I’ve only mentioned NikkiZ’s eating habits here and there - but let me just insist that the term Picky Eater didn’t quite cut it. It wasn’t that she only liked a few foods. It was just she didn’t seem to like food in general. We couldn’t even get her to try anything new. No matter how fun or unhealthy. She’ll eat Vanilla ice cream, but only vanilla. And only sometimes. She would only eat candy on occasion. Potato chips? Nope. Pizza? Not often. The only constant (which I served with every meal) is corn. Rice was almost a constant, but some days she just wasn’t in the mood. Cheese and Oatmeal were other somewhat constants, but not the kind of foods I can easily fit into a dinner menu. But - I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t fed her a plate of cheese or a bowl of oatmeal on nights she wouldn’t eat what we were eating. I did that at least once a week. When she was at daycare, the kitchen staff stressed out over NikkiZ’s unwillingness to eat. One day - after resisting all foods - one of them joked with us that she wanted to go buy her a happy meal just to get her to eat. We told her it wouldn’t do any good. She wouldn’t eat that either.
At meals I always tried to get her to try the new foods, but never insisted. I would put the food in front of her, and if she didn’t want it I’d willingly let her put it on my plate. Every meal I tried.
A few weeks ago, I made a roast. As usual, I put bits of everything on a plate for her to try. Oddly - she took a bite of roast and put it in her mouth. Which it shocked the hell out of me that she even tried, it was even more insane when she dove in for her second bite. She never even tries the food, much less finishes the bite. Which she did. SEVERAL TIMES. She kept asking for more! more! more! Then she went for the potatoes and loved those as well. She avoided the carrots like the plague, but I happily took those off her plate and traded her for my potatoes. It was like a dream come true. My child ate real food.
Ever since that night - it’s like a new kid has entered our house. She tries foods. And likes a lot of them. It’s like she suddenly realized that some of the food was good. Really, really good. And maybe she should at least test it out sometimes. She has eaten (and loved) baked beans, steak, chicken (in various forms), and POTATO CHIPS. She suddenly likes chips. And you know what else she likes to do with them? Dip them in the Swiss Laughing Cow cheese wedges. So - not only is she trying foods, but she’s also inventing her own combinations.
The best was last night. We had some fresh fruit to make parfaits after dinner. She took a bite of blueberry, decided she didn’t like it, and tried a blackberry instead. She ate a few blackberries, with a suspicious look on her face, and then went back and tried another blueberry. And then decided she liked them and just kept eating them. So, she went back to a food after an initial rejection. I think she decided that while the initial tastes were a little strong, both berries were pretty good after awhile. She loved them.
Of course, then she ruined it all by trying her hot dog dipped in whip cream. And I threw up everywhere. The End.
hahahaha that is awesome!! I am glad she is trying more and more foods. Food is awesome!
That’s excellent. So glad you’re seeing an area of success.
My toddler’s newest gross-out combination was dipping his pears in ketchup. Ewww!
Well, I literally LOLed, Miss Zoot! That’s great…no one should miss out on the great joy that is food
Wow! You made roast?!!
I loved this post, and I love your parenting style. No slight to anyone out there in the least, but I always get a bit of a chuckle when parents absolutely freak out that little Johnny isn’t doing things by the book and are losing sleep as a result of it, when suddenly little Johnny decides on his own terms and things fall into place.
Obviously NikkiZ is much more relaxed about her eating habits because, while you offered her other choices, you obviously didnt get yourself overly worked up, you fed her foods she liked when others didnt cut it for her (even when it has meant a steady diet of corn); IMO, this leads to a healthy relationship with food…and obviously she isnt lacking in any way as a result of it.
okay, okay, /end rant. I didnt even mean to rant. What I meant to say was yay, I find your parenting style refreshing, good for both of you.
Let them eat cake, I say!
My big son sounds an awful lot like your NikkiZ. He used to eat next to nothing (it always shocked me that he gained weight at all. Ever), and now he’s shaped into a pretty good eater.
And now I want some roast. Yummers!
I always refer to Liam’s feelings towards different foods in percentages. He will eat mac and cheese about 10% of the time. Chicken nuggets are 30% of the time. Pizza is about 60% of the time. His constant is peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches which, if they’re cut in tiny pieces with an apple slicer, he’ll eat about 95% of the time.
Blueberries? He’ll eat those about 100% of the time. He LOVES them.
Woo hoo! for eating!
Why does hot dog and whipped cream sound so good right now?
All I can think is that maybe her tastebuds were too sensitive? And maybe now that they’ve developed some more, she can actually enjoy food. I think your laid-back attitude probably helped, too.
i was going to say “hooray nikkiz!”
but that end part kind of made me throw up, too.
LOL! I feel your pain. My DD#1 is like that too. At 2.5 yrs old she only weighs 24 lbs. If she’s not careful her 7 month old sister is going to catch up to her in weight.
I think the fact that you had such a relaxed attitude about her eating was really great. And now that her palate has developed or whatever, I bet she’ll surprise you by trying all kinds of things!
The funnest thing about blueberries? The color of the poop afterwards. Sorry, but it’s true!
I predict that she will outgrow every piece in her current wardrobe in the next 6-8 weeks.
Then it’s time to drag out the burlap sacks and rope.
Toga! Toga! Toga!
I love this photo of her. Your attitude probably had a lot to do with her coming around.
Were you joking when you said you had a difficult time working cheese into every meal? If so, let me know. I cannot live without cheese and can send you lots of menu ideas.
What a great Food Picture!!
I think everyone’s a picky eater at some point. Until I was, like 12, I only ate white foods. White pasta, white rice, crackers. Luckily my demands were easily met. Poor mom. I should call her.