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mathmama
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| Posted: April 10 2006 at 5:39pm | IP Logged
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I need some help with my toddler's eating. My DD is 17 months old. She has never (and I really mean that) had any candy, cookies, ice cream, etc. She only knows good healthy food that I make for her. I don't use any commercial baby food and I even make my own bread and yogurt. At breakfast and lunch she eats fine. She doesn't always eat alot, but she eats what I give her. Nothing is flavor enhanced with salt or sugar. She even gladly eats her yogurt plain (in fact she likes it better that way). The problem is dinner. Within the last 2 months she has started joining us at dinner and eating what we eat. She rarely eats the food I give her. I don't season things very much when she is eating them, so it is not like the food is too spicy. She will eat any fruit and vegetable, but she will not eat the main part of the meal. The only thing she will eat is black beans. We are vegetarian, so the things she is refusing are of that nature. She won't even eat pasta (fun stuff like mac and cheese included). It always ends with her crying (like right now!). I don't know what to do. It is like she won't eat anything that is two or more foods put together. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Sarah
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| Posted: April 10 2006 at 6:29pm | IP Logged
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My suggestions are:
1-make sure all snacking stops by about 3pm so she's hungry for dinner. If she's snacking, even if its healthy, she won't be as hungry.
2-once she's hungry, put the less desirable foods on her plate, or even the table first, before she sees the desirable fruits, or whatever it is she's mostly eating. For example, I tell the kids they can have their roll, or fruit or pancakes after they've eaten a good helping of the main dish.
3-Avoid an eating power struggle. If she isn't hungry or doesn't like it--don't force her to eat it. For those of my kids that dislike a particular dish, I have them eat as many bites as they are in age and leave it at that. We don't force them to clean their plates.
4-Look at her diet over a week's time rather than by the day's menu. Toddlers are weird that way--nothing one day, a big meal the next.
5-Allow no fruit juice. Yep, none! It is empty and an appetite seducer. (maybe you already do this)
Make sure she's getting what she needs in the way of iron, since you are vegetarians. Nothing replaces red meat for iron. She may be needing something like that. A body only absorbs a fraction of the iron when presented in fruits and vegetables compared to the iron in red meat. (Not that I'm telling you to change--I'm just giving advice  )
Good Luck
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: April 10 2006 at 6:50pm | IP Logged
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mathmama wrote:
| It is like she won't eat anything that is two or more foods put together. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. |
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Common common common! Sometimes just knowing that a behavior is common helps reduce stress  . I've had luck with keeping foods separate. For example, if we're having pizza, I bake the dough and serve with tomato slice and cheese. A lot of toddlers won't eat soups for the same "don't like it mixed up" reason so I reserve ingredients and steam or microwave separately on a plate...don't let anything touch for heaven's sake! To be honest, I know adults who don't like their food all mixed up. Separating food is easy enough and avoids the trap of preparing a completely different meal for one family member.
Love,
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Rachel May
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| Posted: April 10 2006 at 8:30pm | IP Logged
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Our twins were the worst about that sort of pickiness at that age, but we persevered by continuing to offer whatever we were eating and made a 3 bites to be excused rule.
We became veg later which was difficult, but all the kids are good eaters, and even though they rarely LOVE dinner, they eat good foods and plenty of them the rest of the day so they aren't hurting from not eating a good dinner.
I like Angie's idea about separating foods. I'm going to try that.
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mathmama
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| Posted: April 11 2006 at 5:57pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for the suggestions. Tonight went much better. I made sure she had an early snack. There are times that she is snacking as I am making dinner. I also tried to keep some things separate tonight. That helped. I think alot of it is that I need to relax. I guess I just worry about her developing some weird eating habit. I have a friend that is about 40 and he won't eat veggies. I mean none. So, I always picture DD as this 40 year old who won't eat any foods that are mixed together (like soup). Can you tell that I am a first time mom?!?!?
As for the juice, she has never had it. Her only drink is water (and she still nurses frequently). My mom keeps thinking I should give her juice, but I try to explain to her that it is much better to give her the fruit itself because it contains fiber.
Thanks again. Beth
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: April 12 2006 at 11:12am | IP Logged
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You've received some good suggestions! This might not help at all, but I notice my 2 yo eats about two good meals a day. It seems that if he eats well at breakfast and lunch, he doesn't eat much at dinner. Or, if he doesn't eat much at lunch, he eats a good dinner. For him, he just doesn't have much of an appetite for that third meal. I make sure the two he will eat are healthy though, and as mentioned above, I make sure snacks are limited strictly.
Becky
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amiefriedl
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| Posted: April 12 2006 at 2:48pm | IP Logged
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You know, I've started ignoring myself when I start a parenting sentence with "I'm afraid so and so will turn out like...." I am accustomed to always parenting with, "I'm afraid that..." and it is becoming clearer to me that it is more a tool of the devil than a cue from my guardian angel. God made your child and you for one another really. Don't worry about so and so! Other than that - I'm taking all the above great advice as well!
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Amie
Blessed with an awesome hubby and Mom of ds10, dd7, dd3 and dd 10months.
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Topic: Toddler eating habits
