When I was pregnant with Amelia, I had big plans for her
nutrition. She wasn’t going to be one of those kids eating
sweet, processed cereal bars for breakfast, or hot dogs
and French fries for dinner. Oh, no. She was going to eat
only fresh or minimally processed, whole grain, organic
foods. She was going to eat a rainbow of fruits and
vegetables each and every day. Her diet was going to be
naturally vitamin-rich and full of variety, to include
everything from cantaloupe to quinoa.
And then she arrived, strong-willed and sure of her likes
and dislikes. We started her out on rice cereal at four
months, as recommended by her pediatrician, and had just
begun to add fruits and vegetables when the rebellion
began. For months she refused solid foods. She just didn’t
like pureed baby food at all, period. Not sweet potatoes,
not peas, not pears or apples. Nothing. Well, okay, she
occasionally would eat pureed bananas, but only the jarred
kind - never fresh. (Go figure.) I had even purchased a
cool little baby-food-making kit, which I used exactly once.
It was only when we began giving her finger foods that she
started to change her mind a bit. Maybe she liked having
some control over the food.
Now she was eating, but only a few limited things, and tiny
amounts. Macaroni and cheese, rice, occasionally some
diced pears. Most other things she wouldn’t touch. I tried
everything; I even resorted to offering ice cream and
cookies in a desperate attempt to get her to eat. (She
wouldn’t touch the ice cream… liked the cookies, though.)
She refused to try the cake at her first birthday party, much
to the disappointment of family and friends. I read all the
tips and tricks I could find online, but most didn’t work. I
had what could officially be classified as a “picky eater.”
Now seventeen months old, she is still extremely selective
and cautious when it comes to food. For example, she won’
t touch anything red, be it strawberries, popsicles (I tried
the natural fruit kind, hoping to sneak in some kind of fruit),
spaghetti, or ketchup. She refuses pizza and most breads,
although she will eat muffins as long as they don’t have any
kind of crumb topping on them. She will drink only milk or
water. This means I can’t give her fruit juices or smoothies,
which rules out what would have been a fairly easy method
of getting fruit into her. The only green thing she will eat
now is peas, which leads me to hope that all nutrition to be
had from veggies is contained in those little green globes.
And yes, she does eat French fries.
Amelia is an enigma to me, because she is so different from
me. She is an amazing kid, and definitely her own person.
She has taught me so much, not least of which is not to
judge other moms by what their kids eat!
nutrition. She wasn’t going to be one of those kids eating
sweet, processed cereal bars for breakfast, or hot dogs
and French fries for dinner. Oh, no. She was going to eat
only fresh or minimally processed, whole grain, organic
foods. She was going to eat a rainbow of fruits and
vegetables each and every day. Her diet was going to be
naturally vitamin-rich and full of variety, to include
everything from cantaloupe to quinoa.
And then she arrived, strong-willed and sure of her likes
and dislikes. We started her out on rice cereal at four
months, as recommended by her pediatrician, and had just
begun to add fruits and vegetables when the rebellion
began. For months she refused solid foods. She just didn’t
like pureed baby food at all, period. Not sweet potatoes,
not peas, not pears or apples. Nothing. Well, okay, she
occasionally would eat pureed bananas, but only the jarred
kind - never fresh. (Go figure.) I had even purchased a
cool little baby-food-making kit, which I used exactly once.
It was only when we began giving her finger foods that she
started to change her mind a bit. Maybe she liked having
some control over the food.
Now she was eating, but only a few limited things, and tiny
amounts. Macaroni and cheese, rice, occasionally some
diced pears. Most other things she wouldn’t touch. I tried
everything; I even resorted to offering ice cream and
cookies in a desperate attempt to get her to eat. (She
wouldn’t touch the ice cream… liked the cookies, though.)
She refused to try the cake at her first birthday party, much
to the disappointment of family and friends. I read all the
tips and tricks I could find online, but most didn’t work. I
had what could officially be classified as a “picky eater.”
Now seventeen months old, she is still extremely selective
and cautious when it comes to food. For example, she won’
t touch anything red, be it strawberries, popsicles (I tried
the natural fruit kind, hoping to sneak in some kind of fruit),
spaghetti, or ketchup. She refuses pizza and most breads,
although she will eat muffins as long as they don’t have any
kind of crumb topping on them. She will drink only milk or
water. This means I can’t give her fruit juices or smoothies,
which rules out what would have been a fairly easy method
of getting fruit into her. The only green thing she will eat
now is peas, which leads me to hope that all nutrition to be
had from veggies is contained in those little green globes.
And yes, she does eat French fries.
Amelia is an enigma to me, because she is so different from
me. She is an amazing kid, and definitely her own person.
She has taught me so much, not least of which is not to
judge other moms by what their kids eat!
Learning Curve:
The Birth of a Selective Eater
The Birth of a Selective Eater
By Teresa Kolvek
toddlerdish.com
toddlerdish.com
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About the Author
Teresa Kolvek and her husband, Tony, are the proud
parents of a beautiful and spirited toddler named Amelia.
Teresa Kolvek and her husband, Tony, are the proud
parents of a beautiful and spirited toddler named Amelia.
