Ok, here’s the backstory on my son’s diet, in a nutshell: he hasn’t eaten a fruit or veggie in close to a year.
On top of a finicky appetite, he also has a narrow preference that favors carbs and processed foods. At 18 months, I recognize this isn’t good. But it wasn’t until his pediatrician told us at his most recent check-up that his brain development could suffer if he doesn’t get all the nutrients he needs that I became alarmed enough to research the topic. I was shook and didn’t want to be held liable for holding him back, even if it wasn’t intentional.
Mom guilt won again and consumed me for days. When I finally found some semblance of comfort, it was through an episode of NPR’s Life Kit podcast that my dad sent me. I learned we’re hardly the only ones up against this challenge, and that it’s actually common af.
Not only was I reassured that what Hiro and I are experiencing isn’t abnormal, but I also gained some creative insight on what I can do to foster a better relationship between Hiro and his food.
Here are my takeaways:
- Present foods at least 10x, in as many different ways as you can think of before taking it off the menu. For example, one day offer a carrot stick with ranch. Next, try pureeing the carrot in a food processor. Then try shredding it and baking it into a muffin, etc.
- Continue to offer the vegetable, but never force your child to eat or employ a rewards system. Conditioning kids that once they eat their veggies they can have ice cream, or not allowing your child to get up from the dinner table before their plate is empty have proven to cause harmful, adverse effects on mental health over time.
- Make it fun. Cut carrots into dinosaur shapes, pretend a head of broccoli is a tree, etc.
- Eat veggies yourself. Don’t forget to overemphasize how much you enjoy them. Your reactions and interpretations have the biggest influence on how their thoughts about food develop more than anything.
- Involve them in preparing food. Go for an adventure down the produce aisle at the grocery store together. Let them pick a recipe and help you make it when you get home. Make an event of making meals together.
These are things I’m actively trying with Hiro to get him to eat his vegetables. Even after only a few days, he seems to be responding well. At the least, I’ve gotten him to expand his diet of rice, fries, and potato chips also to include meat. 🤷🏻♀️ I’ll take what I can get, lol.
Stay tuned for future updates on how our food journey is going!
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