Having a picky 22 month old daughter is quickly wearing on me. The few foods she'll actually eat aren't very unhealthy, which is a good thing, but they are so limited and sporadic. She likes yogurt, Laughing Cow cheese, applesauce, rice, couscous, lentils, fresh smoothies, whole wheat bread and peanut butter. She also likes almost all baked goods of course, but there is currently a Mommy embargo on those. Meat is a no go except for maybe some tuna every other week, and vegetables? Well, she used to like them, but now it's down to grated carrot in her grilled cheese and jarred baby food sweet potatoes and butternut squash occasionally. I will make them myself for her, but no way Jose.
Looking at the list that I just wrote, it doesn't look that limited, but I just want to be able to cook a meal that doesn't have to include rice or couscous (and I would love to not have to pick a thousand pieces of each off of the floor each night), and not have to make a second meal, or put up with a freak-out.
Lunch today almost broke me. We had just gotten back from a playtime so I went easy with Laughing Cow on bread and applesauce, normally a winner. Well the applesauce became finger paint and the sandwich became the focus of a mega-meltdown. It's happened before, more than once. Today it really tripped a switch inside me. Changes are needed...NOW.
I've said this literally one hundred times before but today has got to be the day I stick with it. No more giving in to Little Miss Picky Pants. There will be healthy choices for breakfast (which is the only meal that isn't a struggle lately, thank goodness), lunch and dinner and if she chooses not to eat it...well, there will be nights when she probably goes to bed hungry. Even writing those words kills me.
I've read over and over that this is what you have to do. Friends and family tell me this is what I need to do. I know that it is the right thing to do. I would never purposely give her a food that I know she dislikes on a regular basis, but something has got to give. I keep hoping that it will be like when we initiated bedtime when she was an infant... that it will be a hard few days and then 'voila', she will at least try something that is put in front of her and who knows, maybe even like it.
Please let me find the strength to follow through with this. Oy!
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| Boo tried Pizza in January. It looks like she likes it right? She never ate it again. |
Good luck with this! I wonder what age is the right age to start implementing something like this. Tonight I got so frustrated with how much my son was throwing his food on the floor. He would get it and toss it right away. I would give it back, he would take a bite, then throw it. So frustrating. I look forward to hearing how this goes with you!
ReplyDeleteThey say right away, which I didn't do and apparently paying the price. It's so hard to think of them having a hungry little tummy at bedtime, but they are so smart. 2 days in so far, no improvement in dinner eating though. Hopefully soon :)
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