How many times did I betray myself? Less, but enough times that I truly feel guilty for judging other parents for doing the same before I had a child of my own. These days I find I'm regularly quickly mentally weighing the odds and potential outcomes of battle after battle of wills. Is this something I really want to stand my ground on? Chicken versus the desired blueberries? Yes, my toddler is very stubborn and finds that it's even more funny to laugh after being openly defiant. Throwing food off of his tray seems to be a favorite. So much so, that frequently I give up on the high chair and hand him piece by piece of food. He is not too pleased with this new dinnertime exchange, but I am also tired of racing to pick up food before the dog scarfs it up. Okay, if I'm being completely honest, I let her win occasionally...only because I'm soooooo dang tired of cleaning it up myself. Unfortunately, feeding the dog seems to be a positive reinforcer to the food throwing! I was hoping this would have the opposite impact as in "Ah! She's eating MY food!" Nope.
To say my husband and I have our hands full is a complete understatement. I realize at this age discipline is not a concept O totally grasps, but a firm "No" used to do the trick. Now O continues to test the boundaries. Thankfully, distraction is still helpful...most times.
Our daily battles seem to be mostly over food. O was a fantastic eater up until about 13 months. I mean a FANTASTIC eater. If it was put in front of him, he tried it and generally liked it. Today, his diet consists mostly of fruits, dairy, and grains (i.e. crackers and Cheerios). Right now the only veggie I can get him to eat is soy beans and even then he's become more finicky about these as well. He used to eat ham and cheese sandwiches on bread like a champ, but even a slice of bread doesn't do the trick. Forget toast which used to be a breakfast favorite. Sigh. He was also happy to eat chicken or meatballs which I found were a great way to sneak in a serving of veggies discretely (those were the first to go). Peanut butter used to be a special treat, but is now scoffed at! I'd question whether he was my child given his current distaste for PEANUT BUTTER, but of course I was there for his birth.
I'd be happy to just give in to his desire to eat cheese and fruit all day, but naturally my concern as a mother is whether he is getting all of his nutrients. As mentioned before, I began hiding veggies in meatballs. I felt some sense of accomplishment and grinned giddily as I watched him scarf down these incognito veggies happily. VICTORY! Alas, that victory was short lived now that meats seem to be off the table as well.
Now my task seems to be to figure out where to get a good solid source of iron and protein? More milk, continued fruits of many color varieties, and soy beans (the only green left on the table and quickly headed for the ledge it appears). For now this is getting us by. The little stinker even figured out that I put a few carrot slices in his peach, mango, and apple smoothie I made this afternoon. The following is a few tricks I've tried to get a rounded diet into this decidedly picky eater. Maybe you'll find them helpful, but I'd also be very happy to hear your own tips and tricks as well!
Smoothies: I've found great recipes for veggie/fruit concoctions online and have even mixed a few of my own based on ingredients listed on veggie and fruit pouches made by Gerber and Beechnut bought in the baby aisle. When no longer semi-frozen, they make for a great juice treat which O happily drinks.
Meatballs: I have never followed a specific recipe for meatballs. I tend to just throw in ingredients until I feel that the consistency is about equivalent to a meatloaf mix. My meatballs generally include crushed crackers of any sort, meat (I've used both ground turkey and beef. O seemed to prefer the beef), pureed veggies (like a can of carrots and peas blended or even just baby food), and a few spices. I use onion powder and garlic powder in the mix and then top the meatballs with Cavender's seasoning. I do not have a specific amount of seasoning, but I use enough that I catch a scent of the seasonings when I smell the precooked meat mixture. Next I roll about one inch meatballs and make for about 20 min. at 350. They come out smelling delicious and are quite tasty! I've even caught my husband stealing one or two off the babes plate!
Muffins: O loved these! Me not so much, but I've also had plenty of real blueberry muffins in my life to know that there was definitely a taste difference. For O's muffins, I cooked cauliflower and then pureed it until very smooth. Instead of the full amount of milk or water requested by the box instructions, I only did about half of the liquid requested and filled the rest with pureed cauliflower. I mixed the cauliflower in with the rest of the mixture and baked according to box instructions. They came out smelling slightly different and tasting a little different, but O was happy to eat these. Again, I grinned slyly as he happily consumed disguised veggies!
English Muffin Pizzas: Again I used pureed cauliflower and mixed it in with the pizza sauce which I spread on a toasted English muffin and then covered with cheese. This is a favorite of O's and one I will be sadly disappointed if he denies, because I find it pretty tasty too and am very happy to use the other half of the English muffin to make my own pizza.
V8 Fusion: This is the less sugary of the two kid friendly V8 juices (Splash is the other option). I generally use this as a last resort only because it does have quite a bit of sugar in it and seems more of treat than a meal supplement, but days like today I am happy to have it on hand. In each 8 oz. serving there is a full-serving of fruits and a full-serving of vegetables.
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