food, food, and more food.
all of these baby's are breastfed or just recently weaned.
when i look at this, i think to myself - WHAT ON EARTH AM I DOING WRONG?! my little amos is the most picky, particular eater. if i put a variety on his plate, he immediately throws that which looks or smells strange or offensive to him on the floor. he may attempt to stab it with the blunt end of a fork or spoon for ten minutes with no intention of bringing it to his mouth. he starts pointing at random things in the kitchen saying more, and eat. and by the end will only eat a few number of items if prepared and served exactly according to his desire.
banana peeled, half way exposed, offered a bite. after 2 bites, no more.
grapes halved, and very, very cold.
one brand of crackers from trader joes.
a green squeeze packet.
vegan chicken nuggets, hot.
frozen, natural waffles cut in 3 long sticks.
and cheddar bunnies. if it was up to him, that's all he would eat.
add in a couple more items, and this is his list. the worst part of it, is after he eats something a dozen times, he is sick of it and then starts to refuse it. bananas - done. cuties - done. apple slices - done. blueberries - so done. squeeze packs - done. and now we are reaching the end of his love for waffles.
and i have tried everything. different preparations. let him throw the food all over and scrape it into his mouth. every variety.
and i read these articles that tell me toddlers know what to eat and when they are hungry. don't force it, and so i don't.
and he's still got enough roles to convince me he's not malnourished.
and the baby is cutting 3 molars...
but i think are main situation here is THIS BOY LOVES MILK (you should hear his cute little baby voice ask for it). he loves it. and i think he'd be content with 80% milk, 20% cheddar bunnies.
and so, i will keep trying. keep preparing. keep letting him dwindle away my baby food budget, as i watch item after item be thrown on the floor or mashed up with his baby spoon onto the high chair.
and JUST. KEEP. OFFERING.
i believe in the benefits of milk and i get a little skeptical at the suggestions breastmilk is somehow hindering his development (eating or otherwise)... and so i'll continue this food journey with my baby whose personality i still haven't fully deciphered. i use to proclaim he had the chill nature of my Ricky, but more and more i see strong-headed, opinionated, super crazy Tiffany coming out. what a journey.
here's some clips of Amos post lunch and during lunch. i think here he is eating some quinoa chicken nuggets. i'm not a fan of pre-perpared stuff but i know it has more nutritious value than air, so here ya go.
GIVE ME FOOD I AM STARVING...
Mmmm... just like i want it...
all insight, encouragement, or genius recipes are welcome.
*especially past experience that tells me this phase doesn't last forever.
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I unfortunately can only offer lots and lots of empathy...my Eva is also the WORLDS PICKIEST EATER EVER! I also have a very short list of what she will tolerate and everything else ends up on the floor. She self-weaned in between 13 and 14 months but still loves her "wa wa"-aka- Vanilla Soymilk. I do smoothies for her everyday with Soymilk, Greek Yogurt and frozen fruits, with either fresh spinach or frozen carrots or frozen butternut squash. I will sometimes add in Flax Seed, honey, cinnamon-she LOVES these-i use sippy cups with straws which she also loves! And it calms my worry about lack of nutrition for her. (i also indulge on the left overs). The best i can say is keep offering and don't get too frustrated (i'm always tempted to this) and just think when he's a Teenager and eating you out of house and home you'll miss they days feeding him wasn't so expensive :) So if anything take comfort in the fact you aren't alone! (also if you figure out any tricks you should let me know :) )
ReplyDelete@sarah - oh my gosh, the empathy felt AMAZING. at least i am not alone. i've been giving him green juice, but i am about to bust out the smoothies. i just read about someone else using this method the other day, and now i'm convinced. i'll let you know how it goes. ;) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm not there yet so I can't offer any advice, but i just wanted to say I'm in love with his chubby little hands. SO cute.
ReplyDeleteoh, thank you for posting this. I was a little disheartened today when I saw blog posts & Instagram photos of other children eating an array of colorful fruits & veggies. I'm right there with you. My almost 13 mo. old is VERY PICKY. Like Amos, he loves milk & cheddar crackers. He also likes yogurt & pizza. He has a funny complex about texture- he likes mostly crunchy things. He will only eat fruits & veggies from those little pouches you buy at the market. Sometimes I worry & then sometimes I laugh. He's perfectly healthy & he takes a daily vitamin- so our Dr. says this is just a phase & there's not need to worry. Sometimes I just wish he was a little less picky. I'd had people tell me that they force fed their child foods they hated & they grew to love them. I don't believe in forcing him to eat something he doesn't want. I wouldn't want someone doing that to me. I will be persistent with the introduction of new foods, but I won't force him. I know he gets this pickiness honest because I was the same way as a child. It's definitely come back to bite me, ha! For now, our 2 dogs will continue to get extra treats when he drops his unwanted food on the floor. I just wanted you to know that you're not alone. :)
ReplyDeletecutest kid in the world!
ReplyDelete