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Parenting & Farm Kids:  Picky eater  |
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Butterscotch Grove
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Melissa
Fairbanks
AK
196 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 15 2010 : 7:42:38 PM
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Argh! I have 2 kids, 6-year old Eliza, 4-year old Frederich. They both weigh about 45 pounds, which puts her in about the 75% for her age, in line with her height, and him in the 90%+ (also in line with his height - he's a big boy). He is like the one little puppy in the 101 Dalmations, the one that is always saying, "I'm hungry, Mother." We laugh about his hollow leg(s). The frustrating thing here is that he is VERY choosy about dinner. I don't make different food for him, but all he ever wants to eat is pb&j or hotdogs or pizza (which we do have sometimes). I'm sick of the tears and screaming, and DH gets super mad when F says, "Blech! It's icky!"
I'm not at the end of my rope yet, but this is a daily fight. I don't really know how to avoid the fight, or if I should even try. Any tips?
Thanks!
Melissa
My blog:
http://ButterscotchGrove.wordpress.com |
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maggie14
True Blue Farmgirl
6784 Posts
Hannah
Washington
USA
6784 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2010 : 9:39:08 PM
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Oh Melissa, I hope someone can help you out! Sending many warm prayers and thoughts your way.
Hugs,
Channah
Farmgirl sister #1219
Just a small town country girl trying to live her dreams. :) |
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Jun 16 2010 : 06:38:35 AM
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Well, I'm dealing with a picky 15 month old, so I know a bit of your frustration. The advice the gals have given me on here has been wonderful--simply not to make a thing out of it. And, it seems to be in line with what my pediatrician tells me, too. She said kids are largely self regulating, and will eat what they like and enough of it--if you fight with him, he's going to buck, plain and simple. It's not worth it later on!
I think the pb&j is fine, because at least he's getting protein--what about pb& banana or pb & honey to shake it up? Homemade pizza is a great way to get some "hidden" veggies in him, too. Mix grated carrots, zucchini etc into the tomato sauce (pureed pretty fine so he won't know) and you've got plenty of vitamins. The dairy from the cheese is good, too.
What about yogurt? My little one loves it, so I also freeze it for "popsicles". Another way to get fiber and good things in her without her knowing ;)
It will take a bit of effort, but creativity goes a long way. With my little girl, it's quesadillas. Or Grilled cheese. She will eat the "belly" out of grapes, and nibble on carrots but it never amounts to 3 whole carrots or anything like that :) I usually hide really thinly sliced apples in her grilled cheese and quesadillas, and make cornish pastry's for her to nibble on. She's a carb queen, so if the food is surrounded in bread or some sort of crust, she's game. She's absolutely, positively not a meat eater, so we don't even try anymore. She will, now and again, nibble a homemade chicken strip, but it's a RARE thing.
Like the other girls told me, here, you simply can't stress about it. There are supplements and things to help out, too.
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
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Butterscotch Grove
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Melissa
Fairbanks
AK
196 Posts |
Posted - Jun 16 2010 : 08:37:47 AM
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Thanks, Channah!
Thank you Jonni. I'm not too concerned about him getting good nutrition - he does eat well during the day. It's just dinner. He makes a big show of refusing to eat, unless it's "something yummy," which is pizza (yup, usually homemade), chicken nuggets, or hotdogs. The rest of us just don't want to eat that stuff all the time! LOL. I don't want to get in the habit of making him something different for dinner. If Sissy saw Brother got to have nuggets for dinner when she had to eat shepherd's pie, she'd start rebelling.
Melissa
My blog:
http://ButterscotchGrove.wordpress.com |
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Jun 16 2010 : 08:44:01 AM
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My friend, Luke is experiencing this with his 9 and 5 year old....they came to our house Monday night for dinner, and I made homemade pizza for the adults (a potato bacon leek pizza with fresh mozzarella and goat cheese, and a veggie version) and for the kids I planned on making something else, but Luke wouldn't let me. He said he was trying to teach his children that they eat what people have for them--not to request anything else, or to have a fit if they don't like it. He said that both his wife and his family spend too much time accommodating the children and then they expect it everywhere :)
Ends up, they pronounced the potato bacon leek pizza (which their mother thought they'd like best) "yucky" and ate the veggie pizza ten times over. Guess when you're hungry, you'll eat anything!!!!
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
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Butterscotch Grove
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Melissa
Fairbanks
AK
196 Posts |
Posted - Jun 17 2010 : 10:47:02 AM
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LOL - I try not to give afternoon snack too close to dinner..."Hunger is the best sauce" they say. :-) We'll survive.
Melissa
My blog:
http://ButterscotchGrove.wordpress.com |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Jun 17 2010 : 11:32:35 AM
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I would absolutely not cook a separate meal/food for him. Have a talk with hubby to just "chill" and don't sweat the the small stuff. He's probably liking the extra attention even if it's negative that he is getting out of riling your hubby up.
Just place the same food in front of him every one else is eating. If he eats, he eats, if not just place it in the fridge till the end of the evening. If later in the evening he complains of being hungry offer to reheat his dinner. Don't offer him other alternatives in place of his dinner. But, also just keep calm and nonchalant. I think when he sees that it's not a way to "control" your reactions, he will decide to go ahead and eat what you serve. Especially since he eats fine the rest of the day. I bet it's all about dad, since dad is home at dinner and probably not at the other meal times.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Jun 17 2010 : 1:14:41 PM
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Give him the hotdogs and nuggets. Make something for yourselves but make a big show about how good it is but dont let him have any becuase he chose the other stuff. He will eventually get bored with the hotdogs and nuggests and will want to try more of the other stuff. Sometimes forceing kids to eat things they arent interested in causes them to become really picky later on. It's likely a phase so just roll with it. Save yourself the headache.
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.eggsandherbs.com
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EarthMamaJEM
Farmgirl in Training
38 Posts
Jenn
PA
USA
38 Posts |
Posted - Jun 17 2010 : 2:34:49 PM
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This will be long winded since I feel I have experience on the topic, lol! We have always offered, never forced, never made a big deal over food issues. I will cook different meals all the time (we are vegetarian and I am constantly trying new dishes!) and my kids all know that they can have what I've made or a sandwich they make themselves (usually a natural nut butter on whole wheat bread) and raw veggies for any sit down meal. Growing up, my parents were huge into the "clean plate club" as well as the "if you do not like what I make, you go hungry until the next day". I am not a believer in this way of eating/forcing/freaking out over meals not eaten. I think it adds stress to a childs day that need not be there. Eat what I prepare, or have a sandwhich and raw veggies...those are your 2 options. In general, I feel that we as humans (especially children) thrive on a "several small meal a day" diet more than the "3 large meals a day" diet.
We also choose to keep what we feel are healthy foods in our house that way they do not gravitate towards the junky stuff...so even if they want something "treaty" they are not getting something totally void of any nutrition. (For instance, if I keep something like candy out of my home, my kids will have the option of fruit or veggies and hummus for a snack, not the candy, lol) My oldest was such a picky child. We say for the first 2 years of his life he lived off breastmilk and Kashi Heart to Heart dry cereal (seriously!). He has always been "long and lean" with his body type and very healthy. It seems like after he turned 5 (his nicname used to be "10 food ___" because there were really only 10 foods he would eat!) he began to openly try new things. One day he shocked me out of the middle of nowhere asking for some of the raw spinach I was eating and the next day he is proclaiming it his "new favorite food". We are huge Suess fans, and I would tell him he reminds me of "Sam I Am" and he thinks its funny. Just today he tried dates for the first time and while he didnt enjoy them, he did at least *ask and try them* (he is almost 8 fwiw).
And people will always have opinions on what a child does or does not eat...because he was our first and we are raising our kids vegetarian, people would give us a hard time about him not wanting to eat our "crazy foods" (like, you know, avacado dip, whole wheat crackers and veggies, eyeroll....) but in the end, its just him and who he is.
Anyways...I guess my point is that for my child at least, he did come around. I was always jealous of those moms would could but anything in front of their child and have them eat it...my oldest was never like that! Now the middle 2 would eat anything and everything and the youngest is pickier but still not super picky like my oldest. Much love to you, its hard being a mama and figuring all this stuff out! Keep up the good work!
I am Jenn. Wife to A, mama to S, B, L and V.
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1143 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1143 Posts |
Posted - Jun 18 2010 : 06:15:47 AM
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Melissa,
You have gotten such great advice! I also have a 4 yr old, 45 pounder. She is a solid chunk of muscle! The kids have had 'picky-itis' off and on. As the others have said, DON'T make a big deal out of it. Dinner time is family time. He will get sick of the nuggets. I never, ever thought my daughter would, but she did, lol.
I do try to make at least one thing for dinner (even a side dish) that I know they'll eat. Of course, being in the South, we have an entree and 2 sides. That's an unwritten law. So, out of 3 things, they will find SOMETHING to eat, see? Usually, I have a meat, a starchy veggie, and a fruit, and sometimes rolls.
I also call all meat "steak", whether it's chicken or whatever because my kids LOVE steak, lol (seriously, I don't know if I've ever made them steak, it was probably roast). Anyway, so roasted chicken, pork chops, whatever, is 'steak' and they smother it with ketchup anyway. I also give stuff silly names like 'Rainbow Soup' (veggie soup), and one time I seriously made a caterpillar out of meatballs (cut in 1/2) and ketchup. It was fun! and they ate it, too!
The kids are getting a lot more adventurous with food as they age. As they say, this, too, shall pass for you.
No more tears and screaming...enjoy your time together! Cheers!
P.S. I just asked my 4 year old what her favorite foods are. She said, "Hamburgers, steak, and noonles (noodles)" Lol.
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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Butterscotch Grove
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Melissa
Fairbanks
AK
196 Posts |
Posted - Jun 18 2010 : 6:34:25 PM
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Thank you all for your advice. We are going to relax. 15 minutes at table. Eat or don't eat...there is always homemade bread. He won't go hungry! Now, if I could just convince DH that 4 year olds are not being messy on purpose.... ;-)
Melissa
My blog:
http://ButterscotchGrove.wordpress.com |
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Parenting & Farm Kids: Picky eater |
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Picky eater
