There is NO way this child came from my loins…
23 CommentsTweet
I’m not really sure how it happened. I tried to eat all kinds of exotic and ethnic foods while I was pregnant and I continued to do the same while I nursed my son — despite the fact that I could not have any dairy because he had an allergy. I gave him all kinds of “cool” foods during his initial food experiences early on (like avocado, spicy things, olives and other strongly-flavored items) — which he gobbled right up. And now? Now that he is 4 years old, I have the world’s pickiest eater on my hands. Literally. If I didn’t know better, I would bet my bottom dollar that he’s been on a dedicated fast since he was about 2 years old.
Did I create a monster somehow? Is it because I don’t eat red meat and I didn’t give him any meat at all until he was about 3 years old? Or is it because I did the unthinkable and caved-in to the idea of not sitting at the dinner table together every night — but rather, cooked a separate meal (to his liking) each night? OR… is it as the pediatrician said? “Some kids are just picky eaters… and, if by the time they are 3 they are still not expanding their food horizon, than chances are you will have a picky eater on your hands until the child is 6 or 7.” Gulp.
So what does my child eat? Don’t blink… because the list will be done before you know it. If he could, he would eat the same three meals every day:
1. Pancakes and fruit for breakfast (this is a new thing, he only tried pancakes for the first time ever about 1 month ago — before that, it was the same breakfast bar, every morning, for over 2 years).
2. For lunch? Those premade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (Uncrustables) with an assortment of snacks, like fruit, cheese, crackers and pretzels.
3. Dinners would be pizza… every night. So I generally call Deno’s up on Monday and have a large cheese pizza delivered. It feeds him the rest of the week.
Though to be fair, on occasion he has been known to eat: turkey dogs, buttered noodles, macaroni and cheese, hummus and pretzels, “chicken fries” (french fry-shaped chicken nuggets) and french fries. That’s pretty much it. He refuses to try anything that he’s never had before. When and why did he stop trusting me??? I have promised not to steer him wrong… but he still says “NO!”Deceptively Delicious. But doesn’t your child have to actually eat food in order to hide nutritious ingredients in it? I guess I’m lucky in one respect, my son does like fruit, many vegetables, cheese, yogurt, nuts and (weirdly enough) turkey pepperoni. So he’s getting a fairly well-balanced diet — but with absolutely no variety. I guess that’s the part that kills me. Isn’t variety the spice of life??? I just cannot allow my child to lead a bland existence!pancakes. Oh, and one of those giant blocks of American cheese. That should keep the boy tied over for the next week or so…
I’ve heard from some other parents that this list is quite good… that their child only ate yogurt for the first 3 years of their lives or will only eat PB&J for every meal right now. I don’t care about other kids though… I care about my kid –the son of a food writer and self-proclaimed foodie!
So what to do?? I’v tried letting him look through cookbooks, with the premise that he can help mommy make the grocery list, go shopping for the ingredients and cook whatever meal he picks out. He can never find anything that looks good though. His blanket answer? “No thank you mommy”. Well, at least the kid is polite about it — I’ll give him that.
I’ve tried implementing the “no thank you helping”… an outtake on something I had to deal with when I went to Girl Scout camp. You didn’t have to eat something you didn’t like, but you had to try every thing on the menu… even it was a “no thank you helping” (basically a miniscule portion). That has been working okay — but only with bribes: “If you eat just one teeny tiny bite of spaghetti, you can have candy after dinner!” Yeah… that’s a good method.
I bought Jessica Seinfeld’s cookbook
If anyone else has some tricks of the trade I would love to hear them. In the meantime, I’m off to BJ’s to buy several cases of Uncrustables and
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
23 Comments to “There is NO way this child came from my loins…”
Leave a Comment
Other Cool Websites
More Sites BFW Recommends
BFW Partners
BFW COVERAGE: Boston Food Blog, Boston Food Blogger, Boston Blog, Boston Foodie, Boston Food, Boston Foods, Boston Whine, Boston Massachusetts, Food Gadgets, Boston Restuarants, Boston Bars, Boston Cafe, Boston Best Food, Boston North End, Boston Dining, Boston Menu, Restaurants In Boston, Cambridge Restaurant, Boston Brunch, Boston Guides, Boston Chinese Food, Boston Delivery Food, Boston Italian Food, Boston Thai Food, Boston Japanese Food, Chef Interviews, Boston Area Chefs, Food Blog, Boston CSAs, Boston Farmer's Markets.
If you let your kid eat crap, he will chose crap. Why is he running the show? You say he eats fruit, vegetables, nuts, cheese, yogurt, but his stock three meals don't really reflect that. Stop with the processed PB&J and American cheese. You are the parent, but he is running the show. Explain to him that you have been mistaken and that some of the foods he has been eating are not good for him and his menu is going to change. Start with those foods you say he likes and make him good food out of it. Remember you are fueling a developing brain and frozen processed pancakes, crustables and take out pizza are not good fuel.
I am not a food nazi and my kids, now 18 and 20 ate plenty of crap when they were growing up, but it was an exception. They don't like everything even now, but they do like and eat a great variety of real food. Even the 20 YO college student (boy) who cooks for himself and roommates.
Um… and who asked you??? You might not be a food nazi, you ARE an asshole. You cannot force a child to eat something… that is NOT good parenting. Not that it’s any of your business “anonymous” (once again… just another person who refuse to stand by their own words by putting their real name out there like I do), but my son eats very healthy.
He eats all natural, organic pancakes, the uncrustables don’t have much in them at all… other than white bread, peanut butter and jelly, and pizza is NOT a bad food. The crust and cheese have protein and the sauce has vitamins. Who the hell do you think you are lecturing me on how I should feed my child? It’s a blog post you idiot… it’s supposed to be funny. I’m not asking for you opinion on what I’m doing wrong.
Thanks, but no thanks for your advice and readership.
Wow. If this is the type of reaction you have to solicited advice, you should probably stop blogging.
I actually think Anonymous offered sound advice. I’d be concerned personally about the level of preservatives in the uncrustables, and make pbj myself. To each their own.
No, what I asked was for tricks of the trade — Not to be told that my child is eating crap and that I'm letting him run the house. Neither of which is true.
Anon number one said: "You say he eats fruit, vegetables, nuts, cheese, yogurt, but his stock three meals don't really reflect that." What I REALLY said was: "If he could, he would eat the same three meals every day:". A little bit different.
I'm not a moron. I know what foods are good for him and I make sure he gets all the vitamins, nutrients and minerals he needs. He eats mostly organic fruits and vegetables and most of the frozen or pantry foods he eats are all natural or organic as well (including his macaroni and cheese).
I make the PB&J when I have time… but we're generally rushing out of the house in the morning to get him to school and the pre-made sandwiches are easier (and a favorite of his). Here is a link to their ingredients: http://www.smuckers.com/fg/otg/uncrustables/prod-strawberry.asp?groupid=3&catid=46&prodid=128
The SAME exact ingredients as if you made it at home.
And as far as my reaction and that I should stop blogging if I can't take my own "solicited" advice… being attacked and receiving valuable and genuine advice are two different things. I'm not going to apologize for how I responded… I DO think that person was an asshole.
Amen, Tammy!
The Anonymous person should learn to use their name when they leave preachy "talk-down-and-crap-on-people" advice.
Kids are picky. And I have seen plenty of children who will starve themselves, rather than eat something they don't want. There's nothing you can do. that's just how some kids "roll."
Eventually, he will outgrow it. You just have to keep trying to get him to eat the fun & good stuff you like. He'll catch on. He's only four now, though. So, at least he eats.
Very true and thank you to The Missus (one of my FAVORITE bloggers!)… my fingers are crossed that when 6 or 7 rolls around he’ll actually eat everything we do!
Funny enough, the kid LOVES tuna sushi, edamame, pappadum (those spicy Indian flat breads you get with your takeout), olive tapanade and capers! He’s weird… what can I say?!
I do like your blog BFW. I know it’s frustrating to get negative comments. We bloggers need to have tough skins! Well, we also need readers, which you clearly have and I don’t so…go girl.
Couple things. I looked at that Smuckers recipe and I would say that I wouldn’t put half the “crap” (sorry, it was just a good word, not being sassy) in my homemade jellies that they do — HFCS, oils, and sugars). In my jelly I put fruit and brown rice syrup (great alternative to processed sugars) only. So be careful…labels will try to disguise the bad stuff with what appears to be good names.
Second, I think your “no thank you” serving is THE BEST idea. It works from my brother’s kids. They are always surprised when they like something. That’s how we got the 3 year old to eat red bell peppers.
Third, sometimes certain foods taste bad to kids because they have sensitivities (not allergies) to them you may not realize they have — look out for kids with gassy tummies…that usually means a dairy or wheat sensitivity. If a food makes you feel bad after you eat it, you learn not to like it (though for some reason, that has never worked for me with cheese).
Anyways, good luck. You’re a better woman than me for actually going to through with having children!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your feedback. And yes, I agree it is frustrating to get negative feedback… but I’ve been doing this long enought that I DO have thick skin. However, when someone takes a stab at my parenting skills… someone who doesn’t even know me or how has probably never read my blog before, I get defensive. Especially b/c the “feedback” that user gave was irrelevant to my situation (at least in my opinion).
I agree that the Smucker’s sandwiches aren’t the healthiest food on the planet, but when you are busy and don’t have timet to make your own jelly, they are no different than buying white bread, peanut butter and jelly from the grocery store… which I actually don’t do. We used Teddy’s organic peanut butter, all fruit spread and whole wheat bread when we do things from scratch.
My point of the blog post was to say how funny it is that a group of foodies could have a child that doens’t like most things… not ask for feedback re: WHAT we are feeding him. You know?
I agree about the HFCS… I can’t stand the stuff. I’m a huge Michael Pollan fan, so trust me when I say… we try to keep that out of our diets as much as possible… but no one is perfect.
I’m glad you like the no thank you helping… and while I DO need to bribe him from time to time, it’s generally not with candy…. I was just trying to be funny.
Lastly, I really apprecaite the information you posted about food sensitivities… b/c I actually AM aware of that b/c my son had a both food allergies and sensitivities when he was born (dairy, soy and eggs). Luckily, he has out grown most and now only has a problem with raw eggs.
I think the thing that bothered me most about the comments originally, is that I AM a parent that is well-informed, who practices a very natural and almost vegetarian diet and one who ensures my child has the best… to take a personal hit on the things I often write about, left me angry. It’s one thing to post a negative comment that makes sense… it’s another think to make assumptions about a person without even being familiar with thier blog or lifestyle.
Thanks again for your comment,
Tammy
Eh, my mom raised me on homemade food and we ate what she ate or we didn’t eat.
And one memorable year when I was like seven or eight I didn’t eat anything really. All the doctor said was that I wasn’t sick and that I would eat when I was hungry and that was that.
The important thing is that you feed your kid. At this point what he eats is up to him.
At any rate, after all those years of healthy eating as a kid has made me a more aware eater, but just not a health nut. I still need my strawberry frosted donut. It’s just that I think that I have a pretty good foundation.
One tip: my neighbor used to take her picky kid and let him pick what he was going to eat – not the run of the store mind you – but she would let him pick out a cereal for the family, and some of the vegetables they would eat.
Anyway, one of the smartest people I know today grew up on french fries. Even when he went to China – he’d always ask for french fries and ketchup. Can’t be all that bad for you, since he is one of them smartypants mapping the human genome, or whatever that’s called.
actually the word “asshole” also came to my mind when reading the delightfully anon’s “suggestions”. I think that you should just really be breastfeeding your child, after all, it is the “perfect food”, then you wouldn’t have to worry about diversity in his menu, he would be eating what you eat! (this suggestion, I hope you understand, is dripping with a healthy topping of organic sarcasm). Don’t worry, I’m still feeding my 18 month old with a spoon half the time, is he going to college with me to feed him? I think not. (is he going to college?????????)
good luck, and don’t tear your hair out/beat yourself up
Ashling
Tammy,
Your response to Anonymous was rude and agressive.
If you blog, expect a variety of responses and have the dignity to respond in a respectful manner.
Grow up and learn some manners.
Ryan.
Thanks LVS and Ashling for understanding where I’m coming from. Ryan, I do agree with you.. it WAS aggressive and rude; however, this is MY blog and it’s my space to exercise my creative freedom. Many bloggers actually moderate their comments and only post favorable ones. I don’t moderate… I allow EVERY comment to post, no matter how much it might offend me or tick me off.
I know my manners, and if you met me in real life, you would know that I am very fair, courteous and downright giving person. I shouldn’t even have to explain myself at this point, but as I mentioned in my last comment, it makes me very angry when people judge you and make assinine assumptions about who you are after reading one blog post. Not the audience I’m interested in keeping.
Sorry if you don’t like my attitude, but if you stick around and see how I share my experiences, I think you’ll see that I’m not as bad as you think I am.
Enough said… I’m done with this conversation… let’s move on people!
Tammy
Tammy
I am with you on the picky eating thing. I have four kids (3 of non-formula age) and their diet consists of yogurt and bagel in the am, PBJ with grapes for lunch and dinner ranges from pizza, to chicken nuggets to McDonald’s (as a treat).
It is tough to get kids to eat what you want them to. Think of it this way, most people don’t get a real “taste for food” until they are in their mid -20′s. Until then it is usually pizza and fast food (or Ramen noodles). So don’t fret you are doing just fine he will come around eventually.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks John! Nobody is perfect… we all do the best we can, just like our parents did. Though there's nothing wrong with whining about a few things from time to time. There's a reason this blog is called Boston Food & WHINE.
Tammy,
Do you really allow all comments to post?
Tammy – you said “…it makes me very angry when people judge you and make assinine assumptions about who you are after reading one blog post.”
Pots and kettles? You called one poster an ‘asshole’ after reading his/her response.
I have to agree. Serving old pizza to a child day after day certainly proves you are not perfect. Not by a long shot. Shame on you.
RJ.
I DO post EVERY single comment. I even got some wacko who left a comment about how Barack Obama is a muslim extremist… and if you know me, I’m super liberal. That comment is STILL under the post. I believe in freedom of speach.
Fair enough on the judging based on the first comment that left. But it IS my blog.
And last but not least… as I said once before, I wrote the post with a comical overtone. I DO NOT feed my kid old pizza day after day. Your talking to someone who gets skeeved out with 1-day old leftovers. I was trying to be funny… jeez!!!!
Tammy: So sorry about people that just pass on judgmental advice. As I feed my son chicken nuggets for the 4th time (in 4 days!) I just cross my fingers that he, too, will grow out of it. One book I have loved is “This Child Of Mine.” It basically points out what you know-just keep eating how you eat and at some point the little guy will join you. I have had more luck getting my boys to eat if they cook the really simple stuff I know they love (pizza). I actually started my blog (foodiemommy.blogspot.com) in large point because I was so perplexed by my non-foodie son! But the other day he ate edamame…so perhaps there is hope? : )
Wow – the judgment in some of these posts! Holy Christmas Spirit! JK. Anyone who judges another mom deserves a smack. Kids go through PHASES. Being a mom is the hardest job in the world, with nothing but OJT. My oldest went through every phase under the sun. We survived, you will too. Stick to your guns, you’re doing what you do out of love (last time I checked there was no paycheck) and people who question other people’s child rearing choices are morons. Hang in there!
Laurie
[...] There is no way this child came from my loins… [...]
Hi Tammy,
Having lived with my sister who only ate hot dogs for a year and my 3 year old who right now only wants pizza I feel your pain. Luckily I have a husband who likes foods different from me so we get a variety on the foods we eat.
If you have time to make up frozen sandwiches you can make your own uncrustables with a dumpling press or the pampered chef makes a tool that does it too.
He might have celiac disease even though his favorites are all wheat based. I use to eat raw pasta and rye toast and wasn’t diagnosed until I was an adult. try some gluten free choices and see if his tastes expand. especially since he likes all those exotic choices.
I wish I could get my kid to try vegetables. I do the Girl Scout No Thank you portion and he takes it off the plate. damn free will. Although he is starting to try raw vegetables. Maybe he’ll eat purple cauliflower.
thanks for posting about picky eaters. I don’t feel like the only mom out there with one.
Karin Bond
[...] those of you that don’t remember, the boy is the pickiest child EVER, so coming up with a “Special Menu” that we all would enjoy was quite the challenge. [...]