Toddler Battle Zone: Food

Am I the only one who has that phrase go through my head before meal time with my toddler?

 

My son used to be a fantastic eater. When we started solids and began increasing them, there was almost nothing he wouldn’t eat. He took eating very seriously. When I took him for his 1-year checkup, I proudly reported to his pediatrician how good of an eater he was- still nursing 1-2x a day and eating pretty much everything we put in front of him without complaint. Then she says, “Well, now don’t be surprised if he starts to get picky, that can happen as he gets older.” I swear it’s like she jinxed us- not 2 weeks later the battles began. Thanks, Doc.

I don’t feel like my son is necessarily picky, he’s just particular.

For example, when we first started giving him whole milk, the kid loved it. Then all of sudden, the milk cups started flying across the kitchen. We’ve figured out that it’s not the milk he doesn’t like (although there’s still the occassional instance where it’s clear he simply does not want milk to drink), it’s the delivery. It must be through a straw. Every. Single. Time.

Meal time has become a constant game of ‘Clue,’ only the mystery is not ‘who committed the crime with which weapon in what room,’ it’s ‘which food will he eat today, how will he insist on eating it, and is it really food he wants or just a drink?’

Lately, I’ve been trying really hard to remain calm during these frustrating moments and reframe my thinking. I have to actively remind myself that he’s been in this world less than 18 months and he’s still learning to process his thoughts and emotions (yes, I focus in on the therapist part of me instead of the frantic stressed mommy part of me- I say use whatever tools you have at your disposal). It’s helped. Some.

I’ve also been giving him more choices, which has proven successful, unless he changes his mind after two bites 😉 .

Unfortunately, our food battles will probably not be ending any time soon. In the mean time though, I will try not to stress over what and how much he eats, and keep in mind what my childhood doctor once told my mom: “She will eat when she’s hungry. As long as you’re giving her options, she won’t starve.”
(Apparently the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree…)