Grapes addiction!

[atlbaby]

I introduced Arielle to grapes a few weeks ago, (for some reason it never occured to me until then!) she has become inreasingly addicted to them. It's gotten to the point now where she will barely eat anything else but grapes (halved)! Not even pasta, french toast, or now even cheese. Grapes superceding cheese on her list of favorites is huge! At least she'll eat breakfast bc she somehow doesn't think to have a fit for grapes at breakfast time, only lunch and dinner.

She can't really tell me what she wants, she just whines and cries and makes faces until I give her grapes--and then still won't eat much else. Please someone tell me grapes have some nutritional value!

She used to be such a good eater! :(

-Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01

[khakismom]

Your post made me smile. Kathleen is 22 months and her favorite foods are the exact ones you listed for Arielle--pasta, french toast, and cheese--plus cereal and ham. It must be a toddler thing! ;)

When I asked your same question to my ped, he said that some kids only eat 4-5 foods and when they get a favorite, they want it constantly. At least Arielle will eat grapes. Kathleen won't eat any kind of fruit and it's so frustrating.

Any suggestions are appreciated!

...Maureen

Mom to
Kathleen 3/22/01
Baby girl EDD 6/12/03

[KathyO]

Catherine went through phases on one food or another. She did two weeks on yogurt, and almost a week on hardly anything but watermelon. My Dr. assured me that this kind of monomania is normal, and will pass. Through the "food fads" phase, she continued to grow and develop on schedule, so things must have been not too bad, nutritionally!

Best,

KathyO

[cara1]

Rachel, have you tried grape tomatoes? After my MIL told me how much DS loves grapes, I gave him some grape tomatoes I had in the fridge, and lo and behold, he gobbled those up as well!

[brubeck]

If your daughter is ready to chew, the Gerber fruit candies are very addictive to toddlers. They're like VERY soft gummy bears (and they taste amazing, mmmm!) with some nutritional value.

The other thing my daughter likes are those dried fruit bars they sell to hikers. There are brands that are soft and have only dried fruit in them. But I recommend that your child be comfortable chewing things before giving these.

You could try mixing applesauce in with cereal too.

[atlbaby]

Thanks everyone, for the encouragement that Arielle is just going through what other toddlers go through! It was so amazing to see her refuse even her beloved cheese or mac&cheese the past few meals, I was in shock! :)

Maureen, I've found Arielle tends to like fruits that are juicy (like grapes :) ) maybe she likes to suck the water, I don't know. So I also offer her cantaloupe chuncks or slices, or sometimes fruit cups (the tropical fruit one by Dole or Delmonte--can't remember which). These depend on her mood though...

For breakfast, she eats nearly a jar of fruit each morning (I mix her vitamins in it too) and finishes it for snack. And she loves (fresh) bananas too right now, but they weren't 'in vouge' a few months ago.

Oh, one other thing I do to give her fruit--and you say Kathleen loves french toast so this might work!--is mix either mashed bananas or jarred fruit in with the egg-milk mixture for french toast. I use whatever fruit jar we have on hand. She loves it just as much as plain french toast.

And Cara, thanks for reminding me about grape tomatoes! I'd given her some over the summer with success, but forgot about them!

-Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01

[khakismom]

Rachel, thank you so much for the suggestions--I am ready to take them on. :) Sometimes she will take a banana, but usually only when my dad is around and offers it to her. Even watermelon she spits out. Of course, I should probably mention that she does eat her veggies, which is great, but I think of all that yummy fruit--esp. during the summers--that she won't touch. I will keep trying and make sure I cut the grapes up. The other trick I have is that she is a "dipper"--she loves to dip things (like carrots into ranch dressing, or french fries into ketchup). My friend makes this great fruit dip--I think I may have to make some and offer it to Kathleen with fruit. If all else fails, I will keep trying I guess! :7

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions! Great ideas!!

...Maureen

Mom to
Kathleen 3/22/01
Baby girl EDD 6/12/03

[Shirale]

How funny, Amira went throught he grape phase too!!! she only knows 2 food words (juice (actually means any liquid)and cheese) but she did the grape thing for about 3 weeks, she wouldn't eat anything else (I also love grapes!! and ate a lot of fruit when preg with her) but now she won't touch them!! SAhe also had a cheereios pase, and now won't touch them! She is back to her cheese and pasta phase, although she also loves carrots and potatos (particularly from lentil soup which I make!) it is hard to get her to eat new foods, but once she does- she often goes on a jag of only wanting to eat that...my Ped said that babies are much smarter about food than adults, they only eat when they are hungry and eat what they want, not just something that is there!!! Amira makes these sad faces when she is hungry and says Mommy, mmmmmmm, and I ask her "are you hungry" and she says- yeah...what a difference!!! now if only she could tell me what she wanted (besides cheese!!)

[megsmom]

Another grape lover here! Unfortunately, if Meg gets too many grapes, we pay for it in the diaper dept. She will sometimes whine "I want more grapes, open the frigerator!" I have simply told her that having too many grapes gives her a tummyache and that's all for now. I also tell her that she can only have them once a day. She gets a little mad stomps off into the other room, but hey, I'm the mom and that's the way it is. :)


Jen
mom to Meghan 7/13/01

[sophiesmom]

Again.. another grape lover here! Sophie is 18 months and will literally ask for grapes (gaypessss). I chop them up nice and small, and she can't eat them fast enough! She's gone through phases with certain foods, but the grapes have been lasting a loooong time! Thanks goodness it's almost fresh fruit season around here again (PA). I'll have to try the grape tomatoes too!

Stephanie
Sophia (8/4/01)
#2 EDD 5/17/03

[KathyO]

Those little yogurts make great fruit dips... think La Creme yogurt, or those ones which are actually a ripened cheese, and hence a little thicker. When I want to occupy DD, I put her in the high chair with one of these and something dippable like some fruit or a bread stick... the cleanup is usually a bit of a job, but it's generally worth it!!

HTH,

KathyO

[gravymommy3]

Be very vigilant with brushing and flossing if you feed DD the fruit candies and the dried fruit. I learned the hard way on this. These things stick like superglue to teeth. DD had 8 cavaties (all between teeth) even though we were good about brushing and flossing. Her dentist said that fruit-chew type snacks and dried fruit were putting his kids through college in style (and after having to pay him $850 for him to do the fillings at the hospital - dd had to be put under for this- I believe him). I thought that by giving her things made with real fruit, I was doing good. Hope this helps someone.

Amy