So Eva has starting do this really fun thing called not eating. To make things better she happens to be nearly as stubborn as her mother. One day Eva woke up and decided that she would not take anything from a spoon again. While she has always eaten snacks and what Mommy and Daddy eat for dinner, I feed her baby food for breakfast and lunch. Those days are long gone. She now wants to eat everything by herself. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for this and did not have the proper nutritional finger foods at hand. The other night, after a long day of feeling like I had been at battle and lost terribly, I got on the computer and did a little research. I searched for kid friendly foods and recipes that Eva might enjoy. I discovered several helpful ideas and recipes and got to work baking and taking notes. The next day was heaven comparatively! For starter, Eva LOVES to eat frozen peas and corn. She will eat frozen veggies all day long if I kept them coming. She also thought the frozen bananas were an improvement. For a few days she also ate these TERRIBLE whole wheat blueberry muffins. Another of her favorites are beans. Like black beans, pinto, etc... I found a can of beans that were mixed with hotdogs and a little bit of tomato sauce that she is a fan of. However, being Daddy's girl, she woke up screaming last night and didn't fall asleep tell she released a litter of gas. I'll have to remember to go easy on the beans! We are struggling a little to find ways to fit whole grain/fiber foods into her diet. She won't eat any wheat bread, even with butter and jam! Or melted cheese! I can't disguise bread. We are having her eat rice and whole wheat Chex cereal in the mean time. ANY IDEAS? I'm a little bit of a health freak and I'm even more paranoid when it comes to Eva. Aaron and I have already had to let our guard down just to get any sort of nutrition in her. Luckily I am still nursing, I know that is intense to still be doing that, but for her sake, I'm glad I am! I am open to any creative ideas that have worked for your picky eaters. Please share!Anyway, while I was researching on the computer I found this website:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/dining/10pick.html?_r=3&oref=slogin
The site has an article that says, "...for parents who worry that their children will never eat anything but chocolate milk, Gummi vitamins and the occasional grape, a new study offers some relief. Researchers examined the eating habits of 5,390 pairs of twins between 8 and 11 years old and found children’s aversions to trying new foods are mostly inherited. The message to parents: It’s not your cooking, it’s your genes."
I'm quite sure that that was not a relief to me, I WAS PICKY! I know Mom, you are laughing and saying, "it's payback time!" However, I am failing to see the humor.
Check out the article's website if anyone is interested in knowing more about the study.
Here is Eva enjoying the wonderful world of food:
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4 comments:
Jodi....I feel your pain, Lucy just wants to feed herself but with only one tooth it's been hard giving her "normal" food.
Cheerios, cut up pears and peaches, beans, and baked sweet potato fries are our favorite finger foods. As long as Bracken has plenty of finger foods to grab and feed himself, he'll still let me feed him baby food. I'm surprised Eva doesn't like bread though, it seems like every little kid loves bread! Will she let you help her drink out of a cup? If so, fruit smoothies (with the occasional carrot thrown in) are an easy way to get lots of fruits and a few veggies down. Thanks for posting your finger food ideas, I'll have to try a few of those.
I hear you girl! Do you just about panic when well meaning in-laws feed one bite after another of brownies, cookies, ice cream, dr. pepper, etc. I can't take it!!! I really hope that Elsie doesn't start being picky. That seems really, really tough.
hey, Jodi - Aaron and I were lab partners a few years ago in genetics.
Try not to sweat it too much. In my experience, my girls started this independence feeding about 9 months. You'll get the hang of it. Neither of my girls liked baby foods or cereals, so we've just always made sure there was something at our meals that they could eat. I've decided I like it better that way.
We're pretty nutty about nutrition, too (that's what I have my degree in). As for whole grains, you could do crackers - garahms, wheat thins, trisquits, etc. I've been able to find lots of whole grain crackers. She may also like instant oatmeal. That's a messy one though, I have always fed my girls in just a diaper.
Any fresh fruits/veggies that can be mashed were always a favorite at our house. And, since she seems to like frozen things, you could try blueberries, those things are packed with antioxidants.
As for breastfeeding, do it for as long as you and Eva are comfortable! I have loved my nursing relationships with each of my girls. Our youngest, Anna, just turned one in December and was completly done nursing right before her first birthday and I was totally unprepared. I didn't initiate weaning and yet, it happened anyway.
Best of luck! Hope you and Eva are surviving med school! Sorry this is such a long post from someone you've never met!
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