HELP! Need ideas to get Toddler to eat Again...

[squeakersmum]

I guess they're sort of just like the inside of a quiche but a bit firmer. I'm pretty sure you can make them in muffin tins and bake them in the oven. I've never made them but I have eaten them. If he went for them they'd be good for M because they are often eaten cold as a picnic food and he can use his fingers easily!

[Mom to M&M]

I may have to try those soon -  need to find a recipe I think he'd go for.

Today was eh - after the good breakfast and lunch he had NO snack after his slightly shorter than usual nap (usually a recipe for disaster). Refused anything except lots of extremely diluted apple juice (basically 90% water). Then he was hungry early and I reheated some pasta bolognese and he was starting to do really well with that until he got one piece that was too warm. That set him off and then he was done with the pasta. He had one of DD's chicken nuggets and half a pouch of blueberry, pear and purple carrot and that was it. But he's still hungry and cranky now. Fun times... Thank goodness DH and I are going out for dinner/drinks tonight with our friends down the block! Sitter should be here around 7:00-7:15, DS going to sleep by 7:15 or so and we're leaving here by 7:30.

Hope you had a good V-day dinner!

[koe2moe]

was missing in action yesterday!  DS refused the pasta pearls (like raviolis but different shapes) and he had a small bowl and then pushed it away frowning and looked really sad.  I asked if he wanted a banana and he said yes.  Ate half and then pointed at our plates and said " meat"   i put chopped turkey ham in the pasta sauce with chopped spinach.  We fed him all the remaining sauce and he ate it ALL with the banana   so he got a lot of spinach and turkey. 

I hope you had a nice v'day dinner.  we're not going to celebrate coz DH is very very busy and working most evenings.  He offers to take me out for lunch tomorrow but I turned him down. 

Funny enough, we took DS to the zoo and had flemish fries which are just big fat chips (fries).  He normally wouldn't even touch them, he ate a bunch.  I guess he was hungry. 

I should give those SC chicken recipes a try but I never have because I am not sure how to adapt to stove top cooking.  Do you ladies have any tips?

[Mom to M&M]

LOL with his dinner last night Koe! We had fun with our friends down the block for dinner. Unfortunately food was only so-so. We were going to try this Asian fusion place but it had a 30-40 minute wait and our friends HATE to wait anything more than like 15-20 (DH and I don't really mind). So instead we went to a sushi place which was OK but we weren't really in the mood for only that and the sushi was only average. But we had fun.

Meanwhile, having a BADDDDDDDDD night tonight. DS has been up crying/moaning, needing comfort, in discomfort every 20-30 minutes since like 10pm. This has happened before nights after eating from a particular pizza place so we don't eat from there anymore. Tonight we had pizza from a new place with my parents/sister and the exact same thing is happening. I guess some places must use a spice or something that he can't tolerate? So tired and feel so badly for him!

I do have some tips somewhere on adapting recipes - will see if I can dig them out tomorrow. Do you not have a slow cooker?

[koe2moe]

oh no for the bad night!!!    Did Matty eat a whole lot?  Probably the food is so greasy compared to your homecooked meals.  i absolutely can't stand average sushi!!    But then it's the company you're enjoying instead. 

I don't have a slow cooker and I am not sure if I want to get one as we now have very limited counter top space, with bread machine and rice cooker.  But the rice cooker has the SC function but it's not very big.  I'm wanting to reorganise the kitchen since I can't cook most of the stuff I used to make, like stirfries, etc, since DS just can't stand the waiting knowing that something yummy is in the making!  He gets very worked up and I just can't do the cooking properly with a whining kid around my legs.  So I should be able to put a lot of the stuff I used before having DS away for the next few years?   But I haven't got round to it yet. 

I'm nervous to try a totally different dish also as DS, like everyone, has his preference in taste, eg, he doesn't like sweet and sour type tastes.  He surprised me to have liked the mustard soup we had for lunch yesterday (from a can).  He looked so sad when he pushed the pasta away, it's like he really tried but just couldn't eat anymore of the nasty thing   This morning he woke at 6:25, and kept talking about eating, yummy, pb, milk in his talk so I'm not sure if he woke from hunger! 

[Mom to M&M]

Matthew had basically one full-size slice, minus the crust, cut into pieces. And it only had happened before from ONE certain pizza place we love before this - this one was one by my parents that we'd never eaten from before. And he does have other food intolerances (mainly to the squash family and pineapple and some we can't determine), so... Am SO crazy tired today. He was supposed to have his very late 18-month checkup today with a shot but I might have to put it off till later this week...

I LOVE my slow cooker. Certain things just come out so yummy and it's so convenient to put everything in there in the morning or during DS nap time and have it all ready later! So cute with your DS though!!

[Mom to M&M]

Am already dreading dinner time... The rest of us having coconut curry chicken over sushi rice and green beans. And Matty never did green beans and since he stopped allowing me to give him bites from my fork or use a fork himself chicken and rice have been totally off the table - even though he had liked this dish back when he did allow it. Out of ideas for what to feed him as reasonable alternatives and really wondering when he'll ever add stuff back in!

Steph - when you were super picky did your mom make alternate meals?

[squeakersmum]

Because my dad used to work so very late (sometimes they wouldn't eat until 11pm) I used to get alternate meals anyway. But yes, very rarely would I eat what they were eating. Unless it was a Sunday roast or similar and then I would eat the bits I liked. Generally I had much plainer food than them.

FWIW there's no way I would have eaten curry, ANY meat other than chicken and even then I'd pick at it; I wouldn't eat onions or mushrooms (even my grandma would make me alternate meals to the rest of the family come to think of it); I wouldn't have eaten sushi rice because of the texture. I was a real pain come to think of it -lol! Mum says it's a lot more satisfying to feed me these days!!!

[Mom to M&M]

See part of the reason I detest making alternate meals is because DD is eating what we eat. But I'm sure she'd PREFER a grilled cheese sandwich or the like too! It's also just frustrating because he WAS eating so many of these things before 13 months (and then he dropped more around 16-18 months). I'd happily even make a different rice but he won't eat any of them...

But I guess I don't really have a choice... It's not like I can make mainly plainer things most nights like pot roast or roasted chicken cause he won't eat those either!

Anyway, he had a toasted whole grain mini bagel with butter for breakfast. Making matzo meal pancakes for lunch but trying half almond meal (for added protein) and half matzo meal - also will offer yogurt.

Not sure if I mentioned it but my brother was a WAY picky eater until his teen years. Most nights he'd eat only pasta with butter. He found out after college that he's allergic to dairy, nuts and fish - but other than that he's a really adventurous eater these days...

As for the tuna pasta bake I may make a batch and offer it for lunch one day soon. And/or for dinner when DH has to go to Hong Kong for work for a week in March...

[koe2moe]

And/or for dinner when DH has to go to Hong Kong for work for a week in March...

I want to go, too!!!  That's my home!!  lol  If he needs any tips but he probably has people entertaining him.

Karen, would Matty use a spoon?  DS is funny, ever since he wants to feed himself (i think also "encouraged" or "forced" by daycare), he wouldn't even use fork.  He would eat from ours but won't use it himself!  funny boy   Even when we were eating something very difficult with spoon, he would angrily push the fork away until it's out of his reach! 

I never liked to eat rice until I was probably 26.    I'm chinese lol... I only ate rice when my family ate out at korean or japanese restaurants.  It's always a battle with my mom because she's fixated that everyone needs to eat rice or else they die!!  I worked out recently the reason.  Rice at home used to be really hard and dry, I prefer the short grained rice which is much softer.  So there!    

[Mom to M&M]

LOL Koe - can you go in his place? He/we'd LOVE to go to Hong Kong for a vacation but this is a work trip. So he has to do the 16-hour flight on Sunday, then work like 12 hour days PLUS go out for work dinners before passing out and doing it again the next day. And then rushing to be home for dinner Friday night - he really hates being away with out us but we can't afford to go with him.

The fork thing is weird. He happily plays with one but won't eat with one and seems to only want applesauce, soup or yogurt on spoon. But will try chicken, etc again on spoon.

Also LOL on the rice thing. And I also prefer short grained rice!

Well - the matzo meal pancakes were a bust. They do NOT work well with the almond meal. He ended up having maybe 2/3 a yogurt and a decent amount of french onion soup (with cheese and soft bread in it). Which is fine but not sure what to give him for dinner since he had all bread and cheese today. Do I still give him a grilled cheese sandwich? Make him some pasta instead? Argh... Wish he'd do PB&J or even just PB...

[koe2moe]

Wish he'd do PB&J or even just PB...

DS loves pb and eats it with honey everyday for breakfast but i made pb chicken thinking that he would love it.  I told him that it's pb.. he started crying.. screaming... pushing it away.. turning his head. then said. bread bread bread (that was 2 months back so it wasn't very clear that it was bread that he was saying).  I think he only thinks pb with bread, so pb and chicken is just plain wrong!!!

If you do grilled cheese, can you add some ham or chicken inside?  u never know, maybe he will eat pb&j now?  put that next to the grilled cheese, perhaps he will then eat it?

U mean that your DH won't have time to do a little shopping for u?

[Mom to M&M]

Maybe I should try grilled PB with butter instead of jelly? Maybe he doesn't like the jelly? And offer little pieces of both sandwich at dinner time (he generally likes it cut into squares like you would do with pizza)? But then will he get upset if he doesn't like the PB and think I tricked him or not eat either one?

We don't do ham/pork in the house, but I can add some shredded chicken. Maybe pull some chicken out from the crockpot and shred it really fine and add that? Again, don't want him to get upset and boycott the whole thing though.

Just never sure...

Well he probably will want to get us all a little something but not sure how much time he'll have. But knowing him he'll find some - he actually loves to shop!

[koe2moe]

Again, don't want him to get upset and boycott the whole thing though.

what if you cut the ones with pb or chicken in them in triangles and the plain ones in squares and tell him that they are different.  I so can relate because my mom used to trick me and so i had no trust in her.  And I wasn't a toddler

it's so tricky for Matty.  DS ate a fair bit of beef stew (supposed to be curry but I was too worried that it might be too spicy, so it didn't taste curry at all LOL) and rice even with the carrots and again almost a whole small head of broccoli.  But he now bites off the flowers and throws away the trunk  but that's no big deal.  But he asked for more milk twice at bedtime!!  Probably another GS but he seems to have many more GS than others or his GS would last several times longer... 

Has he been to HK before?? 

[Mom to M&M]

Thanks Koe! I can certainly do that but will he understand? I'm not sure. Guess can only try?

Your boy is such a good eater!

Hmmm trying to brainstorm. Wonder if a grilled egg/cheese sandwich would work? Like cook the egg first and then put in on the bread and then add the cheese and cook like grilled cheese from then on?

Nope - never been any farther than Europe. And he hates traveling for work so he's really dreading it. We haven't told the kids yet. They will NOT be happy...