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View Full Version : Meal Time Battles (xposted in Toddlers)



Raidra
10-12-2005, 09:26 PM
I've always been worried about Colwyn's weight - he's in the 10th percentile for height and way off the bottom of the chart for weight. His doctor has never been worried, but I worry. So, come mealtime, I have a hard time letting go when he doesn't want to eat much.

Lately, he's been acting up at the table - he'll put his feet on the table and push so his chair slides far away from the table. This is not okay with me, but how do I get him to stop? It's not like I can tell him that if he does it again dinner is over, because to him, that's a reward. And if I tell him he has to keep eating and slide him back in towards the table, he'll just push backwards again.

So, what do I do? Should I truly not worry about how much food he's getting and just let him get down? Or do I have to resort to tying the legs of the chair to the table? ;)

Oh, and speaking of weight gain.. I've read all the previous posts on adding fat to a toddler's diet, but Colwyn wants nothing to do with it. He doesn't like ice cream, butter, steak, eggs, cream cheese, peanut butter, and he won't drink his milk if I add nonfat powdered milk to it. He doesn't like any kind of sauces on his food, with the occasional exception of mac 'n' cheese. He loves milk and cheese, but if he has too much, he gets constipated. Any ideas for other high fat foods?

Thanks!

tny915
10-17-2005, 03:38 PM
Well, I don't have much to offer you but I wanted to chime in because I've got another small picky toddler too. DD had to go in for a precautionary weight check at around 16 1/2 months, but at that point, the ped told us the DD may just be predisposed to be petite. Anyway, for months now, DD has pretty much been living on crackers, milk, cereal, toast, and fruit. I just keep telling myself it's a phase, and even if it's not, she'll be okay. I'm incredibly picky to this day and I turned out okay. :)

Over here, we've been relying on peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, but that's not an option for you. Does Colwyn like fruit? I make DD fruit smoothies with full fat yogurt, milk, and nonfat powdered milk added in.

I'm looking forward to seeing what other advice you get!

sarsah
10-22-2005, 02:58 PM
Try adding Carnation Instant Breakfast to his milk. The nutritionist we were referred to by Devin's gastro dr. highly recommend it as an alternative to Pedisure, which Devin wouldn't touch. It has worked very well for us, except Devin still is not eating a lot because he is drinking so much milk. He is 2 1/2 and I was told to keep giving him the Instant Breakfast until he is 4.

I would talk to your Dr. and get a referral to a nutritionist. They can give you lots of ideas of what to do -- ours was wonderful.

Sarah....mom to Jason (5/25/00) & Devin (5/12/03)

Timmersmom
11-11-2005, 01:28 AM
I totally feel your pain - exact same issues with my DS.

Here's what's helped us, maybe one of these will work for you?

- Pediasure is a Godsend. They have lots of flavors, but I'm sure you've already tried this

--Boost Breeze, it's a high calorie fruit juice with lots of vitamins/minerals, tasty flavors

--Danimals drinkable yogurt, a lot of calories in a little package

--For some reason, high sodium meats seem to be a big hit. Think pepperoni, sausage, bacon, salami. It drives me crazy, but they have lots of cals in them.

--Dipping sauces. I know you said DS doesn't like sauces on food, but maybe he'd like the control over dunking his own food into ketchup or maple syrup?

As a final note, I have taken DS to tons of specialists, and I've read Ellyn Satter, but sometimes you just have to let instinct take over. I will, for example tell DS that he can have a coveted cracker if he eats say, 3 bites of macaroni and cheese. And I always stick to my bargains. Yes, you're not supposed to do that, but each child is unique, and I believe parents sometimes have to do what they know will work for their child.

HTH, and know that you are not alone.

Laila
11-16-2005, 03:39 PM
What a great thread

my dd has always been third percentile in weight gain, b-day 8/27/03. We took her to two specialist, and had to go to weigh ins monthly. Now that the specialist has determined it is hereditary, the weigh ins have stopped. now it is every 6 months or so to check on ear tubes.

She loves the salty meats, but also chicken done various ways, like shake and bake. Or herb rosted, She loves the skin. She loved the high calorie yogurt smoothies I use to make her till the age of ~19 months, when she started preferring plain vit. D milk. I do the bribbing as above on certain occasions.

She goes for plain white rice, and pasta most of the time. She seems to love the tomato and creamy sauces that go with those pastas. For after work when I want something quick, I make her annies or trader joes mac and cheese. Other things that work are dipping hot dog in ketchup, brocolli in ranch dressing, a great breakfast muffin that I use to get at Trader Joes, Power blueberry muffin, but I rarely see it anymore. For peanut butter, prefers to use a spoon herself that I let her watch me get right out of the jar. I also make her cream of wheat, oatmeal, pancakes, hashbrowns, french toast for breakfast, alternation is key here.

I do breakdown and give her fresh baked goods, chocolate included. Anything to put weight on. But we have started saying not before you eat something substantial. And she does it. She loves uncooked cookie dough..I know the raw eggs. Our pediatrician even recommended jello pudding. She also recommended vitamins starting at age two. We give her the gummy vits that are so popular, two a day is the dossage.

Another thing she loves is fresh bread. I almost bought myself a bread machine, but our house is so small I did not.

Oh one big thing, first she started refusing to eat with her high chair tray. So we took it off and she was very happy to sit right with us without a tray. The bib was next to go, then the entire highchair, both in the same fashion. Now she sits, or neals in a regular chair, just like mom and dad.

The eating plagues us. Good luck. I have not tried the additions as stated above but will.

chucklesbythebay
11-27-2005, 11:09 AM
Maybe it is because I live in the Bay Area which is very health conscious and big on organic foods...but, I also went to a dietitian specializing in pediatric nutrition. I was just looking for advice on introducing solids. But, I highly doubt she would ever tell a client to add Carnation Instant Breakfast to the milk. I don't think moms here would ever come back to her. I know she recommends a book called Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter. In it, it talks about having a healthy attitude toward feeding a child. One of the concepts deals with the fact that if you turn something into an issue, it becomes an issue. It also talks about not becoming a special order cook. If a child does not like what is being served to him, calmly clean up the mess because the meal is over. Make sure the child has plenty of milk and bread available between meals so s/he won't go hungry. Eventually, they get the idea. Toddlers can be picky--it is best to ignore the pickiness to avoid long-term problems....

By the way, when my son acts up at the table, his meal is over.

wendmatt
11-29-2005, 09:49 PM
Is his middle name Emily??? My DD is driving me nuts with her eating. I try not to make it an issue, but they know just how to push your buttons. At the mo, all DD will eat for dinner is quesadillas and I'm worried she'll get high cholesterol from eating too much cheese (something I was going to post about). She also suffers from constipation so I have to make sure she eats some fruit and sometimes she'll eat a few veggies. No sauce here either. Yoghurt helps. She pushes away from the table or slides down in her booster chair or puts her feet on the table......All just because she knows it drives me nuts I'm sure!! I try to stay calm but sometimes it does become a battle. GOod luck to you, I know how frustrating it is. I say let him eat cheese and keep milk of magnesia handy....2 tsps as needed! Peanut butter is high fat and if you get the natural one it's got no additives. That's something else DD will eat.

Fairy
12-03-2005, 12:14 PM
Ok, here are some things that I hope will work for you. Some cross over into the territory of foods you say your son doesn't like. But. Here they are anyway:

* Tyson Veggie Tales Chicken Nuggets. They're shaped like the characters, and the inside of the box has the characters you can cut out and play with or color. Maybe make it a reward type of deal? If you don't want to do Veggie Tales, I can at least promise you that the nuggets are tasty.

* Fish Sticks.

* Try the Hormel brand Kidz Meals.

* Yo Baby yogurt has a top "crust" that is very rich

* Starchy veggies, like peas and corn. Sugary veggies, like carrots

* Popsicles?

* Buttered (with BUTTER) noodles

* What about veggie burger?

Hey, when in doubt, and your son really hasn't eaten enough, I wouldn't be above giving him a candy bar. Would I do it every day? No. But there are exceptions to every rule, and I know what it is to be desperate when NOTHING is working; a last ditch thought for every now and then.

BTW, um. Where did you get the name Colwyn? I grew up on a street named Colwyn, and I'm just wondering if it's a family name or something? I've never seen it my entire life anywhere than in my address, so I'm intrigued.

Raidra
12-13-2005, 04:58 PM
Thanks for all the ideas, guys! With the pushing away from the table bit, what works for us is reminding him that if he needs to tell us he's done, he should use his words. When he tells us he's full, we immediately let him get down. He's gotten much better at that, but he still does turn around in his seat, put his feet up on the table, etc.

Colwyn is Welsh.. it's the name of a bay, a river, and town in the north. :)

ETA: I forgot to mention.. we started giving Colwyn a regular fork instead of a toddler fork, and that usually helps. He seems a lot more willing to eat if he has a big fork like Mommy and Daddy.

StantonHyde
01-08-2006, 11:59 PM
I realize this is late, but--the one thing my son will always eat is a chocolate Balance Bar. They have plenty of protein and a bunch of vitamins--I eat them every day for bfast. They taste like chocolate but are good for you--about 250 calories I think. I also like the Honey Peanut kind. They have a ton of flavors and are not so chalky or chewy/tire rubber like other protein bars!