Picky Toddler Eating

[Ratatosk]

DS is driving me absolutely bonkers with his eating lately and it's soooo hard not to make it a big issue and become a power struggle. I'm having my own flashbacks of being forced to sit at the table until I ate one green been -- I won. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

He has his set foods that he likes, so we usually offer him a choice. For the past week or so, we ask him what he wants for supper and he tells us yes or no. Then I prepare his food and he refuses to eat it and does this fake cry -- actually he just says wahhh! The big faker. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> Last night he told me he wanted mac & cheese, I fixed it for him -- wah. Then I got a little annoyed and told him I'm tired of his telling me that he wants something to eat and then changing his mind. He told me that when Daddy came home from work he was going to yell at me and put me in the corner because I was naughty.

Got him a tv dinner with a corn dog, fries, corn and fruit snacks -- his choice. He ate the fries & fruit snacks. Asked him what he wanted -- he wanted a slice of cheese. Got him cheese, had a few bites and then he wanted my glass of skim milk. I told him one bite of cheese and he could chug my glass of milk. Which is what he loves to do these days. Nope. Wah!

Urgh! Never negotiate with a toddler! He is eating well at preschool and apparently eats a wide variety of things there. I'm just at my wits end. I know we did it to ourselves early on -- fixing him something other than what we eat because after treatments we figured it was more important to get him fed and then we could fend for ourselves. Like I said, I don't want it to become a major issue, major power struggle. L

 

[kayleesgrandma]

Liza, when Kaylee acts like that, we save her food and warm it up later--it sure messes with the enzyme bit tho! I'm thinking that he'll grow out of it. I play the game of "Don't you eat that when I'm not looking! Did the dog eat that?" Kaylee usually falls for it. Hope this helps.

 

[Ratatosk]

We do the "If you don't eat that, I will or the dog will". He's not big on sharing his food.

He's getting enough to eat from school and his carnation instant breakfast and snacks. Yes, later he tells me he's hungry and I give him a bedtime snack. Just don't want to start down a slippery slide where he's not eating and possibly losing weight.

Maybe he'll just need to go without a few times. My folks always pointed out the peanut butter jar when we complained. And when he announces that at school he eats chicken, soup, tacos -- yet refuses to touch the stuff at home, he's obviously messing with us and trying to show us who's boss. Just frustrating.

 

[JRPandTJP]

I know what you mean! Here's what I did with my first. I only prepared one meal, something I knew we all would like (say spaghetti and meatballs). When she was farting around at the table I would just say aren't you hungry, look your meatballs are so sad. She would sometimes buy it other no way. Then if she chose not to eat I would say okay, when you are hungry I will heat it up. Took it away and her drink too. Cleaned up dinner and that was it. 1/2 hour later she would ask for something. I'd pull it out and heat it up. I'd leave her to eat by herself...by now she was starving. I'd say, boy daddy and I missed you at dinner, isn't it nicer when we all eat together. Usually she'd just look at me and say yeah. Next night, she usually ate with us as I would remind her how lonely she was eating alone. Once in a while if I really want to prepare something I know they won't like I will do a dish they like as well, but I don't make a big to do about it. We are not running a restaurant here, and I felt they should know that.

Consistency helps through the rough times. When they stop liking something that was the one thing we feel so good about and is full of calories, just let go and know next week it could be back in. I let them have lots of freedom for snack time, I let them cook with me when possible so they feel like they made it (toddlers especially like this one), and at meals I hope for the best and try not to freak out when Ben spits it out. I just let him get down and he usually comes back. It really is a little game and they are seeing what we are made of and if they can control the outcome (smart little buggers). Act like you don't care and see what happens.

Jody

 

[Ratatosk]

I do think trying to sit down again for family meals is what we've gotta do. Seems to work at his preschool. Everyone sitting together, eating the same thing. Just seems as if we're rushing around after work trying to get in treatments, etc -- espeically tobi months that we're rushed for time. Time to break out the slow cooker and the slow cooker cookbook again.

I went out for lunch with a friend of ours who was asking about DS and I remembered part of our food battle last night --- After asking for a slice of cheese, eating some of it, the little stinker told me he was SCARED of the cheese and then he said his fake wah! Scared is his new word these days. He's going to drive me to drink! Ornery little boy. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[thefrogprincess]

With a CF kid this might sound harsh, but if he doesn't eat what you make him then he doesn't eat! He is doing this because you let him. You just play into it and he's having fun messing with mommy. He won't starve, eventually he'll get hungry.

 

[folione]

I know what you mean about the power struggle. My 3 year old is a picky eater and I've fallen into the battle now and then with the lousy results you'd expect. We've come to a bit of a truce lately and are trying to leave him alone a bit more when he's eating but's it hard to sit by when he's poking at his food and not getting the calories that his nutritionist says he needs...But we've heard from lots of more experienced parents of CFers and non-CFers that battles are useless and eventually all kids have to eat....

good luck

 

[katyf13]

Toddlers need a routine. Luckily, it sounds like he eats enough through the rest of the day that a few tough days won't hurt him. Like you said, he eats at daycare because he has a routine and he knows what the expectations are. The first few days of starting a routine will probably be tough, but don't give up!! Good luck!

 

[Ratatosk]

We do need to get back into a routine. Seems like lately we're always running or one of us has meetings or out of town trips, so we're fixing something fast for dinner. Figure we'll start with a family meal with something we KNOW he usually eats.

Last night I fixed him spagettios and he sat down at the table and said he wanted something else instead. DH convinced him to eat that while I prepared a corn dog. Ate his spagettios, some raspberries, and some microwavable and I just threw the corn dog in the fridge. I also put his carnation instant breakfast in what he thought my glass, so he thought he was drinking my skim milk. Something about the tall glass glasses instead of a sippy cup is much more intriguing.