She`s become even more pickier

[dache]

Yet another thread about dd`s eating 

She`s become even more picker and I wonder if she is getting enough nutrition. She eats enough not to lose weight but the list of the food she eats is even shorter than before- polenta, mashed potatoes, cheese, butter, bread, eggs. I see a pattern of eating only yellow/white  foods. She will eat some fruits occasionally, or will ask for a smoothie, but it`s really not enough. She ate better at preschool,  but now she is more at home than in preschool.

Her doctor is amazing, but he often looks at me like why "did you brought her, she is fine". She has a very nasty cough and dh took her there and he said the same, he got the feeling like the doctor thinks he brought her there for no reason. Told him to take her somewhere for fresh air 
There are two other doctor that work there and they are good as well, and we`ve told about things, after she is better we`ll get referrals for allergy tests, to see how her adenoid is.

I really dont want to fight about food with her. I put it on the plate and she has the choice to eat it or not but almost always she doesnt. I`ve seen moms condition kids to eat half of the serving; 10 spoonfuls; if there is more than one veggie choices (say broccoli and tomato) to eat at least on of the veggie...before they can get up. DD is very strong willed and I know that if I try it will be a struggle. I will try more to hide fruit and veggies in the food she eats, but I also dont like the concept of hiding food.

I really dont know if I should worry about it. She`s been sick this fall/winter a lot and we cant seem to get her better. She has taken 3 courses of antibiotics in the last two months. I feel like I just need to stuff her with fruit and veggies to give her immune system a boost. I know I`ve asked you for your thought about this before, but I`m sure if nothing else, I`ll find some comfort.

[Katet]

I'll be honest. Both my boys were very limited eaters until they were about 5yo & then slowly got better. At 3yo I think DS1 had 10 foods on his "will eat list". My dear old friend who was 90yo at the time (now sadly not with us) said "there was a reason that children were fed bread & dripping when I was a child & it wasn't just because of  because of limited food options, it was because at that age children's taste buds are about 100 times stronger than an adult & so foods are intense & children who are "hyper tasters" (about 50%) just don't eat the variety.

Anyway both my boys are pretty good now, DS1 at 13 eats pretty much everything, DS2 is a bit more selective, but not limited. My Nephew on the other hand who is 12yo ate EVERYTHING as a 3yo & now is very picky. Ironically, I was the picky eater as a child & my brother ate everything... as adults I'm mot the picky eater - he is.

From my experience, keep offering variety & allow her to have the choice of if she eats it or not.

A few hints. Pureed cauliflower goes really well in Mashed potato, as does puree zucchini/Courgette. A little pureed Courgette also works scrambled eggs

[creations]

I`ve seen moms condition kids to eat half of the serving; 10 spoonfuls; if there is more than one veggie choices (say broccoli and tomato) to eat at least on of the veggie...before they can get up. DD is very strong willed and I know that if I try it will be a struggle.

I'm not a fan of this approach personally.  A friend of mine *always* went through a battle at the beginning of every meal, her kid was much older than yours, say 5yo+ (and still doing it at say 10yo...I don't know what age she stopped doing it) and every single meal they had huge discussions about how much she would eat, and the food on her plate was halved prior to her starting to eat - every single time. I once said to her "why not just serve her half and leave it at that, why put double on her plate?" and she replied if she served half then she'd only eat one quarter as they would still go through the process of having to halve it prior to eating. Not my kinda thing. I'd rather a kid enjoyed their meal without battle, without protest or encouragement, even if it was a limited range of food. I can't be doing with that kind of discussion and negativity at the dinner table.

I would continue to offer foods she doesn't eat but very small amounts, make sure they don't touch anything else if they are visibly obvious, make sure you have them on your plate too.  I'd probably make the regular meal for the family and ensure there is a couple of things that are acceptable for her in that rather then 100% different meal.

Also there are lots of white/yellow foods you can try to expand her range with.  Cauliflower and peeled courgette as pp said.
Also peeled aubergine (great dip called baba ganoush, I likely spelt that incorrectly though)
white beans (white kidney beans, butter beans, chick peas)
parsnip (steamed or pureed with keep it whiter although roasted is tastier IMO)
turnip
peeled melon
apple
pear (steam apple and pear cubes if she won't eat raw)
banana
white fish

polenta is quite yellow/orange so perhaps swede is acceptable in colour, cous cous, quinoa, pasta, peach, nectarine, persimmon

If she can expand on how foods are prepared it is another step closer to trying new foods, so if she only eats mashed potato expanding to boiled potato or roast potato is still accepting "new" food even if the nutrition is not different.  Accepting white potato oven baked "fries" (chips we call them here) can lead to accepting other root veg oven baked/roasted like "fries" too - not necessarily hiding the difference but saying "here is a parsnip chip, it's like a chip but a bit different".  Or serving eggs in a different way, instead of say scrambled make a fritata (plain or with cheese to begin with) and tell her it is a bit like omelet/scrambled, then a quiche so it is in pastry...these things are all different and if she can accept potato or egg a different way she might be more confident to try something else new which is not potato or egg.

I do know someone who had a child would only eat white/yellow foods but she was able to give pretty much a full balanced diet even with the limited colours.
If it was me I'd ask for a referral to a dietician.

[dache]

Thanks ladies! You both said just what I needed to hear.
I should not over think it, but still make sure she gets the best nutrition she can, and  there is a huge list of food that I can play with, even if I`m limited to color
She`s back at nursery today so I`m sure she`ll eat decent meals there. 

[cath~]

((hugs)) dache

you've had some great ideas already

I will try more to hide fruit and veggies in the food she eats, but I also dont like the concept of hiding food.

I agree to some extent, and don't actively seek to do this at all.  But I do make some recipes where the veg is more "hidden" (e.g. in turkey meat balls containing grated courgette, or in sauces like casseroles, curries and pasta sauces).  Not on purpose, but just because that is how the recipe is and I like the recipe.  IIWY, I wouldn't feel bad about cooking some recipes like that, especially if it helps to provide a balanced diet.

[Katet]

But I do make some recipes where the veg is more "hidden" (e.g. in turkey meat balls containing grated courgette, or in sauces like casseroles, curries and pasta sauces).  Not on purpose, but just because that is how the recipe is and I like the recipe.  IIWY, I wouldn't feel bad about cooking some recipes like that, especially if it helps to provide a balanced diet.

I do this a lot... I've been adding things to meals all along & recently I didn't have any bean puree to ad to a mince dish & my whole family commented that it didn't quite taste like normal & it wasn't as nice.  I don't really think it is "hiding" but making it part of the recipe/meal.