Have I ever mentioned that Forrest is a picky eater? (The correct answer is yes. Yes, I have written about his pickiness a thousand times and you would probably love nothing more than for me to stop whining about it. But since his picky eating is an ever-present, looming annoyance in our lives, I’m just going to keep going on complaining until, I don’t know, he finally chokes down a vegetable.) Since he seems to delight in making my life more difficult by being unbelievably picky, I was happy to explore supplementation options with Enfagrow for this sponsored post as a way to get some important nutrients into his system.
The sad part about his eating habits is that I am convinced he’s not actually picky. He loved and devoured eeeeverything I offered him right up until his terrible twos stage set in, and I think those little wheels started turning and he realized food was a battle he could win, one small aspect of his life he could be completely in charge of. I couldn’t force him to eat, so turning up his little nose at 99% of the foods I presented to him became his way to assert himself and gain some control. I’ll never stop thinking back fondly on those long-ago days when he’d wolf down anything I placed in front of him, then enthusiastically sign for ‘more’ . . . homemade Thai dishes, vegetable-packed soups, food in every color of the rainbow. *wistful sigh* One of these days, he’ll come around and realize his mom isn’t nearly as bad of a cook as he thinks.
Until then, I’m just trying not to turn our kitchen table into a battleground. I don’t know what the ‘right’ approach to handling picky eating is (if there is one), but my theory has been that he’ll try new things when he’s ready. I do everything I can to give him tasty, healthy options without catering too much to his pickiness, and I figure he’ll eat when he’s ready. For breakfast and lunch, I give him meals I know he’ll enjoy--toast and peanut butter sandwiches made with my homemade wheat bread, fruit, deli meats, crackers, nuts--but when dinnertime rolls around, I make the meals I want to make without worrying about whether or not he’ll eat them (and I include a side dish or two I feel pretty sure he’ll enjoy, like grapes or wheat rolls). And if he chooses to go to bed hungry instead of eating what I put on his plate, that’s his choice to make.
I feel like he eats a decent amount of food throughout the day--I certainly don’t worry that he’s hungry or underfed--it’s the quality and variety of food he eats that makes me a bit nervous. If it were up to him, he’d eat nothing but peanut butter sandwiches and donuts all day, perhaps with few apple slices tossed in. I’m a little concerned that he isn’t really getting the sort of nutrition a growing body needs, so I was more than happy to try out some Enfagrow when they offered recently.
One nutrition factoid that caught my interest was Enfagrow’s emphasis on DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid that is a building block in the brain, especially since most brain growth growth happens during the first 3 years of life. DHA is particularly hard to get into your toddler since it’s most prevalent in foods that the average toddler isn’t going to come near with a 10-foot pole (like fatty fish), and most toddlers aren’t getting nearly the recommended amount of it. And since Enfagrow’s toddler drinks have DHA (as well as other important nutrients like calcium, vitamin D, iron, and even prebiotics), I like the idea of using it to supplement Forrest’s picky, narrow diet to make sure he’s getting the nutrition he needs.
Can any of you commiserate with me on the topic of raising a picky eater? (I sure hope I’m not the only parent out there rolling her eyes daily while her child insists he hates something totally innocuous, like pasta or chicken.) Enfagrow is giving away one gift package to one of you, which includes one Toddler Transitions can (21 oz.) and one Toddler Next Step Natural Milk Flavor can (24 oz)! If you’re the mom of a picky little eater, it could be a great way for you to feel a little more at ease about your child’s nutrition and development, and make sure they’re getting nutrients and DHA.
To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me about your picky eater and why you want your toddler to try Enfagrow! The giveaway will be open till October 11*
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES AND D.C. 18 YEARS AND OLDER ARE WHO ALREADY HAVE INTERNET ACCESS AND VALID E-MAIL ADDRESSES ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Promotion begins 9/30/2014 at 12:00 AM PST and ends at 11:59 PM PST on 10/11/2014. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Official Rules, eligibility, prize descriptions and odds disclosure are available at http://www.thesitsgirls.com/sweepstakes-official-rules/ . Sponsor: Mead Johnson & Company, LLC, 2400 West Lloyd Expressway, Evansville, IN 47721. 
I received compensation and free Enfagrow for this post. Enfagrow would be happy to help you with your question. Please contact them at 1-800-BABY-123
I can empathize with having a picky eater! About the same time (age 2) one of our guys just refused to eat just about anything besides chicken nuggets and PB&J. Soooo frustrating! Dinner became more of a scream fest than a family bonding time as tantrum after tantrum was thrown for simply putting offensive food in front of him. It was super awesome. His speech therapist even tried working with him and was surprised at how strongly he'd react to the request to try new food. Here is what I've learned through the process (and he is doing much better these days, like I just about fainted the other day when he ate spaghetti happily without dry heaving. It was a momentous day): 1) Pediatrician told me around 2 years is when kids will become picky eaters (if they are so inclined) something about taste buds coming online or something. 2)Since our little guy had such a strong reaction to new food his speech therapist encouraged us NOT to push him too hard as you can actually make the negative association worse. 3) Because of the previous we started slow first just putting it on his plate (and he had to leave it there instead of putting it on the table and trying to push it as far away from himself as possible), then moved to him licking new food, then to trying a tiny little bite (I also read that trying things on the tip of your tongue (what kids usually do) is more likely to trigger the gag reflex, so instead to try to get them to put it on the inside of their cheek/side of their mouth), and finally to having to try X number of bites. 4) finally, making new food as fun as possible (and pairing it with a favorite food). We started making pretzel stick "lollipops" with some sort of new food stuck to the top (like pineapple).
ReplyDeleteVegetables are still a huge challenge in our house, but I honestly can't believe how far he's come (in part because of us working with him and in part because I think he is outgrowing the sensitivity some). It sounds like you are doing it right!!
I have a little Forrest as well (spelled 'Forest' actually but it's still exciting to spot another one!). He's been a great eater until this week (11 months old) when suddenly he has turned up his nose to previously loved foods. Of course, it could be those molars coming in making him resistant to eating certain foods, and I'm praying that's the case. I was a picky eater growing up and I can now see the annoyance I put my poor momma through. My tactic is to just keep offering the foods to him and encouraging him to try some more. It hasn't worked thus far, but maybe??? Seems like the Enfagrow is a good way to supplement for some of those nutrients lacking in their diet. I'll have to keep it in mind if the veggie strike continues post-molars.
ReplyDeleteI have a nephew who's a super picky eater. His name is Forrest. /contest over ;)
ReplyDeleteMy 3 year old is super picky! But you know those pouches baby food come in that you can just slurp right up? He loves those. Spinach, pea and pear combo is his favorite. They are ridiculously expensive but I give in because it gets veggies in him.
ReplyDeletePricey, yes, but at least he's getting something healthy in his body! I bought one of those pouches for Forrest once . . . it did not go over well :-/
ReplyDeleteHooray for Forrests/Forests! Great name choice :-) Sounds like we have the same technique. I don't want to make it a fight, so I just keep quietly offering and encouraging. I'm hopeful that one of these days he'll come around. I do think he's broadened his food horizons quite a bit in the last, I don't know, 6 months to a year, but considering how picky he still is, that may not be saying much!
ReplyDeleteIt is such a struggle! It sounds like we've had similar approaches. Forrest will now lick most things we offer, and we can sometimes talk him into taking a bite, but he takes one chew and then immediately spits it out, gagging. Baby steps, I guess?
ReplyDeleteMy poor sister has a recently 2 year old little girl who only eats stage 2 baby food. And doritos and goldfish and cheerios. Like that's literally it. We were bemused when she was a baby that she didn't like bread and crackers like most babies, but it's definitely gotten out of hand. And she didn't regress. She never progressed. And she'll throw anything you put in front of her that she doesn't want to eat. My sister had tests done to see if there were any sensory issues. So I think it's getting to the point where she might have to try and starve her out (under guidance of the pediatrician).
ReplyDeleteOn top of that her 2 step kids- 8 and 10 are extremely pick eaters. The girl dips her spaghetti into sauce. They both don't eat sandwiches or mashed potatoes or most meats. At Thanksgiving, they get heated up some chicken nuggets. It's bad.
So, um, hopefully it gets better for you? Don't mean to scare you...lol.
This is the biggest stressor in my life. At 1 1/2 or so, my son woke up and decided he hated anything that wasn't a pb&j, a chicken nugget, or macaroni and cheese. I have tried so many tactics, and I have now just decided to wait. I can't force a 3 year old to eat, but I can make us all miserable in the process. I hate it, and I hate the perception that I made him this way by catering to him. I'm truly at a loss.
ReplyDeleteLaine, you're the winner of the prize pack giveaway! Will you send me your mailing address to pass along to Enfagrow? rachelfbrown@gmail.com Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYes Wil is my picky eater... And Harper is getting more and more picky by the day *sigh* Not only is Wil picky but a super slow eater unless he is super hungry... I have found reverse psychology works sometimes with him like "I don't think you can try one bite of corn" and we just keep this up until everything is gone. It becomes a game to him and by the end he has eaten everything and we are both super happy. I know he has texture aversion... I do too so I sympathize with him but geez the child has to eat more than chicken nuggets, fries, apple/applesauce, cooked broccoli, ham, cheese, muffins, & pb&js... of course there is your typical 4 yr favorite snacky foods too: goldfish, pretzels, gummy snacks, cereal bars etc.
ReplyDelete