What did your PICKY toddler eat today?

[binxyboo]

Thank you Mouse Mom. I had never heard of the product but was thinking along the lines of cornstarch when I read about it. Has anyone else ever used it and what did you think about it?

[Mom to M&M]

Because it is a modified corn starch, Thick It can cause diarrhea in many LOs. There is also a product called Simply Thick that is supposed to be better for this purpose. I also get concerned about the use of TV as a reward system - but I've always been nervous about trying to "trick" kids to eat - but they know much better than I. I am glad, however, that Zach is doing better! And great news Jakob and Kirsty!

As for us, it's been pretty rough. We think things are being exacerbated by teething - but who really knows? Yesterday Marisa had:

- Breakfast: 3/4 of oatmeal/fruit puree mix (but only while she was distracted by playing with the baby food jar), little bit of milk, 2 small bites whole grain English muffin
- Morning snack: milk
- Lunch: Refused fruit/veg puree. 5 tiny bites grilled cheese on whole wheat, milk, veggie booty. Also refused turkey meatball and steamed carrots
- Afternoon snack: milk, hard pretzel
- Dinner: Jar of turkey/veggie/barley (but only while played with/chewed my cell phone), one Perdue nugget (also only while distracted), few veggie chips, Just Strawberries
- Bedtime: Little milk

Milk total for day: 13.5 ounces
I'm glad we have Marisa's 15-month visit in another month as the Ped said he'd discuss this issue with us then and we can see if it's time to start seeing a feeding specialist...

[Meg's Mom]

very, very interesting topics going on here...Wendy thanks for the tips.  Karen, sorry Marisa is having some rough days.   Megan has been eating really well lately even chicken nuggets and fish fingers consistently if i let her dip in ranch.  Although still refusing my attempts at new foods including:
-broc w/ cheese sauce - wont play our game of "touch/lick/mommy bite/megan bite" ...which you know from early posts was a recommendation of her OT and meg is very keen on this now w/ most foods.  she doesn't usually  bite but she will touch 99% of the time.
-beans (any of your los like beans and if so what kind - how do you prepare?)

I liked this idea:

Take a fruit cup, put the juice and fruit in the blender and add 2 tablespoons of thick it.  It tastes really really good ( a much better taste than baby food). 

Especially since Megan seems to like apple sauce better when out of the fruit cup vs her dish.  But i don't see how that addresses the texture, but it does get them use to the taste of the food and calories!

Regarding the TV, i am not sure i would go to the extent they mention.  But i noticed a huge improvement in megan's eating when I started letting her watch her 'momo'.  Megan's word for her sign language DVDs.  Plus she is willing to sit for much longer.  I figure, she is eatting better - she is learning her signing which helps w/ the speech and everyone is more relaxed!  Just my opinion.

Karen - on the note of contacting EI, i wanted to let you know it takes approx 3 months from when you call to actually getting the help.  You don't need your ped's support to call them...just something to think about.  We haven't yet seen a feeding speicalist as there is a waiting list plus Megan seems to be making progress, they are focusing more on her speech and other sensory issues for now.

[binxyboo]

The tv thing didn't bother me so much. Although lo doesn't watch tv, sometimes he will have to fiidle with something, such as keys, phones etc so that I can spoon feed him. I am just more concerned about getting him to eat healthful food, as I personally don't want him filling up on non nutritious calorie fillers. Thanks for some great ideas, Meg's Mum. I have been rereading about portion size for toddlers and feel more reassured that he is eating close to what is recommended. And although he sometimes doesn't eat much, at least what he eats is good for him.
I am still somewhat confused on the Thick it. Whay would it needed to be added to pureed food? I'm sorry, it's probably obvious to everyone else!

[Meg's Mom]

binxy - i think you will find that if you put peaches and fruit juice into the blender you will end up w/ a liquid that needs a straw not a spoon.   So the thick it will turn the blended mixture into something your LO can eat him self w/ a spoon.  Does that help any?

[binxyboo]

Yes it does. I see that cornstarch is used in some baby foods as well for that same purpose I guess. When I puree fruit, I generally wouldn't add much liquid at all, but it takes so much fruit then to get a sizeable amount. Lo likes to eat it as a finger food lately, which helps.

[binxyboo]

Mydramcametrue ~ I have just reread my posts and I am sorry if they came across as unsupportive to you. I am genuinely so happy for you that you are seeing an improvement as I know the struggles you have been having with Zach. I would keep the appointment with the clinic if I were you even if he starts eating better, as you never know when you will get another one if you let that one go.

[Jenn©]

And they will have more ideas once they meet your little guy.  Probably stuff none of us have thought of.

[Mom to M&M]

Definitely - I'd also keep the appt Wendy - but so glad to hear Zach is doing better!

[Lilah'sMommy]

Just my opinion... strict behavorial approaches work very, very well for serious feeding issues, so if that's what you're dealing with, then I think the feeding clinic will probably be really beneficial.

One thing Lilah and I started doing was making her lunch together.  She gets to help me make her sandwhich, then choose a cookie cutter to cut it out with.  The first day she chose a butterfly and was so entranced with the whole thing that she ate the whole sandwich.  Yesterday it didn't work quite as well, but she still ate some.

We're continuing with the continuous feeding idea... and today she skipped lunch, but she was skipping lunch when she skipped snack, anyway, so I figure at least she ate a snack!  She had her standard egg and toast breakfast (but skipped her juice), then ate about 1.5 oz of cheese and many, many whole-grain crackers.  Definitely gotta try to get some fruits and veggies in her later today, though!

Does anyone else have a toddler who won't drink?  Lilah drinks so little, and it really worries me more than the eating.  Today she downed her water and I was thrilled.  She barely drinks milk or juice, which I would prefer she drink at least some of the time to get more calories in, but if she only wants to drink water, then what can I do?  Water it is.

[Jenn©]

Sabrina, what is she drinking out of?  We get more into Miss Charlie with a straw cup rather than a sippy.  Or are you using a regular cup?  Maybe a selection of different character cups?

[Carys' mom]

Hi everyone,

I've got a recipe that you might be interested in - Zucchini Yogurt Multigrain Muffins. It's a good way to get both veggies and fiber into your lo (if they'll eat it - we've had some limited success with our lo). Here is the link: http://bread.allrecipes.com/az/74935.asp. We made a few modifications (swapped the amounts of regular flour and wheat flour, left out the raisins and pecans, and it should only be a half cup of sugar - not a whole cup as listed). Hey, and if your lo won't eat them, you can - they're pretty tasty.

[Mom to M&M]

I wish DD would eat muffins - won't touch em.

So today we had all of:
- Breakfast: Refused oatmeal/fruit puree. Little bit of milk, 3 small bites whole grain English muffin w/butter, few cheerios
- Morning snack: Milk, Just Bananas
- Lunch: 4 small bites grilled cheese, milk, tiny bit veggie booty. Refused turkey breast, steamed green beans, rest of sandwich, puree
- Afternoon snack: Refused cheese pieces, puree, french toast. Had milk and Just Bananas
- Dinner: Little bit of milk, half Perdue chicken nugget, half jar of turkey/veg/barley (while distracted playing with water bottle)
- Bedtime: half ounce of milk

Milk total for day: 12.5. Fiberjuice total - 4. Lots of upset DD in high chair or booster. Will see what doctor says tomorrow...

[Lilah'sMommy]

Sabrina, what is she drinking out of?  We get more into Miss Charlie with a straw cup rather than a sippy.  Or are you using a regular cup?  Maybe a selection of different character cups?

We have tried just about every cup on the planet.   We have straw cups, no-spill sippies, free flow sippies, and open cups.  It's not the cup, it's that she just doesn't want to drink.  When she really is thirsty, she'll glug it down, but that doesn't seem to happen too often.  And when it does, it's pretty much only water she'll drink.

BUT, on the upside...

NEWS FLASH!!

Lilah ATE SALAD last night!!!  I could not believe it!  She didn't eat a whole lot, but she actually chewed and swallowed several bites of lettuce with dressing (and it was a very strong, vinegary dressing, too!).  She also ate pesto pizza.  And today, when we were out shopping at Trader Joe's , they had samples of vanilla yogurt with chopped banana and granola, served in little cups with a spoon.  Lilah ate it all, and she never seems to like bananas much, or anything on top of her yogurt!  I was so proud of her for trying something new!

[Meg's Mom]

I thought i would share my new sly trick - tofu.  I mix a package of sugar free choc pudding w/ 1 package of silken tofu, 2 tbs cocoa powder - add a bit of milk or soy milk - mix all in the food processor (blender was a mess).  She thinks it is choc pudding and it has about 8 grams of protein for 3.5 oz serving.  This recipe made about 4 - 4oz cups. 
You can also make tofu brownies (I will cut the amount of sugar), i am going to try that one next.