Toddler Eating Habits - Racine,WI

Given that he's coming up on the age where farting, pooping, and peeing are activities of great interest and conversation, I found it very helpful to tell me daughter that veggies help her poop. Now whenever she eats raw carrots or cooked broccoli, she's so proud to know that they'll help her poop on the potty later. :)

You may be "stuck" with what you've got until he's 5ish. Any new flavors and textures that he hasn't had before now will get tagged as "posion" by his brain until that response shuts off in a few years. The best theory is that it's an evolutionary holdover that has kept the human race from dying out by linking a "spit it out now!!!!" response in with new flavors they haven't tasted in their breast milk & been given by mums at about the age they start getting more independent. Toddlers aren't exactly picky, they're programmed to have new flavors be as delicious as dog poop (the brain scans are really fun to look at, you can totally tell when it's an independence thing and when it's "you want me to eat what????" neurological thing). So when they stick that poisonous berry, dead bug, or pebble in their mouth... thwibbit... out it comes again. UNFORTUNATELY the companies that market "baby food" and "toddler food" stick to a bland, repetive diet. So by the time WE'RE ready for them to start experimenting... their bodies have a whole different notion of what's safe to eat, than what is really the case.

LUCKILY by flavors I'm really talking chemical signatures. So you've actually got a slightly longer list. (Ex: basil is basil whether it's in marinara, pesto, or thai food)

- Chicken
- Potatoes
- Wheat products
- "pizza sauce" : tomatoes, vinegar, oregano, etc... just look at the ingredients list for all the herbs/veggies, etc.
- Whichever pizza toppings he already eats
- Cheese (soft, non-ripened cheeses... like cheddar & mozz) Mild ones
- anything else he'll eat (like eggs? veggies? fruits?)

So you start breaking down what he eats into ingredients, and then start making dishes based on the INGREDIENTS instead of the finished dish. For example: You already know he eats chicken and carrots and wheat/bread products... so that means you can make pot pies, soups, stews, shish ka bobs, etc. And if he's eaten anything with soy in it... 1 will get you 10 he'll eat teriyaki chicken in addition to breaded chicken. Ditto if he's eaten soy and noodles separately (and if you started out with rice cereal), you can probably make asian rice noodles with dressing in addition to italian wheat noodles. And since you know he likes wheat noodles and cheese... you can probably do ANY shape noodle with alfredo, marinara, bolognese, etc. He likes mozzerella and he likes tomatoes and he likes basil (all from the pizza)... so you may find he loves tomato, fresh mozz, & pesto salad. He drinks juice (assuming apple just as a jumping off point) so he may like applesauce, pork stuffed with apple, bakes apples, apple marmelade, etc. But DO source out each and every base "flavor" in his current diet and see how much you can branch off.

What you're currently feeding him will keep him both alive, and healthy... it's just boring. Which isn't the worst thing on the planet. And you'll occasionally get lucky... because an old "acceptable" food blended with a new untried food might make the link to have the new food be yummy instead of yucky as well. Ex: If he really likes Penne (or linguine or fettucini or etc) alfredo with chicken... he may also end up loving broccoili in Penne Alfredo with chicken and broccoli.

Mmmmm... That reminds me of another "trick". Microwav meals. The microwaves break down the chemicals (proteins, etc.) in food in such a way that it's often possible that you can start off with a microwaved "new" food and "sneak" it onto the acceptable list... and then just start cooking healthier versions of the same meal in a few months.

But just for laughs (and because I haven't posted it in awhile)... here's another parent's "toddler menu" ;) I first came across it in my physiological psych class as we were going through the science behind why toddlers are picky eaters.

THE TODDLER DIET

People are always on the lookout for a new diet. The trouble with most diets is that you don't get enough to eat (the starvation diet), you don't get enough variation (the liquid diet) or you go broke (the all-meat diet). Consequently, people tend to cheat on their diets, or quit after 3 days.

Well, now there's the new Toddler Miracle Diet.

Over the years you may have noticed that most two year olds are trim. Now the formula to their success is available to all in this new diet. You may want to consult your doctor before embarking on this diet, otherwise, you may be seeing him afterwards. Good Luck !!!

DAY ONE

Breakfast: One scrambled egg, one piece of toast with grape jelly. Eat two bites of egg, using your fingers; dump the rest on the floor. Take one bite of toast, then smear the jelly over your face and cloth.

Lunch: Four crayons (any color), a handful of potato chips, and a glass of milk (three sips only, then spill the rest).

Dinner: A dry stick, two pennies and a nickel, four sips of flat Sprite.

Bedtime snack: Throw a piece of toast on the kitchen floor.

DAY TWO

Breakfast: Pick up stale toast from kitchen floor and eat it. Drink half bottle of vanilla extract or one vial of vegetable dye.

Lunch: Half tube of "Pulsating Pink" lipstick and a handful of Purina DogChow (any flavor). One ice cube, if desired.

Afternoon snack: Lick an all-day sucker until sticky, take outside, drop in dirt. Retrieve and continue slurping until it is clean again. Then bring inside and drop on rug.

Dinner: A rock or an uncooked bean, which should be thrust up your left nostril. Pour Grape Kool-Aid over mashed potatoes; eat with spoon.

DAY THREE

Breakfast: Two pancakes with plenty of syrup, eat one with fingers, rub in hair. Glass of milk; drink half, stuff other pancake in glass. After breakfast, pick up yesterday's sucker from rug, lick off fuzz, put it on the cushion of best chair.

Lunch: Three matches, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Spit several bites onto the floor. Pour glass of milk on table and slurp up.

Dinner: Dish of ice cream, handful of potato chips, some red punch. Try to laugh some punch through your nose, if possible.

FINAL DAY

Breakfast: A quarter tube of toothpaste (any flavor), bit of soap, an olive. Pour a glass of milk over bowl of cornflakes, add half a cup of sugar. Once cereal is soggy, drink milk and feed cereal to dog.

Lunch: Eat bread crumbs off kitchen floor and dining room carpet. Find that sucker and finish eating it.

Dinner: Drop pieces of spaghetti onto back of dog, insert meatball into ear. Dump pudding into Kool-Aid and suck up with a straw.

REPEAT DAYS AS NEEDED!

The only way I was able to get my daughter to eat healthy foods in addition to the traditional toddler standby favorites is to use the hell out of my blender. SMOOTHIES SMOOTHIES SMOOTHIES! Her favorite is:

1 cup milk
1 cup orange juice
1 strawberry yogurt
1 banana

Toss it all in the blender and blend on the highest setting until it's smooooooth and will fit in one of those toddler straw sippy cup things.

We've also tossed seasonal fresh fruit (and sometimes even a veggie or two) but what I listed above is her favorite above all else. The milk is the base, everything else is interchangeable. Costco sells this carrot orange juice blend that is awesome and we've started using that instead of straight OJ.

If he won't eat it... he's sure to drink it!

I'm also sad to say I've used bribery on occasion. I'll get a little bag of mini m&ms and put a small plate of fish and broccoli in front of my three year old. She'll whine and make a face. I'll whip out the bag of tiny m&m's, hold them up where she can see them and say, "For every bite of fish or broccoli you take... and swallow... you can have an m&m.

She'd clean her plate. It's like doling the desert out a little at a time during the whole course of the meal but it freaking worked. Now I only have to use that trick for new foods she's never seen before. Anything she's eaten and discovered she actually likes I don't need to use the m&m's for. She'll eat her "little trees" just for the pleasure of mass plate deforestation.

Good luck =)

I have had 3 picky eaters and have a few ideas for you!
Smoothies are easy and very healthy. Use frozen fruits, juice, protien powders (rice protien is supposed to be the safest for kids), and even yogurts or Kefir. You can add flax seed or oil - avacado - milk - almond butter - even chocolate for a treat! Have fun making new varieties. When my fresh fruit is starting to go bad I cut it up and freeze it - that way you don't have the waste!
My kids also liked dips! Hummus is a great dip and so is guacamole. Then can dip cut up sweet peppers (red or yellow), pita chips, even lettuce.
Pancakes and eggs are a favorite at our house too. You can make faces on the pancakes with raisins or blueberries! Scrambled eggs are a good place to hide zuchinni! We like our eggs with cheese as a sanwich!
Good luck!

My 19 month old is not a fan of vegetables at all, so I put pureed veggies into his food (like spaghetti sauce, mac 'n cheese, etc.). Most of the time i go the quicker route and just buy jars of the veggie baby food to throw in, but you can steam them and puree them yourself. Also, cutting up steamed broccoli reeeaaally small and mixing it with mac 'n cheese works really well too. Best of luck!

Will he take fruits or are those out as well? I would let him choose something new at the grocery store and that may motivate him to try it. Don't get a bunch of it, but enough for him to try a reasonable amount.

Some other tips for sneaking in veggies- sweet potatoe fries (find a healthy recipe for them though), mix mild flavored veggies into mac n cheese, mix fruits into the yogurt and cream of wheat, mix all kinds of veggies into spaghetti and pizza sauces. I don't know many people that do this, but make your own pizza and you can mix in carrots, mushrooms (chop them up really small though and only mild flavored ones), onions, garlic, of course the tomatoes that are already in them are filled with nutrients. You can also grab a bread machine at a thrift shop and make your own whole wheat pizza dough which will add another nutrition boost to the pizza.

I know this sounds weird but my kids and grankids have never been picky eaters. I always make dinner at night for my family often including salad. by age 2 my kids would eat a little salad and meat potatoes or rice and a veggie. They never had to finish their plate of food but had to taste everything no matter what. Today my kids range from 35-19 and my grandkids from 9-2 they eat anything we offer them.
I heard an interesting thing about feeding kids several years ago. At age 3 they often resist foods they are not accustomed to because back in the days of hunter/gather societies at age 3 the children would start to forage for nuts, berries and other foods for themselves and the village. If they were unfamilar with the food item it could be poisenous and wouldn't eat it. So the moral of the story is to offer good foods in a great variety before age 3 so they become accustomed to many food choices and will eat everything.

Is he interested in your food? Try just feeding him what you're eating (cut into smaller pieces or broken down as necesary.)

I would put fresh fruit and/or vegetables in front of him at every meal. Don't push, just make them a regular part of his (and your) diet. It's summer time, everything fresh tastes better now. Take him with you to a farmer's market and touch and smell the fresh produce and have him pick out one thing each time. Vitamins are a fine addition to a child's diet, but do not come close to making up for fresh fruit and vegetables.

There is a book called "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife) that has recipes for mixing fruit and veggie puree's into meals your kids will love. I checked it out from the public library but plan on buying it when I can afford it. I haven't tried any of the recipes (due to lack of time/teething) but they all sound well, deceptively delicious! :)

Sounds good but maybe some more protein. I say this because my son recently had his 3 year check-up and while I think he eats pretty well, my doctor brought up protein. What about eggs, meat, cheese (alone?), fish sticks, quinoa is a type of grain that is LOADED with protein and we've found pasta made with it, like quinoa macaroni and spagetti. When I feed it to my son, he doesn't even know the difference. Milk is good and the yogurt too. I've also searched the web for ideas too when I feel like I'm feeding him the same thing over and over for awhile.

You could try Quesadillas (cheese tortillas) with pureeded veggies hidden inside. Or you could just hide some veggies int he grilled cheese - but my son always finds it there. You could try making veggie muffins (pumpkin, zucchini, etc). Also try cuting up some culliflower to look like noodles and sticking that in his mac & cheese. Whatever you are giving him, make sure it's real food, ie. actual "cheese" on his M&C not "cheese food"

I can't remember her same but Jerry Sienfeld's wife wrote a cook book about how to sneak healthy food into your kids food. Even cookies and stuff like that. Might be worth finding at the library and giving it a shot.

Do not make him special meals. Offer him what the rest of the family is eating. He will evenetually start to eat what is offered. If you are able to be a little more stern you can always try the this is waht we are eating route, if you do not want it you can go to bed but this is what you will eat when you wake up... this generally works after only one or two tries but you have to be firm & very matter of fact & not give in.

If you like smoothies I have found that if you add fresh avaocado to them you really cannot taste them & they give the smoothie a really smooth texture.

Calling broccolli & cauliflower trees alsways seems to get small kids more interested in eating them.

Sweet potato fries (baked not fried) are a good.

My mother used to feed us a beet salad made with beets, carrots, apples and pineapple. I am not sure of the recipe but it was just all the ingredients shredded & mixed together with some of the pineapple juice. She called it "wonder woman" salad so my sister & I would ask for it.

spinach in scrambeled eggs is tasty & a good way to get a veggie with breakfast.

Cut your children’s sandwiches in creative shapes using large cookie cutters. Try a fish-shaped tuna sandwich with goldfish crackers on the side for an under-the-sea themed meal.

Experiment with fun dips like hummus, fat-free ranch dressing and even sweet potato spread. Give your kids pita triangles, carrots, celery and snow peas to dip.
Get creative with fruits and veggies. Build a broccoli forest for your outdoor adventurer. Create a friendly spider using a round slice of cucumber and eight pepper strips for legs. Stick a bunch of grapes or cherry tomatoes together with dabs of cream cheese for a silly caterpillar.
Rely on your kids’ favorite characters. Some marketing genius packaged edamame (soy beans) in Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants packaging, which makes the snack seem much more appealing to a picky child.
Create a rainbow plate. Arrange red peppers, orange carrots, yellow peppers, green cucumbers, blueberries and purple grapes to resemble a rainbow and watch how quickly your kids gobble it all up!
Make a healthy banana split - put a sliced banana in a bowl, cover with yogurt and top with healthy cereal, berries and raisins.
Have a “mixed up meal” day, where you serve “breakfast” for dinner - kids think it’s hilarious to have scrambled eggs and toast at night. Try serving healthy veggie pizza for breakfast and your kids will be shocked - and thrilled!
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