Okay, that title sounds terrible; I only chose it for a "hook factor". I don't like to call kids fussy eaters and instead refer to it as a picky eating stage. I also don't have a magic wand to 'reset children,' but this is my story, and I like puns.
The good news is that I am not the only person on the planet dealing with a toddler going through a fussy or picky eating stage.
Sometimes that’s how it feels though, right? Parenting! Although most of us experience similar things and similar times, it can often feel as though you are the only person having your struggles!
After a recent poll on my socials where I asked if any of you were experiencing similar “food aversions”, I was taken aback by the responses; I also received a bunch of great ideas for navigating this time.
So I thought I’d share where we started, where we have been and where we are now, and a few tips and tricks I got from you guys.
Enjoy the read, and be sure to let me know your thoughts.
Like all stories, let's start at the beginning.......
I want to make it clear that I am not a food expert; there are pages for that stuff. However, I will say that I'm very well-versed in the early years space, so take this blog as you please.
Now, I’ve seen my fair share of picky eating, I've worked with a lot of kids and their families, I’ve tried a bunch of strategies, and I’ve successfully helped even the most food-averse child go from daily Vegemite sangas to the full spread of nutritious food. So with that being said, I went into this stage of parenting overconfident, to say the very least. Go me! 😳
Knowing what I know, I started baby-led weaning when my son was four months old and implemented every strategy I knew to avoid the dreaded picky eating stage.
Let’s just say it got me anyway.
Even though I knew it was “common”, even expected, I somehow believed I had beaten the dreaded stage.
Life was awesome; my child ate everything, and then........
The second birthday steadily approached.
As we planned parties, birthday celebrations and cute outfits, oblivious to what was coming hard and fast, my toddler quite literally smacked us in the face with a squashed blueberry and screamed, “Yucky”.
We then sunk into the world of picky eating and succumbed to the realisation that one minute he loved what we offered and utterly hated it the next. Sometimes we patted ourselves on the back when we realised that we were genius enough to work out that we had cut the banana the wrong way, but most of the time there was no logic to it. It was like watching a horror movie. You know something bad is going to happen when the scary music comes on, but you wait in anticipation hoping "it's not a monster under the bed", then the monster jumps out, and you realise you never stood a chance.
Time for the annoying critical reflection
My hubby and I had a chat where we acknowledged that whether we liked it or not, 'the stage' had caught us. Our child spent the weekend snubbing everything in site, loving something one day and hating it the next and the only thing he digested was hot chips and sushi.
Now while sushi is cool, hot chips not so much.
We decided we needed to rethink things when we got home from our weekend away. We had been travelling without a care in the world and required to consider all of the strategies I especially knew so well and look at what we could do. One thing I still strongly believe is that this is the time when these toddlers can break or make us.
I know that if I give in and only feed him hot chips and sushi we will create a nightmare for ourselves and an extremely poor diet, it is not easy and this is simply just my view and my experience with my child. No judgement, it is not my style I promise.
The good news is that I was only on day 1 of our “reset” when I started this blog. As I type these words, we are on day 9, and I can quietly and smuggling say that so far, we are back, baby and I feel like I’m the parent again and not a slave to the erratic mindset of master 2.
Let’s get to it before I get to day ten and tell you I’m back to the beginning of this journey or even worse, that it’s gone completely out the window. If I am honest, I know that's actually a great possibility.
A little reset
Let me make it known that I’m not a health freak and am fine with things like tiny teddies. When your child has a 'holistic diet' (my way of saying that he eats from all food groups), a packet of tiny teddies every now and then aint a big deal, am I right?
But when suddenly they are screaming at you for wollies (lollies) or chippies, and they haven’t had a veggie or fruit in days we decided for our family, we needed to reset things.
So what did we do?
We just went back to basics. I took a metaphoric chill pill, made meal times fun and...
1. Downloaded an app that helped us identify which snacks were a little healthier
2. Got out the bento box even for on-the-go and at-home days or at the very least, compartment plates
3. Served five meals per day and avoided limitless access to the pantry
4. Offered a favourite, safe, sometimes new food or unpopular food
5. No pressure, no rushing, reassurance, fun and manners
6. Deconstructed where possible
If he was hungry, I would always get him something, but I immediately found that he seemed to be filling up by offering food more often. We had a little test on the second night of our reset, with his usual favourite of Chicken Tikka and broke the rules and didn't offer it deconstructed. As this came under "favourite" I prayed I was safe. As you can see from the clip, I was right (wipes sweat from forehead)
My final thoughts
So far things are going well. We are approaching meal times relaxed and in a fun way. We focus on quality interactions and happy times during meal times, not how long he takes to try the potato or the mess alongside the high chair. I think he was binging on too many sugary snacks throughout the day. Having a platter of snacks meant he could still graze but with more focus on 'healthier filling choices'.
I think the one thing I have massively observed is “time”. My husband and I are fast eaters, and I don’t believe my son is. Things are good now that we are slowing down, not jumping up from the table too quickly and offering his meals and snacks for longer periods.
What did you guys say?
The main feedback I got was the bento boxes, so it looks like you guys are all over that one. Some suggested giving unwanted snacks and serving them whatever they wanted, and some suggested we ride the wave. Parenting is tough, and this stage is full-on; if you need advice seek it, don't face it alone.
The most popular recipe ideas for toddlers, which we have added to our meal rotation, were;
-Tuna Mornay
-Fried rice
-Butter chicken
-Spag bol
-One pot lasagne
-Sausages and veggies
-Tacos/burritos
-Snitzel and veg
-Shepard's Pie
-Devilled sausages
-Chicken and potato bake
I believe this development stage is huge, I can see how easy it would be to offer what he wants on any given day, but we wanted to stick with it. I remember a seminar I attended years ago about food and kids. They talked about the number of times we need to see or taste food before being comfortable; it was something like 60 times!
So that’s what I’m sticking with as well as always trying to put a “safe” food on his plate, which is simply a food he is really comfy with.
And finally, all we can do is the best we can; right now, this is my best.
Jem (Just another imperfect parent)
Comments