Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

If you ask any child (except for the extremely healthy ones) if they prefer cookies or carrots I think we all know what the answer will be.. cookies, of course.  Jack would jump up out of his seat to answer that question.  Why is it so hard to get our kids to eat healthy fruits and vegetables at meal time?

I can remember when I started feeding Jack “real” food he would eat ANYTHING.  I thought to myself that this was going to be a breeze and I wouldn’t have to have those battles my parents had with me at the dinner table.

Well, apparently I thought wrong.  Over time Jack has become pretty picky with what he will eat and not eat.  Almost all veggies are out except for one or two, and he is now starting to dislike fruits that I knew were a guaranteed hit.  He would rather snack all day and not eat anything at meal time.  I’m sure this is similar for other kids, too.  I have tried sneaking in veggies by chopping them up very fine and mixing them in with pizza, sauces, pancakes,etc.  However, most of the time he can tell the difference between my “secret “recipes and the real ones.

I read an article stating that taste buds in kids and babies are located not only on their tongue, but on the sides and roof of their mouth.  As they grow, the taste buds begin to disappear from the sides and roof of their mouth, leaving taste buds mostly on their tongue. As they get older, their taste buds will become even less sensitive, so they will be more likely to eat foods that they thought were too strong as a child.  I know this holds true for myself.  I disliked veggies when I was little and now I love most of them although, I still can’t bite into a tomato.

I’m looking forward to the day Jack says.. “nummy” to the taste of grilled veggies!

When he first got into eating, as opposed to drinking his meals, Andrew was a great eater. He would eagerly chow down on everything. Fruit, veggies, cereal, yogurt. He would eat everything. Well, except green beans and the little jars of pureed meat that look and smell like dog food. But I really can’t blame him for not wanting to eat that. I could barely stand the smell of the stuff!

It seems that the older Andrew has gotten, the more picky he is with what he is willing to consume. Slowly, all the old favorites have fallen off the “approved” list. Strawberries? Blueberries? Grapes? No, no and a most emphatic NO.

Mac and cheese seems to be a fairly constant standby. We have tried sneaking a little bit of vegetable in there or some chicken. But he’s too smart for that trick.

We have tried to give him a buffet of all his old favorites. Forget it. This little guy is not going to eat ANYTHING unless he wants to eat it and it’s his idea.

It’s not all that unusual for us to suggest he have a banana as a snack and have Andrew turn up his nose at the idea, only to have him request a banana 30 seconds later.

If you ask the doctor about the picky eating, you get told it’s “normal” and to “keep trying.” Parents are offered insights like “toddlers do this kind of thing. They’ll do nothing but eat yogurt for months and then they refuse to touch it for just as long.” My favorite one was when the doctor told us “some days he’ll eat nonstop and other days he might eat one good meal and just pick at the others.” (Of course, this was actually a great comfort at the time because we were getting worried because Andrew had just started doing exactly what the doctor described).

So much of parenting is a learning experience – for the kids and us. I always find it helpful – and a relief – to know when other people encounter the same things. If dinner night at your house these days always consists of chocolate chip muffins or chicken nuggets (or whatever the food may be), how do you try to introduce other foods onto the menu?

Have a great weekend everyone and bon appetit.