I'm stuck. I don't know what else to do to make Elaina eat. Last night and tonight, I offered Elaina pork chops for dinner and she reacted as though I were feeding her parasite infested alge. Mind you, she has liked pork chops before - remember our carnivore ? I would think that she would enjoy them more since all four of her one-year molars have busted through.
So now what ? I refuse to feed my child a standard diet of bologna and chicken nuggets as her only meat sources. Those are her favorites by far. Here is a brief rundown of the foods that comprise her "will-eat-happily-list" : the fore mentioned bologna and chicken nuggets, bacon, yogurt, applesauce, bananas, dry cereal, and just about every single form of junk food or sweet including crackers, chips, cookies and brownies. (Okay - I'll take the blame for that. We're both guilty of enjoying our junk food ! ) But, seriously, limited fruit, no vegetables (except for tater-tots) and the same redundant foods ? What can I do ? I am completely open for suggestions. (Go ahead and leave out the part where I should have never given her junk food in the first place.)
Dinnertime more or less stinks at our house lately. We've finally gotten the baby we've always wanted and she's the pickiest eater ever made. That is something I never wanted my child to face. At dinnertime tonight, as she let the tiny bite of pork touch her tongue, she threw it back onto her tray with disgust. (Says alot for Eric's grilling technique, huh ? Hah - it was delicious ! ) I offered her some other things that we were eating and she met them with the same throwing-from-the-tray-disgust. So, we let her sit in her high chair and cry through our dinner. And she c r i e d.
After dinner, we took a family grocery shopping trip to Wal-Mart and guess who decided she was starving midway through the store ? Bratsy !
What can I do with Picky-Pickerson ?
Monday, October 02, 2006
Plea for help !
Handcrafted by Laura at 10:17 PM
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5 Welcome Comments:
You're asking the wrong people. Picky Pickerson's cousin has an even shorter list of will-eat foods. Juice, Pretzels, cheese and an occasional hotdog. Nutritious!
Hi,
I found your site through Kate's which I found through her sister Giselle's. I hope you don't mind a "stranger" reading this. I'm a friend of Giselle's from college. Anyway. . . My daughter is almost two and we've been through all kinds of stages, for a while she'd eat anything. Then she'd only eat graham crackers (not kidding). Right now she seems to be broadening her horizons again and will eat almost any fruit, but no way on most veggies. Sigh. My daughter is also allergic to nuts which really changes what we can offer her. And she hardly eats any meat at all!
What I've read and heard from my doctor seems to suggest that the best thing to do is just not make a big deal of eating and keep offering a variety of foods. Hang in there, I'm pretty sure all kids go through this picky stage!
Me again. I forgot to mention that I enjoy reading your blog and Elaina looks like a happy and beatiful child!
I would say the only thing to do is keep offering and wait. Oh, and maybe try and not get upset about it. Elaina is quickly approaching the age where power struggles will become paramount...and food is something she can easily take control over. In a power stuggle over food...she'll win. You can't make them eat, right?
Andrew was a terrific eater until about 18 months...now the only veggie he will eat is broccoli, and that's only about once a week. He is particularly wary of casseroles or anything mixed together (I was trying to sneak in too much healthy food). I offer whatever we're having and sometimes he surprises me and eats it. Usually he doesn't, though.
Good luck. In my experience, there are very few children between the ages of 1-4 that eat a big variety. You may want to ask your pediatrician about vitamin supplements if you are worried about nutrition.
BTW...I've never posted, but I so enjoy your blog. I just can't get over how cute and precocious your daughter is.
Thank you "Mommies" for your help ! So, it looks like Elaina's eating habits aren't really any different from any other toddler her age and beyond. It's nice to know that we'll get through this over time with patience and persistence and she won't starve in the meantime !
Kate, Kelsey and Giselle - thanks for the consolation and for reading Elaina's Story. I've been entertained plenty by Colin and Andrew stories and when I couldn't get enough "Blog stories" I've even found my way into reading about Harper ! So cute, so adorable - I got a quick fix by reading the month when you went on vacation !
Chime in anytime !
- Picky Pickerson's Mom
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