This might be a rather lack luster Munchkin Meals post on my part. Taking pictures of Hailey’s meals has really fallen off the priority list at the moment and posting a picture of Kaitlyn’s current meals would be inappropriate, though may result in some serious page views… hm…
I kid, I kid.
Still, I’ve managed to snap a few…
Basic breakfast: one of these waffles with peanut butter, fruit and maple syrup.
Basic lunch: Applegate Farms ham, broccoli with butter and lemon, grape tomatoes and kalamata olives.
Basic dinner: brown rice and black beans mixed with a little bit of salsa and sour cream, grape tomatoes and avocado.
For snacks, I’m really digging these organic sweet peppers (found at Target). Hailey loves the pepper rings.
There is a little new development that in the past month or so, Hailey (2 years and 9 months) has told me she doesn’t like something I’ve given her, namely celery, cucumbers and cottage cheese. Not to be obnoxious, but she has never said ‘I don’t like that’ to anything before besides spicy foods, so it’s taken me surprise. I haven’t made a big deal out of it, in fact, I barely have acknowledged it. I just tell her to put it on the side and continue on. However, I’m watching her to see if the trend continues. Does becoming more picky start out slowly?
In other news, I’m already psyched to start solids with Kaitlyn when she reaches 6 months. I plan to do baby led weaning with her, just like I did with Hailey. I look forward to having some fresh content for Munchkin Meals, and even perhaps a new perspective depending on if she is as adventurous with her eating as her sister.
Moms, how do you respond when your kids say I don’t like that?
Al says
I believe it’s only fair for you to get a picky eater next!!!! As for hailey suddenly saying she doesn’t like something at almost 3 years old, You are one lucky gal. I think it’s more about power and independence. Testing the waters. And actually having feelings and preferences. I have had way more rejections to food with both girls at many ages. And I am not “a short order cook” either. What mama gives you is what you get. They get lots of choices for breakfast lunch and snacks but dinner is what the family is having. If they don’t want my dinner, pb&j is their only option. We eat healthy, I exposed them to lots young, I try things they don’t likes cooked in new ways, etc. I think hailey is in the minority really. Let’s see if you can be a real anomaly and do it again with K! I double Dutch dare you!
Tiffany says
We get alot of “I don’t like that,” but usually it’s something my daughter (almost 3) has never tried so we ask her to just taste some of it. We usually offer her a few things for meals like you do so if she doesn’t want something, we tell her to just eat the other stuff. Sounds like you’re doing the same. We also don’t make a huge deal out of it so she doesn’t think it gets a reaction and keeps doing it just for the reaction!
Maureen says
Our daughter sounds like she was very similar to Hailey in that we did not experience any food struggles and she very rarely refused any food. She loved trying new things and ate all sorts of foods, and then somewhere around 2 1/2 she just stopped eating chicken all together. We noticed it slowly at first and for about a year she just wouldn’t eat it. But, like you, we just never made a big deal about it. She would still eat tons of fish, red meat when I would cook it once a week, lots of beans and legumes and her pediatrician told us not to worry about. I never wanted meals to be stressful so we would always put it on her plate and if she ate a bite she ate a bite and if she didn’t I wasn’t going to lose sleep over it. This went on for well over a year and then she once again began slowly eating chicken.
Kids are funny like that with their food. But my motto has always been that we make one meal for the whole family (for the most part) and I simply ask that they at least try something if it’s new (you never know if you don’t try I say) but if they don’t like it or they develop an aversion to eating something I don’t particularly worry about and I’m certainly not going to make a huge production out of. But that’s just my take.
Brittany Dixon says
Yes, our girls sound so similar as well as our approach to handling it! Sounds like it worked well for you, so I’ll just keep it up and see what happens. Thanks!
Laura @ FitMamaLove says
I love how you cut the peppers into rings–what a cute idea. Bell peppers are not my kids’ favorite, but they usually eat a bite or two.
I also love that your daughter loves kalamata olives just like my kids! It makes me so happy that they love olives as much as their mama. 🙂
I think it’s normal for kids to go through phases of not liking things. My 4-year-old used to love guacamole and then stopped eating anything avocado. Then he finally started eating guac again and now he’s back to eating plain avocado. I think you’re smart to not make a big deal about it.
Katie Harding says
So I have one picky eater and one who will try ANYTHING, I take the same approach as you, if my good eater tells me that he doesn’t like something AFTER he has tried it then I just tell him to push it to the side. However, with my picky eater I ask that he at least try one bite of whatever he thinks he won’t like, as long as they are willing to TRY something then I think it’s fine. It’s good that they have opinions right?
Sabrina says
R will say “I don’t like blueberries” even thought blueberries are his most favorite. I think it’s a control thing, so now I ask him first if he would like blueberries or blackberries? waffles or pancakes? etc. I also tell him to just put that food to the side but he freaks out and has to remove all of the offending item from his plate, especially when it’s meat. I make it a point to offer the disliked foods more often, especially with new foods. The more exposure he has the more likely he is to try it.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh yeah- ‘to the side’ definitely means on the table to H! funny kids. And I love your point about options. I feel like everything we do all day long is in options- take a shower or a bath? 1 book or 2 books? Exhausting, but effective!
Madeline @ Food Fitness and Family says
I offer Emmie a choice between two things to give her some choice and independence. But she is super picky now and hates “green” things much to my dismay. Part of the age!
Heather says
Our 2 year old has been a picky eater for a while now. He goes through phases where he won’t eat meat or then he’ll go on strike when it comes to a certain fruit or veggie. We also discovered that he really just doesn’t like everything touching at times, so we’re getting better about serving things in a deconstructed fashion. Granted, sometimes we do that and he wants it to look exactly like ours, so it’s not really an exact science. Ha ha.
Brittany Dixon says
Is anything an exact science with 2 year olds? haha! I feel like most everything I serve is deconstructed, but yes, if I am eating the same foods mixed together (like a salad) she wants what mom has!
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast says
Somewhere around 2-3, L began to not like certain things, especially green veggies. She still won’t touch chicken or most meat, but overall does pretty well. I focus on the veggies that she does like (sweet peppers, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, etc) and try to give her as much variety as possible. Hope #2 is as easygoing with food as your first, it makes things so much easier!
Marjorie says
I am struggling with this right now! Mine will be two years old in September, and he is already asserting his independence and preference. If he doesn’t like something, he wants it removed from his tray immediately…LOL.
I would say he is finicky more than picky because what he loves one day will be what he rejects the very next day. And very often at dinner he just won’t eat because he does not like what I prepared. I try not to worry because his weight is good, and I do not want to become a short order cook.
I try to encourage fruits and especially veggies. I try to make the veggies as tasty/flavorful as possible by adding seasoning or grass-fed butter. I need to try those sweet pepper rings.
Brittany Dixon says
Love that you add seasonings and flavor! I remember H liking foods so much more with some flavor and when I thought about it, I was like of COURSE she does- I do too, don’t I?! 🙂
Karen H says
My son (2 years this month) has always been a pretty picky eater, but has also recently started saying “No Mama, don’t like that!” However, it usually seems tied to something he doesn’t want at that moment, and if I offer the same food another day he eats it no problem. He also does a little better when we offer him two choices.
Abby says
My two year old is a different kid every other day! He’s been pretty consistent lately with not liking most meats and most veggies – the other day he literally gagged when he tried raw broccoli! But, other than that, I think it just depends on how hungry he is. If he’s not too hungry, he’ll say “Ewww, mommy!” and get up from his chair (he also won’t sit in a high chair anymore, so it’s hard to make him sit at the table for too long.) When he gets home from day care around 4:30 each day, we give him a snack – I think we need to stop doing this and just eat supper earlier and then he’d maybe be more likely to eat what’s on his plate.
Jen@HealthyFoodandFamily says
It’s the age! Just keep offering a variety, if she doesn’t like something, let it go, the more you push, the more she’s going to push back and just not eat it.
My youngest is almost 3 months, I am SO excited to do BLW with her! Hopefully she’s ready for an adventure 🙂
Jaclyn @ BumpSweat says
I’m impressed that she enjoys kalamata olives. I know adults who won’t touch them, silly people 🙂 I’m looking forward to seeing which foods you start Kaitlyn on; that’ll be a big help for me.
Paulina says
My 2 year old isn’t picky, but she often says she doesn’t like “blank” food one day and eats it up the next. She recently started saying “Nooo!! I don’t like dinner!” when I call her to come eat, often before she even knows what I’ve made. It’s always funny when I set down a plate of her favorite food and she’ll say “oh, this…I like this” OK kid.
April says
So funny that you brought up the picky eater issue… I mentioned it in my Munchkin Meals post too! I, too, try to not make a big deal about aversions, but it frustrates me when I’ve watched them eat something without complaining then refuse it the next time. I agree with whoever said in another comment that it can be a “control” issue: they are realizing that they can express their will and desires. Totally normal human behavior IMO. 😉
Love all your posts!
Nicole @ Broken Road Creative says
My little girl (5!) has said she didn’t like things in the past, but like you, I just acknowledge it and don’t make a big deal of it. We’ve had discussions before that sometimes people’s taste preferences change and even though someone may not like something as a kid, they might like it as an adult. So that encourages her to re-try things she has expressed distaste for. Almost every time, she announces, “My taste buds changed! I like this now.” So, who knows. Lol.
GIselle says
I keep missing Munchkin Meals! Life lately… crazy! Our son, three now, goes through phases where he refuses certain foods then gobbles them up the next week. I just continue to offer the same foods and hope he likes them someday 🙂
char eats greens says
I wonder how I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it! I mean, she did get a bit pickier when some of her teeth were coming in, but that has subsided. Why can’t these little people just understand what is super good for them and love it all! haha
Lauren says
Hi Brittany! My 20 month old son has yet to tell me he doesn’t like something, although I know it’s coming soon. We serve a variety of fresh fruits, veggies, proteins, and whole grains and he just gobbles everything up, almost always asking for more.
I have a question for how you’ve dealt with snacking (and I’m sorry if you’ve done a post on this, I couldn’t find anything). Our little guy would snack all day long if we let him and still eat good meals. We try to just follow his normal schedule of one snack of a fruit between breakfast and lunch and then a snack after his nap. I’m a teacher and have noticed since I’ve been home for the summer he basically cries for snacks every single time we have to walk through the kitchen or he sees his diaper bag. I know it’s not an issue of him being hungry, but he is so persistent! Have you dealt with this? Any tips or tricks? He does not fall for me trying to distract him. And heaven forbid if I eat in front of him!!