The Nutrition Radar
Once upon a time there was a toddler prince named Sayle who ate anything his parents gave him. He loved to eat, but his favorite foods were green beans, peas, carrots, cantaloupe, pears, and oranges. Sayle would also eat nutritious items from his parents’ plates as well! Sayle’s mommy, the beautiful and intelligent Queen, knew she was very lucky to have a little prince who was not a picky eater. She was confident her little prince was going to grow up to be big and strong since he was eating all his fruits and vegetables! And they lived happily ever after.
Then I woke up, remembered my little prince won’t eat any of the above foods and I wasn’t the Queen.
Sayle used to eat vegetables and fruits, now if it’s green or nutritious, he will spit it out immediately. I think he has a nutrition-radar in his mouth that goes off if the calorie intake is too low or if the food is good for him.
He is VERY CLEAR in letting me know that he is not going to eat whatever if being offered to him by turning his head and closing his mouth tightly or by opening his mouth after taking a spoon full, allowing the food to fall out and SPLAT across his high chair tray.
Sayle used to eat fresh fruit, toast, or English muffins for breakfast. These days I’m lucky if he will eat yogurt. I have tried apple sauce as my second choice, but that also gets denied regularly. I have also tried eggs but they don’t work either. Sayle prefers to have Goldfish or graham crackers for breakfast. I have figured out that if I feed him what I originally offered him at home, when we get to daycare, he is more apt to eat it. I’m not sure if it is because all his little friends want what is being offered to him or because he has an audience, but either way it works.
For the past two weeks I have received reports from the daycare that Sayle isn’t eating his lunch. He will eat a few bites and then he is over it. He also refuses to eat his vegetables that are part of his side dish even if it is hidden by mashed potatoes.
Now that I have told you what Sayle won’t eat, let me tell you what he will eat…
Macaroni and Cheese
Chicken Nuggets
Grilled Cheese
Cheese Quesadillas
Mashed Potatoes
Goldfish
Graham Crackers
Raisins
Anything that is on my plate that isn’t a vegetable or fruit
You would think I’m raising him to be a contestant on The Biggest Loser! It’s like his taste buds changed over night-he used to LOVE vegetables and fruit! I hate that he is eating such unhealthy meals! I know that I am in complete control of what my child eats and I have total responsibility for it at this point, but he won’t eat anything else!
Some of my friends have said this is just a phase, but I’m still concerned!
Has your child gone through something similar? What did you do? I am open to suggestions!
Why does this sound so familiar? Oh because the exact same thing happened to me when Serophina was about that age. People would even tell me, “she eats anything? Enjoy it while it lasts.” When I was trying to get her back to eating fruits and veggies, I remember hearing about how kids need to be exposed to a certain vegetable/fruit at least seven times before they actually try it. So that’s what I did, I’d put broccoli, green beans, whatever on her plate every time and would coax her to try it. She refused for a long time (I didn’t count to see if it was actually 7) and then one day she tried it! Depending on what it was, sometimes she liked it, sometimes she didn’t.
Slowly but surely we got over that phase though and now she’s back to eating healthy foods.
Good luck and don’t give up! He’ll thank you for it one day.
Oh welcome to my world! We have been in the non-nutritious club for some time and i seriously dont know what to do. My child use to eat everything from carrots to mac n cheese, no problem. These days we are on the strict diet of pretzel goldfish, chicken nuggets, french fries and of course everyone’s favorite snack-chips!! Needless to say, these are not the prize winning food choices moms want their child to eat. But I cant sit through another meal of my child not touching anything that i put on her plate. She does eat rice, yogurt and she will drink milk, but thats about it. Its even more frustrating when we go out to eat, bc she wont eat anything at the restaurant and we end up spending money on food that she doesnt eat! My daughters pediatrician says that they will eat when they are hungry and that its just a phase. Its a phase, im so over it! I wish their was a magic want that i could wave to get us through this phase and to get my child to eat something good.
Certain fruits they’ll still eat but nothing like what they used to. Maybe try blending some veggies into the mashed potatoes? Baked chicken nuggets aren’t that bad.
Or just feed him at the grocery store – the girls eat anything when we’re out and they have samples and then refuse it at home. They’re odd. They won’t eat eggs for us but for grandma or friends, they will.
Mamta-I’m going to try the 7 time rule. I can’t figure out what happend between one day and the next. Loved green beans one day-detested them the next. I have tried sneaking them in the mashed potatoes, but he caught on to me immediately and spit it all out. Some of the time, he won’t even bite down on the food, he gets it on his tongue and then flicks it back out.
I’m glad to hear you guys are going or have gone through the same thing. I just feel like I’m doing him an injustice since I can’t get him to eat anything healthy.
Julie, I’m going to have to try the grocery store thing. I will grab some oranges or something and feed them to him in the cart (while he’s sitting down HA).
Amber, I’m glad I at least know someone in the Moms Who Can’t Get Their Children To Eat Healthy Club. Save me a seat at the next meeting?
This is a familiar tale – Sayle’s Uncle Sam used to eat all fruits and veggies as a baby too and then suddenly he wouldn’t eat any vegetables other than potatoes! He did however retain his love of all fruits. My health visitor assured me it was a phase and he would grow out of it. He was very stubborn about vegetables and even now only manages the odd bite of a few tolerated ones! At 21 years old do you think he is going to grow out of this phase anytime soon?
I was just complaining about this very thing tonight at supper. Rylee still absolutely adores baby food. I think it is something about the texture. He will eat veggies one day and the next, he looks at me like I’m trying to poison him. For now his main foods that he absorbs like crack are:
chicken
french fries
peas
green beans
chicken nuggetts
bananas
noodles
hamburger
If I feed him something, he’ll often shun it. But if my dad feeds him, oh he inhales it like “Pa” is the greatest person ever to give him such deliciousness. It’s frustrating. I feel everyone’s pain!!