Mommy is a Picky Eater

[*Kimberly*]

I am a really picky eater.  I blame it all on my mom.  She was one of those moms that refused to force her children to eat anything they did not want to.  So I became a picky eater.  I do not want to turn my child into a picky eater too but I am afraid that he is going to pick it up from watching me.  (I am growing as an eater but just not very quickly.)  Thankfully my husband is not a picky eater.  My question is...How do I keep my son from turning into a picky eater like me? 

Kimberly

[Carter'sMama]

I am just the opposite of you!  I had parents that made me eat everything even if I couldn't stand it ... and now that I am older I find that I am becoming more picky because I can actually chose what I want to eat 

I think that if you just keep offering a wide variety of foods to your lo, he will decide what he likes and doesn't like and hopefully develop a good appetite.  If you don't make a big deal out of disliking something then he probably won't notice that Mommy isn't eating it, especially if he sees that Daddy is eating it!  Luckily for me DH is a very good eater too and right now Carter wants to do EVERYTHING Daddy does so it's a win-win situation 

[*Kimberly*]

That is what I am trying to do.  I have trouble coming up with ideas for his meals sometimes though because I don't eat it and so it doesn't sound good to me and I just plain don't know how to make a lot of things.  So right now his meals are pretty boring, though I am trying.

Kimberly

[Jaime]

first off - i swear i am not stalking you Kimberly!!    secondly, i feel that i am about to go philosophical....

the 1st questions that popped into my mind:
    - do you eat healthy, even though you are picky?
    - do you frequently go hungry because you are picky?

because, honestly, i think everyone is a little picky - we all have our favorite types of cuisines.  dh & i are both fairly picky, but we're not picky about the same stuff, so there is a semi-wide variety of things that we do eat in our house.  

truthfully, my kids' eating habits go in cycles.  there seem to be a few days where i wonder how they keep going, cause they don't seem to be eating anything.  then there are days when i can't fill them up!!  the happy medium that we have (sort of) reached is that their snacks, etc. are all healthy things - cheese, fruit, veggies, whole gran crackers, etc.  last summer (home all day) i put a snack box in the fridge for jaina, and would fill it with a variety of things that she could eat throughout the day if she was hungry.  (yes, i am lazy, but it did allow her to pick her own things, and when the box was empty, that was it.)  

we also do not force them to eat their meals, but i have been known to save lunch for later when they claim they are hungry (instead of a snack! ).  also, if they do not want their meal, fine, but there is no alternative either .

i swear there's a point in here... i guess i'm trying to say that if you keep offering a variety, he will eventually learn what types of things he likes & what he doesn't.  also, even if he doesn't like something the first time, keep offering.  

anyhow.... hopefully there's something you can use in there!

[*Kimberly*]

You are stalking me!

To answer your questions:
   No, I do not eat very healthy.  I try and I am better with Brendan but I tend to eat a lot of frozen meals.
   No, I never go hungry!  I just eat more!

I like your ideas, like the snack box.  I also am a fan of saving leftovers for the inevitable "I'm hungry".

Let me try to explain my pickiness.  My friend's husband eats a lot like me and he has no sense of smell so I think it might be a texture thing.  I do not like my food to touch and I do not like to mix foods.  When I was younger my mom got those plates with the sections for me.  This means that I am not a fan of casseroles stews, soups or anything else with lots of stuff in it.  Think about the most boring meal and that would appeal to me.  I like things plain or by themselves.  This has made it tough to cook for hubby and I.  Mostly I make a boring version of something and take part out for me and then add all the "good" stuff (as my husband would say) for my hubby.  I am also not very good at trying new things.  If I get it in my head that I do not like something it is hard for me to change that perception.  I hope part of that made sense.

[Jaime]

oh yes, and one more thing i forgot - i read this once by dr. sears (and for once i agreed with him! )... aim for a balanced WEEK, not a balanced DAY.  that has saved my sanity more than once, especially when they won't touch carrots (et al) one day, but can't stop munching them the next day.

[Lana]

Hey there I would not say that I am a picky eater but like Jaime said I think that everyone is picky about certain things.  I hate bananas (unless they are in banana bread), peas and raisins and Ewan loves all three of those things.  Bram likes peas and bananas too so I dont think they learned to like them from me.  Like Jaime said we just aim for a balanced week, put the food in front of them and let them eat