a rotten eatter, and I was the best of my three sisters so I am trying to remember some of my mom's trickes and others I read up on assuming my kid would be like me. Who know, he is justing hitting the terrible 2 now so anything could happen. He certainly is having more off eatting days than he used to.

My mom used to make us milk shakes with raw eggs to get protien into us. That of course is a no go these days but maybe egg beaters or dried egg white can be added to a ice cream shake or other foods to up the protein and other nutrients. Check the safty on those foods raw, I have not researched it.

Fruit breads or muffins, like banana bread, blueberry muffin and carrot cake might help.

Puddings are made with milk and eggs for kids who refuse to eat those foods.

Not appropriate for the little ones, but my mom got us to eat meat by makeing a fodue. The rule was you had to eat what you cooked and we liked to cook our our food.

Adding food coloring to make a food the favorite color of your little one, and there have been studies done showing kids and adults eat more when foods of different colors are mixed up, be it jelly beans or peas and carrots. Not much help if the kids totally refuses but if there are foods he/she eats in small quantities it could be worth a shot.

Try different brands and forms, frozen peas may be a no go but the canned ones might fly.

Try bland and highly seasoned, different kids have differnet prefences.

Try different preparation to vary textures.

Let them eat in front of the tv or while they play. Fill a muffin pan or something like that with health finger food and leave it out where the kids can much while playing.

Put out something to dip the food in, ketchup, duck sauce, salsa, try differnet things - my weird kid will dip his chicken into his lemonaid (highly deluted) if I let him.

Let them use a spoon or fork if they like the challenge. (Again something that sometimes gets my usual good eater to eat on days he his being a bad eatter - may not work for the totally fussy)

Turn the food into art. I loved the shapes my dad made pancakes in and the faces they made on the pancakes at pancake house. Create a flower, a house, a car whatever out of the food on the plate.

Make up a game - I used to pretend my hot cereal was a beach and the raisens were people. As I ate the beach had to be redesigned.

Make up funny names for the food. ex. Ants on a log is celery with peanut butter and raisens.

Read lables to find fortified snack foods. I was suprised at how much iron or calcium I found in some gold fish like crackers or graham crackers.

Freeze fruit for a different texture.

Puree fruits and veggis and hide them in other foods, sauces, soups, shakes, home made ices or ice cream, cookies and cakes.

Add wheat germ or flax seed to baked goods or meatloaf or other foods they can be hidden in.

Get an older sibling or other hero figure to set an example. My younger sister started eatting omletes because I got really into them- Though we were older at that point, I cooked them myself.

Let them help cook the food or raise it in the garden or shop for it. I am just talking about letting them throw some of the ingredients in or stir the bowl, water the plant and pick a tomato, help you find the watermelon in the store. Whatever they are capable of.

Get music that talks about the food - ie wiggles yummy yummy fruit salad and hot potato songs.

Just some idea, I know I will not understand or feel your pain till I have a kid who will not eat anything but PB and J, and I find myself in a peanut butter free classroom but since it is a topic I have thought about alot I though I would throw in my ideas. If they are useless in reality just toss em. I understand that the best advice will come from a mom who has been there.

[mamax2]

Sheryl ~ First off, Congratulations! I hope that you have a H/H 9 months and then 18 years of non-picky eating :p

Re: your smoothie - it sounds yummy! How was the consistency? It seems like it would be pretty thick w/all that ice and frozen fruit. If that was the case, maybe that was part of the problem for R. Also, raspberries are pretty tart. I would stick w/bananas, strawberries, blueberries (test first - these can be tart) and peaches. Also, make sure your fruit is *really* ripe so it's naturally sweet and you don't need to add much sugar.

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but it sounds really good:
1/2 c. OJ
1 c. vanilla yogurt
1 c. banana
1.5 c. peaches
1/2 t. vanilla extract

FWIW, I never follow a recipe, I just throw frozen fruit and some yogurt and milk in a blender then taste and add honey, sugar, wheat germ as I think is necessary. In fact, I very rarely add sugar at all. Another thing I'm planning to try once we get the go-ahead from the Dr. next week is peanut butter, which should help boost the protein and fat content (providing DD likes peanuts :rolleyes: )

[Orange]

Smoothies are a big hit in our house as well, although I always strip DD down to her diaper before giving it to her as it inevitably ends up everywhere. We let her drink it out of a regular plastic cup rather than a sippy since it is kind of thick. No recipe, but we don't put sugar or any other sweetener in it. Usually plain yogurt, bananas, strawberries, blueberries and a little milk or cranberry juice. I actually ususaly use fat-free yogurt since we drink them too and Sarah does not have a low weight issue.

Some other foods that she loves that are healthy:

Yobaby Fruit & cereal yogurts. These have iron-fortified baby cereal at the bottom and are great if your kid doesn't eat much meat like mine. They're appkle-cinnamon flavored. I know that these yogurts are full of sugar, but I think that the calcium, protein and iron she gets makes up for it.

Spinach Nuggets. We get these in the natural foods section. They're basically soy-based fake chicken nuggets that have spinach mixed in. They're really tasty - they have garlic and onion in them as well. They also make a broccoli version but we usually get spinach becasue we can buy big packs at Costco.

Hummus/veggie sandwiches. I have a Kidco baby food grinder that we used to use when she was younger. I cook some carrots or other veggies, grind them up and mix with hummus. Since it is in a sandwich, she doesn't really notice that the veggies are in there.

Veggie scrambled eggs. This one stopped working recently becasue she can see the veggies. She likes the taste, but has taken a stance on not eating them. Anyway, I use the food grinder like above to grind up the veggies and then mix in the eggs while cooking. We usually top her eggs with cheese as well.

[RileyMom]

Mamax2 THANK YOU! :) Its not possible to have TWO picky eaters in a row is it? ;)

I think you are absolutely right about the smoothie. I picked up an already-prepared one in the health food section (it was a Soy one actually) and the girl INHALED it and wanted more. It wasn't super cold and it was very smooth and not thick at all. So that is the ticket. Good tip about the raspberries. I didn't specifically choose raspberries, but I bought a frozen bag of fruit that included all 3 (strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.) Your recipe sounds good!

Orange My DD has LOVED the Yo-baby since she was a year old, but lately isn't too crazy about them. :confused: Maybe she' s getting sick of them since we've been giving her 1-2 a day for a year now? I'm hoping she will jump back on the yogurt kick very soon.

This morning was BAAAAD breakfast morning. :o Asked her what she wanted, she said "cereal" so I gave her some cinnamon toast crunch cereal in a little bit of milk. Rejected it and said "oatmeal" so I made up a package of cinnamon/spice oatmeal. Guess who ate that? I'll give you a hint, it wasn't R. ;) So she ended up eating a few bites out of a cereal bar and screamed to get down. Ugh. Breakfast is getting tough because we are all trying to get out of the house, and this business of offering 10 different things before she eats it is getting OLD.

[Orange]

Usually my DH feeds Sarah breakfast but when he's out of town I do and we have a lot of battles over it. I've decided not to worry about it if she only eats a few bites. I let her pick what she wants and then I make myself the same thing so she doesn't change her mind when she sees what I have. Then if she doesn't eat it by the time we're ready to go, I figure she wasn't that hungry. They get a snack at around 9am at daycare anyway, so it's not like she's going to go hungry until lunch. She also sometimes changes her mind about eating her food when she realizes that her chance to eat it is over. In that case I often let her take it in the car if it is not too messy - dry cereal or waffles usually.

This morning my crazy girl ate waffles and peas for breakfast. I'm not complaining though!

ETA: Sheryl maybe Riley would like these cereal ones - they are quite a bit different from the usual Yobabys. Sarah likes them a lot more for some reason.

[bea_mama]

Help!

My DD has been on a total food strike for about 2 weeks now. She'll be 2 in a few weeks, and at first I was assuming this was the normal 2 year old slow down in eating that I keep hearing about. But now I'm really starting to worry b/c it doesn't seem that she's eating enough at all.

For example, yesterday she ate:

Breakfast - 4 bites of waffle with butter and syrup
Lunch - 1/8 of a hotdog, 2 peas
Dinner - 1 piece of pizza, 1 bowl of yogurt.

No snacks. She refuses to drink milk (never drank it), so drinks diluted oj (the kids kind with calcium) during the day.

She used to eat everything - loved veggies, fruit, ethnic food, meatballs, cheese, etc. Now, it's hotdogs and pizza if she'll eat anything and even then not much. I've tried just giving her food - no go. I've tried asking her if she wants x, y, or z - answer is always "no". Smoothies - no. She won't even eat ice cream!!

Her 2 year old check up is in a few weeks, so I'll ask her pediatrician for advice. But I'm hoping one of you will have some suggestions as well.

[mamax2]

bea_mama ~ That looks like a typical quantity/quality of food for my almost 2 y.o. DD as well. EXCEPT, she eats snacks and drinks milk. Snack foods that almost always go over well are: pretzles, crackers & cereal bars. I make sure there is a snack available mid-morning (if she didn't eat breakfast well) and after nap.

How much juice is Bea consuming in a day? If it's really a lot, the calories and sugar may be keeping her away from eating more foods. I see that she eats yogurt - could you give her drinkable yogurt and then eventually start mixing some milk in? That's what I did to get my DD to drink milk and now she LOVES milk. It's our only saving grace because w/out it, she wouldn't consume enough calories/fat in a day.

[RileyMom]

I just came in here to say that I just figured out who you are, mamax2.
;)

[bea_mama]

Thanks for the input, mamax2.

I think I would feel a lot better if my DD would just drink some milk. Maybe I'll have to try the drinkable yogurt. Hmmm. What brand do you give your daughter?

She probably drinks about 6-8 oz of orange juice a day - I put a lot of ice and water in her sippy cups and then just top them off with juice. She probably drinks about 3 full cups a day, then has water before bedtime.
Do you think that's too much juice?

I just wish she'd eat a vegetable every so often. I was so spoiled with her being such a good eater up to this point!

[mamax2]

Maybe I'll have to try the drinkable yogurt. Hmmm. What brand do you give your daughter?

You can buy the YoBaby drinkable yogurt - it comes in banana and peach flavors, but more recently, I just buy regular baby yogurt (usually Horizon since that's the organic brand carried at my local grocery store) and mix it with milk on my own. I make it a little thicker than the pre-made yogurt shakes, but DD drinks them from a straw sippy cup and does just fine.

Sheryl ~ :D I keep forgetting that I changed my username here and people may not 'recognize' me. ;)

[RileyMom]

Well K, its nice to see you here. :) Congrats on your pregnancy as well. If you hadn't heard, Shanna (alaskabride on WC) is pregnant too and also due in April.

{sorry for the hijack]

[emschwar]

I just found this thread, and I'm signing up! Noah's a picky eater, and he's got food intolerances (dairy). It's a joyful combination. :rolleyes:

[Orange]

Not much activity in this thread recently - does this mean all our kids have started eating? :p

Actually, I'm bumping it up to look for some opinions. At what age do you think it is appropriate to stop making special meals? I have no intention of always making my DD whatever she wants to eat. Eventually, she's going to have to sit at the table and at what we eat for dinner and at least try it. I'm just not sure what age is appropriate for starting to put my foot down about this stuff. There have been a few times where she was clearly hungry but didn't want what we served her so she just doesn't eat. She is not having trouble gaining weight so I'm not worried if she misses a meal or two, but I think she's stubborn enough that it could take a while. At 26 months, I'm not sure if she's old enough to reason with.

Any ideas?

[Dotsie]

I wish I could say my DS is eating. Well, he is if you count Mighty Magic Mini popsicles. If it weren't for chicken tenders I don't think my son would eat a thing.

[mamax2]

At what age do you think it is appropriate to stop making special meals?
Good question, I guess for me, I still always make something available that I know my kid will eat, but she has had trouble gaining weight and I'm not comfortable letting her go w/out food all day (which she would do if not presented w/any options she deems acceptable). I'm trying to encourage the 'family meal' concept by always giving her some of what we have, but she hardly ever eats it or if she does, it's just a taste. So, at this point, I'd be sending her to bed w/out dinner every night (unless we're eating pizza :rolleyes: ) and I just don't feel that's appropriate for a 2 y.o. She's starting to get the concept of 'If you try X we'll do this' or 'Eat 2 more bites of Y and you can have yogurt' I know those aren't the proper ways to encourage a child to try new foods or eat more, but at this point, it's our only way to get her to at least *try* a food and w/out trying, she'll never learn to like it, kwim? Baby steps...

Speaking of trying new foods, we had a success about a week or so ago - DD ate meat! :eek: Of course, it required us calling it 'cow' and mooing at the table while we ate, but she ate about 1T worth of steak on two different nights. She's also doing better eating chicken that's not in the form of a nugget - her favorite seems to be marinated & grilled thighs or breasts so that's been a huge improvement.

We're doing awful on the veggie front :( I'm lucky to get her to eat 1T worth of veggies (peas, carrots or corn) 2-3 times/week.

In good news, DD's weight is finally up after a year of struggling - she's finally falling in the 'average' range, but I know this is entirely due to the PediaSure we started giving her after she was sick. It really bulked her up in just a few weeks time.

[Anitsiva]

I wish that Gabriel would eat many of the things some of your children eat.

Here is what he will eat…..Waffles or cereal for breakfast, Peanut Butter and Jelly or Cheese sandwiches for lunch and Chicken Nuggets and French Fries or Meatballs and mashed potatoes or rice for dinner. He refuses to eat anything else. I always try to give him whatever we are eating but he always refuses. I end up getting him what he wants so that he will eat something. He will eat a yogurt as a snack before bedtime

He does not want juice or fruit, only water or milk.

Because of his strange diet and supplement with 1 can of Pediasure per day.

I hope that he grows out of this soon, He is 2 and ½ and I can’t imagine him getting by much longer on this diet. He is average weight for his age so the pediatrician is not concerned (just mommy).

[emschwar]

Noah's picky. Drives me nuts. He'll eat chicken nuggets, hamburger (usually), mac and chreese, ikea meatballs, rice, soy yogurt (sometiems), applesauce, most fruits, french fries, crackers, cookies and spaghetti. No veggies to speak of.

At this point, I make him his own food. If we're having something he can eat (he's got dairy intolerance), I give that to him, and he has to at least try it (and by try, I mean put it somewhere near his mouth) before I make him something else. Our ped told us at his 15 month appointment to stop making him special food and making him eat what's served or go hungry until the next meal, but I think 15 months is WAY too young for that. I'll cross that bridge again when he's 2. Definitely when he's 3, he'll be eating what's served. (Watch me eat those words in 2 years ;) )

ETA - a question - do y'all give vitamins or supplements (pediasure, etc) to balance out diets? Noah's total aversion to all things veggie worries me.

[mamax2]

ETA - a question - do y'all give vitamins or supplements (pediasure, etc) to balance out diets? Noah's total aversion to all things veggie worries me.
Yes to both. DD started taking vitamins when she was about 13 months old mainly due to her iron-deficient anemia. She stayed on the iron vitamins for 1 year and now she's on a regular chewable. We also *tried* giving her Pediasure when she was having trouble gaining weight around 15-16 months of age, but that went over like a lead balloon :rolleyes: Then, after she was sick this summer and lost several pounds, we tried Pediasure again and she LOVES it. Her weight is in the 'average' range for the first time in a year and I totally credit the Pediasure. We don't give it as an every day thing anymore, but if she's really not eating well (in terms of quantity) we add it in. She thinks it's yogurt and asks for it regularly.

Even when DD wasn't eating veggies (and she still doesn't all that often) I don't worry about it too much since she still eats plenty of fruit. My reason for adding supplements was purely for weight gain.

[emschwar]

Even when DD wasn't eating veggies (and she still doesn't all that often) I don't worry about it too much since she still eats plenty of fruit. My reason for adding supplements was purely for weight gain.
So even if he's not eating veggies, he's ok if he's eating fruit? Because he LOVES fruit. It's not unusual for him to have a meal of just fruit.

I found some soy based pediasure-like stuff, but you can only buy it by the case. I'd hate to buy a case of that and have him hate it :)

[mamax2]

So even if he's not eating veggies, he's ok if he's eating fruit? Because he LOVES fruit. It's not unusual for him to have a meal of just fruit.
According to our ped, yes. Of course, it's not a long-term strategy for life or anything, but she said that basically if a child consumes *either* fruits or veggies at this age, they have their bases covered. At one point she even told me not to even offer DD ANY veggies at all for like 2-3 weeks and then re-introduce something. That was semi-successful. Even now, I don't necessarily offer DD a veggie every single day b/c I've noticed that she grows intolerant of them VERY quickly. Have you tried the dehydrated corn by Gerber? That was successful w/DD when she was on a major veggie strike a few months back. If I can skip a day and then show her something she hasn't seen in a few days, I have better luck w/her actually eating the veggie. Last night she even ate peas! That is, until she saw DH and I eating salad and then all she wanted to eat was Ranch dressing (not w/another food or as a dip - just the dressing :rolleyes: )

[emschwar]

We tried the gerber corn. Not a big hit. I usually give him spaghetti sauce with "hidden" veggies (I grind them up in the food processor until it's a paste and throw them in the sauce), and he'll eat corn and tomatoes when they're in black beans and rice. But we don't eat that much, because it's a diaper disaster (though he loves it).

I'll try holding back for a while and trying again and seeing what that does. I wish he could do more dairy, because I suspect I could get him to eat those sweet potatoes at boston market... whole lotta sugar in that, but at least it's a veggie.

[mamax2]

Emily ~ That spaghetti sauce idea is great! Well, not for us since DD won't eat pasta, but for other people looking to sneak in veggies, I think it's awesome! My DD won't eat rice or beans of any sort either. What about making french fries out of sweet potatoes? You could actually fry them or if you're looking for a healthier alternative, oven baked fries are great.

[emschwar]

The spaghetti sauce idea was actually my mom's - my brother never ate veggies either! I'll have to try sweet potato fries. I'm not much of a cook though. How do I do that? Just slice and bake or fry?

[gizzyntaz]

Hey Emily -
Here's a good, easy recipe for sweet potato fries. We make great oven fries, but haven't ventured into sweet potato ones yet. This looks similar to our oven fries recipe. I may have to try these this weekend (for us, not Alan, of course)...

2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and coarsely chopped black pepper, for sprinkling the potatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed, left unpeeled, and cut into fries

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, the butter, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Arrange the potato slices, not touching, in rows on an oiled baking sheet. Brush the potatoes with the oil mixture, and roast them in the upper 1/3 of a preheated 450 degree oven, turning them once with a spatula, for 18 to 22 minutes, or until they are golden and crisp.

Transfer the potatoes to paper towels to drain, sprinkle them with the coarse salt and pepper to taste, and serve them warm.

[emschwar]

Thanks, Alison. I'll give that a try.

[mamax2]

Emily ~ Did you try the sweet potato fries yet? I made them last night and DD ate sweet potatoes for the first time in a year!!! :D I didn't use the recipe above b/c I've never heard of leaving the skin on sweet potatoes before so I just grabbed a different recipe. Next time I'll try the one Alison posted, only I'll probably still peel them since DD thinks fries w/skin have 'boo boos'. My only advice is not to make them too skinny since they shrink quite a bit and have a tendency to not hold their shape well. I was trying to make them the size of DD's favories (McD's fries :rolleyes: ) and some of them just got mushy and fell apart. I'll make them thicker in the future which will save prep time anyway. Anyway, just wanted to share a success story and hope this recipe works for some other picky eaters too!

[emschwar]

Not yet. Going to the store today though, so I'm adding sweet potatoes to my list. Thanks for the reminder!

[emschwar]

I just had to share -

NOAH ATE GREEN BEANS TONIGHT!!!!

This from the kid who hasn't eaten any vegetable besides french fries and guacamole since he's been on table food!

Of course, that's all he ate for dinner, he refused the sloppy joes, but I didn't care, he was eating a veggie! He probably ate about half a can!

[Orange]

NOAH ATE GREEN BEANS TONIGHT!!!!

Yay Noah!!!

I was actually going to come in here to report a veggie triumph in our house too. Last night Sarah ate BROCCOLI!! She ate the tops off of 3 florets. And then tonight, I gave her mixed veggies and she ate at least 1 piece of green and 1 piece of carrot! Just trying something is a big victory for us.

I have a question for everyone: My daughter is basically a vegetarian. We're not and we offer her meat, but she just doesn't eat it. Pretty much all her protein comes from dairy and peanut butter, sometimes hummus. My question is, what do I need to consider nutritionally? What's missing from a vegetarian diet? She eats iron-fortified yobaby but I'm not sure what else she needs.

[mamax2]

Yay for Noah & Sarah!

DD went out for lunch w/my parents on Thursday and ate lettuce and broccoli dipped in ranch dressing. Don't ask me why, but she only does this for my Mom at one particular restaurant. Weird, huh?

We've been having some success this week w/baby carrots (quartered so they're small sticks) dipped in Ranch dressing too. Usually DD considers ranch dressing it's own food group and just eats it plain :rolleyes: but she actually dipped carrots yesterday and today - yipee!

Orange ~ Your DD sounds very much like my DD up until a few months ago, except my DD won't eat peanut butter or hummus - just dairy. She now eats chicken, sometimes turkey and sometimes steak (a very new development). The biggest thing I would be concerned about is making sure she's getting complete proteins. Like combining certain beans & grains for instance. If she's eating plenty of dairy, fat probably isn't an issue, nor is calcium so she's good on that front. Also, making sure she's eating fortified cereals, juices, etc. 'Simply Natural Baby Food' by Cathe Olson and 'New Vegetarian Baby' by Sharon Yntema might have some good ideas for you to try as well. I have the Olson book and she references the Yntema book when talking about feeding vegetarian babies.

[Orange]

mamax2 thanks so much for posting those books! I just looked and saw that the 'New Vegetarian Baby' is available in my town library so I'm going to go get it as soon as Sarah wakes up from her nap. They have the other one too but it's checked out so I had to request a hold on it. Since I've never been totally vegetarian I'm really uneducated in how to eat that way.

I forgot to add that she does eat fish sticks (dipped in ketchup of course), so I'm sure that helps. I try to buy ones that have more fish and less breading, but it's a trick getting the balance right so she'll eat them!

[ellybelle]

If your kid eats dairy, they're getting complete protein, along with most minerals.The only worry then is whether they're getting enough iron. If they're eating beans and some eggs, then they may be getting enough iron.

Our DD was vegetarian until recently. She's started eating hot dogs (we get the no-nitrate kind from Whole Foods) and steak or hamburger.

[emschwar]

Ok, ladies, I need help.

Lately, all Noah will eat for dinner or lunch is Ikea meatballs or chicken nuggets. That's it. And if we're not having one of those, then he eats a banana for dinnner.

Tonight we had chicken from boston market. He actually picked it up a few times and put it in his mouth (so obviously it wasn't too terrible) but wouldn't eat it. He ended up eating a banana.

I've got to get him to eat more things. I've given up on veggies. It's never going to happen. But one cannot live off of nuggets, meatballs and bananas. (He does eat oatmeal for breakfast.) Any ideas? I try to keep offering, but I'm getting really sick of wasting food. (Plus, I'm not sure that we eat things often enough for him to remember them, and get accustomed to them, if that makes any sense.)

Thanks!

[Orange]

emschwar, would he notice if they were homemade meatballs instead of Ikea? I was thinking that you could grind up some veggies and hide them in there. I used to be able to hide a lot of stuff in Sarah's food but a few months ago she got wise to it. We have the KidCo food grinder ($10 at BRU) and it works great for a small serving. Also, have you tried frozen peas (serve them stil frozen)? At a time when Sarah would eat no veggies, she ate those. I tried one and they're actually quite tasty and not hard to eat.

I also just wanted to tell everyone that I'm finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Sarah is getting better and better about trying new things. Not great, but she eats a lot more than she did when I first posted in this thread. She'll now eat a few different kinds of vegetables and some fruit. The one thing that she won't even try that still baffles me is any kind of pasta. I would say that maybe she picked that up from me (I don't really like pasta either and didn't eat it much when pregnant or nursing) but she's never even tried it to know!

[LindsaySD]

I need help! My 15 mo. daughter is SUCH a picky eater. All she'll eat is bread with the occasional chicken finger or tater tot. I'm having to give her up to 6 cups of milk a day to keep her satisfied. Bedtime, which used to be the easiest part of the day, has become a diasaster and something I dread. She's sleeping less and wakes up after only 8 hours of sleep like she's thirsting to death.

I am so worried about her. I have talked to her doctor repeatedly, but he doesn't seem to worry. I know she's not dying or anything, but, as a mother, I can't help but be concerened.

Foods I've tried: mashed potoates, roast, carrots, grits, cake & cookies, oatmeal, chicken & rice casserole, pudding, yogurt, waffels, pancakes, meatloaf, turkey fingers, macaroni & cheese, beefaroni, ravioli...the list goes ON and ON!! No pasta pick-ups, no fruit, nothing. She won't eat anything out of a jar, and she won't even eat cereal anymore!

Any advice for a stressed mommy??

[emschwar]

Orange - I doubt he'd eat homemade meatballs. The only ones he'll eat (at least that I've tried) are the ikea ones. He's refused the trader joe's meatballs, as well as "spaghetti" meatballs. Now, if someone has a recipe for ikea swedish meatballs, then I could sneak some veggies in. Although, then he's still only eating meatballs, when I'd really like to get him to vary his diet some.

I'll try the frozen peas. Can't hurt!

Lindsay - not too much advice, but maybe let her eat off your plate? That's how I got Noah to eat oatmeal. Every morning (it took about 10 days), I made oatmeal for breakfast (the quaker instant flavored stuff, nice and sweet :)). Every morning, I ate it in the living room, and let Noah help feed it to me. After a week or so, he decided to taste it (with a subsequent "mmmmmm") and after 10 days, more of it went in his mouth than mine. Now, he won't eat anything but oatmeal for breakfast :rolleyes:

[emschwar]

bump! We're more picky than ever! Does it get better as they get older? please???

[Renrel]

I don't have a picky eater but found pumpkin ice cream at Trader Joes the other day and though some of you moms might want to know that it has loads of vitamin A as well as a fair amount of calcium. It also, of course, also has sugar and fat, but though I would pass it on in case you were willing to make that kind of a trade off. It does have pumpkin pie spice flavors though, so your baby/toddler still might not like it.

[twinnyme]

I'd love some ideas, too. DD has been in the 10% or so weight range since shortly after birth (she was big at birth, 8 lb. 12 oz.) but small ever since, and a very very picky eater. I haven't wanted to label her as such but I think I have to come out now and say that she is! :D

I find a lot of great ideas in the What is your child eating today? thread but DD still eats very little variety and very little fruits/veggies. Here's pretty much what she'll eat:

Favorites
* spinach - go figure; I actually think it's because it's easy to pick up.
* grilled cheese
* any cheese
* crackers
* bagels
* bananas - but starting to not seem to like this as much
* pasta

I call her "my little carb baby" but obviously this has me greatly concerned. The pediatrician said at her 12 month WBV just to keep offering her veggies and fruit (which I do at every single meal) and that he wasn't worried yet but that if she were still not eating many veggies/fruit at her 15 month WBV, he'd start to get worried. My mother suggested Pediasure - particularly when she was sick a little while ago - but she didn't seem to like it. I may start trying it again. She does still drink a ton of milk but has only had juice 2 or 3 times (and doesn't seem to like it), and rarely drinks water. I think she's getting what she needs for the most part - she seems satisfied and she sleeps well (well, except for when she's sick, which has been for about the last 3 months off and on).

She had an allergic reaction a couple of weeks ago to eggs (hives) so we're staying away from that now, although she seemed to love it (it was her third time eating it), and also peanut butter. I have a history of allergies and she was on hypoallergenic formula so I'm playing it safe on those things.

But she's ALWAYS been a picky eater - even when it was just formula, it took her FOREVER to eat 4 oz. and for months she had only 18 oz. or so of formula a day.

There are some great ideas on this thread, too - I've also tried quesadillas, which she does like - so I'm subscribing!

[1_mommy]

add me to the list having a kid who is a picky eater! my dd is 2 and she won't eat any sort of meat, unless it is a chicken nugget. she loves noodles and rice, will eat these for days. grillled cheese, mac and cheese and peanut butter sandwiches are a favorite for lunch time. I am not a fan of making an extra dinner for her, so most of the time she goes to bed hungry (don't flame me, i was the same way when little, i am hoping she will realize we mean business and will start atleast trying the dinner that is put in front of her)
loves bananas, fruit snacks, and of course any sort of junk she can get her hands on, i think she has a cookie maybe twice a month.
the only vegi i can get her to eat are green beans

[HGMorgann]

bumping this up. My DD is almost a year and for the past month has rejected almost all solids - except for pasta and yogurt. She spits out and throws all veggies and fruits on the floor. I hope this is just a phase. So anyways. I've liked some of your ideas on here - like sneaking in veggies in pasta sauce!

[lilcapeanut]

Ok this is not ideal and I can't believe we do this. And I can't believe I'm posting this. But if it works for just one of you then I'll feel better.

When DS eats terribly, we take him to Costco. For whatever random reason (besides to torture his mama), he eats v. well at Costco - he loves trying the different samples and little things in the little cups. He esp. loves things on a toothpick - he won't eat many hot dogs at home but at Costco, he chows down those bites of hot dog, grilled chicken, etc. if it's on a toothpick. So sometimes I'll bring food from home and when he's not looking, I put it on toothpicks and he thinks they're samples and gobbles it down. Anyways, worth a try for you desperate types like me. Because of our Costco expeditions, now he's much more willing to try new foods at home. . . esp. if they're on toothpicks.

We also let DS eat while watching The Wiggles or Barney. It doesn't happen often but when I'm desperate to get calories into him (he's on the small side), I turn one of his videos and I shovel in as much of his Trader Joe's honey greek yogurt (it has tons of good calories) as I can. It's not ideal but it's helped him gain weight over the last few months.

If you're worried about getting enough nutrients into your picky eaters, try Yo on the Go. It's this yogurt drink that's in a box, like a juice box, but bigger. It's loaded with calcium, Vit. A, Vit. C, riboflavin, etc. and tastes pretty darn good. It's super convenient too b/c it doesn't require refrigeration so I always leave one in his diaper bag and just give him one if we're on the go and he's not eating anything I offer.

[emschwar]

Noah added another food to his repertoire. Now he eats chicken nuggets and hot dogs. And that's about it. Oh, and cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. I swear this kid won't eat anything healthy.

[Renrel]

I am not the mom of a picky eater so feel free to disregard anything I say, I like to read along because I was a picky eatter and so was my DH so I keep thinking my son is bound to be come one soon.

I am posting to comment on a strange thing I have noticed with my "good eater". He understands that dessert comes after the meal. So he will sit down and eat some of his dinner, may be one bite maybe alot, and than announce he is ready for dessert. If we serve dessert but leave his dinner on the table he will very often go back to eatting it after he finishes dessert. So if you do give your kids dessert you may want to concider not clearing the table first or even serving all the foods together. DS will also sometimes eat more when he has three bowls of food instead of one. It is fun to go from bowl to bowl for some reason. We also don't always manage to clear the table right after dinner and after bath time DS will sometimes decide he wants to eat some more. Maybe it is just a stall but I like that he is eatting some more real food and allow it. I am kind of into grazing myself and don't have a big issue with all food being eatten at the table during meals. Snacks are fine with me, as long as they are mostly healthy - fruit, bread, cheese, and I do allow eatting away from the table.

And the sample thing makes perfect sense to me. Toddler seem to like there food to be fun. I will serve foods in differnent ways to see what goes over, cold, hot, with dip, cut in triangles or circles or squares, in a bowl or on a plate, with a spoon, fork or chop sticks. Often eatting sitting on my lap or out of my bowl is what it takes to get DS to agree to sit at the table and eat when he is insisting he wants to keep playing. We don't force DS to the table we do sit down ourselves to eat and he usually decides it will be more fun to join us, but sitting on my lap seems to be a change that allows him to save face from his orginal no!.

[vjel]

what do you guys do when your DC refuses what you've prepared for that particular meal??? I never know from day to day what my DD will be willing to eat. It used to be that if she refused what I gave her, I'd scramble to find something else for her to eat. Now, not so much. It's incredibly frustrating to take the time to prepare something for her and then have her not eat it. She knows when she doesn't want something so I allow her to make that decision for herself. Sometimes I'll offer her fruit or a snack in place of the meal but sometimes I also will skip the meal entirely and give her a bigger snack when it's time. I do feel guilty about not offering something else for her to eat sometimes, but I also feel that she needs to eat what is in front of her...unless she can communicate to me what she does want to eat. (which she can by going to the fridge or pantry and either saying what she wants or pointing and saying "want this". usually it's fruit, crackers, cereal)

anyway, i've read and have been told by our ped that if they don't eat what you give them, then the meal is over, that's it. they won't starve, blah blah blah. i try to do this more now, but it's still frustrating when she refuses food. Just wondering what everyone else does...

also recently, if she doesn't eat what i offer, sometimes i'll take a bite of it and she will be more willing to eat afterwards. :rolleyes:

[emschwar]

vjel - This has been a big struggle in our house. At 15 months our ped told us to basically starve Noah. We serve something, he eats it or goes hungry until the next meal. I refused. I felt at 15 months (especially for a child with weight issues) he was too young to understand the concept. I was also reluctant to turn food into a battleground.

6 months later, and we're a little more strict. Generally, I make dinner and he gets some, unless it's something I know he doesn't like, in which case I'll make him something else (nuggets). Our rule is he has to taste it. We're pretty lax on that - he basically just has to put the thing in his mouth, and then he can have whatever he wants. We still have HUGE battles at dinnertime, with whining and tears. I don't know if it's helped any at all.

Lately, we've been having problems at lunch too. Lunch is always something Noah likes - nuggets, hot dogs, meatballs. I ask him before hand what he wants, and he either tells me, or if he won't tell me, I pick. I know he likes the food, so I'm not as worried. Then, I sit him down and he either eats, or he refuses. If he refuses, he gets down from the table and goes to play. If he asks for something to eat, I offer him the same thing. Sometimes he stubbornly refuses until I say it's time to take a nap, and then he's willing to eat. :rolleyes:

Food is a constant battle in our house. I hate it. I have no idea what to do to get things better. But I can honestly say that our ped is wrong, because it's been a couple months since we started forcing Noah to try things at dinner and he still won't do it.

[yaya]

My son (19.5 mos) is a totally picky eater. Darnit, and his dad is a *chef,* it's so tragically ironic! But oh well.

He eats:
- Lots and lots of fruit
- Cheerios
- Pizza
- Milk
- Meatballs
- Cooked carrots
- Anything with ketchup
- Anything his grandmother makes (why? so unfair!!! I swear I'm a good cook, too!)
- These little sweetened cheese cup thingies that they have here in Israel
- ... and a few other things... very few...!

Well, that's only partially true. He has days when he will eat all sorts of stuff (chicken! pancakes! pasta! soup! sandwiches!), but only the items on the above list are "sure things." More often than not, he refuses most "non-list" items.

He was picky from the very beginning. Never ate rice cereal (or any other cereal,) barely touched purees. Only really started eating significant amounts of solids once he could self-feed Cheerios. I think some of it was that he didn't like having something inserted into his mouth (i.e. the spoon.) Dunno. He was just always picky.

Still is!

Honestly, I don't sweat it too much. I don't battle with him over food. I never insist that he eat. I dunno, maybe I should, but I don't. He was always relatively big and nursed until very recently, so I think that accounts, in part, for my laid back attitude. Now, he's much smaller (percentile-wise,) but I just can't see my way towards making a big deal over what he eats. It's not that I don't think it's important, but I figure if he's really hungry, he'll eat. If he doesn't eat what I serve, then that's it, off to play. I give him snacks throughout the day in any case (a piece of fruit, a cup with cheerios, a bottle of milk), so if he skips the meal, and he's still hungry, he just eats at the next snack. Or he doesn't. Whatever.

I was a picky eater as a kid, and, well, I don't know if this is "right," but I sort of feel like he has a right to choose what he eats, and I need to respect that. I mean, within reason -- he's not going to get cookies all day, no matter how dramatically he flings his limp little body on the kitchen floor in protest when I refuse. What I mean is, I choose what to serve, and he gets to choose from among those things what to eat. If out of everything I serve, he only wants Cheerios, then so be it. If I feel like he's ODing on some food group in particular, I try to scale back or take it out of "circulation" altogether until he's eaten something else. But I don't argue about it, or insist that he eat, or taste, or anything.

I wish he weren't so picky. And I'm holding out hope. He's become a little less picky in the last couple of months, so maybe he'll branch out and eat a vegetable or two one day. Hee. I continue to serve him anything and everything, and I just figure that either he'll eat, or he won't. Luckily, we haven't run into trouble with nutrition or weight -- if we do, I might have to change my tune a little bit.

[yaya]

vjel -- That happens all the time with us: I prepare something that he happily ate very recently, but on the particular day that I lovingly and painstakingly prepare it again -- nuthin.' Just cheerios. I know how incredibly frustrating it is.

I try to tell myself that I've done something useful by preparing the food, even if he chooses not to eat it. And I figure that I haven't done any more work than if he *had* eaten, so I am no worse off.

But really, it's very irritating. I just try to roll with it and let it go...

[Bucktown]

I'll be following along as well.

DS has become a picky eater too. Wasn't until recently. Maybe his new teeth that still haven't come through though it's been 3 weeks since I first saw the whites gleaming thru the gums. :mad: Now I see 2 more ulcers on the bottom where they will break thru.

Ooops, off track.

DS (just about 20 mo) will eat:

Oatmeal with appleasauce mixed in
yogurt
cheese snacks (only those that look like a single size slab)
goldfish crackers
bananas (sometimes will refuse)
sweet potato french fries
cornbread
bagels w/wo cream cheese

these next two kill me:
1/2 lb of butternut squash ravioli drizzled with olive oil & goat cheese w/ cannied walnuts (I eat the walnuts). He LOVES this stuff but at our local grocer it's $12.99 per lb & I haven't figured out the recipe to make it at home. I get it for him as a special treat.
3 cheese pumpkin lasagna. This is also a treat since it takes forever to make, but when we do have it he can finish off half an 11x9 pan of leftovers in 2 days. WTH? :eek:

I'm going back to read for ideas. I do like the 'make it fun' approach. I like the toothpick idea too but I think DS will play more than anything.

[vjel]

My DD will actually eat a wide variety/types of food but again she could like it one day and not the next. I feel like I no longer have fall back foods to go to, YK? Plus, when she says no, it doesn't always mean no. Like I'll ask if she wants her drink, she'll say no but take it from me and proceed to drink. :rolleyes: So I always need to make extra effort to make sure she doesn't really want to eat.

em, at 15 mos. I wouldn't have let my DD go w/o food either if she refused what I gave her. For months, I did feel like a short order cook. Now that she is older (21mos.) and able to communicate some and certainly understand a lot, I feel she has the ability to make the decision as to whether or not she wants to eat. My DH used to try to force feed her, to the point where she would sometimes cry. :rolleyes:

yaya, I am working towards having the same attitude you do about your DS eating. I will get there eventually. In general, if she doesn't eat during the day, I don't sweat it too much b/c there'll be a snack or the next meal. I worry more about dinner b/c I don't want her to go to bed hungry or wake up hungry.

When I stop to think about why DD is the way she is about food (and drinking, she's a bad milk drinker but could prob. drink OJ all day if I let her), I realize that she is just like me. *sigh* It's prob. pay back for what I put my mom thru. I'm not a picky eater per se. If something looks funny or I don't like the way it looks, the texture of something, I won't eat it. Even if you tell me its the BEST thing in the world, I just can't do it. I'm not very good about drinking fluids either. I see my DD being the same way. If I give her something new to eat, she will look it up and down, play with it and then she may or may not eat it. Her new thing now is to lick something. If she doesn't like it, she pushes it away w/ her tongue. grrrr...

[emschwar]

vjel - our big thing is just to try to get Noah to try new things. It's like pulling teeth. Just because, if he's in the right mood, he'll try something and get this surprised look on his face and say "mmmmmm!" Of course, 2 days later, he won't eat it. Noah's almost 22 months, so they're pretty much the same age. Aren't toddlers fun? I'm with you on the dinner thing. We frequently cave during dinner and let him eat what he wants just because he's only been STTN for 2 months now so I certainly don't want him waking up hungry.

I hate having a picky eater. I desipse the fact that every week, Noah eats hot dogs or chicken nuggets (we can substitue fish sticks or meatless nuggets without an issue) for probably at least 8 meals out of the week. I hate the battles to try new foods. He's big into milk now, and is drinking a fair amount, so at least I know he's getting some nutrition there, but milk only goes so far. I really wish he'd freaking outgrow this already.

Sorry, that turning into something almost appropriate for the mama venting thread there :)

[catmom]

My 11-month old has recently become picky. It seems like she only wants to eat puffed rice, and that's it. However, she will eat anything she finds on the kitchen floor... the other day, I dropped a big piece of (raw) onion, and she ate it before I could get there. I guess I could try getting her to eat better by scattering food on the floor (just kidding-sort of).

[SaphirimalMei]

My (almost) 14 month old, Jillian, is well on her way to pickiness. She used to like almost everything. In fact, the only thing she would absolutely refuse to eat was peaches (go figure). Now, she'll barely eat anything at all. <sigh> So...I'm signing up over here and am going to go back to the beginning and read read read.

[Amanda77]

My 22 month old is becoming pickier by the day. He has even started refusing his chicken nuggets. I think the only things left that he will eat is mac and cheese and those Uncrustables PB&Js. Oh, he also loves fruit! This is not great, especially for a kid with constipation issues:(

I recently discovered juice from V8, it's called V8 fusion vegetable and fruit juice. They have three different varieties- strawberry banana, peach mango, and tropical orange (?) Liam LOVES them. I don't mind him drinking them because they have a full serving of fruit and a full serving of vegetables in an 8oz. glass. Basically, each 8oz has a half cup of fruit and a half cup of veggie. Also, there is no sugar added, just whatever comes from the fruits and veggies. So, although he will not eat any vegetables other than sweet potatoes, I feel a little better that he drinks this as opposed to straight apple juice.

[emschwar]

Thought this could use a bump.

Any one have any suggestions on expanding the picky toddler's diet? Things are BAD here. For lunch and dinner, Noah will only eat nuggets or meatballs. Occasionally fish sticks, because he thinks they're nuggets. Breakfast is oatmeal or pancakes. He'll eat fruit (bananas, grapes, and apples) throughout the day, as well as any kind of cookie he can get his hands on. I'm so sick of this.

Any ideas? Do I just serve what we're having for dinner and let him reject it and be hungry? While I don't mind this in theory, in practice it's harder. I hate to have every dinner be a whine-fest, and if he doesn't eat dinner, then he's up a million times a night because he's hungry. (And he sleeps badly enough that I'd like to avoid any extra night wakings if possible.) Or do I just buy stock in the meatball and nugget companies and hope he outgrows this?

We also discovered the v8 fusion. Noah thinks it's ok, and will drink it some, which is nice because he sure doesn't eat any vegetable otherwise.

[vjel]

em, my DD is not really picky anymore, thank goodness!!! But she did go thru her stage where she did not want to eat much of anything. I finally did reach the "breaking point" where I decided if she didn't want to eat what I gave her after several attempts, meal over. It is REALLY hard to do but after awhile it got easier. 99% of the time now she eats whatever we eat and it makes life so much easier. I have back up for her (ie. hot dogs, mac n cheese) in case I don't feel like cooking. There are days when DD doesn't want to eat much, it's still hard but I just say ok and let her go on about her business. She is old enough now that if she wants something, she'll ask for it so I try not to sweat it too much.

I guess I might just keep w/ the meatballs and nuggests (at least he is eating something) but keep trying new stuff too in the hopes that he'll eventually take to it. If sleep wasn't an issue, I'd prob just let him go w/o eating, but let him have a snack (ie. yogurt or something like that) before bed. Do you think a snack and milk would get him thru the night?

Does he do cheese, sandwiches, eggs???

[emschwar]

No, no, and he used to, but not anymore. The kid is awful. I think part of it started because he was intolerant of dairy until a few months ago, so there was very little we could feed him. Not that he wasn't picky from the get-go, but it's gotten worse as he got older.

I'd happily let him starve at dinner and then have a snack before bed, but he goes to bed early, so it's basically dinner, then into the tub and onto bed. Not too much room in there for a snack.

How long did it take until she started eating what was served? Noah won't even taste anything new. He looks at it and just decides he's not going to eat it. I'd be a little more forgiving if he'd just taste the stuff, but he won't let it anywhere near his mouth.

[SaphirimalMei]

Lately Jillian has been all about the Quaker Oatmeal-to-Go Breakfast Bars (http://www.quakeroatmeal.com/Products/SQR/SQR-BananaBread.cfm\). Since your son already likes oatmeal, this might be an easy transition to encourage him to branch out a bit. The bars my daughter likes the most are the Banana Bread and the Apple ones. The other snack that she's been super keen on lately are Annie's Cheddar Bunnies (http://www.annies.com/products/Cheddarbunnies.html)

[emschwar]

I'm actually not too concerned about breakfast. If he wants oatmeal every day for the rest of his life, that's ok with me. It's healthy, and fills him up. We do use the quaker breakfast cookies on occasion, since they're a slightly more healthy cookie.

[vjel]

em, I last posted in this thread in Feb. Things have greatly improved since then, so a few months. She was really chowing down for awhile and in recent weeks has slowed down a bit and not eating as much again. If you served him something he won't eat, will he ask for something else later? My DD eats around 6, bath around 7, come downstairs and snack and bed at 8.

Maybe he's just going to be picky forever ;). I would just stick w/ what he likes so he's eating something and again just keep trying the new stuff.

[bluhimmy]

emschwar - I don't have much advise since I wished DS would eat what Noah is eating. For the past few weeks it's been plain white rice, milk and juice; and rejects everything else he used to love. :( The last couple of days it's gotten a little better since I'm able to get yogurt, eggs, and some fruit back in.

[mamax2]

Em ~ My DD has also gotten over a lot of her pickiness. It got much better as she approached 2.5. I started serving her whatever we were eating (maybe a couple months after she turned 2) *if* it's reasonable. So, for instance, if we're eating baked chicken and rice and veggies, that's what she'll get. If it's something w/a sauce or any spiciness (which she hates), I'll let her go the nugget/grilled cheese route.

Basically, I just kept putting the food we were eating in front of her and (gasp :eek: ) used candy as a negotiating point to get her to TRY foods. We don't make her clean her plate or anything like that, but we do reward trying new things. That worked really well to expand her repertoire of foods. That only works w/a kid who's reached the age of being willing to negotiate. The other thing that's helped is peer pressure - being around other kids sometimes encourages DD to try things as well.

For those of you looking for ways to incorporate veggies - definitely consider either really finely chopping or even puree-ing in the food processor, some vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, carrots and squashes and add them to your meatballs or pasta sauces. I've been playing around w/adding chopped cooked spinach to my spaghetti sauce and it's working pretty well.

[BridalLace]

just wondering what fruits and veggies other CC kids are eating lately. picky eaters in particular. my daughter seems to like only mac n cheese, hot dogs, mashed potatoes, and peanut butter. hardly nutritious... :rolleyes:

TIA,

Heather

[ginad724]

My 14 mos DD, who is just starting to get out of her picky phase loves:
Bananas, grapes (quartered), fruit cocktail including peaches, pears, and pineapple, also oranges. She doesn't dig apples or strawberries fresh, I think it's a texture thing.

The only vegetables she'll eat is spinach, sweet potatoes, and carrots. I was just glad there was one green vegetable in there ;)

Good luck!

gina

[Sasha]

Hi Heather,

Definitely check out the veggie bites we were once talking about in the May/June thread. Veggie Patch makes these great spinach bites (you can find them in the organic produce section) and Morningstar makes broccoli & cheese bites (found in the freezer section). They have been a lifesaver as far as getting DD to eat veggies. I also have luck with canned peas and carrots and heating up a sweet potato and giving her chunks to self-feed. As for fruit, bananas chunks, canteloupe chunks and no-sugar applesause are staples in our house. And those Gerber dried apple pieces. That is really about the only fruit Sarah will eat these days :rolleyes:

HTH!

[LIZNKEITH]

Caroline will usually eat a few chunks of bananas, pears, and peaches. As far as veggies go, they say she’ll eat green beans and peas at dc but I’ve never seen her eat them at home. :rolleyes: She will eat Ian’s Sweet Potato Fries found in the natural food section(they are really just strips of sweet potatoes you bake in the oven. The only ingredients are sweet potatoes and soybean oil). It’s seriously a struggle to get her to eat anything for dinner.

I’ll have to try the veggie bites.

[twinnyme]

So far we've had success so far only with spinach and carrots. She likes fruit more: bananas (thank goodness; it's a staple of her daily diet at this point), mandarin oranges, and she LOVES raspberries and blackberries - sometimes, if she's in the mood, she'll eat 20 at a time!!

We keep working on it but so far that's pretty much it. I'm so desperate I even tried canned beets last night - but I think they were too slippery to pick up. (Also, she only has one tooth, so we haven't tried apples much yet, or other things like that.) She seems to like plums every once in a while, too.

[Renrel]

I don't have a picky eater but wanted to suggest trying frozen peas or blueberries right out of the bag. DS loves to eat them that way. Sometimes texture and temp can change a kids feelings about a food.

You can also make sweet potato and regular potato "chips" yourself but slicing them, tossing them with oil and seasoning (apple pie type spices are great on the sweet potatos) and baking them. DS really likes these two, particularly if he can dip them in ketchup or some other dip.

DS will not eat straight spinach but get excited about creamed spinach and spinach pie (fillo crust and cheese mixed in with the spinach)

Changing the shapes of vegs can make a difference, coins vs sticks for example.

good luck

[EJH]

DD (9 months) loves bananas, kiwis, peaches, pears, avocado and blueberries.

She's super picky with food, but these are foods we can almost always get into her.

[AlisonCO]

I don't have a picky eater but wanted to suggest trying frozen peas or blueberries right out of the bag. DS loves to eat them that way

My DS loves frozen blueberries. He also loves smoothies (you can easily get 2 fruits in that - like blueberry peach or strawberry mango.)

Have you tried a cheese sauce on veggies? DS loves steamed cauliflower and broccoli with cheese sauce. Also DS loves to dip veggies in something - salad dressing, honey mustard, ketchup or salsa.

What about peas in her mac and cheese - that is a regular lunch around here.

[catmom]

My dd likes most fruits, but especially loves berries. Her real favorite food is guacamole, oddly enough.

She eats almsot no veggies, though. I was very excited to get her to eat 3 bites of broccoli tonight (with ketchup). It was a major coup!

As for peas, she likes to pop them open with her teeth and then spit them on the floor.

[HGMorgann]

I haven't posted lately...but we are on another food strike. DD just got her first molar in and will only eat bananas. My DH is afraid she will get potassium poisoning from eating too many. Today, all she ate was 3 of the mini bananas and nursed. Gah, I thought we were doing better at limiting nursing...but not anymore...

I guess I am a bit frustrated because it seems like every other month we have a food strike that lasts for a few weeks.

How do you deal with food strikes? ANy nursing moms w/ picky eaters deal with this?

[emschwar]

Sorry, no advice since we don't really have food strikes, except for this big, long, continuous food strike Noah always seems to be on. I just had to chuckle a little though because when we started solids, Noah would ONLY eat bananas. I don't think you need to worry about potassium poisoning - Noah's eaten way more bananas than that without a problem.

[HGMorgann]

Thanks, Emily. :-) She's always been a picky eater...at least she is eating ONE thing. Last food strike, she went back to EBF.

[neenbean]

Subscribing...

DD is 14.5 months and I am freaking out because she will rarely try anything new and often refuses food she "liked" the day before. I always offer a taste of what I am eating and some times she will eat (like my rice last night), but I may only get a few bites or less in her.

Her current menu:

Fruits:
pineapple
dehydrated apples
apple sauce

Veggies:
????

Carbs:
crackers
goldfish type items
rice cakes
whole wheat toast
cinnamon toast

Proteins:
yogurt
hummus
cheese
chicken nuggets
soy patties (look like chicken patties)
hot dogs (rarely)
beef (once in a GREAT while)

I have to come back and read some more suggestions!

[HGMorgann]

Does she like eggs?

Here are some of our "veggie tricks"
M. loves rice and couscous and cheese. We shred spinach up and melt it in the cheese and rice or couscous. We also scramble eggs with spinach for her too. Spinach is one of the easier veggies for us to work with so thats basically the only veggie M. eats. Since C. likes cheese do you think maybe you could melt cheese on toast w/ a veggie hiding underneath? :)

[neenbean]

DD pulls anything green out of what she is eating and tosses it off the high chair!!!!! Not sure where she would have ever learned this. No one we know is such a picker eater (that we eat with, at least). We can give her a quesadilla with chicken, cheese and a little salsa and she eats that, but that is as close to secretly getting veggies into her right now.

She will not even try eggs, though on rare occasions, she may take a bite of mine if it is in a sandwich style. However, she usually sorts through her bite in her mouth and hands me the egg. So crazy! The only time she will eat rice is when we have sushi and I give her the outside of my roll. When we eat regular rice or couscous, I offer her a bite and the head starts wagging "no, no, no" and her body squirms.

I swore I would never allow a picky eater... Never say never! I miss the days of pureed food when she would eat ANYTHING we put on her spoon, but she is so over that now. :(



Oh, I forgot to add grapes and strawberries to my list! DD loves those. :)

[emschwar]

Does she like eggs?

Here are some of our "veggie tricks"
M. loves rice and couscous and cheese. We shred spinach up and melt it in the cheese and rice or couscous. We also scramble eggs with spinach for her too. Spinach is one of the easier veggies for us to work with so thats basically the only veggie M. eats. Since C. likes cheese do you think maybe you could melt cheese on toast w/ a veggie hiding underneath? :)
What kind of spinach do you use with the eggs? Scrambled eggs and cheese is one of the few things we can get Noah to eat, so maybe he'd eat them with spinach hidden in. Or, he might see it and refuse to eat it with green stuff. :rolleyes:

neenbeen - I don't think there's anything you can do to prevent a picky eater. Your DD eats a world of food compared to Noah. ;) Heck, even when he was on purees he'd only eat bananas.

I don't know how you feel about juice, but the v8 frusion has a full serving of fruits and veggies in it and it's 100% juice. I give that to Noah when he wants juice, and feel a little better, since it's veggies. He also has recently been asking for chips, so I bought those veggie chips at the store. I'm kind of fooling myself since they're still crap, but at least it's a form of veggies, right?

[neenbean]

I don't know how you feel about juice, but the v8 frusion has a full serving of fruits and veggies in it and it's 100% juice. I give that to Noah when he wants juice, and feel a little better, since it's veggies. He also has recently been asking for chips, so I bought those veggie chips at the store. I'm kind of fooling myself since they're still crap, but at least it's a form of veggies, right?
Yikes, just bananas? DD won't even touch them now. Sorry to hear your DS has fall less of a menu. Thanks for the suggestion of the V8 frusion! I will need to pick some up. We don't give her juice more than once/month or so, but knowing that it has fruit AND veggies makes me feel better. We'll try it out. Thanks!

[MrsTazlvr]

DD pulls anything green out of what she is eating and tosses it off the high chair!!!!!
That is so my 2 1/2 year old. I can't hide veggies anywhere. She doesn't fall for that. She is a pretty good eater for the most part, but from being a kid who loved veggies, she is now a kid who won't eat any fruits or veggies except bananas and peas. :(

One thing she did fall for though is frozen apple sauce. She told me she didn't like applesauce when I tried to give her some the other day. So finally I got smart. I had a frozen individual apple sauce so I scraped it like Italian ices and told her it was an icee. She ate it all up with no complaints. :rolleyes:

[HGMorgann]

emschwar Normally I get either a bag of spinach in the produce section or the clam-shell box of the organic mix. I chop it up into tiny little pieces after taking off the stem-like parts. I dont like the taste of cooked spinach all that much myself, and you can barely taste it in the eggs.

[emschwar]

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

[HGMorgann]

Emily, Did you try it? did it work? I also found brocolli to be easy to sneak into eggs. (I just cut off the teeny flower-parts and stick it in) DD didn't even notice:-) Brocolli is now my new favorite sneak food because its so easy to get so small and unoticable!

[emschwar]

I tried it once and he wouldn't eat them. I don't think it was because of the spinach, I just think he didn't want eggs. He didn't even look at them, just refused to eat them. Par for the course with a picky eater, I guess...

[HGMorgann]

Kids are so wierd! Dd does the same thing. Blueberries are the only consistant thing she will never turn down....well icecream too. My kid even turns down cookies.

[mamax2]

I hardly consider my DD picky any more, but I guess to a lot of people, she still is. When I read the food lists on here, I *definitely* see that she's still picky - there's a lot listed that she won't touch. She is getting better about veggies, but it's hit or miss. One day she'll eat something w/out issue and the next she turns her nose up. We just go w/whatever the fad of the moment is and let her eat as much of that veggie as possible. She's had broccoli 3 times this week :p

Another idea for 'sneak veggies' - I may have mentioned this before, but try puree-ing the veggies and adding them to pasta sauce. Of course, that only works if you have a kid who eats pasta sauce (mine *finally* does) but we've had some success w/this. Another thing I've resorted to is making squash into 'chips' by breading it and baking it until crispy and serving w/a little dipping sauce. If you have a meatball eater, it's pretty easy to sneak spinach or a little veggie puree into that as well. And, there's always pizza, you can make your own and add veggie puree to that sauce too.

[MrsTazlvr]

Bumping for more ideas to sneak those veggies in. DD drinks V8 Fusion, but I really want her to eat more veggies. And she has been boycotting milk these days now, too. So while I am happy she is getting some veggies even if it's in the form of a drink, I want her to drink some milk, too. :rolleyes:

[emschwar]

Cori - will she eat spaghetti sauce? That's a great way to sneak in veggies. Puree them and add them to the sauce!


We've made great advancement on the picky eater front! It depends on his mood, but Noah will actually TRY NEW FOODS now! Plus, he now LOVES mac n cheese, and cucumbers and sweet potatoes from boston market. Mama's about to fall over in shock. ;)

[MrsTazlvr]

Allie is a butter and sprinkle cheese kind of gal. LOL But I am willing to try. I always said she is a good eater but lately I am looking at what she eats and it really isn't that many things. I need to work on veggies with her, heck with DH too. I am going to try to chop some broccoli to put into things, too. Maybe she'll fall for putting it in sauce but she is so darn good and spotting the tiniest of things in her food. :rolleyes:

[shortcake]

I'm subscribing!

DD eats:
1) cereal (no milk)
2) cracker sandwiches (ritz with peanut butter) but not regular sandwiches
3) scrambled eggs sometimes
4) cheese
5) yogurt sometimes
6) pasta (with pesto but not with red sauce)
7) snacks like goldfish, veggie bootie, etc
8) drinks milk and juice

And basically, that's it! Other things she'll eat for a while very happily then boycott. Last night she ate fish sticks pretty well, so I was thrilled. I like the idea of pureeing stuff and mixing it into things (eggs I guess, for her) but she's also terrified of the food processer or blender. So that makes smoothies tough too - sometimes she'll drink them if I make it during naptime but sometimes she won't even then so it's kind of a waste (well not really, since I'll drink them).

I am going to read backwards and see what you guys have talked about...

[Kiley]

*bumping for my picky eater.....:(

[jrdhbunny]

Picky eater here too. We're to blame for a lot of it because we were pretty slow in introducing "adult" foods. Now DS is 18 months old and won't try anything new.

Here is a list of things he'll eat:
-Cereal
-Yogurt
-Ice Cream
-Baby muesli
-Diced carrots or grean beans (if hidden in baby food or muesli)
-Earth's Best Alphabet Cookies
-Oreos :rolleyes:
-Applesauce
-Raisins
-Various Stage 3 baby foods

We have a really tough time getting him to try new foods- he throws an absolute fit if we even put it on his highchair. If we offer it from our plate, he shakes his head and shoves it away. Sometimes he'll even refuse food that we know he does like and we have to spend 10 minutes getting him to taste it so he'll eat.

Our doc suggested pureeing soups and putting them in his baby food jars to get him used to chunkier textures. Haven't tried it yet, but I will soon. But I'm not sure how that will solve the problem of his reluctance to try new foods.

[Sasha]

Also checking this thread out. DD will be 18 months old next week and has become a pretty picky eater. The only veggie she will eat these days is sweet potatoes. Sometimes I can get her to eat those Veggie Patch spinach bites (something she used to love) if I dip them in hummus. But that's it on the veggie front. Pretty much the only meat she will eat is Perdue's Baked chicken breasts (healthier than chic. nuggets) and meatballs. She loves fruit, cheese and all types of crackers.

I have a very hard time getting her to try new foods. She usually screams "no" and vehemently squirms around in her chair. Meal time can definitely be a battle in our house and we are no where near getting her to eat what we eat for dinner. It is frustrating, as you all know. So I will definitely be a part of this thread.

[blondegirl]

Count me in on joing this thread. DD is 20 months, and used to be a great eater. (I'd like to think she still is, and is just going through a stage!!)

She used to eat basically anything I gave to her. These days, this is all she'll eat:
Mac-n-Cheese (or any kind of pasta - ziti, ravioli's, etc)
Cheese
Yogurt
Lunch meat
pickles (but she won't have anything to do with cucumbers??)
Apples, grapes, strawberries, watermelon - occassionaly. It's a guess on any given day if she'll eat it!
Waffles, pancakes
Sausage - also occasionally
Crackers (goldfish, veggie crackers), pirates booty - basically snacks of any kind
Cereal w/ milk
Rice
Grilled Cheese sandwich

Forget veggies of any kind! Each day I put food on her dish, and she just picks what she wants to eat. Most days, she doesn't even touch what's on her dish, but I still try!
She used to eat all kinds of things - pork, chicken, steak, brocolli, potatoes. I just don't know what to do anymore. I'll have to browse through for some ideas.

[amychris03]

Bumping this up because I have *the pickiest eater ever* and am totally stressed out about it. Sam is 12 months and refuses most purees and most finger foods, and I have no idea what to do. Oh, and all he'll drink (other than BM, and we want to wean him soon) is water. Anyways, here is a complete list of what he'll eat at this point.

-oatmeal mixed with pureed bananas with apples and pears
-patmeal mixed with pureed apples and prunes
-rice cereal mixed with pureed sweet potato (he wont eat them plain)
-rice cereal mixed with pureed apples and sweet potato
-baked french fries (though he's been refusing these lately)
-banana (though he hasn't been eating this much lately either, probably sick of it)
-soy yogurt
-regular yogurt
-oatios
-veggie puffs
-rice cake (occasionally)
-toast with butter

He used to eat peas, corn, chicken nugget pieces, cheese, etc and now he throws it off his tray with out even trying or he'll put it in his mouth and spit it out before he even chews it due to the texture. Any suggestions? I usually end up giving him veggie puffs or dry cereal at the end of a meal because he hasn't eaten enough other food, and I think he prefers that, so I know I should probably stop that. He's also teething (just started to cut 2 molars and one other tooth) so I know that also plays into his preference for crunchy. We've tried just about every food under the sun. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Geez, I feel like such a failure, I'm an occupational therapist who used to work with kids with feeding issues, and I can't get my own kid to eat:( .

[LRL]

Why didn't I spot this thread before? DS is a total picky eater. He will not eat anything fed to him from a spoon, and prefers finger foods. In fact, he never took to baby food at all, so he didn't start to eat solids until very recently. This poor Mom is trying everything under the sun to get him to eat- here's what he will eat:

-Cheese, solid, any kind
-Beans
-Chicken (but he sucks on it to get the flavor of herbs out and then spits it out)
-Earths Best organic cookies
-Cheerios
-Gerber baby finger puffs
-Green beans in little pieces
-peas, sometimes carrots
-avocado
-apples, pears
-pancakes, french toast
-bread, tortillas
-sometimes some rice
-eggs
-tofu
-grilled cheese sandwich

Ok, looking at this list, he does ok, but doesn't really seem to get anything in his stomach. We had a 13 month weigh check because he lost an ounce from his 9 month WBV to his 12 month WBV. He had only gained 5 ounces, and right after the appointment he had a dirty diaper. :rolleyes: I am looking forward to getting some ideas!

[shortcake]

amychris - Hang in there! This sucks. My daughter is 3 and her list is nearly as short as yours. But it seems like most kids do improve if you keep exposing them to various foods, even if they spit them out. I'm curious - as an OT who deals with feeding issues - do you have any experience with kids with Sensory Integration Disorder and how that affects eating? I'm starting to think that is our issue. If she has SID it is mild, but certainly food texture is a huge issue for her. If so, any tips?

LRL - That's funny - I was looking at your list thinking - that looks darn good! But then I read the rest of your post. I'm sure they've told you this but avocado is great for fattening them up (and he likes them). Also when DD was underweight they had us mix oil (olive oil or flax oil) in with oatmeal or yogurt or whatever else I could sneak it into. That gives lots of extra calories and is healthy also.

[docoNY]

why have I never seen this thread before?! totally needed it the last few months when I am going mental :D

DD is 20 months and is probably 22lbs

she will eat
for breakfast:
oatmeal
banana
french toast sticks
cheerios
Mighty Bites cereal - she calls them people
bagel chunks

lunch/dinner
toast - whole wheat or cin rasin
garden burgers/soy burgers/turkey burger
veggies - peas, corn, green beans, endame only
rice - sometimes
pasta only if its a long noodle type
avacado
pizza - but not all pizza - sigh
chicken - sometimes

snack
mozz cheese sticks
goldfish
earths best cookies
yo baby yogurt
fruit cups
applesauce
fruit - kiwi, berries
Veggie puffs - can't remember the proper name

she will sometimes (though rarely) try what we have for dinner - very rarely will she eat it - just shakes her head no and then we break out her regular list of foods to get her to eat

I have to send lunch to daycare and I tend to send dinner leftovers if she ate a *bite* with hopes that she does better there and it rarely comes back and if we haven't cooked I will send her usual veggies w/some sort of burger and also do that if she won't touch my dinner w/a 10 foot pole

she had dairy issues when she was younger so we limited her cheese to maybe 1x every other day and now she won't touch other types or touch mac & cheese.. sigh!

she loves her milk though - she would drink it 24 hrs a day if she could!

anywy going to read everyones list to see if I can get anymore ideas

[jrdhbunny]

I'm looking at some of your lists and thinking that they look pretty good! :p But seriously, I do know how tough it is when they won't try new things- even though it looks like they eat a lot of foods, when they won't expand their repetoire it is so frustrating!!

I had made a pact with DH and DS that we would start to eat all meals at the table and that I would try to get DS to feed himself more often. Everything that I've read says that toddlers need to be in control of their eating and that being able to pick up their own food can help them eat more. Well, that is so not the case with DS! If I don't feed him, he won't eat very much. About the only thing he will eat (by himself) is yogurt. But I will say that I feel better, knowing that I'm focusing less on what and how much he eats and more on how he eats. It is still so stressful, but I try and hide that angst from DS- I don't beg him to eat anymore, I just put it in front of him and if he refuses or starts throwing a tantrum, the meal is over. He still won't touch a lot of "real" food, like veggies or cheese or pasta, but he did at least try a piece of my garlic bread (he spit it out, but at least he tried it! :rolleyes: ).

Unfortunately, he's getting over a stomach bug and he looks all skin and bones! :( So now I'm desperate to get some weight back on him and have once again let him eat in the living room in front of the tv. I'm hoping that once he feels better we can get back to our meals at the table.

[docoNY]

I'm looking at some of your lists and thinking that they look pretty good! But seriously, I do know how tough it is when they won't try new things- even though it looks like they eat a lot of foods, when they won't expand their repetoire it is so frustrating!!

I was reading some of the early pages and realized my list isn't that bad but it still can be frustrating - we went out to dinner a couple weekends ago and I got a chicken sandwich which came w/french fries - she wouldn't eat either.. we go to my parents and they have pizza and she won't eat it.. it goes on

she is 20m now and she is not 'small' she has a belly but she is totally wearing 12m-18m clothes perfectly fine so she isn't big either

the last 2 nights she ate no dinner - and Thu was spaghetti - she allllways eats that! last night it was meatloaf which she sometimes eats and then she was chucking everything - she had nothing last night - not even milk and I was up at 130a getting her water - she normally STTN

I read somewhere that if you find stuff they will eat to stick with it and just feed them that - but am I supposed to carry peas and garden burger everywhere I go

She does eat loads of fruit so I am not totally worried about vitamins yet but just the annoyance of having a kid that will not even touch new food gets old! :)

anyway off to read some of the earlier posts - TGIF! hopefully my kid will eat tonight since its pizza

[docoNY]

forgot to mention in my other post - we took out the ketchup last night to try and tempt her w/the meatloaf and she wanted to do was stick her fingers in it and lick them! so I lied - she didn't eat anything - she had about 5 finger licks of ketchup :D

[LRL]

shortcake- Yes, I cook everything in olive oil, and try to slather it on things as well. Unfortunately he MUST eat by himself, and hasn't figured out spoon feeding himself yet so he won't eat anything soupy. (and I am scared to try it most days besides! :eek: )

docony- DH was just telling me this morning that DS would love some pizza! I think we will try it! We usually try to carry around staples for DS- peas, cheese and cheerios. He will always eat these (and they stay in his mouth and transport to his stomach! BONUS! :p ). Peas we take with us frozen, and cheese will keep at room temp.

[Sasha]

Oh, nice to see this thread active! Not much has changed with us since I lasted posted here in November. The biggest problem we encounter is that DD refuses to try anything new. If she doesn't know it, she isn't trying it. So we are very stuck in our rut of the same foods. And she absolutely doesn't eat what we eat. I am going to pick up some toothpicks this weekend and see if I can make a game out of new foods, but if anyone has other suggestions on how I can get her to try something new, I am all ears!

[amychris03]

shortcake
Yeah, I do have some experience with SI, does your daughter have other SI issues as well (not just food related)? Because generally if it is a true SI problem, you see issues in other areas as well. Its funny you asked, because I have a ton of hand outs on the stuff, and after I read your post, I tried to find them, and my SI folder is missing! I need to talk to my friend that still works at my old job and see if I left it there, and I will continue to look. But in the mean time tell me what your food issues are, and maybe I can give you some suggestions to try!

~
So, we got the all clear to introduce milk (DS had dairy sensitivities up until about a month ago, but we did an allergy test and it came back negative), and Sam wont have ANY part of it. The only thing he will drink other than BM is water. How do you get them to start taking milk?

[emschwar]

WOw, some of these lists do look pretty impressive! Here's Noah's list, at 4 weeks shy of 3 years old:

Breakfast:
oatmeal (instant)
pancakes
frozen waffles
occasionally cereal and milk (dora or mighty bites)

Lunch/dinner:
meatballs from ikea (and only from ikea)
scrambled eggs
mac and cheese (but only from boston market)
chicken nuggets
plain noodles
plain rice
occasionally, a hot dog

Anytime:
just about any kind of cookie
plain crackers (don't come near him with a cheez-it!)
fruit (apples, clementines, pears (if I call them apples), blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries)
raisins
candy :rolleyes:

And that's it. My kid is amazing, in that he has taste buds in his fingers and can touch a food and know he doesn't like it. We have made incredible progress in the past few months in that we can now get him to taste 1 bite of something new (but not if it looks too yucky to him), but just one bite and he's guaranteed not to like it, and even if he does like it, he won't eat more than one bite.

[Orange]

I'm pretty sure I posted in this thread a long time ago. I wanted to post again to say that it does get better!! My DD used to be so picky. She ate a fairly well-balanced diet, but it was the same few things all the time. She's now 3.5 and is a much better eater. She still won't try a lot of new foods, but once in a while she will and once she figures out that she likes them she will continue to eat them!

My DH will bribe her with a "happy dance" if she tries something. It usually works. He takes her out to the front yard and dances around like an idiot and she loves it. It actually works better than bribing her with sweets!

[snoopy30]

Hooray for this thread! Clearly pickiness is just a normal part of toddlerhood but it can be so frustrating. My DS refuses most fruits and veggies but will eat them pureed :confused: This is a recent development and I'm assuming it's a texture thing. He won't try anything new either! emschwar I had to laugh at your comment about your DS having taste buds in his fingers. I mean how does a kid know what it tastes like before it hits his mouth?!? Here's my DS's list of "approved foods" ;)

-pancakes
-waffles
-deli turkey
-cheese (LOVES it)
-applesauce
-crackers of any kind
-graham crackers
-Cheerios
-chicken
-pasta (w/ or w/out tomato sauce)
-Tater Tots :rolleyes:
-an occasional hamburger
-chicken "hot dogs"

[docoNY]

we were at my parents yesterday for lunch/dinner - she had a few bits of bagel but didn't eat her usual amount and wouldn't touch dinner - carrots, potatoes and meat loaf - sigh

BUT today I discovered she will eat raisins! I had tried them a while ago and forgot about them.

Orange the happy dance sounds like a good idea! I don't think my 20m will get it yet but saving that idea for the future!

[Sasha]

Here's my question - if your kid doesn't eat what you make him/her for dinner, do you make them something else instead? At what age do you just say, if you don't eat what I made, then you just don't eat dinner? The other night I attempted giving DD some cheese and chicken quesadillas, something she used to eat. Of course she refused them and demanded cheese instead (my pleas of "there is cheese in there!" fell on deaf ears :rolleyes: ). When do you feel comfortable saying, it's this or nothing? I'm torn because I hate feeling like a short order cook but I'm also not sure she would fully understand the concept of you don't get anything else if you don't eat this.

[Sarah]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's my question - if your kid doesn't eat what you make him/her for dinner, do you make them something else instead? At what age do you just say, if you don't eat what I made, then you just don't eat dinner? The other night I attempted giving DD some cheese and chicken quesadillas, something she used to eat. Of course she refused them and demanded cheese instead (my pleas of "there is cheese in there!" fell on deaf ears ). When do you feel comfortable saying, it's this or nothing? I'm torn because I hate feeling like a short order cook but I'm also not sure she would fully understand the concept of you don't get anything else if you don't eat this.
I have 2 daughters- one is almost 5 and one is 20 months. We have the "eat this or nothing" rule and we have always, since they started solids. My older DD is very thin but she's a wonderful eater who eats all veggies, meats, etc. I think that kids won't starve themselves and if you persevere, they'll eat what you give them. Just offer what you've decided to serve and if she doesn't want it, don't be negative, just say "okay, all done then!" with a smile and start playing. If she screams then offer the same food, and if she keeps screaming for something else, let her scream.

[emschwar]

Here's my question - if your kid doesn't eat what you make him/her for dinner, do you make them something else instead? At what age do you just say, if you don't eat what I made, then you just don't eat dinner? The other night I attempted giving DD some cheese and chicken quesadillas, something she used to eat. Of course she refused them and demanded cheese instead (my pleas of "there is cheese in there!" fell on deaf ears :rolleyes: ). When do you feel comfortable saying, it's this or nothing? I'm torn because I hate feeling like a short order cook but I'm also not sure she would fully understand the concept of you don't get anything else if you don't eat this.

We don't do the eat it or starve rule yet. We tried, but it didn't work well (Noah just about passed out one morning after a particularly drawn out food battle the day before). Instead we do the "take 2 bites and if you don't like it, you can have something else" rule. Works for us, for now.

[IUAlum]

My one year old is a picky, picky!

He LOVES his jar food, but ONLY fruit or sweet potatoes. As long as it is pureed, he'll eat any kind of fruit. He used to eat pureed veggies pretty well, but now he will only eat sweet potato.
He'll eat yogurt, most of the time.

As far as finger foods, he likes:
breakfast foods, most days (waffles, french toast sticks, pancakes-sometimes)
goldfish
gerber puffs
pirate booty (most days)
club crackers (while this used to be like crack to him, he's declining in interest)
french fries (sometimes)
chicken nuggets (used to be a sure thing, now a rarely thing)
cheese (about 50/50)
grapes (once in a while)

I'd like to wean off the purees, but not until I can find some kind of decent finger food he'll consistently eat!

To top it off, I have ZERO time to cook. I work full time, and then some, as does DH. I'd be willing to spend some time on the weekends preparing food, but it seems like waste, since the dog ends up eating everything anyway.

HELP!

[Renrel]

I don't have a picky eatter but thought some picky eaters might like this way of serving grill cheese or maybe other sandwhichs. I recently tried making grill cheese in our waffle iron and it works nicely. The bread looks like a waffle but when you bite in there is a cheese taste. I just spray a bit of oil in the iron, put a slice of bread in, sprinke cheese, put the other slice in and close it. I check every minute or so to see when its done. Any way good luck, I don't have a picky eater,yet, but I was one.

[snoopy30]

I feel your pain! My 16-month-old prefers pureed fruits/veggies (except for a few) for some reason now and he won't try anything new :mad: I know it's 100% normal for toddlers to be picky but it still irks me sometimes and I feel like I've messed up along the way somehow. Anyway, here are some foods my DS likes:

*spiral pasta (I buy Barilla Plus) w/ tomato sauce and parm cheese
*rotisserie chicken (super-easy, just pick one up at the grocery)
*Ian's fish sticks
*turkey burgers (you can make some extras and freeze them)
*Tater-Tots (not the healthiest but a big hit around here)

HTH!!

[amychris03]

IUALUM Wow, your list sounds very similar to what Sam will eat (minus the grapes, waffles, pancakes, etc). I am still giving him the purees mixed with cereal and whole milk, because he also is refusing milk. No advice really, as we are in the same boat, just wanted to say that I feel your pain!

Renrel THat's a good idea! Sam took two bites of grilled cheese yesterday (first try) and then proceeded to squish the cheese out of the rest so maybe this would be a good option and a good way to get some more calcium in him. He used to eat plain cheese but now he wont.

[Cookie777]

I'm joining this thread & think I may win as shortest list:


Joe's O's (cheerios)
Rice Cakes
Tortilla Chips
Rice Crackers (Sembi snacks - Trader Joe's stopped selling though & don't know where else to find them)
Other random crackers sometimes if we're lucky


That's it. Nothing soft, sweet, squishy.. ONLY hard foods, which seems weird to me since his molars are really bothering him. He gags on soft stuff.

He also won't drink juice or milk. Just water.

I'm still nursing him which might be part of the reason he doesn't feel the need to branch out, but I guess it's a double edged sword since I'm afraid to try & wean since he doesn't eat enough. His ped seems to think he'll start eating more once he weans but I think I need to talk with her again to give her an idea of how little he's really eating.

He is not behind in any way. I think he was over 31 inches at his 12 month appt. He's muscular, solid, talks, walks etc.. So the small menu is really his only issue.

ETA: He's 15 months old

[Mindy3094]

Joining here.....

DD is 13.5 months old. So picky already. <sigh> It is so frustrating. I keep telling myself that she won't starve herself, but I often am puzzled how she just doesn't eat much and seems to be fine with it.

Today at lunch, I offered her some cheese ravioli with marinara sauce. Ok, last night at dinner, she wolfed 3 of these down. YAHOO! I was thrilled! Today at lunch, she didn't want a thing to do with them. I also offered her dried pineapple/banana, wagon wheels, banana/strawberry puree (she has been off baby food since about 12 months but I was desperate to get something in her), strawberries, croutons, and raisins. She ate a few croutons and raisins. That was it. She is very skinny (20 lbs, 30 inches) and hasn't gained any weight in about 3 weeks, so I offered her a pb cup. I definitely do not want her eating candy but I feel like I am in desperation mode here trying to get her to eat something. She gobbled the whole thing up.

Right now, she is on a yogurt strike. Previously, she would eat a whole Yobaby container for breakfast plus some toast or oatmeal. Now, I am lucky if I can get 4-5 bites of something (egg & cheese omelet, poptart, anything) in her for breakfast.

She will drink the Yobaby smoothies so that is awesome.

At her 12 month wbv, she weighed 19 lbs. 6 oz. Right now, she's hanging around 19 lbs. 15 oz - 20 lbs. We have about 5 weeks to go 'til her 15 month wbv. Do any of you know how much they are "supposed" to gain in that 3 month gap? To continue on her growth curve, she really needs to be above 21 lbs, but if she drops in percentiles, is that alright?

About a week after her 12 month wbv, she came down with a horrid stomach virus and would not eat for a week. She lost an entire lb in that week and was down to 18 lbs 3 oz. A couple weeks later, her molars started coming in and are still working their way in although it seems most of the surface are through the gums. Just as I think we might be getting past the molar appetite debacle, on Monday, she woke up with a stuffy/runny nose and now can't breath through her nose. All of these things are seriously not helping the picky eater over here.

Alright, thanks. I feel better now that I got a bit of that out. I tend to worry and get frustrated and pent it up until it blows. :rolleyes:

[emschwar]

I don't know if there are many people following this thread with older picky kids. Noah just turned 3, and I'm really getting sick of his unwillingness to try new foods. Seriously, we'll tell him he can have candy after dinner if he tries one bite of our food (in addition to eating his own) and he turns it down.

But now he's 3, and he no longer has to avoid nuts or shellfish for allergen reasons (he has no allergies, but we were avoiding those until he turned 3). And I've had enough with him only eating nuggets, meatballs (only from ikea), mac & cheese (only from boston market), plain noodles, plain rice and scrambled eggs for lunch and dinner. Is it cruel or unreasonable to just draw a line in the sand and say "you're 3, you're a big boy now, and you eat what's served for dinner or you go hungry"? If anything, he's getting pickier now - there are things he'd eat (and love!) a year ago (or 2 years ago) that he will not touch now. I'm at the point where I'm ready to say enough is enough, but I don't know if it's unreasonable or too drastic to go cold turkey like that. Any ideas?

[shortcake]

emschwar - I'm with you! Ellie is 3 (last November) and sounds similar to Noah. I do not think it's unreasonable to go cold turkey if you are up for it - he won't starve. I didn't manage to do it myself but I think if you can you should! The only thing is - I have noticed that Ellie can hold out eating very little until something she likes gets served up. I'm sure Noah is the same. So I"m not sure if that means they'll just eat breakfast for a week or what!

[emschwar]

Right now we're having a fight over a freaking jelly sandwich. Noah's insisting he doesn't like sandwiches (which he's never had) and I'm insisting he taste the freaking thing. If he doesn't like it, fine, he can have something else, but for god's sake, TASTE IT!!! :mad: We've been going at it for an hour.

And it's freaking jelly on bread!!! What's not to like? I even cut it out with a train cookie cutter!

Sorry for the rant. I'm just a little ticked off at a certain 3 year old right now.

[Mindy3094]

emschwar - My DD is only 14 months so take what I say with a grain of salt because I haven't been to the age 3 point yet. BUT, if you can stand to hold out, I would. I was actually talking to hubby the other day about what age he thinks is appropriate to say, "This is dinner. You eat this or eat nothing." He thought age 5 or 6 but I said age 3. Big difference! But I would think at age 3 that they are big enough to go a while without food if necessary.

Isn't the food fight the worst? When I read Dare to Discipline by James Dobson, he says that the food fight is the one you will not win. He did recommend though that if the child doesn't want dinner, then stick it in the fridge. When the child says, "I'm hungry," get the same plate out of the fridge. And keep doing that if they still wont' eat it. His reasoning is that eventually they'll get hungry enough to eat it. I can understand this but at the same time, I can see some kids being so stubborn that they would go days without food, so I think maybe some middle ground would need to be found. Also, I don't recall at what age he thought this was ok to do either. And not that he is the be all end all solution to food, but that is something I do remember reading and it sounded logical to me.

My sister always told her kids that they had to at least try 2-3 bites of what the rest of the family was eating and then if they truly didn't like it, she would get them something else. It sounds like that won't work with your little one though b/c he is even turning down candy. :eek: That's a shocker! :)

Good luck! You have done so great so far dealing with your picky eater. I seriously think if my DD is this picky at age 3, my head will have exploded. :)

[Mindy3094]

I wanted to update about my DD. She is 14 months. I took her to the ped on Monday to have her ears checked and we talked about her eating (since she had only gained .5 lb in 2 months).

The ped first asked if she thought it was about control. I initially thought no, but when I got to thinking about it, I think she might be partially right. She recommended not paying DD much attention during dinner. Don't make the dinner all about her. Don't make it stressful or fight with her about eating. And let her feed herself as much as she can. So basically, I need to chill out.

I tried some of the suggestions and they actually helped a lot! I turned my chair and her chair so we were both sitting at the table and not facing each other. That makes it a little harder to feed her but oh well. Then I had to force myself to look out the window or be like la la la looking around the room so I wasn't focused on her the entire time, and she was eating like a champ! She is also all into utensils now so anything I can put on the spoon and fork, I do and she puts it in her mouth. I have stopped encouraging her to eat and stopped cheering for her when she does eat a bite. I think this is honestly taking the pressure off of her to eat and hopefully now she is enjoying herself more and not feeling like she has to perform or I'll get mad.

Just my 2 cents for today.

[emschwar]

Thanks for the reassurance. I used to teach 3 and 4 year olds, and they had to try a bite of everything on their plate to get more of one thing, so I know 3's can do it. Noah's just exceptionally stubborn.

I think we'll probably end up doing what your sister does. Honestly, I don't mind making him something else to eat if he really and truly hates what we're eating, I just want him to taste it.

He never did eat the jelly sandwich. We compromised and he ate some jelly on a spoon. :rolleyes: And liked it. He likes bread. He likes jelly. But he hates a jelly sandwich. *slams head into wall*

[jh124]

Fighting battles here, too. I don't get it. His dad and I are good eaters*. Where did we go wrong?









*Big Fat Lie. I was picky as a kid and still have certain parameters for food. I know exactly where he gets it. :rolleyes:

[emschwar]

I wanted to share our latest on the food battle front. Truthfully, it hasn't been going well, until tonight. I think we hit on something big tonight.

Tonight we had sloppy joes. Noah doesn't do sandwiches, so I just gave him his on a plate. Our side dishes were things he actually liked - corn and mac n cheese - and I think that helped a ton. At first he was totally reluctant about eating the sloppy joes, but we came up with the idea of 2 bites of mac n cheese and then a bite of sloppy joes, and he did it! We got 2 bites of sloppy joes in him this way (our requirement - he has to eat 2 bites of something new before we'll let him eat his old faves) and then he went on to eat most of the corn (ok, 8 kernals) and probably 3 helpings of mac n cheese. Hey, it's progress!

Before this, we'd just serve the new foods, and he'd have to eat 2 bites before he could get something else. And boy, dinner was a disaster. Crying, yelling, refusing to eat, it was just awful. But tonight we did foods he likes AND new stuff, and I really think it helped. He was much more willing to try the new thing when he saw something he liked there too. Of course, he didn't eat any of the new thing beyond the 2 bites, but I'm sure eventually we'll get there.

[Lindzee82]

My name is Lindsey and I am the mom of a picky eater.

*sigh*

Long story, short: DS is 18.5 months old and he weighs 19.9lbs. He weighs less now than he did when he was 9 months old. He was diagnosed with asthma back a few months ago. So we have been treating him for that and thinking that that may have been the cause for his poor weight gain and loss. We now have the asthma under comfortable control and the weight issue still exists. We go for weight checks constantly and never see a gain. We have gone through numerous tests - cystic fibrosis, countless blood tests, barium swallow test, etc. - and everything has come out normal. So now we are waiting for an appointment with a pediatric gastroenterologist.

To make matters worse, DS is such a picky eater ever. It just seems that he does not like to eat. He doesn't like to try new things and he doesn't like anything!

It is so frustrating to know that he is losing weight and then see him not want to eat anything. I know that you are not supposed to make a big deal out of eating and not make it stressful, but every meal ends with me and/or DS in tears. I don't know where the happy medium is.

At this point we are starting to add some supplements to his milk. We have found one so far that he will tolerate. It is called Scandishake and we mix it with 8oz of his soymilk and it has 520 calories. He will not drink Carnation Instant Breakfast. I am going to try something called Peptomen today and see how he likes that.

Mindy3094, you made a really good point when you mentioned that mealtime might be about control on the child's part. That definitely makes sense over here. When DS throws his food on the floor he waits for our reaction because he knows that we will get angry...then he laughs. So, I think we are going to try and make a conscious effort to "ignore" him during mealtimes and let him just do his thing. I also usually do set meal and snack times. DS does occassionally ask to eat, so maybe I should let him lead the mealtimes instead of staying to a schedule. I am just scared that he will never ask to eat.

So, I guess this is where we are now. I am going to join this thread and hopefully get some new ideas of things/foods/ideas to try.

Thanks, girls!

[Mindy3094]

Wow Lindsey. That sounds like a tough situation. I can completely understand why mealtimes would end in tears for you or DS. I would be the same way.

I was really surprised how my DD really responded well to my kind of ignoring her during meal time. I used to get so mad when she'd throw her food on the floor because I would tell her not to and she'd do it anyway. :mad: Oh, that would burn me so bad. UGH. It was so hard to ignore her at first, but she really responded well to me not pressuring her and after a while, I really became more relaxed at meal times which I did not think was possible.

Even now though, sometimes she'll mess around at meal time. I don't say anything to her or pressure her, but I do notice that when I start clearing dishes, she will then get busy eating. It's like she sees the stuff disappearing and thinks, "Oh crud, I better eat before she takes the food away!"

Also, DD seems to be more of a grazer than a big meal eater. She has three meals a day and two snacks. Her morning snack is as big as or bigger than her breakfast and sometimes her afternoon snack is bigger than her lunch or dinner. It just varies.

[Lindzee82]

Mindy - It definitely is a tough situation. My son actually had his 18-month wbv today and his pediatrician is not really worried about his weight. His height and head are growing normally. He still wants us to see the gastroenterologist but he is now leaning more towards him just being a picky eater and small child. We are trying out the ingoring the bad behavior thing and so far it working okay. He isn't throwing his food as much, but he also isn't eating as much. *sigh* I guess we just keep trying and hope that he gets out of the phase quickly. Right now the only thing he wants to eat are raspberries.

[emschwar]

I saw an idea in Family Fun magazine at the OB's office today, that I think we're going to try. It probably wouldn't work with younger kids, but I'm hoping it'll help with Noah! (It's in the current issue, if anyone has it or wants to get it.)

Basically, you make a "new foods passport" - a passport sized book with blank pages and your child's photo in it. Every time they try a new food, they get a sticker (or a stamp) on a page of their passport. 3 new foods earns a small reward (I can't remember what - anyone have the magazine handy?) and at 15 the kid gets to pick out anything they want at the dollar store.

We're going to give it a shot. Hopefully we'll make some progress!

[TOMama]

Another mom of a picky eater subscribing. . .

DS is 13 months old and is below the 5th percentile in weight. . . a whopping 17.5 lbs! His dr. wasn't too worried because he's always been a little guy, but he is scheduled for another weigh-in in a couple of weeks. So obviously I've been trying everything under the sun to get him him to eat.

So last night he had a meltdown at dinner and ate 2 bites of baby food, 1 bite of grilled cheese, and 1 bite of yogurt. Oh, and he only drank 9 oz. of milk all day (he's never been a big milk drinker). I was seriously at my wits end.

But thanks to many of your suggestions I actually got him to eat something today. :) Not sure how long it will last, but thanks for the ideas!

He had 1.5 pieces of Morningstar broccoli & cheese bites (90 calories, woo hoo!); 1/2 a stick of string cheese; 1 bag of mini fig newtons :rolleyes:, an EB breakfast bar, and several Flat Earth apple cinnamon "chips"... Not exactly in that order. He prefers sweet, crunchy & fried things. . . lovely.

I haven't switched him to cow/goat milk yet because I'm afraid he will give up milk altogether. Does anyone know if it is more fattening than formula?

[Lindzee82]

TOMama - Not sure if it will work for you, but my DS did not like whole milk. He wouldn't drink hardly any all day. (He never had formula because I BFed for 13 months) We have switched him to Very Vanilla Soy Milk and he LOVES it. Seriously, he can't get enough. I think he drank 30oz yesterday. Maybe something you could try??

***

Basically all my son will eat right now is berries. Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries and bananas. Is there such thing as too much fruit? The kid poops like 10 times a day! Ugh! This is getting to be ridiculous.

[Soulmate]

*standing* My name is Soulmate and I'm the mom of a picky eater. DS will be a year on Friday and he is turning into a picky eater. When he first started solids he would eat anything. But then finger foods came around and so did the food throwing, spitting of purees, and temper tantrums. The only thing he eats consistently is cheese and yogurt. He hates anything with a slightly crunchy texture (except cheerios) and most breads and pastas. He goes through phases where he refuses a certain food that he used to love...right now it is grilled chicken. He also will not eat any veggies except peas as a finger food and has been refusing purees. A trick that is really working right now is putting any refused food, diced up, in his yobaby yogurt. He'll eat anything that way but it doesn't work in plain yogurt. Today he has grilled chicken and mixed veggies in his mixed fruit yobaby (yuk!). The other day he willingly ate his mixed veggies, including green beans which he hates in any form, from the palm of my hand but not on the tray :rolleyes: He is stubborn and opinionated and controlling. Mealtimes seriously suck and it is even worse trying to think of things for him to eat. My wish is to feed him fresh healthy foods with a lot of variety and flavor. He wants nothing to do with that. He likes those processed, packaged Graduates meals that I can't stand to give him. But he too is in the lower percentiles for weight and he is too young to battle with. The food throwing decreased when I would calmly remove the food he was throwing or ignore it altogether. Ignoring only works when he is attention seeking (will stare at me as he throws) but the other times it was his way of telling me he didn't want anymore. Now he has a different sign for telling me "no more" (waving his arms like a maniac - like a warning "take it now or I'm gonna throw it!")

But I'd like to join and follow along and get ideas. I am mainly running out of enough food to give a nice variety.

[Lindzee82]

Soulmate - Sorry you are going through this. It is so frustrating. Hopefully this is just a quick phase that your little one will be out of soon.

[TOMama]

Lindzee - Thanks for the milk advice. I started DS on whole milk a couple of days ago and he seems to be doing okay so far, but he's still only drinking @12 oz per day. He's also been rejecting yobaby. His dr. said that we may have to go the ovaltine/supplement route if he doesn't eat/drink more calcium.

Basically all my son will eat right now is berries. Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries and bananas. Is there such thing as too much fruit?

I guess I would be concerned if that was all that he was eating for a long period of time (like days and days of only eating berries). Specifically I'd be concerned about him getting too much sugar & fiber and not enough fat & protein. Do you think he's craving the sweetness? Boy, these kids sure do keep us on our toes!

Soulmate - Sounds like our sons are cut out of the same cloth (except my DS only likes crunchy things :rolleyes:) But the temper tantrums, food throwing, spitting out of food. . . that's us at every meal! I too really want to feed him fresh, wholesome food and it kills me to be feeding him a bunch of breaded frozen food (granted most of it is organic. . . but still that's not starting off on the right foot). There are some good ideas in this thread. Anyhow, hang in there!!!

Parent's magazine has a list of ways to sneak in vegetables into a kid's diet. I'll post it tomorrow.

[mamax2]

Well, I thought I had this picky eater thing down pat, but it turns out DD2 is even pickier than DD1 (who isn't all that picky these days - yay!)

At 20 months, she eats:
Fruit - almost all
Waffles
Pancakes
Muffins
Bagels
Pizza
Bacon
Yogurt
Ice cream, pudding
French Fries
Crackers, Chips, Pretzles
Cream Cheese
Squeeze cheese from a can (GROSS, I know)
Mashed sweet potatoes - the canned Gerber kind and only about once every other week

She won't eat ANY veggies (except sauce on pizza) or any meat (except bacon).

I'm now serving her V8 Fusion or the Juicy Juice Harvest, both of which are made w/veggie juice. And, there's the Flat Earth Veggie Chips. I've also started giving her either PediaSure or NutriPals a few times a week.

I'm desperate for some new ideas. We offer her bites of what we're eating but she just looks at us like: "Are you poisoning me???" or "Ha! You've got to be kidding!"

[TOMama]

I've been meaning to get back here sooner. DS is still a picky, but is getting a little better. He's gaining weight, but at almost 15 months is just 18.5 lbs.

Things he will eat:

Multigrain toast with Sunflower seed butter & mango jam
Any cheese-type Rice-a-roni and I throw in chopped chicken, frozen peas, carrots & corn
Most chopped chicken if it has a good flavor. Here's a recipe that he likes - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Enchiladas-II/Detail.aspx (I add vegetables to the chicken & run it through the food processor to chop it up).
MG Waffles with cream cheese
Pear or fruit sauce - he'll only eat it out of a cup with a straw :rolleyes:
Smoothies - Yobaby fruits & cereal with 2 oz milk
MG Crackers with hummus
Dehydrated fruit (won't eat fresh fruit. . . probably a texture thing)
Cookies, crackers, cereal
String cheese
Flat earth chips
muffins
pizza
rice

Here's some ideas to sneak in vegetables (from Parents, June 2007):

Shredded Zucchini in Burgers - combine 1lb ground beef with 1 cup shredded zucchini

Cauliflower in Mashed Potatoes - when boiling potatoes add 1 cup cauliflower florets.

Pumpkin puree in Marinara sauce - combine 1 cup each of marinara & canned pumpkin puree.

Butternut squash puree in corn muffins - combine 6.5 oz cornbread mix, 1 egg, 1 Tbs veg oil, & 6 oz jar butternut squash baby food.

Sweet potato puree in brownie mix - combine 21 oz box brownie mix with 3 eggs, 1 cup sweet potato puree and 1/4 cup veg oil.

[Renrel]

My son is not a picky eater but he has gotten to be much much much more picky about vegtables in the last year and a half. He will eat peas, lima bean, edame and the inside of green bean - anything else green is taboo, and green is his favorite color. So when I came across a book called The Sneaky Chef in the bookstore by Missy Chase Lapine I was intregued and bought it.

The author's method is to make these purees and juices out of very health foods and than add them to foods kids normally eat without complaint, things like mac and cheese, meatballs, pasta sauces, chocolet chip pancakes, brownies, cookies. She also works adding whole wheat flour, wheatgerm and other extra into food in ways that are supposed to be very very hard to detect. She also will add distractions like sprinkles or a few chocolet chips to further distract a child from a slight difference in taste or texture.

She has recipes which she claims to have tried over a year with her own picky kids to make sure that color and taste do not change detectably. She acknowledges that you still need to teach your child about nutrition and making good choice since the fish sticks out in the real world will not be doctored up with wheatgerm and sweet potatos, but she says you can not serve the good foods at the table and not get into a power struggle over kids eatting them because you know they are getting at least those few bits you used to fight over without even knowing it. She has worked with Gormet mag so understands the importance of taste, texture and presentation, but also with Eatting Well so knows alot about food as medicine/nutrient as well.

I have made two of the purees so far, green (broccoli and spinah) and white (cauliflower and zuccinee). Last night I added close to 2 tablespoons of the white along with a slice of yellow american cheese to DS's package of Annies white mac and cheese and he ate it without complaint. Now he was getting up and down alot during this meal since this was a strange night where we did not have a family dinner and he was eatting by himself at his little table, so maybe he was not paying close attention, but cauliflower is the one vegi he has never ever been willing to eat one bite of and he made not one complaint about the food being strange. And he is one who will refuse caulslaw, a favorite, if he can see one spec of green dill in it. I also ate a bowl and barely noticed a difference. DH ate some of DS and found it passable. So I have high hopes. Alot of the recipes for the green puree are baked things, like brownies. I have been thinking for awhile about hiding some spinach in a brownie since chocote is the only thing other than meat that I figure green can been hidden in, so I am excited to try one of these recipes. Oh, and before reading the book I had success in hiding chopped broccoli in hamburgers but specks showed and I have figured it was just luck that he has not noticed them under the bun and ketchup. I think with the puree my secret ingredient may remain hidden.

Anyway, I have not read through this whole thread, I just stop by now and then if I find something I think might be of use, so I apologize if this book has already been discussed.

http://www.thesneakychef.com/bio.php

[TOMama]

Renrel - Thanks for the rec. I'm going to have to check out The Sneaky Chef!

I tried this "sneaky" recipe out last night & DS LOVED it--
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Broccoli-Cheese-Cornbread/Detail.aspx

[Renrel]

I had another successful sneak. Spinach broccoli puree in guaccamole. Of course DS also decided to make his burritto with peanut butter, jelly, guac, sour cream and olives. Ugh. But I figured if I let him decide what went in it I had a better chance of adding a new dish to our menu. He ate several bites of each one he made, and I think would have eatten more if the corn tortias were not so strange to him. Heck I didn't like them. I am hoping to have better luck with wheat ones. But the last batch I convinced him to just eat out a bowl.

[cynder]

I totally heart the Sneaky Chef. I've haven't had time to do the purees lately so I've been using organic baby food veggies in a bunch of items - mac & cheese, burger patties, pizza sauce, pasta sauce. DS actually likes veggies but balks at the texture and color part.

[emschwar]

Oooh, baby food purees is a good idea! I'd love to sneak veggies into Noah's food, but I just can't deal with going out, buying a ton of fresh veggies, cooking them up and pureeing them. But baby food I can do! I'll have to give it a try sometime. Unfortunately, the only things he eats that I can think of mixing it in is mac and cheese and scrambled eggs. Everything else is sauce-free. :rolleyes:

[cynder]

emschwar I know this might me a stretch but does he like breads like zucchini or banana. Those are really great to hide stuff in. The Sneaky chef also has a spinach brownies and blueberry muffins recipe. Does he like oatmeal? DS loves oatmeal so I load it up with wheat germ and fruit purees though fruit is not an issue for us.

[Renrel]

emschwar - You can also hide them in meatballs, meatloaf, hamburgers and the like. And one the sneaky chef came up with that I never thought of is to use a vegi puree under the breading for a homemade fried fish or chicken nugget. I have not tried it yet but got the sense that it is either instead of or added to the egg you would dip in before dregging in a coating and she used whole wheat breadcrumbs and wheatgerm in the breading and suggests baking to make the foods healthier, though she does provide instructions to pan fry or bake. Also if he eats homemade pizza you can hide some vegi puree or babyfood under the pizza sauce.

There are also vegi and fruit juices that can be added to things like jello and chocolet pudding. She is really very creative. Though having visited her web site I was a bit concerned at her active endorcement of so many products. I do hope it is because she really does think they are great and not just a way to make money through a link to another site where a purchase may be made.

And it is not that big a deal to make the purees. Maybe 10 minutes to cook them and 5 minutes to puree them. That said I have still only found time to make two. I have the ingredients to make the purple and orrange but have not found time yet. And for many you can use frozen as well as fresh vegis, which makes it easier to shop and then cook at your convenience. She has lots of tips for making things easier and faster, such as using babyfood and sneaking into instent foods like mac and cheese, chocolet pudding, jello, ect.

[emschwar]

See, Renrel, that assumes that I cook at all. ;) Hardly. I open packages and warm :) I don't make meatballs or chicken nuggets from scratch. I open a package and nuke :) Noah won't eat pudding or jello either. Sometimes he'll eat yogurt, but I really consider that healthy enough as it is.

[Soulmate]

emschwar DS won't eat veggie or fruit finger foods at all. I nuke frozen veggies in the microwave for 2 minutes and then mix it into his yogurt. He'll eat any veggie if it is in yogurt.

Does anyone have any tips on how to get DS to eat real fruit? He'll eat the fruit in the cups but that is only sugar and Vit C which is easy to get. He gets plenty of fruit servings (fruit and yogurt bars, yobaby, etc) but would like for him to eat the actual fruit.

[mamax2]

Does anyone have any tips on how to get DS to eat real fruit?

Does he like popsicles? Smoothies? When you say fruit cups, are you talking about the fruit cocktail packs? If so, that totally counts as fruit. That's the only way my DD will eat peaches because they're so soft. You can buy them w/out added sugar and you can also drain off the liquid and rinse them.

One thing I've finally come to realize is it's o.k. to disguise foods or make them a little 'unhealthy' if it means getting your kid to eat them. So, when my older DD asks for butter on her veggies (not always, but sometimes), I don't balk because it beats the alternative of her not eating the veggie at all.

Thanks, Renrel for the suggestion of 'Sneaky Chef'. The reviews on Amazon look great, I'm going to the bookstore tomorrow to order a copy. Hopefully, there are MANY recipes for muffins, breads, cookies and puddings - my DD doesn't eat any pasta or meats, so those are no-go's for sneaking purees!

[Soulmate]

mamax2 Thanks for the tips and reassurance. I seriously doubt he'll eat a popcicle (he'd want to play with it) and he doesn't like fruit juice so I don't think he'd like a smoothie (I could try though). But the fruit I get is the Dole or DelMonte fruit cups and I get the kind in light syrup. Rinsing them is a good idea. I am a bit of a worry wart with sugar because I had a crazy sugar addiction (I mean way beyond normal) for most of my life. I just don't want DS to get into those habits although there is no way it would get that bad with him.

renrel I forgot to add before...thank you as well for recommending "the sneaky chef". Our library has it and I'm going to try to pick it up.

veggie trick I tried this tonight w/ DS and it worked (tonight at least who knows what will happen tomorrow). He will eat veggie purees but not the actual veggie so I had a jar of green bean puree and cooked up some whole green beans. I broke off pieces of the real green bean and put one little piece on each spoonful of the puree. He actually tolerated it and would eat it that way. I think the texture of the puree made the whole bean more tolerable. He did know that something was up though as he would make a face with every spoonful.

[Renrel]

emschwar- I don't cook much either. But at the moment this concept of sneaky food has me intruqued so I am planning on trying a few things, at least once the weather cools down a bit. Heck - chocolet, chocolet chip pancakes that allegely have less sugar in them than a morning cup of tea while sneaking in, I believe, spinach, sweet potato and whole wheat. I am too curious to not try it.

One dish she has is called Popeye eggs where you scamble eggs with green juice. If you don't want to make your own (made with spinach and water and apparently a tablespoon has as much nutrients as a 1/4 of spinach) you can buy green juice in the store, though I think that often has lots of apple juice in it. The juice apparently turns the eggs a bright green but does not change the flavor. She puts the egg omelet style in a burrito with cheese but you can also just scrabble it. She warns though that kids tend to either love this or laugh you out of the kitchen. She recommends it for St. Paddys day, earth day or while reading green eggs and ham.

You can also make green milk with the same juice. Again kid will either think its the coolest or yuckies thing on the planet.

[lil_nance]

I am thrilled to find this thread. DS has been driving me crazy with the limitted amounts of things he'll eat. I'll be back to read more and comment later. Can't wait to hear some good suggestions.

[anemone]

The latest issue of Vogue has an article on Jessica Seinfeld's new book called "deceptively delicious" which are recipes for children's food that hides veggies in them. Apparently it is written in conjunction with a chef and nutritionist, and has recipes such as chocolate chip cookies with chickpeas in them, chicken nuggests with cauliflower, birthday cake with butternut squash puree in it. Sounds a little like the Sneaky Chef book maybe? Anyway, it's out in September, so might be worth a look.

My DS is picky - only pasta, frittata and that's about it for dinner choices:rolleyes: I do manage to sneak in alternatives, and he does seem to go in waves where he'll try new things, then reject them. As he's in the 75% for weight I try not to worry when he doesn't eat much for a few days. Somewhere he's getting enough - it's just depressing to make something really yummy for him, and then have it rejected without trying. DH has appreciated it though:cool:

[Renrel]

Anenome - That does sound like the same concept. I will have to take a look for the book when it comes out. Another one to look at if you can find it is different Desserts. They are not necessarily healthy but they all have odd ingrediants in them like chickpeas instead of flour or articokes or sourcrout. I have only tried the chickpea one and that was several years ago. I remember it being very tasty and no one guessinig what the secret ingredient was. Seems like a good choice for those with wheat intolerance.

DS is staying with the grandparents for few days so I took advantage and made a bunch of the sneaky chef additives this weekend. I now have cubes of green puree (spinach/broccoli), Purple Puree (spinach/blueberry), White Puree (cauliflower/zucinee), green juice (spinach juice) and Strawberry Juice in my freezer to play with when DS gets home. I am really looking forward to to trying the chocolet pudding, brownies and green milk shake. It will be great to be able to say yes to a dessert like that because it will actually a serving of vegtables. I just hope they really taste like what he expects. I will report back after I try them, which likely won't be for couple of weeks given an upcoming vacation.

[emschwar]

I threw a spoonful of gerber first foods squash in Noah's scrambled eggs tonight and he was none the wiser! Thanks for the idea!

Next time I'll try a little more, I didn't want to put much in tonight for fear of changing the taste a lot.

[yby1]

I hate to join this thread. But my 17mo old DS is turning into a picky eater. For the past month he'll only eat the following:

mac n' cheese - the fresh baked kind. Not the kind from the box or he'll reject it.
fruit - mainly mango, asian pears and fuji apples (he won't eat the granny smith or red delicious apples AT ALL)
rice
sausage - but only weisswurst and polish bratwurst from a local german butcher - every other kind he rejects.
lima beans
hummus - he could eat this breakfast lunch and dinner
eggs - but only hard boiled
pita chips
fresh french bread
angel hair pasta

--

he used to like chicken and beef, but won't touch them now. *Sometimes* he'll eat some white fish. He used to like curry rice, but only wants steamed white rice now or he refuses it. Occasionally, he'll eat corn on the cob. He also used to LOVE yogurt, but won't touch it now. He won't eat things like bagel, french toast or pancakes either. He won't try new things either - if he's not familiar with it, he won't try it.

It's vexing me.

[MMHinCA]

I have no idea if this question has been asked but I don't have the time right now to go back and read the entire thread...

My 15 month old DD is a picky eater! She does not eat veggies and is very choosy on everything else she eats. My current problem is getting her to try anything new let alone take a bite of something she has eaten before and liked (ex. grilled cheese sandwich... loved them and now wont' touch them). Monday night she ate a bowl of mixed veggies (corn, peas, green beans)... and I was SHOCKED. Then yesterday and today when I offered them she wouldn't even touch them.

So I guess my question is... how do you get your DC to try something you are offering?

I get so frustrated making and offering her all these things for her then not to even try them. Today she ate:

B: milk, pancake, ½ of a banana and ½ of a yogurt
L: grapes, ¾ of a yogurt and bites of my pizza
D: milk, cheerios, grapes and ¼ of a yogurt

[Mindy3094]

It has been a while since I posted in this thread but I wanted to come back and share a book that I have been reading. I saw it suggested on another thread some time ago, and when I reached a point of severe frustration and anger, I bought it. This book has completely changed my attitude towards feeding. Here it is:

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51E-GLbNwxL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

I strongly suggest that if you have not read this book, get it and read it. It is worth every penny (and you can buy a used one on amazon for $0.01).

At my DD 15 month well baby appointment, we talked extensively about eating and how my DD was such a horrible eater. The ped asked if I thought it was related to control. At the time, I definitely said no, but after I thought about it, I considered that she might be right. For us, meal times were miserable. They consisted of me pushing food on DD and her not eating it. Sometimes, I would be in tears. Sometimes, she would be in tears. It was awful. I dreaded feeding her because I knew it would be miserable. The ped suggested that I take some pressure off of her and just let her do her thing. Oh, how hard that was! I remember the first time doing this and how hard it was to look out the window and not stare at her or push her to eat. It was hard but I kept up with it and over the last few months, meal times have become quite pleasant and I look forward to feeding her and having fun at the table. It was so hard when she would barely eat anything. I would want to give her more food or offer her something “extra,” which I knew was a mistake. I still often feel the urge to do that,, but now I feel more assured that she is getting the right nutrients and calories for herself. She just had her 18 month wbv. I was worried about her weight gain because she is so skinny, but after we talked, the ped said she is right on track. She said they like to see them gain 5 lbs in a year and she is right there. The ped really said that at this age, they have no interest in eating. She felt that if they are getting one good meal a day, no worries.

So, the book basically works around this assumption: The division of responsibility –
Parents are responsible for the what, when, and where of feeding. The child is responsible for how much and whether he/she eats at all.

Kind of scary to read the “whether” part at first, but she goes on to explain that children are excellent self regulators and they won’t starve themselves or overeat like we adults sometimes do. Toddlers are generally very picky eaters. What MMHinCA is describing is typical toddler behavior. Accepting food one day and denying it the next is normal. We have that over here as well. It has gotten better since 15 months, but she still will wolf something down one day then not touch it the next day. It is frustrating, believe me I know, but it's not unusual.

In the book, she also says that toddlers often times have to be exposed to a new food up to 15-20 times before they will actually eat it. She suggests to keep offering it to the child but put no pressure on the child to actually eat it. They may eventually put it in their mouths, chew it up, and spit it out. My DD did this the other night with black beans. She probably chewed like 10-12 of them up and spit them out. She wouldn't swallow them. It used to drive me nuts but now I know it's normal toddler behavior and just ignore it. I am hoping that eventually, if I keep offering them, she'll eat them. But I have put no pressure on her to eat them.

Anyway, I could go on and on but I would just highly recommend that you read the book because there is so much information in there and it has just been so helpful for me. I feel like we have done a complete 180 in respect to feeding.

ETA - Another thing that a friend and I were just talking about were our toddlers' lack of interest in vegetables. Neither one of them ate much. It was funny because the next day I was reading the book, and she addresses this in the book. According to Satter, she says that most vegetables that get into toddlers are in the form of potato chips, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, salsa, and french fries. She says there is room for improvement, but not to worry. Toddlers will get the nutrients they need.

[MMHinCA]

Mindy3094 - Thank you for the book rec. I am going to check it out!

[yby1]

Mindy3094 - Thank you for your post and the book rec. I was almost in tears last night because DS refused his whole dinner. I was trying to get him to eat at least a little something because I had to give him his antibiotic (he has an ear infection) and he wouldn't do it. I think last night was just the breaking point of my frustration with feeding him the last several weeks. I endied up letting him play with crayons for a little bit until he finally decided to eat 3 animal crackers.

I'm just going to back off a little bit and read that book. Your post made me feel better. :)

[Mindy3094]

Ah, we have dealt with ear infections too. My DD barely eats when she gets them (seriously like 2 bites and she is done). It has freaked me out less and less with each ear infection. And I do note that normally she makes up for it the next few days or week and eats more than normal. It all evens out over time. Satter shows statistics and a graph in the book that shows how in one case, a baby ate very different amounts of milk or formula (can't remember which) each day, but the growth curve stayed steady and right on track. It really amazed me when I saw it in graph form, because being a science geek, I could really relate to that. Friends of ours have a little boy that will pick at his food for days and then one day, he'll just inhale everything available to him. He has been like this since he was a toddler and he is 6 now and perfectly fine. Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if your little one makes up for the lack of food when he feels better.

I think you will see a big difference when you back off. That is kind of my theme now -- you give them the food and let go of the control. It makes sense to me now because you cannot force your child to eat, so what is the point trying? Believe me, it took a LONG time for me to get there. :)

[cynder]

I second Child of Mine as being awesome!!! As a mom of constantly 5% weight range child, it was really hard for me to let go. But over the last 6 months, it has dramatically changed our dinnertimes (which were the big issue). I still make a little side of vegetables and he rejects it about 95% of the time. But then I snicker to myself while he chows down on mac cheese loaded with a jar of baby food peas. After months of offering and eating black beans in front of him, he is mad about them now. It is enough to drive me nuts but the truth is that our job is to offer healthy choices and let them decide what to eat.

This is the same premise of Sneaky Chef and that don't feel bad about sneaking it because as they mature they will learn about healthy eating if you expose them to it over time.

I read about Jessica Seinfeld's book in Cookie Magazine and it sounded exactly the same! I have hard time believing her standing and cooking in the kitchen with her three kids jumping all around like she describe, but hey I could be wrong! :)

emschwar - Yeah for Noah!
yb1 - Even though you feel like they should eat more when they are sick, I try not and push anything when DS is sick. Breaks my heart but they rarely go for stuff when they feel bad like that.

Another food tip DS is all of sudden wild about fries so I feed him frozen Alexa potato or sweet potatoe fries since I don't have time to make fries. They are actually tasty for being frozen and aren't fried or loaded with perservatives.

[mamax2]

MMH ~ Other than being a little yogurt-centric, I think your DD's menu seems really good! The quantities seem fine and everything.

As for trying new things, I've found putting just a couple bites on the plate/tray to be best. A whole pile of food can be intimidating (and messy if they hate it!). My DD is a little older than yours (20 months), but she's really into utensils. She's tried 2 new foods this week - peaches & grilled cheese - simply because they were diced up and she could stab them w/a fork. Also, about 1-2/month I can get her to eat sweet potatoes for the same reason.

For those of you who recommended Child of Mine ~ does the book address kids who actually aren't gaining or those who are losing weight? I mean, part of me wants to just be real mellow and laid back about the eating, but I've had 2 kids who've either not gained or lost weight, so I'm hesitant on that approach. I feel like I need to be more proactive, kwim? I'm reading 'Sneaky Chef' now and can't wait to try some recipes tomorrow! I'll report back after the weekend.

[Renrel]

Last night I made a recipe DS invented and requested I make the night before - guacamoli chicken on crackers. I added 2-3 tables of the spinach/broccoli puree to my guac recipe. I pan fried two chicken tenders and then tore them into little pieces and mixed them in. I was not feeling well so DH servied dinner and I took a nap. Apparently DS ate 10-12 small cracker of the stuff. DH did not think much of it, but that is in my opinion quite a bit of two foods he absolutes refuse if he know they are there plus some of three others he likes and I am glad to feed him. I was going to make some of the sneaky chef chicken fingers but did not give DH careful instructions. He just used the breading I made, which was based on the sneaky chef recipe but using what I had in the house- those fancy Japanese bread crumbs instead of plain whole wheat, wheatgerm (that I realized later had a sell by date in 2004 :eek: and cashew instead of almonds. He said it was way to greasy and that he thought it was awlful. But he does not like cashew to begin with. I have not tried them yet but even if they are awful I think I will still try again paying attention to the actual recipe.

[mamax2]

So I spent last night making Purple Puree, White Puree and Green Juice (if you've read the book, you know what I'm talking about!)

This morning I served 'Complete Corn Muffins' and my 20 month old ate them! She's probably had 2-3 mini-muffins throughout the day. They have corn, zucchini & cauliflower - 3 foods she hasn't eaten this year up until today!

I also easily snuck 1T of green juice into her Healthy Harvest Juicy Juice (a fruit/veggie juice that DD loves - I always serve her this or V8 Fusion). According to Sneaky Chef, 1T of green juice is the equivalent of 1/4 c spinach. I'm psyched!!!

[emschwar]

Ok, how much of a pain in the butt is it to make these Sneaky Chef things? I'm not much of a cook, and with the new baby coming, I'm skeptical that I'll have time, but I'd love to get more veggies in Noah's diet! (Although the gerber squash puree in scrambled eggs has gone off twice without a hitch!) I'd check the book out from the library to see, but ours doesn't have it, so I have to buy it, and I want to make sure I'd do it before I spend the money.

[mamax2]

Ok, how much of a pain in the butt is it to make these Sneaky Chef things?

I haven't found it to be a PITA at all, so far. I think the key is to just make a batch of purees and juices and then freeze them in usable portions so you always have them ready. SC suggests freezer baggies or plastic containers, but I found an ice cube tray to be perfect. On my trays, each cube is 1T, so that's pretty easy to convert and if I make the smoothies or use the juices, I can just use the cubes frozen.

Your other alternative is using jarred foods, like you already tried. What I found helpful about the book is that it tells you quantities. For instance, if you sneak the wrong amount of puree into a muffin, cookies, etc. it could create a really awful taste/consistency. I like that the recipes have all been tried and proven in terms of their disguise-ability. You can get it on Amazon for about $9 and I think it's totally worth it.

[jrdhbunny]

Still only eating baby food for meals here, but DS is actually starting to show more interest in our food. He dipped his finger in DH's peanut butter and licked it. He picked up a carrot that I was eating yesterday and attempted to bite into it. He has also tried to bite a tomato and a grape (of course I immediately bit them myself to make it easier for him, but by that time he turned them down). And he ate a Ritz cracker the other day simply because I offered it to him. Is it silly that I felt a huge sense of elation at that moment??? :)

[Renrel]

emschwar - It is pretty easy. You cook the vegtables (fresh or frozen- I like frozen for ease) for a few minutes on the stove or in the microwave. You dump them in the food processor with a tablespoon or so of water and another of lemon juice. Process till pureed. You my need to scape down a couple of time to make sure there are no lumps. Then spoon into ice cube trays and freeze. If they work, then make a bigger batch next time, same work, more food. For the juice you just cook the vegis in the water for a few minutes, strain the solids out, and again into the ice cube trays. Assuming you don't have a preschool demanding your attention while you are working it is very quick and easy. Even with a preschooler it is not too bad, though I always seem to goof up anything I am cooking when DS keeps interupting me.

[mamax2]

Made 'Choco-Ful' muffins this morning and they were a big hit w/both kids. Wheat germ, spinach & blueberries were the 'sneaks' (although both my kids eat blueberries like crazy on their own).

[Renrel]

Last night I made chocolet pudding from a box and added spinach juice. DS ate it all but DH and I could taste a sourness and the pudding did not thicken enough but I did not follow the secret chef directions and the pudding was not in the fridge that long so either of those two things could be contributing factors. Instead of added the juice to the finished pudding I dropped the frozen cubes in to the milk and chocolet mix while it was cooking and I got daring and added 6 TBSP of cubes rather than the 4 the secret chef recipe called for. But as I said DS, who admittedly is not a really picky eatter, just a normal 3 yr picky eater, at a full serving which according to the secret chef had the equivelent of over a 1/4 cup of spinach in it. He also had left over mac and cheese which I again doctored with the white puree (califlower and zuccinne) and an extra slice of cheese with his regular store brand (trader joes) fish sticks. All in all a pretty good meal.

[Renrel]

One more idea for sneaky vegis. I found a product at whole foods, Kidz Superfood by Amazing Grass which is a chocolet flavored drink mix made out of various vegtables, it claims that each packet provides the nutritional power of 3 servings of fruits and vegis. I tried some myself and while it is not a tasty as real chocolet milk it was not bad, for me. My kid drank it but did notice the difference. I think mixed with some real choclet milk syrip or maybe added to other foods, like chopped meat or baked goods I think it has possiblities. It is on sale 50% off right now and you can get individual packages for under $1 so it is easy to give it a try.

http://www.amazinggrass.com/rainbow-diet.html

[Bloomwood]

Mindy - my copy of Child of Mine came Friday. I'm very excited to read it. Thank you for the recommendation.

I did have a bit of success the other day. DD (16 months) ate chopped chicken, asparagus and butternut squash that was mixed in yogurt. I was thrilled. She ate it for 3 straight meals (well, not breakfast).

Do you all feed your dc at the table while you eat?
We don't. I eat breakfast with her and once in a while lunch, but she eats dinner and goes to bed before DH is home. I am wondering if this is bad. Also, I make her her own food still, but try to do variations on our meals. We rarely have leftovers. I guess I need to start cooking more quantities so she can get used to our flavors.

[Renrel]

Bloomwood- We started eatting together as a family when DS turned one. It is more of a hassle but they say that eating together as a family is vital to a child's emotional health, not necessarily as a toddler but as a child. We figured we would start then though I am sure waiting another year or so would not have been a big deal. It has been helpful in teaching DS about conversation. Every day we ask each other about our days. DS thinks it is a game and trys to direct who asks who when and usually tried to get me to tell his day, but lately at almost 4 he is starting to really talk a bit about his day which is really nice. I am not sure how it helps with eating more food.

FWIW - We tried Sneaky Chef chocolet pancakes and the chicken fingers this weekend. The pancakes are good, a little heavy but the chocolet chip help counter that well. Certain acceptable in my book if DS is getting a few bites of spinach, whole wheat and wheat germ. The chicken fingers were also good, though as any bread pan fryed food, a little labor intensive if you don't usually cook. I froze a batch and am hoping defrost well. DS did not eat that much but he was also in a cranky mood, so I am not ready to write off the recipe. It tasted good to DH and I, though DH eyed the orange puree used to hold on the breading with distrust. The breading is made of whole wheat bread crumbs, almonds and wheat germ, it is held on with eggs, yams and carrots. I fryed half of the batch in 2TBSP of oil and they were not very greasy at all. I did the other half as an oven fry and they were nearly as good and less labor intensive. I hope try the breakfast cookies, the granola bars and the nacho cheese in the week or two. We already like the corn chips and guac, if I can get the nacho cheese past my family as well, we will have a nice mexican themed meal going.

[TOMama]

I just made some purees and grilled cheese muffins are in the oven. Did anyone's white puree turn out green? Was I supposed to peel the zucchini?

Any ideas on how to sneak in protein (besides milk products)? I just made DS a smoothie with silken tofu. If he doesn't drink it, I will be very sad...

[Renrel]

TOMama - I peeled my zucchine but probable not as well as I should have because my white puree is a light green but so far it has still worked. Next time I may try a little harder to peel it throughly, but I have to balance the time it takes to be that painstaking and the benefit.

There is something I found at a couple of stores in my area called Toffetti which are very dense compacted flavored tofu bits that DS loves. We get the BBQ flavor, great source of protein and not bad on sugar or sodium which is usually what happens when anything of this kind tastes good. You can eat them cold, which we usually do, or add them to stir fry dishs.

Eggs are also a good source of protein and if DC will not eat them straight the do find themselves in pancakes, french toast, coating for pan fryed items, baked goods ect. You could probable add dryed egg whites or egg beaters to a milk shake. When I was a kid that was how my mom got protein in to me and my sister, through back then we still age raw eggs.

If DS is old enough to communicate you could try cooking with him to see if he will eat more foods. DS would not eat chicken salad till I let him invent his own recipe. I pulled out anything that might go in the weirdest chicken salad and let him pick and then help chop and add them. If I remember there were apples, necterines, olives, pickles and other various sweet and salty foods in our final product.

Edamame is popular with alot of kids. Fun finger food. Bean are also sometimes fun. Try different kinds - size, shape, color and texture all make a difference to kids.

[TOMama]

Heh, I missed the peeling the zucchini part.

Thanks for all the recommendations. The eggbeaters & eggwhite powder idea is excellent.

Where do you get Toffetti? at an asian market? or Trader Joes/Whole Foods type place? I googled it but didn't come up with anything.

I about had a meltdown last night after DS ate bread for dinner and nothing else. We were at a nice restaurant & my SIL kept handing it to him and good luck taking it away without a screaming fit.

He's 15 mo old, so communication isn't all that great. Lots of screaming & throwing food when he doesn't like what I offer :rolleyes: It's partly a control thing so I'm sure he'll love to build his own meal in the future.

[mamax2]

I about had a meltdown last night after DS ate bread for dinner and nothing else. We were at a nice restaurant & my SIL kept handing it to him and good luck taking it away without a screaming fit.

Yeah, my family is all on strict instructions that DD has to try everything else on her plate BEFORE bread can be offered. My step-father routinely breaks the rule because he thinks doing so makes him 'cool' :rolleyes:

Anywho, I did peel the zucchini and it's still a very pale green - not bright white by any means but it's truly not enough color to even be noticed, certainly not once baked in a muffin or something.

Protein, besides milk products, our current source of protein is.... bacon. Turkey, pork - she eats it either way. I look for low sodium turkey and the pork I buy from a natural meat vendor. It's $$$ but it's naturally farmed, no additives, etc. so it's worth it to me. Anyway, I cook it in the micro on one of those little drip trays so it stays crispy and both my girls love it. The crunchy salty thing makes it very junk food like, which they love. :p

Moment of Inspiration: My 4 y.o. is a recovered picky eater! Last night she ate 4 pieces of salmon sashimi!!! See, there is hope! Now, if only her sister would follow suit...

[Renrel]

TOMama - I think they are a small company and probably selling mostly locally at the moment (MA). I normally buy them at a local produce store that is not a chain but I have found them in one of the major supermarkets, Shaws or Stop in Shop I think. When I get home I will check that I have the spelling right. I keep meaning to mention them to my Trader Joes and maybe whole foods because it is definately something I would expect to find in either of those stores.

One other protein idea, I was skimming Secret Chef last night and noticed the cinnimon sugar rattlers (I think that the name), toasted and flavored chick peas. Seems like way to trick some protein into a kid.

How did the cheese muffins turn out? I have not tried them yet.

We had left overs last night and DS happily ate the chicken fingers he had barely touched the night before, so I think they are a keeper and our bad luck the first day was just his mood that meal about eatting in general.

[Mindy3094]

Bloomwood
Awesome on the book! I hope you find it as helpful as I did.

A little late replying, but I think we all started eating dinner together around DD turning 12 months. She really was not interested in baby food anymore and was eating “regular� food. I do remember we had to tweak her schedule a bit so she could eat dinner with us around 5:30-6:00 because prior she was eating around 4:00-4:30. I most likely added the 2nd snack at that time.

She always eats breakfast and lunch with me then most of the time, Daddy eats dinner with us unless he has a late meeting or something. This is something that I have read in several spots that all agree on – that your child should be eating at the family table with you. It is very good for pretty much every aspect of their well being. I have even read somewhere (can’t remember where) that children who eat at the family table and participate in the conversation for at least one meal per day are overall smarter and do better in school than kids who do not eat with the family. It’s a huge learning opportunity for them and honestly, I think it is more encouraging for getting them to eat when you are there sitting with them eating the exact same thing they have on their plates.

[TOMama]

My step-father routinely breaks the rule because he thinks doing so makes him 'cool'

That describes my IL's to a tee. I'm tired of having the discussion with them. It's so bad that he knows that my SIL has a bag of snacks in her oversized purse and he will fuss knowing that she will give in. On vacation I caught my SIL giving him cookies and Pringles at 7 AM :eek: I swear they are the unhealthiest family on earth, kept alive by modern medicine. Anyhow, I digress, I can go on and on.

How did the cheese muffins turn out? I have not tried them yet.

The muffins are pretty good. Even better, DS likes them, hurray! Only thing he won't eat is the muffin top (weird, I know) so next time I won't sprinkle extra cheese on top.

I also made the chicken tenders & cinnamon rattlers tonight. DH and I liked the chicken tenders, but DS was cranky and wouldn't even try them. Hopefully he'll eat some for lunch tomorrow.

The cinnamon rattlers are pretty yucky, needs more sugar or something. Maybe if I grind them up I can add them to something. Gosh, I'm getting good at this sneaking stuff!

[kemorr]

Unfortunately, I think I'm going to be a member of this thread.... My DD is only 10 months old, but feeding her is a real challenge. I can usually get purees into her (with a struggle) but finger foods aren't happening. She used to eat them reasonably well, now she basically refuses everything. If I put some in her mouth, she just spits them out. I'm not sure if this is a control thing or just a fun new game, but after several meals of essentially eating nothing (and the dog eating everything) I am frustrated.

I have a question about eating meals with your DC. DH and I want to have family meals, but DD goes to bed at 6:30 pm (in the bath by 6 pm) and I am lucky if DH is home in time to kiss her goodnight. Generally I feed her at 4:00 and then we cook/eat dinner after she is in bed. For those of you who have DHs who come home after your DC is in bed - do you cook the meal earlier and eat it with your DC and then DH eats alone? How does this work?

[Renrel]

kemorr - For us dinner and bedtime have unfortuately occurred later and later, so I am not a good one for advise on this point. We often eat as last as 7:30 or 8:00 when many other kids are already asleep. But I have read that the benefit is in eatting together not what meal, so if you guys can manage to eat breakfast together that is also good and even doing weekend meals together would be good, particular if you have some special tradition around some of the meals, like everyone making pancakes together while still in pg or a religiously based meal, like for me Friday night is Shabbot and we light candles, sip wine and eat challah, all with special hebrew blessings. Just using the good china and maybe a special plate that DC only gets for that special weekend meal would help.

As far as dinner on weeknights, you could eat part of your meal with DC and part with DH, or if possible maybe dessert or a bedtime snack DC has could be DH appetiser so that you eat part of the meal together. I think alot of the benefit of eatting together is found in having a set time everyday when the whole family is together and talks. This overtime lets each family member kwow that they are valued since they are required to be present, it allows values to be discussed during converstation, it allows children to learn how conversations work, it allows them to hear about your day and experiences to know that you have problems and how you deal with them and that that you have things that excite you and make you happy as well.

[mamax2]

For those of you who have DHs who come home after your DC is in bed - do you cook the meal earlier and eat it with your DC and then DH eats alone? How does this work?
We usually eat family meals, but not until 6:30 - earlier if possible, but we're usually waiting on DH. We've tried lots of different variations on time and this is what's working now. I also went throught a period where I'd eat a salad w/DD, then eat my meal w/DH (he'd eat his salad while I was putting DD down). I try to make it a point to eat both lunch and dinner w/my girls. For breakfast, I'm usually close by, but I don't eat until after I work-out, so I'm usually unloading the dishwasher or something like that while they eat.

[Soulmate]

kemorr DS went through a similar phase around that same age and came right before a huge growth spurt where I couldn't move fast enough to get him more food. It will pass and I would try to resist getting to anxious about getting food into her. If she is hungry she will eat. As long as she is not super cranky, etc then she will come out of it soon enough.

Eating together I just wanted to jump in and add that the benefits of eating together are mostly when kids are older (school age on up) especially for teenagers. Changing schedules, keeping kids up later just to eat together could cause problems in itself. If your DC eats earlier as long as you have face to face time w/o TV and other distractions it would be the same as eating together. Whether food is in front of them or not does not really make a difference at this age. The studies are out there to combat the phase families went through where they were so over-scheduled that no one talked to each other and became distant. Kids would then overly rely on friends and had little adult guidance. So eating together is extremely important but more so later on.

[Bloomwood]

mindy - thanks again for the book. I read the toddler part last night and tried a few things today. In the future, a family meal with be of paramount importance to us, but right now it just isn't possible, so I am taking other things from the book that are useful. Here are a few of my highlights. I'm sure most of this is what you posted and made me want to buy the book in the first place!:


Parents are responsible for what, when, where
Kids are responsible for whether and how much
Offer a variety of foods - ones she is familiar with and likes along with new ones, but not so much quantity or variety that she is overwhelmed
Present meals as they are offered to the rest of the family, but make the pieces small enough and texture soft enough to be enjoyed
She is only allowed to eat what is prepared for her for that meal. She can have more of anything I've offered, but nothing outside of the initial presentation.
Offer milk or water with meals
Offer snacks every 2-3 hours between meals
Snacks should be mini-meals and consist of protein, fat and carb
Don't allow snacking between snacks/meals
Mealtime is over when the food starts going over the highchair

These are the highlights for my situation. Rather than making a goulash-type thing in which I try to disguise the protein in yogurt, I gave her whole pieces of protein that was new (shrimp) at lunch and dinner along with some protein she was familiar with and likes (cheese/turkey at lunch and tofu at dinner). I also limited her snacking before each meal. She ate great at both sittings and seemed to enjoy checking out the different items on her plate.

Yayayayay!

[cynder]

kemorr She's still figuring out textures and taste so be patient. She'll get through it as long as you keep offering food and not getting too frustrated.

As for eating together, it's really hard in our house since we both work. I think eating together at this age is important not only for family interaction but for learning how to behave at a table and eating skills. Most of the time all three of us together is not feasible so I make DS's meal and then eat a small portion of his meal with him at 6:00. I saw vast improvement when he saw me eat versus me just sitting there or trying to entertain him. He's 2 so I have certain expectations of him at the table at this age. On weekends, we all eat together for all meals. Even though one of us misses dinner, we make sure that time after dinner till bed all three of us play and interact together no TV, email, phone so we try to make up for lack of family dinner in another ways. DH and I eat around 8:00 ish but I am really trying to cook on weekends and use crockpots more to avoid this.

At this age she still has an early bedtime so you have to compromise. Over time you might have a later bedtime (we go to bed around 8:00 so it's gets easier to shoot for family dinner when I can get my cooking act together. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing. Shoot for it when you can.

[TOMama]

I made the Sneaky Chef's breakfast cookies yesterday. They are yummy and DS likes them. It doesn't even need the extra cinnamon/sugar on top.

kemorr - Ditto what cynder said about keep offering food and not getting too frustrated. I've been told that you have to offer a food up to 15 times before counting it out.

Up until a couple of weeks ago DS wouldn't eat any fresh fruit. Now he eats apples, watermelon & grapes (still a no go on "mushy" fruit like peaches & bananas). He also wouldn't eat cheese and that's all he had for dinner last night.

[Renrel]

TOMama - Glad to hear the cookies were good because I bought the ingredients but have not made them yet. The granola bars and brownies are on my list. It would be so nice to have some more healthy options for snacks on the way to and from preschool every morning. The chocolet pancakes have worked well for us like cookies, though it helps to have a sippy cup of milk along.

[kemorr]

Thanks for all the advice - I guess I just got frustrated because I was offering foods she had previously liked and she was totally rejecting them. I feel bad that I still feed her purees but if she just ate finger foods, she would definitely be lacking in her diet. I keep telling myself that she is unlikely to be heading off to pre-school eating purees and that this too will pass!

DH and I are going to have to have a chat about what to do about family meals. I think after she turns 1 it's going to be really important. I think lunchtime on the weekends could be a good time.

[TOMama]

kemorr-- Trust me, it's good that she eats purees. At least you know she's getting her fruits & veggies. I feed my 15.5 mo old purees, only thing is that I have to hide them in other food. It's a lot more work!

Renrel - I'm going to try the chocolate pancakes this weekend. Sounds yummy! For other food on the go, this pumpkin flax bread recipe is pretty good (I made muffins instead of bread)-- http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Flax-Quickbread/Detail.aspx

[Renrel]

I made the breakfast cookies with DS today (nothing in it so sneaky that he would object) and they went over well. Not toll house by any means but certainly tasty and the fact that they are called Breakfast cookies definately excited DS. I think I will add raisens next time. I hope to find time to make the granola bars tomorrow and plan to try to do a nacho cheese dinner sometime next week with the corn chip, guac and nacho cheese recipes. We will see how that goes over.

[Renrel]

We tried burritos and nachos tonight using sneaky chef recipes with success. (She does not give a burritto recipie but I used her recipes for the ingrediants). I went a bit to heavy on the spinach in the guac but suprisingly did not get any complaints. The Nacho sauce was very easy and tasty though a bit sweet from the sweet potatoes and carrot puree. DS designed a rather intresting Burrito - H baked beans instead of refried beans, guacamole, olives, ricotta cheese ( DH ate the sour cream yesterday not knowing I bought it for a reason so I I improvised that one myself) and instead of the cheese...duck sauce. But then he saw DH and I scooping refried beans, guac and nacho cheese and decided he wanted some too. Given that the burritos were whole wheat and the nachos homemade it was all in all a very nutrious meal. I will do it again.

[TOMama]

This weekend I made the saucy meat sauce over spaghetti. It was good but I could taste the white bean puree. DH said he couldn't taste it but, um... lets just say that both boys experienced the after-effects :p. So I probably won't put it in next time since there is already enough protein in there. Also I will use beef instead of ground turkey.

Also made green puree & green juice. Haven't decided what I'm going to sneak them into yet.

Had a big breakthrough with meat this weekend. We went out for Indian food and DS ate an entire meat samosa. I guess he likes lots & lots of flavor and the texture of minced meat. He also ate 2 turkey breakfast sausages for breakfast on Sunday. Phew, hope he keeps it up!

Renrel - Duck sauce, huh. Your DS is a creative eater! :) I'm making burritos tonight & am going to try out her guac recipe. Hmmm, maybe I'll make the nacho sauce if I have enough cheese.

[Renrel]

When I made the sneaky chefs chicken fingers last week I froze the left overs. I reheated them last night and the were still yummy. DS ate three, dipped in duck sauce. He also ate the left over Guac as a side dish with his spoon. I was suprised the Guac went over this time because I could taste the spinach in it, but I guess so long as DS did not know there was spinach in it he was OK with it. It is the principle on that one rather than actual taste.

[Mystikal]

Mind if I join? My DD never used to be picky and in the last couple weeks or so she's just not eating like she used to.

She loves fruit - all kinds, but especially kiwifruit and blueberries.

Veggies are pretty hit and miss, but she does enjoy carrots and beets (usually.)

She always refuses meat.

She'll never turn down cheese or goldfish crackers.

Funny thing is, she's 15 months old and 25 pounds. You'd think she did nothing but eat!!!

[mamax2]

I served Sneaky Chef man & cheese yesterday (Annie's shells & white cheddar + 3T white puree {zucchini & cauliflower}). DD (4) announced that it tasted weird, but she would still eat it. She probably said it about 3 times in three different ways, but she did eat most of it. She couldn't pinpoint what was weird, but she did ask me if the milk was old (it wasn't!) :p

[Renrel]

More sneaky chef reviews-

I made the magic meatballs with ground turkey and they were not very good at all. For some reason they were incredibly salty. Maybe the Kosher turkey I used was not rinsed of salt after koshering? Anyway, DS did not like them and I made him something else. I may try again with beef but I am not sure. I may just add some puree to our own recipe and see how it goes.

The chocolet Chocolet chip pancakes remain a big hit for use as a cookie.

I messed up on the mac and cheese. I did not puree something well enough and DS found a bit of cauliflower in his dish. That and the change in texture that he stated to notice made him decide he does not like mac and cheese anymore. I think I got a little to ambious and put too much sneaky stuff. I think I will eventually be able to get him to eat it again. I will tell him that I used a different brand and am going back to the old one.

[gardenmommy]

I'm at my wits end.:rolleyes:

DD is 26 months, has always been very height/weight proportionate and actually on the tall/big side (75th percentile) however has never been a world class eater and it seems like in the last 3-4 months we have had a lot more issues. Things she used to LOVE are now not even being touched. The thing lately has been just plain refusing to eat.

I'm probably being too strict but I refuse to make her separate meals from what DH and I are eating (unless it's way too spicy or something like that) and I don't want to sneak things in because I want her to understand what she is eating and it's health value. We also always eat together (DD and I eat breakfast and lunch together, and Dh joins us for dinner most nights)

I guess my main concerns right now are that she seems ot eat the same stuff all the time, and I'm worried about pushing her too much when she refuses to eat.

So I guess my big questions are, if your child is of a healthy weight how much do you worry about what they are actually eating? Do you sometimes just give them what you know they will actually eat because you want them to eat SOMETHING rather than nothing? If they refuse to eat alltogether, how much do you push the issue?

[Dotsie]

Gardenmommy - My ds has always been the worlds pickiest eater. He's also always been on the tall side. He usually in the 95% for height but about 15% for weight. It is a struggle every day to get him to eat. My ped says not to force anything, he won't starve himself but I worry constantly. He only eats about 5 things and those 5 things are what I keep stocked in the house. He loves junk food (thanks MIL :rolleyes: ) but I never keep any of that around. I am going to go out and buy a copy of the sneaky chef to try and sneak in some things of nutritional value.
I guess to answer your questions. Yes, I worry every single day about what he's eating. I do not make seperate meals for him in hopes that he will eat what we're eating. It almost never happens.
So far DS #2 loves eating and will eat anything that we put in front of him. Thank goodness for small miracles.

[Tray85]

I do make DD separate meals because I know she absolutely will not eat what we are eating. She has a limited menu too (scrambled eggs, pizza, gerber pastas, cheese, fruit, yogurt and that's about it). I just don't feel comfortable making her go hungry just so I don't have to do a few minutes extra work at meal time or to make a point about her having to eat exactly what we are eating. She's our only one and will only be the only one, so its not a big deal for me. She's also always been 95th for height and 75-95th for weight, so very proportionate.

[Renrel]

Gardenmom - I respect your choice not to hide food but wanted to share the secret chef's concept for your consideration. Feel free to disregard it if it does not feel like the right approach to you. She believes in sneaking the food in so you know that the child is getting the nurtients they need which make their eating less of a hot button issue for you. You can then be calm about food and meals and not get into a power struggle. She also believes you should continue to serve the veggies and stuff out in the open and encourage but not force your kid to eat them. They are on the table and maybe you have a one bite rule or you just let her take a bite when she is ready. You keep teaching her about what foods are good for you body and which are not, but you can do it calmly because her immediate health is not on the line. And remember many many super picker toddlers and preschooler grow up to be healthy and even adventuous eatters, it is just something about this age that makes them picky.

[gardenmommy]

Renrel~Thank you so much for that explanation...I actually haven't read that book, and naively assumed the idea was just to sneak veggies in...but when you put it that way it does sound like a good way to eliviate my stress and still be able to teach her good habits. I guess I'll have to go back in this thread and search about her book and what you all have found successful.

Thanks so much!

[TOMama]

These muffins went over better than the Sneaky Chef ones (plus they froze better). They have the same texture/sweetness of cornbread so I served them to my DH with chili :) --

Zucchini Yogurt Multigrain Muffins (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Zucchini-Yogurt-Multigrain-Muffins/Detail.aspx)

I need to get on the ball and try out those chocolate pancakes.

[Renrel]

I made the sneaky chef crunchy french toast this morning and even though I thought they were considerably less sweet then when I make my own DS said he loved them. I think the little bit of sugar I sprinkled on top helped. These sneak in whole wheat, wheat germ, sweet potato, carrots, eggs and milk. I plan to freeze the left overs for quick breakfasts during the week.

[cynder]

Well I just saw most of the Oprah with Jessica Seinfeld book, Deceptively Delicious. I am kind of irritated that a celeb's wife is kind of passing off this idea as her own. Oprah kept raving about the food and how life altering it is. Ummmm....ok. Interestingly enough, I went on the Oprah message boards and was glad to see that others were saying that it is a copy of the Sneaky Chef. One mom had her mommy's group do a comparison taste test with their kids and the kids preferred Sneak Chef recipes.

Well last week, DS has been eating the small amount of vegetables we still server. Not a huge amount but at least trying. Yay!

TOMama Thanks for posting that recipe.

[Renrel]

DS and I made the sneaky chef granola bars today. He liked them but I found them too salty and the totally crumble apart. You have to eat them at a table, they can not be a take along snack, which was what I wanted them for. Maybe I messed up the recipe, since I did it with DS and it is easy to miss something when you bake with a preschooler, but I don't think so.

[TOMama]

Just made the Cocoa Chocolate Chip Pancakes. They're pretty good. I even cheated and used green puree w/blueberry juice since I didn't have any purple puree on hand. Couldn't taste the broccoli, peas or spinach at all. :)

I found a green bean snack at Trader Joes (in the snack aisle). They literally look & taste like green beans, just slightly salted and crunchy. It may be a hard sell for older kids who know their veggies, but DS ate quite a few. In this case, ignorance is bliss!

[Renrel]

TOMama - I would check the nutrition info, I think we have gotten those green bean things on occassion and that either the salt or sugar content was pretty high in ratio to any "good stuff."

[TOMama]

Let's check it out. I have the bag right here--

For 1/3 cup serving:

Total fat - 6 g (4 poly, 2 mono)
Sodium - 80 mg
Total carb - 17 g
Fiber - 3 g
Sugar - 3 g
Protein - 1 g

Ingredients: green beans, canola oil, dextrin (corn), salt

Is the sodium too high? I'm okay with the fat since he needs to gain weight.

[Renrel]

I think its a different brand than the stuff we had. I am pretty sure there was sugar added to the stuff we tried.

[J&K2003]

Another rave review for Sneaky Chef's Cocoa Chocolate Chip Pancakes! DD happily snarfed down 2 for breakfast this morning. She thought she was getting a treat! :p Little did she know mama and dada filled it with blueberries, spinach and wheat germ. Yay! :D

[Mystikal]

My mom just saw something on TV about this book. I'm thinking of getting it:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511odL8H0uL._SS500_.jpg

You can find it on Amazon.com:
Deceptively Delicious (http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-Delicious-Simple-Secrets-Eating/dp/0061251348/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-4223112-2204952?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192445252&sr=1-1)

[Franni]

Deceptively Delicious vs. Sneaky Chef I am just curious based on one review that I have found online that Sneaky Chef recommends boiling your veg. I don't have the books so I am asking. Would that make the veg healthy? The act of boiling (unless you only do it for a few seconds in which the veg would maintain it's crispness) leaches out all the vitamin and nutrients in the vegetable. Whereas from what I have read of Deceptively, she recommends steaming which is the preferred method of serving veg.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

[TOMama]

The Sneaky Chef purees that require boiling-- purple (spinach & blueberry) and orange (sweet potato/carrots)-- have very little water (3-4 tablespoons) and that water is added back to the puree to make it smooth.

The other purees use steaming-- green (spinach, broccoli, peas), white (cauliflower/ zucchini)

I believe she boils the purple & orange purees to make sure the veggies are completely cooked and don't leave behind any veggie remains to be detected by smart kiddos.

I "sneaky chef'd" this chocolate banana bread (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Banana-Bread/Detail.aspx)recipe and my son loved it. I replaced the flour with the wheat germ/wg pastry flour blend and added a 1/2 cup of green puree. I also cut the sugar by 1/2 and it was plenty sweet.

[mgrace]

I believe the Sneaky Chef was on MSNBC last night. She sampled a brownie.

[TOMama]

So does anyone that has Deceptively Delicious want to give a review? I haven't been able to get to the bookstore to check it out yet.

I saw Jessica S. on a few shows plugging the book. The one thing that bothered me was a comment she made about putting flax seed meal in everything. Like soy it's estrogenic and I'm wary of giving my son too much. Anyhow, curious to see if her recipes call for flax seed meal...

[J&K2003]

It seems there is a Sneaky Chef vs. Deceptively Delicious controversy brewing.
Here is a video. (http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/247.1/popup/index.php?cl=4640555)

[E&O]

I've armed myself with the Sneaky Chef and started out this week with two recipes- both of which used the Orange Puree. I made the Grilled Cheese Muffins and Sneaky Ziti.

The first time I gave her a muffin she threw it right tothe dogs. I thought- oh crap, she's on to me already! But the next day I added a little butter to the muffins and she's been gobbeling them up everyday. She gets one before daycare with her milk. Success!

I tired the ziti last night and again she refused. I ran short on sauce when making it, so I think it was just too dry for her taste. I added a little extra sauce and sent it to daycare for lunch today. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I'd like to next try something with the Purple Puree to get some spinach into her.

[Pink_Converse]

Subbing. DS is 17 mo. old.

[cynder]

I read the Oprah boards and there was a mom that tested both in a playgroup and the kids resoundingly picked Sneaky Chef.

I have to say that after mannnnnny months, DS is eating some veggies. He will eat peas and carrots and potatoes. Not a lot but it's a start. For anyone using sneaky methods make sure that you keeping offering the actual veggie too. I can tell that with DS it is all about texture so that theory of being exposed 20 some times to something holds true for us.

[Renrel]

We did burritos again tonight. I put a variaty of fixings on the table and he chose what he wanted. Tonight it was peanut butter, hamburger, tomatoes, olives and guacomoli. To make this even better, the hamburger had spinach and blueberry puree mixed in, the quac had spinach, broccoli and pea puree mixed in and the tortilla was whole grain. DS finished one good sized burrito and asked for another of which he only ate a bite or two. I finished it and it was actually quite tasty despite the weird combo of stuff. He also had asked me twice for eggs for dinner. Since he was not rejecting the main course and a scrambled egg is not much work I complied and he ate quite a bit of that as well. He even tasted a bit of salsa before declining (though he had a bump on his lip so salsa was not a good idea tonight.) At lunch he suprised me by tasting, or at least putting his tongue on a beet. All the kids and even the teacher were talking about how the beet smell bad and no one likes them. I was saying I liked some beets even if maybe the school ones were yucky and DS just picked it up and tasted it. He told me he tasted it last year and did not like it and though he should try again just to see if he still did not like it. So today was a good food day.

[lilo]

*joining for support and ideas*

DS is only 11 months and still on formula but I'm trying to prepare myself for when he is off of formula and eating nothing but bread and purees. He used to *love* any kind of table food and then one day, refused them. I definitely think it's a texture thing and our pediatrician is zero help. She just shrugs her shoulders and says it's a phase. I'm sure that's true but if I can shorten that phase, I'd love it.

Right now DS will only eat cut up whole wheat bread, puffs and waffles. And purees of course. That's fine for now but I'm wondering how in the world I can get him more used to eating other table foods and get over the texture issue.

Has anyone been through this? What have you done?

[E&O]

lilo- my DD had some texture issues early on with anything was "slimy" like fruit or pasta. We had success with coating these things- adding sauces and cheese to the pasta, or rolling the fruit pieces in crushed up puffs or cereal. But really it was offering it a number of times and then one day it clicks. Byt like your DS she started off just like breads, meats, those types of textures.

We had another Sneaky Chef success with the Complete Corn muffins (cauliflower and zucchini!). I'm also planning on doing the Meatballs this week with spinach, broccoli and peas. We continue to offer mixed veggies to her with no disguise, and she continues to refuse. All is normal....