Some parents were blessed with children whose food pallets aren’t all that particular. Those are the kids who ate peas and carrots and meats from a jar as babies. They’re willing to try whatever you put in front of them and often enjoy whatever it is. This has got to be every parent’s dream. At least I assume so because it’s a phenomenon I’ve certainly never experienced.
Other (most) parents complain that their kids eat only a limited number of foods. Pizza, sandwiches, cereal…..usually there are a few staples that a kid will eat and they shun everything else. Experts say that what a kid eats is oftentimes the only thing they can control in their lives so, bygum, they are gonna control the heck out of it.
Unfortunately, all three of my children fall into the latter category. My oldest is just now getting to the point that we can use the Big Girl Argument to get her to try new stuff.
Sweetie, you’re eight years old. You’re a big girl, right? Big girls try new things. You don’t have to like it or eat the whole thing. You just need to try it.
Sometimes this works and sometimes not so much. But at least we have that “sometimes”.
My boys are different.
Place a new food in front of Monkey Man and he turns away forcefully, sticks out his tongue and pretends to gag.
Nice, right? Way to be overdramatic, little dude. Just say, “Oh, no thank you.” Ugh.
Of course Bubs does the exact same thing because baby brothers copy their siblings. It’s in their DNA. No sense trying to change it because it’s not happening.
For a while our boys’ previous OT was working with them on trying new foods using a method where each food is introduced by relating it to other foods they eat – by color, by shape, by texture, etc. Usually color worked well. We’d have a “red” plate – we’d start with strawberry yogurt (which they do eat) and then introduce other reddish foods like actual strawberries, hot dogs, or jell-o. (Not all together because, ew.)
For the “green and white” plate we introduced foods such as shredded cheese, pasta, peas, and green beans.
Trying green and white foods.
Monkey Man enjoys some peas.
Bubs touches, but doesn’t quite try, his bowtie pasta.
The goal was to get them to tolerate the food being on their plate first, then get them to touch it, then taste it, and, finally, eat it. Our success rate was moderate at best. Admittedly, I stopped trying for a while. It’s very time-consuming and can be rather exhausting and stressful when they don’t wish to cooperate. But I think it’s time to try again.
The boys have a new OT. Their previous therapist now lives in another town and works for a different company so she’s no longer in this area. It was absolutely heartbreaking for me when she left. She’d been with us for almost 2-½ years. That’s a long time for someone to come to your house multiple times a week to work with your children.
The new OT has been great so far. She’s going to start working with the boys and their feeding again and I’m both dreading and looking forward to it. I’m anxious for them to actually eat stuff other than yogurt and granola bars, but at the same time I don’t particularly care to go through the process again.
I long for the day when my kids will be in that first group – the ones who’ll try anything and everything. Realistically, it’s unlikely. But at the very least, I look forward to them getting some variety in their diet and maybe even discover some new favorites. Someday, boys. Someday.
The Dull Chronicles: Shenanigans & Special Needs 