Hi to all you faithful readers out there. I have been missing in action lately and could have usually been found taking a nap and trying to scrub peanut butter and jelly sandwiches off of the floor.
I am just looking for any advice about getting a picky 1 1/2 year old to eat more during the day than just milk, raisins, graham crackers, and macaroni and cheese. Does/did anyone else have this same nagging question at the end of the day " What in the world am I going to feed my little boy so that he will get some nutrition into him?" I have been reading online for advice in this area and everyone said that they will grow out of it and that they are just trying to exert their new independence over at least one thing in their life. I have also read about the reverse psychology technique, where you get everyone at the table to sit down and eat and you don't have any food in the high chair waiting for them. Then they will see that they are missing out and will want some of your food. It said to give them a bite and then to keep ignoring them until they ask for more to eat. That way they have control over the situation and pretty soon they will have eaten 20 or so bites.
Has anyone got any suggestions or words of wisdom for a new mom?
The next area of advice I need help with is airline travel with the same little boy. Any activities, suggestions for a little one who could use a few hours of distraction? Has anyone used new toys or has come across some miracle drug that I don't know about? Please share any and all advice on the matter.
Here is a cute video that we got over the last weekend of Alex. As you will soon witness, he is all boy.
1 month ago
12 comments:
Welcome to the picky eaters club. Ashley and I were talking about this the other day. Brayden seems to go through stages where he'll eat "new" things but then he likes his snacks.
I think I messed him up with my tutoring & morning sickness and snacking a lot. He got to where he wanted to snack on snacks all day. He's eager to feed himself and has been better about eating when he gets the opportunity to feed himself. I've been a little tougher about eating non snack foods or not eating at all.
As for planes, if you find some good advice, please share. We're taking a trip at the end of June and would love some ideas.
airline travel- hmmm. stickers are always good. as is food, especially something really yummy they don't usually get. besides that, good luck. it is no fun! i'm about to take all three by myself in july! i'm crazy i know. and about getting kids to eat- i have no advice. i know that some parents stress over this and try and try to get kids to eat stuff turning meals into such a battle. jake and i have never really been that way. i just offer the food and either they eat it or they don't. sometimes i end up haveing to make something else if they really don't like what we are having but i try to not make a complete habit out of it. of course i always feel better when they eat a nutritious full meal, but even if they don't, they'll survive. i don't really have any good advice- just don't stress over it. he'll eat if he's hungry, and if you only offer stuff that is healthy, eventually he'll have to eat it. and i pretty much don't know how mya is still alive considering she eats cereal, yogurt, string cheese, and a few other things like goldfish. sorry for the long comment!
ps- i think that it's funny that i said i don't really have any advice, yet my comment is like a novel! i guess i mean take my advice for what it is worth. i don't claim to really know anything and think that people just need to do what works for them!
As for food, I just try to mix it up often. I have a new granola recipe that the kids love that you're welcome to try. As well I found that mangoes, grapes (that are sliced to keep from choking), bell peppers (funny, huh?), apples and bananas have been a big hit. For main dishes I noticed that rice was a favorite over noodles although a pain to clean up and tortillas with cheese and refried beans are always a happy lunch! Good luck!
When I travel via plane I buy those coloring books with magic markers (the one where the marker only works on the paper and nowhere else), then books, chewy snacks so the ears don't pop so much and lots of prayer. Oh and I tell them my expectations which works to a small degree. You'll do AWESOME!
Hey Eureka!
I have to say a lot in here. I have been reading your blog. I have enjoyed it. I am working on setting one up myself. I will send you the link when I am done getting it together. I have flown many times with my kids. I have to tell you that I have the best mother-in-law. Every time that I have flown, she has bought little toys just from the dollar store that she puts into a little backpack. Before she puts them in though, she wraps them so they can't see what they are. Let Alex pick one at a time. Let him open it, and then when he gets bored playing with that, he can open another one. Stickers are good. A little magna doodle is good. Color wonder markers are good, but I usually buy the ones that have pictures already like Dora or Winnie the Pooh so that he wouldn't have to draw himself. He justs colors the pictures to dicover what is hiding. Little cars or animals have been good. I also just brought some masking tape. I let Lily totally pull the roll apart and stick it on things or make a loop to stick on my nose and be silly, or on her nose. Masking tape kept her busy for a long time. I also bring quite a bit of food, whatever Alex will eat. This is when my kids got to eat more junk than usual. Usually I buy jolly ranchers or life savers because it takes longer for them to eat. Think long here. Don't get me wrong. My kids eat healthy too. One that is really good, but sticky, is giving Alex a whole apple. If he has enough teeth, it will take him a long time to eat. That occupied Micah for at least a half hour to 45 minutes once. The last thing is a portable DVD player. I am not saying that you have to buy one if you don't have one. I am sure that one of your friends has one that you could borrow. I pull that out when I am desperate. Trust me. I traveled last summer with two kids and one in my tummy across the country to Vermont for at least twelve hours. You can do it and be successful. I also love those baby leashes for in the airports. I know that sounds horrible, but then Alex can run around without you losing him. I hope that this has been helpful.
I love the video - what a cute little nephew we have! :) He's a doll. Sorry to hear he's being a picky eater - I think that just goes with the age sometimes. I can't really give you any advice either since my kids are horribly picky even still, and I can't figure out how that happened. :) Good luck though. I liked the plane idea of having a little backpack full of new toys. I always buy my kids new stuff and definitely special snacks that they don't usually get. Anything exciting to get them quietly through those hours in a tiny space full of strangers... We love Color Wonder too. Good luck! I wish we were going with you! :)
I just borrowed a book called Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld and it's all about sneaking pureed veggies into the foods kids already eat. Like puree sweet potato in a grilled cheese sandwhich. It offers good ideas if nothing else. I know I get stuck in rut and run out of ideas. Lincoln will not eat anything green. I guess I'll just keep offering and not force him.
Heya! First of all- yes, that's Tiff my old roommate. I'm sure she would love to hear from you! Second my advice about food- my pediatrician told me that they just need to eat from each of the food groups each week. So if they eat carrots on monday, grapes on tues, etc- that is OKAY. Its just a phase. Just keep offering different types of food. It takes 20 times for them to see a food before they want to try it. You can supplement with a vitamin but just keep offering different kinds of foods. That "Deceptively Delicious" book is awesome- another along those lines is "The Sneaky Chef" and they are awesome!!! As far as planes- I have done it a lot with two- you need to have something they don't usually play with- magna doodles are great, DVD players w/ their favorite show work wonders!! Those color wonders are great (too expensive for every day) as well as favorite books and also bring lots of snacks!! Hope that helps, best of luck!!!
PS- since he does like macaroni and cheese, you could puree either carrots or sweet potatoes and add them to the mac and cheese.
pps- you could even puree cauliflour. Its so easy to hide in almost anything!! :) GOOD LUCK!
Hey Erica,
My comments as a mother of fellow picky eater: no snacks. We often use snacks to pacify our children. We've got our bags stocked with snacks and it ruins appetites. I have found that even letting Marielle drink milk in between meals makes dinner/lunch that much harder. So if she's thirsty, it's water in the sippy cup. I know she's really hungry when she'll eat a banana. :) I am not perfect at the no snack policy, but it is something I am working on. My rule of thumb is she is not going to starve when I am offering food. Good luck!
I soo sympathize with you. I find green beans in the strangest places thrown from his majesties highchair. As for as travel a small magnetic dry-erase board with fun magnets of any sort( USA toys has fun ones) you can trace the shape (you can do this on paper ahead of time and just lay the paper on top of the board) for him and then he can match the shape with his matching magnet. The magnets don't fall on the floor as often as regular toys. Toddler crayons of course are always nice. A fun game with snacks. Bring his favorite snack on the plane and a couple of small plastic cups and play hide and seek with his snack with 3 upside down cups. A small mystery bag full of his favorite small toys w/ different textures you can try to figure out together what they are. You make the toys go further that way since you cant bring your whole playroom. I have more if you need. Hope this helps good luck. I don't envy you.
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