Mommy Confessions
No joke, it has been 2 weeks since I've attempted a vegetable with Niall. Horrible. I'm ashamed, I'm disgusted, but mostly defeated. This little guy would eat anything I put in front of him from 6-12 months old. I pureed all of my own baby food and squeezed a fruit or vegetable into every single meal or snack he ate.
Now, at 19 months of age, he will eat any of the following:
From 12-18 months, I would put a fruit or vegetable in front of him for every meal, just hoping he might go back to his old healthy ways. I would make crazy casseroles and sauces that hid chopped or blended veggies so that he wouldn't know they were there. I would smother veggies in cheese, drown them in soup, or hide them in a quesadilla. Nothing worked.
I threw away so much food that I finally gave up in the last couple of weeks. I still try with fruit, but veggies require a lot more effort and cooking and steaming, so I just got lazy. Operation "Please God, let Niall consume one nutritious meal this week" came to a halt. And so did any energy I had put into it.
When I told my doctor about the situation, he suggested that I give him a kid's gummy bear multi-vitamin. The things looks like gummy bears, taste like gummy bears and smell like gummy bears. They're candy. What kid doesn't like candy? This kid. He wants nothing to do with them.
But this morning was a new day. I said to myself, "What fruit is not too tart, not too sweet, and not too bland? Which fruit do I actually enjoy eating and not just force myself to be healthy?" And sure enough, the lightbulb went off: "grapes!"
Sure, he could choke on the skins, sure he's not supposed to eat them until he's two. But I'm desperate here, ok? So I decided it was worth the risk and chopped those grapes into little quarters to keep tabs on the skins. AND HE POPPED THEM LIKE CHEESE FLAVORED CRACKERS!
It was nothing short of a miracle. Now I just have to convince him that all this other beautiful fruit is just as good ;)
And maybe, just maybe.... a vegetable.
Niall loves your votes!
Now, at 19 months of age, he will eat any of the following:
- Cheese
- Cheese flavored crackers
From 12-18 months, I would put a fruit or vegetable in front of him for every meal, just hoping he might go back to his old healthy ways. I would make crazy casseroles and sauces that hid chopped or blended veggies so that he wouldn't know they were there. I would smother veggies in cheese, drown them in soup, or hide them in a quesadilla. Nothing worked.
I threw away so much food that I finally gave up in the last couple of weeks. I still try with fruit, but veggies require a lot more effort and cooking and steaming, so I just got lazy. Operation "Please God, let Niall consume one nutritious meal this week" came to a halt. And so did any energy I had put into it.
When I told my doctor about the situation, he suggested that I give him a kid's gummy bear multi-vitamin. The things looks like gummy bears, taste like gummy bears and smell like gummy bears. They're candy. What kid doesn't like candy? This kid. He wants nothing to do with them.
But this morning was a new day. I said to myself, "What fruit is not too tart, not too sweet, and not too bland? Which fruit do I actually enjoy eating and not just force myself to be healthy?" And sure enough, the lightbulb went off: "grapes!"
Sure, he could choke on the skins, sure he's not supposed to eat them until he's two. But I'm desperate here, ok? So I decided it was worth the risk and chopped those grapes into little quarters to keep tabs on the skins. AND HE POPPED THEM LIKE CHEESE FLAVORED CRACKERS!
It was nothing short of a miracle. Now I just have to convince him that all this other beautiful fruit is just as good ;)
And maybe, just maybe.... a vegetable.
Niall loves your votes!
I totally understand! While John will eat different fruits (but it's a guessing game figuring out what fruit he'll eat on what day!) veggies are totally a no go. And I had high hopes of my toddler not being "that kid", the one who would only eat snacks. I made my food too... I even made his graham crackers when he was little! But now, he is a punk. The one thing that saves me are those expensive pouches - he will still eat those. And so I give my almost 2 year old baby food every day. I slip him a pouch when I think he is most hungry, and they mix fruits and veggies together, so he is fooled. Good luck to you guys!
ReplyDeleteI totally feel your pain, Kerry. Nate's picky (not Nially picky - but still) and it drives me crazy. Nate also used to eat everything and now it is totally hit or miss. He could live on peanut butter sandwiches and those earth's best cereal bars. He does seem to like grapes (I quarter them too). Have you ever tried cucumbers dipped in hummus? Nate loves that, and I feel like that's kind of random.
ReplyDeleteSo funny-- I just tried cucumbers dipped in hummus for the first time today... he licked the hummus off and left the cucumbers. But we're making progress :)
ReplyDelete