What happened to my good eater?... I used to think that every meal my kids ate would be well balanced because I would make sure of it but somewhere around 15 months Boston threw us a curve ball. He started wanting more independence and didn't want anything to do with mealtime anymore. He didn't want to be constrained in a high chair anymore.
I've had to really lower my expectations ... now I feel successful if I can get him to eat anything! It's not that the kid likes junk food ... in fact he spits out most things sweet like cake or cookies ... he just doesn't seem to like the way eating interferes with his life. I've found a few things that have been helpful but I would love advice.
Here are some things we've tried and love...
Boston loves the V8 V-fusion juices which have a full serving of fruit and a full serving of vegetables in every 8 oz. glass without any added sugar or corn syrup and no artificial flavors, colors or perservatives. It's the best alternative I've found if you don't have a juicer.
Veggie Stix are made with dehydrated potatos, rice flour, tomato and spinach puree, green peppers and celery. There is nothing artifical or hydrogenated and Boston would probably eat them for every meal if we let him.
Boson has been such a bean lover since day one. It's hard to get him to eat anything off a utensil now that he wants so much independence but sometimes he'll still go for these. 
A pasta that has as much protein as ground beef but is as lean as chicken and packed full of Omega 3's and fiber!! It's a miracle that such a thing could taste so good because I usually think most whole wheat or multigrain pastas taste like cardboard but we love this stuff!! 
Boston is such a meat eater but most of the time he thinks he's eating meat he's not. These veggie protein links make great finger food and Boston eats one almost every day.How do you get your kids to eat healthy?... or eat at all for that matter?...
5 comments:
Oh I LOVE this post!! Ok, well first off Noah is JUST like Boston. He's getting better, but I swear some days I wonder how he's surviving! Spencer on the other hand will eat pretty much anything. I've found if you liquefy it, they'll eat it. Which now that you have a juicer will be so much easier! One recipe that both my kids love is made in just a plain old blender. I blend a couple handfuls of spinach with a little water till it's smooth, then I add some vanilla yogurt, a banana, apple juice and a bag of frozen mixed berries. Make sure your sippy cups have a larger spout if you add raspberries because they'll get stuck in their cups if you don't.
Oh man, this is long... I could go on and on. But I won't! :) I hope you guys move down here this year, we'll have to have regular play dates!
My sister Carly used to tell me that if my child was still alive at the end of the day, it was a success. You may have lowered your expectations, but as far as I am concerned you are creating an awesome Boston product!
I appreciated reading what you do for Boston right now because Eric is just starting a similar process. He seems to not want to eat much if at all. I thought it was just due to teething because his canines are just coming in but I'm still worried that it won't go away. So, I'm glad to hear your input.
It's normal - once they get active they stop eating. My eldest especially was far too busy, he didn't want to sit and eat and still gets bored at mealtime and would rather be playing (he's 8 now!) One thing I did find that helped was to read to him (or, when I got desperate, let him watch a DVD) while he ate - the entertainment distracted him and he ate more. I also let him "graze" - offering him titbits as he played, or snacks he could tote around with him.
They say that to check if your toddler has a balanced diet don't look at what he eats in a day, look at what he eats over 2 months. It's so true - I found my kids would go through phases where all they would eat was yoghurt, or all they would eat was pears, etc. But over a couple of months guess what, they got all of their food groups.
Please don't worry about it, I promise he will not starve himself. The human body is designed with survival instincts and he will respond to it - he'll not let himself starve and so long as you're offering healthy choices he'll get what he needs. You're doing a great job.
Hmm... I'm probably the worst person to give advice because Savannah would eat candy ALL DAY LONG if I let her (I don't, I promise!!). Just go with the flow... it's part of him asserting his independence. I always noticed Savannah ate a ton more right before a growth spurt, so maybe Boston is in a "non-growth spurt" right now, if that makes sense. Good luck with your last few weeks of pregnancy!
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