Snacks and Dessert
I’ve been told that toddlers go through stages of being good and bad eaters. This has been true for Michael. He used to LOVE asparagus, but now that it’s in-season again, I have to bribe him to take a bite. It’s the same with green beans and peas. I’ll prepare the vegetables the same way as I always have, and he still won’t eat them.
It’s not just the vegetables. He won’t eat meat either. Steak, pork, and chicken (whether it’s baked, grilled, or fried) don’t do the trick either. If it’s not sausage or Bratwurst, then I’m just out of luck. Charlie and I make him take a few bites of dinner or else he is sent to bed with nothing at all. It’s still like pulling teeth for him to take a bite.
Michael loves to eat two things that surround dinner: snacks and chocolate desserts. When he wakes up from a nap, he’s hungry. He usually eats a piece of fruit and either pretzels or Goldfish. He loves the salty snacks! He will ask for more and more if I would give it to him.
On the other end of dinner is dessert. This is usually how we persuade Michael to eat his meal. It’s absolutely AMAZING how much power the word “dessert” has over a two-year-old. I place the food he MUST eat before he can have dessert and he immediately gobbles it up, without stopping to breathe … practices I also don’t want to reinforce.
Is it his age, a stage, or just his new dietary preference? Why won’t my child eat like he used to?
We run into the same problems around here too. Food goes from being a favorite to yucky in two days. It’s usually a stage, though it is no fun while it lasts. Good luck figuring it out!