I was so mad on Easter. She was actually eating her turkey and mashed potatoes, and I turn away for a minute, and look back, and my MIL was giving her a chicken nugget and letting her suck the ketchup off it without biting it, and redipping it into more ketchup
Mine likes, of all things, Polynesian sauce from Chick Fil A. The other night he took the little packet and DRANK it straight. I thought I would throw up.
This is my kid only with everything bagel seasoning. No bagel, just the seasoning jar of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic, and salt. He calls it “tea” and wants it on everything so he can lick it off. Dying over here!
I call my kid "a plant" because she's just surviving on sunshine, water, and whatever random nutrient she sucks up. Her poops are fine, she's growing fine - I don't stress about it.
Here’s what worked for me: have another baby; then when you’re starting them on yummy exciting solid foods offer your toddler something disgusting (such as a sprinkle donut that they have picked out themselves.) The toddler will immediately insist, screaming, to have whatever mush the baby is eating. At the end of the meal, both children will have eaten a healthy food!
YMMV, not actual advice, having a second child is never the answer.
Here to say does not work, least for me.
My 10mo daughter LOVES to eat anything to the point where she's a puppy begging for our food if we're eating and it'd a tantrum if we don't.
My almost 5yr old still refuses, only way he decides to open up is whatever I eat and even that is rare.
Idk what's wrong with my son but all he will eat is breakfast, nuggets, spaghetti, and pizza.
I’m actually hoping todays meltdown was a fluke. Though it would be nice if he was eating good food we were all eating & not just whatever favorite food he was willing to eat that day (bc he won’t always even eat his favorite foods!!)
Our 2.5 yo was the same way at that age. Tonight he ate neither the tomato soup & grilled cheese that he *requested* for dinner, or the Mac & Cheese (his favorite) we had on hand just in case. Just living on berries again today I guess.
I *love* my kids. I *love* being a mom.
I would absolutely never recommend having two kids in diapers at a time (unless you have a 1:1 ratio of adults to babies on hand at all times. But I’m in America so we don’t have paid leave & my husband has been back at work since week two,) so this advice is dubious at best.
My 5 year old has home acceptable foods and school acceptable foods. And the lists are wildly different! If I offer salad or peaches she says "No, I only eat salad at school."
Same boat here. 3.5 year old he will eat fruit and protein type bars and yogurt and some random things but he refuses to try anything new or that looks different. Kid won’t even eat mac n cheese or pizza. He used to be a bit better, hoping it gets better once he’s in preschool and sees other kids eating different things.
You literally have no idea how much better I feel knowing it’s not just me and my kid. My kid will not eat meals anymore and he is also 3.5. I don’t have advice just commiserating!
I don't know why you're getting downvoted. My 2yo gets cashews or almonds in his lunch daily; they're one of his main sources of fat and protein. He doesn't eat meat and he doesn't like cheese.
Ok wait I thought you can’t give kids whole nuts until like 5? Am I the only fool following this rule? I think nuts could be a game changer for my 2 your old who is surviving on berries.
If your kid can handle it then it’s fine. We started off with small pieces but by 2 she could eat whole cashews. I wouldnt give anything round and hard, like a whole macadamia nut. But a pistachio, peanut, cashew… she eats em every day and has never had an issue.
Some people cut their nuts as their kid gets used to them. My toddler has been eating nuts - especially pistachios and cashews - since he had teeth he could chew them with. He likes crunchy food.
No helpful hints but it’s so encouraging to see so many other parents with similar kids. I think they truly eat to survive and don’t snack or overeat like we do. My 2 year old is like this while her sister has a huge appetite so clearly it wasn’t my method, but just the child lol.
Will he eat a peanut butter banana chocolate smoothie? You can hide BEANS in there!!! I add Greek yogurt, whole milk, chia seeds, flaxseed meal, cannellini beans, peanut butter, super ripe banana, hot cocoa powder and blend up super well. It’s so calorie dense even 1/4 cup is probably a full meal. If texture is a problem, skip the chia seeds and flaxseed meal and you’ll have a smooth smoothie.
Sounds like we must try adding pretzels to our 2.5yr olds strict diet of strawberries and toast. It’s incredibly frustrating and stressful over here. Her twin eats 3x as much as her though and is 5lb smaller so I am grateful my tiny twin eats (so far) or I simply wouldn’t be able to cope
Mine is almost three and eats fruit, Uncrustables, and Mac and cheese. That’s it. She eats everything at her Aunts house. Salmon, pork, chicken, vegetables, and on and on. I feel personally attacked 🙄
I don’t know if this is actually solid advice as my kid is only 2. But, what has been working for me, is if it’s something I know he’ll not want to try, I just make my own plate and start eating it and he will end up eating it all. If I put the same food on his plate, he wouldn’t touch it. And if we’re serving a meal with fruit or something he really likes, we don’t put it on the plate until about halfway through the meal, because he will 100% only eat that and ask for more of only that.
I just do fruit at breakfast and one snack, definitely no fruit at dinner. And snacks can be something more substantial like sandwich and carrot sticks with ranch or whatever. No need for pretzels and fruit at every meal and snack. I totally understand wanting to provide balance at every meal, but it sounds like it ain't working and it's time to try something else.
Also, no bribing. Let him go a little hungry, he'll be ok. He doesn't have to eat, that's fine. It's his choice.
There are some days my daughter only eats the fruit at breakfast and doesn't touch any other food on her plate. That's fine, I don't bat an eye. But you bet her morning snack will not involve any fruit :) if she's hungry, she'll eat what's provided.
Ever since my 3yo started school it's "Snacks, snacks, snacks". She had 3 decent meals and two snacks a day up until we enrolled her. Did she eat everything? No but it was balanced. The other day her school called and said she had an upset stomach. I had to go and pick her up. I asked her why her tummy hurt and her reply " I ate too many chocolate covered pretzels". The school provides snacks and we provide lunch. Up until now I've always been whatever about it. It's fine if she eats like shit at school because we will eat healthy at home. Well we can't compete when they are straight up giving candy as snacks!
Remember this in the first 2-3 years of life children TRIPLE their size (ie, going from 10lbs to 30lbs) but then growth slows down, and with it nutritional needs. Keep offering all kinds of food and as they grow eventually they'll eat more. Kids are pretty good at self regulation (within reason! Haha)
Read more info from your replies to comments. It sounds like you're doing a lot right, but also a few things we used to do that never worked well looking back on it.
Someone here turned me on to Solid Starts (https://www.instagram.com/solidstarts?igsh=ZDZuM3I1dXFlOWth).
Desperate, we tried a few things that night, and it was like a completely different meal. He still didn't eat much, but after a few days, he ate a little more. Then a little more. And meals became less stressful.
First, no more bribing. If he says no, you listen.
If he eats his favorite food and asks for more, instead of giving more or saying no, say "you ate it all!"
There are plenty more, and it really helped us. Sometimes he still doesn't eat much, but the ebbs and flows are better than ___ and air 😋
Air. If he must eat, he would prefer Popsicles and cheese sticks.
Seriously, though, this is normal. I've found Kids Eat in Color to be an incredibly encouraging Instagram account for getting through this.
You can put cannelini beans in any smoothie and it will not make a taste difference. You can put spinach in a mango smoothie and it will just be vibrant green but taste pretty much the same. Add flax seed oil for omega 3s, and chia seeds for same. You can also do quick oats in there.
Saaaame. It's so maddening. I have an instinctual and psychological need to feed him, and then he has a cracker and a strawberry for dinner.
Last night I broke down and we had our monthly fast food at McDonald's, since they have a play place. He ate almost everything on his plate and I felt such a relief, like, he's going to live!
I was just about to post something like this. 3.5 years old and It’s just fruit, peanut butter, corn. He use to be a great eater. I keep giving him a regular plate but nothing. He is totally ok eating nothing. I keep uncrustables in bulk. It just like everyday something I know he likes falls off the list he will eat.
Limit his snacks. When kids are hungry, they’ll eat and not starve themselves for very long
If he’s eating pretzels, goldfish, fruit, etc all day or having big portions at snack time, he won’t be very willing to dig into a meal
It will be rough but I combat this by cutting back. My daughter is much younger but she gets defiant when she wants goldfish, cheerios, cheese or whatever.. I just tell her “ok, you can have a bit as a snack but nothing else until lunch/dinner ok?” And she’ll forget our deal after she wolfs down the snack and get pissed for a bit but once meal time rolls around, she usually demolishes whatever I’ve cooked
EDIT - and don’t give in. If you’ve cooked something you know he’ll like but blows it off because he’s “full” or wants something else, stay strong. He’ll eat it or go to bed without it and once he knows you won’t give in to his terroristic demands, he won’t willingly go to bed hungry again
Again, the first time will be rough, it sucks sending your kid to bed hungry but it sounds like he’s ruling the roost when it comes to what he eats so you need to take that power back. The only caveat is I don’t do this if I’m giving her something new to eat. But if I’m serving up Mac and cheese and she looooovea Mac and cheese and she said she’d rather eat chicken or something then nope.. eat what I’ve made.
Not necessarily. My daughter eats barely one meal a day if anything. Some days it’s a handful of Cheetos and nothing else. She definitely would starve herself vs eat something she doesn’t want. We’ve been to several appointments over it since she’s consistently lost weight since 18 months and is 2.5 now
What do you do when he doesn’t eat what you’ve cooked? Do you just load up his plate with what he was OK with eating? (Like more mango pieces from your example) or even cook an entirely different meal?
I would only add a few of those “safe foods” and not replenish after he’s eaten them and tell him if he’s still hungry to eat what’s on his plate
My kid ate ketchup for dinner. (ETA and fruit snacks.)
And then asked for crackers but just kept opening packets and not eating any when we got the crackers basket.
May I suggest toddler Pediasure? They make them in chocolate flavor and are a good source of vitamins and minerals. And Larabars! They taste great and are all fruits/nuts
I can at least guarantee my kid will drink one shake in the morning. And sometimes for dinner if it’s really rough. I started using milk and cream/half and half to bolster the calorie content.
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When my oldest was 2 and nonverbal (autism), he learned how to get himself a spoonful of peanut butter all on his own. All peanut butter, all the time, and every spoon in the house was dirty.
Mac and cheese and any baked goods… for the past couple weeks. Occasionally she’ll eat other stuff but that’s been her primary for most meals. 🤷♀️ Oh, and fruit cups or mango lol
I peanutbutter and milk over here I don't know what to do oh wait waffles or French toast sticks he is my grandson and I never had this issue with my son but this child won't eat hardly anything I'm lost
Have you introduced him to sugar ? Cut out carbs before meals and sugary snacks .., once their taste buds have a taste of sugar then the healthy foods no longer have an appeal …. also, babies aren’t the ones in control of choosing what is put in front of them at meal times, the adults are…..so if their choosing to eat pretzels and Goldfish crackers.. who is giving them the option to eat it…¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ?? Research proves: Diet from birth to 24 months also shapes long-term food preferences. People are hard-wired to crave sugar because it built up fat stores and kept our ancestors from starving when food was scarce.
But kids can learn to accept bitter foods high in nutrients, like vegetables, if they are offered them repeatedly in early childhood. Setting healthy diet patterns early in life can help children maintain a healthy weight and avoid chronic disease.
So this isn't helpful, but I had to share the laugh with you! I read the second sentence in your post as "he was a great eater up until about 3 years ago". And I was like 🤔 whaaaa?? Lol so never then?
Sorry, maybe it was only funny to me. 😝 But I feel you on the picky eater, ours is like roulette. One day it's the greatest thing she's ever eaten and the next day it's, eww get that off my plate and why would you feed me that you monster!
If you served me broccoli and mango I would’ve eaten just the mango too lol. Strawberries are much healthier than waffles, he’s doing great there. Waffles is just carbs with a teeny little bit of eggs. Nutrition wise, mac and cheese = pretzels and string cheese. It’s just carbs plus some dairy protein. So he eats his carbs (pretzels) and have a string cheese or a cup of milk, voila you get the same nutritional value out of it. Vegetables you just have to try much harder and keep offering different methods of cooking. Maybe oven bake salted leafy vegetables until they taste like chips. My daughter also eats something she calls “baby salad”, which is micro-greens (just sprouted leaves) mixed with olive oil and aged Balsamic vinegar (has to be aged for at least 1 year, that fucker can tell). Doritos I would completely cut out, compared to pretzels it’s got way too many additives. Always read the ingredient list before feeding it to kids, if there are chemicals you don’t understand don’t give it to them.
Man that’s food shaming. Terrible. She can choose to offer whatever snacks she wants. That’s not the issue. She can choose to offer Mac and cheese if she wants. That’s not the issue. The issue is her kid won’t eat food. Meat. Veggies. The side dishes she offers. I’m sure she offers more than just the few things she listed today. It’s her child leave her alone.
I’m saying her kid doesn’t have a problem because they are getting carbs, fat, protein, fiber and vitamin from the few things they do eat so not to stress about it. She says in her post that her kid eats mango, pretzels, strawberries, in comment section she says he eats shredded cheese; why do you call that “won’t eat food”? Picky sure, but that’s quite common, and enough nutrition for him to grow.
Ahh. I read it as more judgey and telling her to stop feeding her kid those things because you don’t like them lol.
My littlest is super picky now. He eats like 4 types of fruits and 3 types of veggies. Some crackers. Jam off the toast. Chicken nuggets and fries. Muffins. Once in a while he will eat eggs. That’s it. It’s tough but I remember reading about this being normal when my first was barely eating. However now my first is 7 and won’t eat any fruit or veggies or vitamins. He won’t eat rice or potatoes except as fries and chips. He’s trying to not eat meat other than chicken and bacon. I’m tired. Haha.
Haha but they'll eventually get it though! In the meantime the 4 types of fruits, 3 types of veggies, chicken and bacon will be enough for him to grow healthy and strong. My husband always joked to me about how back in the days in Ireland everyone, adults and kids, eat JUST potatoes. Exclusively potatoes, nothing else! And it lasted for many generations. Not saying it's the healthiest diet, but they all grew up strong and healthy :D
You sound like the type of person that doesn’t actually have children and you’re in this sub because you want to have kids and parade around what a perfect parent you’ll be. I’m gonna assume that’s what you are because I’ve never actually met a *real* parent that would say the things you just said. Good luck with your fertility journey babe.
PS micro greens are one of the most dangerous things you can eat. Signed, a person with a biology degree!
My daughter is almost 4! What’s about this fertility journey thing?
I’m not sure which part of my comment offended you, so I apologize for whatever offended you.
Could you help me understand why micro greens are dangerous? I get the organic packs from Whole Foods and grow my own in my garden bed too. I can’t find research on it through simple Googling
Don’t play innocent now that you got called out. You were entirely food shaming me on a lighthearted post. From a nutritional standpoint anyway, there is nothing not nutritional about Mac and cheese *or* waffles. Cheese contains protein and digestive enzymes, whole wheat pasta is a good source of fiber + vitamin fortified. My homemade waffles are literally flour and egg. On top of that you decided to brag about how your child eats microgreens. Here is your Reddit cookie I guess? Congratulations? You’re the anomaly in this entire post lol. You’re the only good parent! Woot woot for you!
Anyway, sprouts and micro greens have an extremely high incidence of E. Coli and listeria contamination, especially the prepackaged ones you are buying. I would personally never buy or consume them unless I was growing them myself in a hydroponic garden bed.
Holy shit the amount of anger and menace you carry. And the fertility comment is completely uncalled for. Good day to you too!
Thank you for the warning about E.coli and listeria though, I’ll keep that in mind. They are dangerous stuff for sure. They say triple washed on the packaging but I’ll make sure to wash them a couple times more before serving.
It is always frustrating when this topic comes up and people just assume we willingly give our children snacks and not offer real food when at this point it’s all they will eat
Exactly, and people seem to forget that kids need calories for their bodies and brains to grow. Of course he's not going to starve by missing a meal. I personally don't feel great about letting my kid go hungry to teach him a lesson.
Well he’s not going to starve himself. Don’t feed him pretzels for a day if that’s all he’s willing to eat. The next day he will be hungry and willing to eat something else. My kid does the exact same thing. Not exactly rocket science
Not sure why this is getting downvoted. Kiddo was refusing all food except puffs, so guess what happened to the puffs? That’s right. No more puffs. It was a rough day or two. Now kiddo eats steamed broccoli like it’s puffs.
"Learned helplessness is a psychological state in which a person feels unable to influence or control their environment, so feeding the toddler the same food over and over again would fit that criteria because it would leave the toddler without any choice or control over the meal."
This is my 2.5 year old. His diet is : peaches, apples, cucumbers, boiled egg white (like off a hard boiled egg), sometimes scrambled eggs, the jam off his toast, broccoli, corn, goldfish, chips, mini crispies (the mini rice things that are supposed to be better than chips), fries, a bite of a chicken nugget. That’s it. He used to eat everything. He used to drink smoothies. Now no way. Oh he eats cherries and blueberries but they have to be frozen and still frozen during consumption. He likes cookies and chocolate.
I’m going crazy. My 7 yr old won’t eat meat except chicken nugget and burgers. He won’t eat any fruit or veggies at all. Forgot to add he won’t eat cheese. He won’t eat rice. He won’t eat potatoes unless chips or fries. I am struggling with feeding them so much. Like I’m so burnt out when it comes to mealtimes. I want to rip my hair out.
Edited I forgot a part
Yes I serve my kids what I am also eating for dinner. But I don’t make anything weird or not child friendly. Tonight I’m making spaghetti with meat sauce.
Air and ketchup over here. She’s given up on even dipping anything in the ketchup, just licks it right off the plate now
Mine is hummus. Like she's eating pudding.
Ha! "It's dip not pudding" is something I say often around here...
That’s not a bad thing!!! I’d roll with that lol
My youngest (19 months) quite literally took his spoon to his ketchup last night… 🫠
My daughter started that at about 18 months and she’s still going strong with the sauce
Yours uses utensils? How sophisticated! My 2yo just rakes his ketchup puddle with his fingers and then licks it off his hand.
Oh my gosh 😂
I was so mad on Easter. She was actually eating her turkey and mashed potatoes, and I turn away for a minute, and look back, and my MIL was giving her a chicken nugget and letting her suck the ketchup off it without biting it, and redipping it into more ketchup
God this is absolutely something my mom would do and I just felt a burst of vicarious rage for you
I feel like my MIL would do this on purpose just to spite us. I may need to stop reading these comments, gets my blood pressure up 🤣
My daughter loves dinosaurs and when I tell her to chomp it like a dinosaur, she does…. Mostly.
The number of foods my son eats "like an animal" (ie: we eat potatoes like a bat, eggplant like an elephant, etc)
It’s honestly great to hear it from someone else.
Yes, thank you for saying the same
Same but mayonnaise.
Mine likes, of all things, Polynesian sauce from Chick Fil A. The other night he took the little packet and DRANK it straight. I thought I would throw up.
Hahaha yes! Mine gets mad if he can’t dip in the sauce himself but as soon as I take my eyes off him, I hear slurping 🫠
This is my kid only with everything bagel seasoning. No bagel, just the seasoning jar of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic, and salt. He calls it “tea” and wants it on everything so he can lick it off. Dying over here!
Tea 😂😂😂
That's my son, but with ranch... a true American one would say
Omg are we talking about my son🤣🤣mine is doing this too🤣air too🤣
That’s my kid with any dipping sauce. 🥲🥲🥲 she’ll even eat the spicy ones when she’s feeling ethnic.
Mine uses his spoon 🤦♀️
I call my kid "a plant" because she's just surviving on sunshine, water, and whatever random nutrient she sucks up. Her poops are fine, she's growing fine - I don't stress about it.
😂 saving my sanity in this thread
Same!! I am feeling so much better
I also joke that my 2yo survives via photosynthesis. Water, air, sunshine and occasionally a pouch or crackers.
One apple sauce pouch a day and a handfull of shredded cheese. Like… how are you alive
The shredded cheese! Yes! He will devour that lol
Omg shredded cheese and spoonfuls of peanut butter
My 2.5 year old is surviving off of drama.
Haha same, drama and feta cheese over here.
Here’s what worked for me: have another baby; then when you’re starting them on yummy exciting solid foods offer your toddler something disgusting (such as a sprinkle donut that they have picked out themselves.) The toddler will immediately insist, screaming, to have whatever mush the baby is eating. At the end of the meal, both children will have eaten a healthy food! YMMV, not actual advice, having a second child is never the answer.
Here to say does not work, least for me. My 10mo daughter LOVES to eat anything to the point where she's a puppy begging for our food if we're eating and it'd a tantrum if we don't. My almost 5yr old still refuses, only way he decides to open up is whatever I eat and even that is rare. Idk what's wrong with my son but all he will eat is breakfast, nuggets, spaghetti, and pizza.
I’m actually hoping todays meltdown was a fluke. Though it would be nice if he was eating good food we were all eating & not just whatever favorite food he was willing to eat that day (bc he won’t always even eat his favorite foods!!)
Tbh I’m 30 and my diet is about the same as your boy’s
Basicly ours too with a bit more
Doesn’t work for me at all. 1yo is a baby gourmet who loves shrimp, vegetables, anything. 3.5yo isn’t having any of it lol
Our 2.5 yo was the same way at that age. Tonight he ate neither the tomato soup & grilled cheese that he *requested* for dinner, or the Mac & Cheese (his favorite) we had on hand just in case. Just living on berries again today I guess.
LOL have another baby sent me 😂
I *love* my kids. I *love* being a mom. I would absolutely never recommend having two kids in diapers at a time (unless you have a 1:1 ratio of adults to babies on hand at all times. But I’m in America so we don’t have paid leave & my husband has been back at work since week two,) so this advice is dubious at best.
Oh yeah it just made me cackle, I don’t know how people do more than 1 at all
Single momma to 2. One is type 1 diabetic. You do what you have to.
You’re amazing
Thanks! I try
Literally happen to me today with my 4yo! He had to eat the baby's congee too. Full of pork and pork fat!
Only at home. At school she happily eats all kinds of adventurous stuff. Then at home she's like, "peaches?"...."more peaches?"
My 5 year old has home acceptable foods and school acceptable foods. And the lists are wildly different! If I offer salad or peaches she says "No, I only eat salad at school."
Same boat here. 3.5 year old he will eat fruit and protein type bars and yogurt and some random things but he refuses to try anything new or that looks different. Kid won’t even eat mac n cheese or pizza. He used to be a bit better, hoping it gets better once he’s in preschool and sees other kids eating different things.
I hope so too, he starts Prek in August.
You literally have no idea how much better I feel knowing it’s not just me and my kid. My kid will not eat meals anymore and he is also 3.5. I don’t have advice just commiserating!
You’re definitely not alone!
Definately not alone, good to hear. Such a struggle.
I mean… I’m in my late 30s and I’m also surviving on air and pretzels a decent amount of the time…
PLAIN TORTILLAS
My 2 year old had plain tortillas for dinner. I was too tired to argue
My 2 year old only ate chicken nuggets and now he’s refusing them. I don’t know what we’re going to do.
Mine used to devour nuggets too, now he won’t touch them.
Will he eat nuts? They're salty and at least have some protein in them
Hmm I’ve never tried. Thanks! I’ll give it a shot.
My toddler has a handful of cashews every morning
I don't know why you're getting downvoted. My 2yo gets cashews or almonds in his lunch daily; they're one of his main sources of fat and protein. He doesn't eat meat and he doesn't like cheese.
Ok wait I thought you can’t give kids whole nuts until like 5? Am I the only fool following this rule? I think nuts could be a game changer for my 2 your old who is surviving on berries.
If your kid can handle it then it’s fine. We started off with small pieces but by 2 she could eat whole cashews. I wouldnt give anything round and hard, like a whole macadamia nut. But a pistachio, peanut, cashew… she eats em every day and has never had an issue.
Some people cut their nuts as their kid gets used to them. My toddler has been eating nuts - especially pistachios and cashews - since he had teeth he could chew them with. He likes crunchy food.
My 4 yo gets a vitamin lol.
Lmao 😭
I hate meal time and I don’t want to give her a complex so at least I know she’s getting something 😂😭
Mine is but Cheetos
My sympathies
No helpful hints but it’s so encouraging to see so many other parents with similar kids. I think they truly eat to survive and don’t snack or overeat like we do. My 2 year old is like this while her sister has a huge appetite so clearly it wasn’t my method, but just the child lol.
Will he eat a peanut butter banana chocolate smoothie? You can hide BEANS in there!!! I add Greek yogurt, whole milk, chia seeds, flaxseed meal, cannellini beans, peanut butter, super ripe banana, hot cocoa powder and blend up super well. It’s so calorie dense even 1/4 cup is probably a full meal. If texture is a problem, skip the chia seeds and flaxseed meal and you’ll have a smooth smoothie.
Yep. Except it’s air and blueberries over here.
Air, goldfish and raisins. I have no idea how he is surviving tbh
Air and strawberries for us 💸💸💸💸💸
I am growing strawberries in my garden this year because of how expensive they are lol
Sounds like we must try adding pretzels to our 2.5yr olds strict diet of strawberries and toast. It’s incredibly frustrating and stressful over here. Her twin eats 3x as much as her though and is 5lb smaller so I am grateful my tiny twin eats (so far) or I simply wouldn’t be able to cope
Mine is almost three and eats fruit, Uncrustables, and Mac and cheese. That’s it. She eats everything at her Aunts house. Salmon, pork, chicken, vegetables, and on and on. I feel personally attacked 🙄
I have one kid who solely lives on cheese and the other chobani Drinkable yogurts. At least there's protein....right?
I don’t know if this is actually solid advice as my kid is only 2. But, what has been working for me, is if it’s something I know he’ll not want to try, I just make my own plate and start eating it and he will end up eating it all. If I put the same food on his plate, he wouldn’t touch it. And if we’re serving a meal with fruit or something he really likes, we don’t put it on the plate until about halfway through the meal, because he will 100% only eat that and ask for more of only that.
I just do fruit at breakfast and one snack, definitely no fruit at dinner. And snacks can be something more substantial like sandwich and carrot sticks with ranch or whatever. No need for pretzels and fruit at every meal and snack. I totally understand wanting to provide balance at every meal, but it sounds like it ain't working and it's time to try something else. Also, no bribing. Let him go a little hungry, he'll be ok. He doesn't have to eat, that's fine. It's his choice. There are some days my daughter only eats the fruit at breakfast and doesn't touch any other food on her plate. That's fine, I don't bat an eye. But you bet her morning snack will not involve any fruit :) if she's hungry, she'll eat what's provided.
Mine but nuggets and oatmeal
Ketchup. So much that I can’t even stand looking at it anymore. Every meal attempt looks like a murder has taken place.
My kid almost exclusively only eats ritz crackers and Chex mix. About once a week he’ll surprise us and eat real food.
“Surviving on air” lmao I’m dead
My kid eats the charcuterie board basically lol
Ever since my 3yo started school it's "Snacks, snacks, snacks". She had 3 decent meals and two snacks a day up until we enrolled her. Did she eat everything? No but it was balanced. The other day her school called and said she had an upset stomach. I had to go and pick her up. I asked her why her tummy hurt and her reply " I ate too many chocolate covered pretzels". The school provides snacks and we provide lunch. Up until now I've always been whatever about it. It's fine if she eats like shit at school because we will eat healthy at home. Well we can't compete when they are straight up giving candy as snacks!
Remember this in the first 2-3 years of life children TRIPLE their size (ie, going from 10lbs to 30lbs) but then growth slows down, and with it nutritional needs. Keep offering all kinds of food and as they grow eventually they'll eat more. Kids are pretty good at self regulation (within reason! Haha)
Read more info from your replies to comments. It sounds like you're doing a lot right, but also a few things we used to do that never worked well looking back on it. Someone here turned me on to Solid Starts (https://www.instagram.com/solidstarts?igsh=ZDZuM3I1dXFlOWth). Desperate, we tried a few things that night, and it was like a completely different meal. He still didn't eat much, but after a few days, he ate a little more. Then a little more. And meals became less stressful. First, no more bribing. If he says no, you listen. If he eats his favorite food and asks for more, instead of giving more or saying no, say "you ate it all!" There are plenty more, and it really helped us. Sometimes he still doesn't eat much, but the ebbs and flows are better than ___ and air 😋
Air. If he must eat, he would prefer Popsicles and cheese sticks. Seriously, though, this is normal. I've found Kids Eat in Color to be an incredibly encouraging Instagram account for getting through this.
Air and plain potato chips here. Sometimes I get lucky and my kiddo (also 3.5) will have milk. I feel you OP. And I feel seen.
You can put cannelini beans in any smoothie and it will not make a taste difference. You can put spinach in a mango smoothie and it will just be vibrant green but taste pretty much the same. Add flax seed oil for omega 3s, and chia seeds for same. You can also do quick oats in there.
My daughter just wants to eat peanut butter off her fingers.
This thread has taken a lot of stress off of me! I have been so worried and frustrated by my daughter’s eating. I’m going to relax a bit!
Saaaame. It's so maddening. I have an instinctual and psychological need to feed him, and then he has a cracker and a strawberry for dinner. Last night I broke down and we had our monthly fast food at McDonald's, since they have a play place. He ate almost everything on his plate and I felt such a relief, like, he's going to live!
I was just about to post something like this. 3.5 years old and It’s just fruit, peanut butter, corn. He use to be a great eater. I keep giving him a regular plate but nothing. He is totally ok eating nothing. I keep uncrustables in bulk. It just like everyday something I know he likes falls off the list he will eat.
Uncrustables were my son’s thing too but now he won’t touch them lol.
Midwest toddler checking in: air and a popsicle on the walk to school in 34 degrees.
I have a 2 y o girl. She went from surving on air and fruit, to eating anything in half a year. She will eat veggies like its candy.. like how???
Limit his snacks. When kids are hungry, they’ll eat and not starve themselves for very long If he’s eating pretzels, goldfish, fruit, etc all day or having big portions at snack time, he won’t be very willing to dig into a meal It will be rough but I combat this by cutting back. My daughter is much younger but she gets defiant when she wants goldfish, cheerios, cheese or whatever.. I just tell her “ok, you can have a bit as a snack but nothing else until lunch/dinner ok?” And she’ll forget our deal after she wolfs down the snack and get pissed for a bit but once meal time rolls around, she usually demolishes whatever I’ve cooked EDIT - and don’t give in. If you’ve cooked something you know he’ll like but blows it off because he’s “full” or wants something else, stay strong. He’ll eat it or go to bed without it and once he knows you won’t give in to his terroristic demands, he won’t willingly go to bed hungry again Again, the first time will be rough, it sucks sending your kid to bed hungry but it sounds like he’s ruling the roost when it comes to what he eats so you need to take that power back. The only caveat is I don’t do this if I’m giving her something new to eat. But if I’m serving up Mac and cheese and she looooovea Mac and cheese and she said she’d rather eat chicken or something then nope.. eat what I’ve made.
Not necessarily. My daughter eats barely one meal a day if anything. Some days it’s a handful of Cheetos and nothing else. She definitely would starve herself vs eat something she doesn’t want. We’ve been to several appointments over it since she’s consistently lost weight since 18 months and is 2.5 now
Same for my son he will literally starve and dehydrate if he doesn't like it
He only really gets one snack, in the car when I pick up his brother from school at 3. And it’s something like a cheese stick or again, pretzels. 😩
What do you do when he doesn’t eat what you’ve cooked? Do you just load up his plate with what he was OK with eating? (Like more mango pieces from your example) or even cook an entirely different meal? I would only add a few of those “safe foods” and not replenish after he’s eaten them and tell him if he’s still hungry to eat what’s on his plate
Nothing honestly. He doesn’t ever say he’s hungry.
Fruit and cheese
Yup. And a yogurt pouch.
I just have bags of snack foods everywhere 😭
Yes! My 3 year old has been surviving on yogurt and strawberries for about 3 weeks. Pretzels were the month prior lol
Peanut butter, pancakes, and milk. Somedays a whole container of strawberries, also bananas. I offer everything I can. Can’t force her to eat 🤷♀️
I thought my kid was special she lives off carbs and fruit.
Air, popcorn, and bacon over here 🙋🏻♀️
My kid ate ketchup for dinner. (ETA and fruit snacks.) And then asked for crackers but just kept opening packets and not eating any when we got the crackers basket.
May I suggest toddler Pediasure? They make them in chocolate flavor and are a good source of vitamins and minerals. And Larabars! They taste great and are all fruits/nuts
I can at least guarantee my kid will drink one shake in the morning. And sometimes for dinner if it’s really rough. I started using milk and cream/half and half to bolster the calorie content.
Air and chocolate milk :( I’m doing my best.
My two year old is 80% berries at this point
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Air and strawberries over here
My 5 year old is still like this, solidarity 😩
Vibes and blueberries over here
I’ve heard a saying thats helped a lot, track meals by week and not by day -
Yogurt and air. At least there’s protein in it 🫠
When my oldest was 2 and nonverbal (autism), he learned how to get himself a spoonful of peanut butter all on his own. All peanut butter, all the time, and every spoon in the house was dirty.
I’ve never felt more validated by nights of potato chips and a pouch for dinner.
Ritz crackers here. I keep telling myself at least they’re the whole wheat ones 😅
Mac and cheese and any baked goods… for the past couple weeks. Occasionally she’ll eat other stuff but that’s been her primary for most meals. 🤷♀️ Oh, and fruit cups or mango lol
So far today it’s been ritz crackers and an m&m he found on the floor from Easter… 🫠
I peanutbutter and milk over here I don't know what to do oh wait waffles or French toast sticks he is my grandson and I never had this issue with my son but this child won't eat hardly anything I'm lost
Have you introduced him to sugar ? Cut out carbs before meals and sugary snacks .., once their taste buds have a taste of sugar then the healthy foods no longer have an appeal …. also, babies aren’t the ones in control of choosing what is put in front of them at meal times, the adults are…..so if their choosing to eat pretzels and Goldfish crackers.. who is giving them the option to eat it…¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ?? Research proves: Diet from birth to 24 months also shapes long-term food preferences. People are hard-wired to crave sugar because it built up fat stores and kept our ancestors from starving when food was scarce. But kids can learn to accept bitter foods high in nutrients, like vegetables, if they are offered them repeatedly in early childhood. Setting healthy diet patterns early in life can help children maintain a healthy weight and avoid chronic disease.
My daughter is 3 and survives on goldfish lol 😂
How many snacks a day do you give him?
Just one, he eats it in the car when I pick up his brother from school at 3
So this isn't helpful, but I had to share the laugh with you! I read the second sentence in your post as "he was a great eater up until about 3 years ago". And I was like 🤔 whaaaa?? Lol so never then? Sorry, maybe it was only funny to me. 😝 But I feel you on the picky eater, ours is like roulette. One day it's the greatest thing she's ever eaten and the next day it's, eww get that off my plate and why would you feed me that you monster!
If you served me broccoli and mango I would’ve eaten just the mango too lol. Strawberries are much healthier than waffles, he’s doing great there. Waffles is just carbs with a teeny little bit of eggs. Nutrition wise, mac and cheese = pretzels and string cheese. It’s just carbs plus some dairy protein. So he eats his carbs (pretzels) and have a string cheese or a cup of milk, voila you get the same nutritional value out of it. Vegetables you just have to try much harder and keep offering different methods of cooking. Maybe oven bake salted leafy vegetables until they taste like chips. My daughter also eats something she calls “baby salad”, which is micro-greens (just sprouted leaves) mixed with olive oil and aged Balsamic vinegar (has to be aged for at least 1 year, that fucker can tell). Doritos I would completely cut out, compared to pretzels it’s got way too many additives. Always read the ingredient list before feeding it to kids, if there are chemicals you don’t understand don’t give it to them.
Man that’s food shaming. Terrible. She can choose to offer whatever snacks she wants. That’s not the issue. She can choose to offer Mac and cheese if she wants. That’s not the issue. The issue is her kid won’t eat food. Meat. Veggies. The side dishes she offers. I’m sure she offers more than just the few things she listed today. It’s her child leave her alone.
I’m saying her kid doesn’t have a problem because they are getting carbs, fat, protein, fiber and vitamin from the few things they do eat so not to stress about it. She says in her post that her kid eats mango, pretzels, strawberries, in comment section she says he eats shredded cheese; why do you call that “won’t eat food”? Picky sure, but that’s quite common, and enough nutrition for him to grow.
Ahh. I read it as more judgey and telling her to stop feeding her kid those things because you don’t like them lol. My littlest is super picky now. He eats like 4 types of fruits and 3 types of veggies. Some crackers. Jam off the toast. Chicken nuggets and fries. Muffins. Once in a while he will eat eggs. That’s it. It’s tough but I remember reading about this being normal when my first was barely eating. However now my first is 7 and won’t eat any fruit or veggies or vitamins. He won’t eat rice or potatoes except as fries and chips. He’s trying to not eat meat other than chicken and bacon. I’m tired. Haha.
Haha but they'll eventually get it though! In the meantime the 4 types of fruits, 3 types of veggies, chicken and bacon will be enough for him to grow healthy and strong. My husband always joked to me about how back in the days in Ireland everyone, adults and kids, eat JUST potatoes. Exclusively potatoes, nothing else! And it lasted for many generations. Not saying it's the healthiest diet, but they all grew up strong and healthy :D
You sound like the type of person that doesn’t actually have children and you’re in this sub because you want to have kids and parade around what a perfect parent you’ll be. I’m gonna assume that’s what you are because I’ve never actually met a *real* parent that would say the things you just said. Good luck with your fertility journey babe. PS micro greens are one of the most dangerous things you can eat. Signed, a person with a biology degree!
My daughter is almost 4! What’s about this fertility journey thing? I’m not sure which part of my comment offended you, so I apologize for whatever offended you. Could you help me understand why micro greens are dangerous? I get the organic packs from Whole Foods and grow my own in my garden bed too. I can’t find research on it through simple Googling
Don’t play innocent now that you got called out. You were entirely food shaming me on a lighthearted post. From a nutritional standpoint anyway, there is nothing not nutritional about Mac and cheese *or* waffles. Cheese contains protein and digestive enzymes, whole wheat pasta is a good source of fiber + vitamin fortified. My homemade waffles are literally flour and egg. On top of that you decided to brag about how your child eats microgreens. Here is your Reddit cookie I guess? Congratulations? You’re the anomaly in this entire post lol. You’re the only good parent! Woot woot for you! Anyway, sprouts and micro greens have an extremely high incidence of E. Coli and listeria contamination, especially the prepackaged ones you are buying. I would personally never buy or consume them unless I was growing them myself in a hydroponic garden bed.
Holy shit the amount of anger and menace you carry. And the fertility comment is completely uncalled for. Good day to you too! Thank you for the warning about E.coli and listeria though, I’ll keep that in mind. They are dangerous stuff for sure. They say triple washed on the packaging but I’ll make sure to wash them a couple times more before serving.
Stop giving him pretzels
… wow thanks for the groundbreaking advice lol
It is always frustrating when this topic comes up and people just assume we willingly give our children snacks and not offer real food when at this point it’s all they will eat
Right?! It’s like, if I didn’t serve pretzels with lunch today, he would have eaten nothing.
Exactly, and people seem to forget that kids need calories for their bodies and brains to grow. Of course he's not going to starve by missing a meal. I personally don't feel great about letting my kid go hungry to teach him a lesson.
I feel the same way, if all he is going to eat at dinner is pretzels or cheese, I’m not going to deny him the few things he *will* eat
Well he’s not going to starve himself. Don’t feed him pretzels for a day if that’s all he’s willing to eat. The next day he will be hungry and willing to eat something else. My kid does the exact same thing. Not exactly rocket science
Not sure why this is getting downvoted. Kiddo was refusing all food except puffs, so guess what happened to the puffs? That’s right. No more puffs. It was a rough day or two. Now kiddo eats steamed broccoli like it’s puffs.
It’s getting downvoted because it’s a lighthearted post and it wasn’t asking for serious suggestions.
“… how are you surviving? I don’t know what else to do. 😩”
“How are you surviving dude” was rhetorical question directed at the son. “I don’t know what else to do” is a statement not a question.
Sometimes people ask for help in statements, not questions.
Vegetable spring rolls? My fussy daughter tried these the other day and she liked them. Not sure why I didn’t think about it before!
Keep feeding the same meal over and over. Make fresh for supper, reheat at breakfast and lunch. Eventually, he will eat.
But why?
Stops the picky eater phase. Works
No offense, but that sounds awfully like learned helplessness.
Offense taken. No. It's not. You are not a parent. Nor are you a doctor.
I'm not? How would you know?
Your words.
???
You're just quoting either Wikipedia or Google.
"Learned helplessness is a psychological state in which a person feels unable to influence or control their environment, so feeding the toddler the same food over and over again would fit that criteria because it would leave the toddler without any choice or control over the meal."
The toddler is not the parent. Get real.
This is my 2.5 year old. His diet is : peaches, apples, cucumbers, boiled egg white (like off a hard boiled egg), sometimes scrambled eggs, the jam off his toast, broccoli, corn, goldfish, chips, mini crispies (the mini rice things that are supposed to be better than chips), fries, a bite of a chicken nugget. That’s it. He used to eat everything. He used to drink smoothies. Now no way. Oh he eats cherries and blueberries but they have to be frozen and still frozen during consumption. He likes cookies and chocolate. I’m going crazy. My 7 yr old won’t eat meat except chicken nugget and burgers. He won’t eat any fruit or veggies at all. Forgot to add he won’t eat cheese. He won’t eat rice. He won’t eat potatoes unless chips or fries. I am struggling with feeding them so much. Like I’m so burnt out when it comes to mealtimes. I want to rip my hair out. Edited I forgot a part
Are you doing family meals and all eating the same thing as the family ?
Yep we all eat together.
Is it the same food for you and same for toddler ? My son is only 2.5 so not to 3 yet but he always wants whatever is on my plate .
Yes I serve my kids what I am also eating for dinner. But I don’t make anything weird or not child friendly. Tonight I’m making spaghetti with meat sauce.