Here's our list:
-Veggies: broccoli or carrots if they're really soft and mushed up into a casserole; will do veggies if they're blended up in a smoothie/fruit juice (so masked by sweet)
-Fruits: pretty much anything except cantaloupe or watermelon (though he likes to pretend he eats it
); apple is hit or miss; and he won't eat everything all the time, it comes and goes.
-Grains: Any, be it pasta, bread, pastries, pancakes--he eats pancakes for breakfast more times/week than anything else. We just give them to him plain. Won't do cereal that much any more, and does not like oatmeal/wet cereal.
-Meat: Sometimes some chicken, but only mushed up in a casserole, or in the chicken nugget variety. Will eat ham if it's in a kolache...sometimes.
-Other Protein: Will only eat egg if in french toast or in a kolache. Will eat peanut butter (always liked it, but he used to break out if we gave him any). Haven't tried nuts with him yet.
-Dairy: Will eat cold or melted cheese, but only that with milder flavor (mild cheddar, monterrey jack, colby, mozz.); will sometimes do string cheese; sometimes will do yogurt. He LOOOOVES the Gerber Yogurt Bites...it's his favorite snack. Doesn't drink milk at all anymore.
Writing it down like that, it looks like he eats a wide variety; our thing is he eats very simple food, save for a couple of casseroles here and there. He is just very set in his likes and will not try new things. We get a solid "Nope!!" when we ask if he would like a bit of whatever. So, yeah, simple, straightforward foods for us. DH and I joke that he should live in Italy when he's older bc he asks for pasta all the time!
Anyways, I was reading up on picky eaters in TPWSAYP. She has a lot to say, and breaks it up into 6-12mo issues, 1-2yr issues and 2-3yr issues. It's chapter 4 if you have the book. It's a really good chapter, lots to think about. I won't write out everything, but here's are some excerpts I found interesting re: the last 2 groups:
From the 1-2yr section: "Sometimes the problem is not all solids but a particular kind of food--say, peaches. If your toddler isn't very adventurous about trying new foods or seems "picky" at this point, and rejects certain foods, it's because children now start showing distinct preferences for certain foods. It also might mean that he just needs a little more time to get used to the new flavors and sensations in his mouth, and that you have to be persistent (but relaxed) about offering unfamiliar foods to him.
Some children are, in face, picky eaters--they don't like a big variety of foods at this stage and they never will. And some also require less food than other kids. What may seem "normal" for one child is too little or too much for another. If a child doesn't want to eat all his food, allow him. Otherwise he can't learn when he's full. In my experience, if a baby is on a good routine, he'll eat. A picky eater will even try new solids. Just try two teaspoons of a new food--that way, you're at least introducing it to him.
My rule of thumb is to give a new food four days in a row. If your child doesn't eat it, give it a rest and try a week later. If your child doesn't like a huge variety of foods (see "fad foods," page 166), don't worry about it--some adults don't either." (pages 155-156)
From the 2-3yr section:"Young children are particularly prone to food fads, both in the behavioral sense and also in their selection of foods. They will select a certain food of a few preferred foods and eat them for a long time, refusing to eat anything else." (page 166). Here Tracy mentions that her daughter Sophie was/still is a fad fooder, and that Tracy herself felt she was, too.
