Before I had my girls there were things that made me nervous about becoming a parent – the lack of sleep, the endless parade of dirty diapers, and the fact that cute little babies eventually morph into venom spewing teenagers. There was one thing though that I was convinced would be easy – making sure that my kids ate healthy.
“Kids only eat bad food because parents give it to them,” I used to shout from atop my soap box. “If you feed them vegetables, they will eat vegetables. It’s not like they’re born asking for McDonalds!”
It was all very clear to me. My kids were going to grow up to be like this kid I went to Junior High School with whose favorite after school snack was a raw tomato. Yup. A raw flippin’ tomato.
Well, Annie is only fourteen months old but I’m already seeing that making sure she eats right is not quite so easy.
Kids (and babies) WILL actually avoid healthy food. I’ve spent hours in front of Annie’s high chair trying in vain to feed her vegetables or vegetable based baby foods. I had no idea how finicky little ones could be about what they eat.
Little ones also watch what we eat and want to imitate us. When I eat potato chips Annie tries to reach into the bowl. When I eat ice cream she opens her mouth wide for a bite.
Yesterday she even picked up an empty soda can and pretended to drink it. My fourteen month old! I knew it was important for parents to set a good example for their kids’ eating habits, I just had no idea how soon I would have to start setting that example.
Adding insult to injury the food options available to kids and babies are ridiculous. Have you seen a Kid’ s Menu at a restaurant lately? Cheesy Mac & Cheese, Greasy chicken fingers, hot dogs… adults shun this stuff in fear of having a heart attack, but we gladly give it to our kids.
The Supermarket is almost as bad. Take a look at the baby aisle and you will see it is largely made up of cookies, crackers, puffs, mac & cheese, pasta stars in marinera sauce, raviolis, etc. How is that stuff healthy?
As you can see, Annie IS eating food. I just worry that she isn’t getting the right nutrition, especially after a day like today when she ate puffs, mac & cheese, and yogurt. (And milk, of course.)
Four years ago I would have found it very hard to believe that I would have no problem changing even the nastiest of diapers, but that I would be up at night worrying about what I can do to make sure Annie eats right.
Panni says:
Love that pic. She is adorable.
Elle says:
My daughter is such a picky eater. Sometimes she only wants mac n’ cheese, black beans, or grapes for several days. But I can see she’s thriving so I try not to worry too much.
I miss the days when I could sneak into the kitchen for a piece of chocolate because now, just by hearing the crinkle sound of the wrapper, she knows I’m got something really yummy.
Nicole says:
….or when they can SMELL the brownies on your breath…”Mama, did you eat chocolate? Your mouth smells like chocolate…”
Kelly says:
Oh, man! I hear you on that one…my three year old is worse than a bomb-sniffing dog. That kid can smell a treat on your breath from a couple miles away.
cheska says:
My 18 month old loves these, finds them easy to use and best of all, unlike many similar products, Ella’s Kitchen uses nothing but fruit and veggies in their blends. And the packaging is BPA free! They are sweet as many of the blends have banana included, but I still find them to be a very useful and nutritious food. She especially loves the broccoli, pea, pear blend.
Mijke says:
*grin* I was one of those ‘MY kids will only drink water and milk and only eat healthy homecooked meals’ people too. Before I had kids, that is.
When you start off parenthood in a NICU, where every single gram counts, it’s hard to refuse your kid something it WILL eat in favor of something it SHOULD. Which is why our 3-yr old twins still only drink strawberry or peach flavored yoghurt drink, fruitjuice and lemonade. They detest water. They won’t drink milk. They think tea is the drink of the devil. I breastfed them for 21 months and the only way to get them to drink anything else once I stopped breastfeeding was to entice them with unhealthy things. I tried the healthy approach. It didn’t work. So I threw my ‘They will only eat/drink healthy stuff’ parenting principle overboard. The main thing was that they didn’t get dehydrated. I didn’t care how much sugar was in it: as long as it was wet enough to be considered ‘liquid’, they were welcome to it…
Besides. They could use the extra calories!
katrina @ They All Call Me Mom says:
Awww….let her eat puffs!
(seriously…what is a puff? I have nine kids – you’d think I’d know what a puff is. The first time I heard of one was in that video of Annie and Rigby…is that a puff?!! Rigby asked. Love that video!)
Tina says:
I think all kids go through a phase where they eat less than healthily… I’ve got twin boys, one of which LOVES veggies and fruit and lives off them (hates meat, mac & cheese etc) and the other HATES fruit and veggies except a handful like carrots, cucumbers, lentils, chick peas and watermelon… He LOVES his meat and his potatoes and pasta… I take comfort in the fact, they at least drink tons of (fresh) juice…and I can disguise fruit and yogurt as popsicles
(and they both drink 3 glasses of milk a day).
I too was a picky eater as a child like my son, but over the years I have gotten tons better
I am sure she will be fine I am also convinced they do it just so we moms worry!! lol
Penbleth says:
Kids are born with a sweet tooth, breast milk is sweet. It is what we crave. Such a shame too much of it isn’t good for us. I’m sure Annie will manage just fine to get all that she needs.
Lisa says:
Aww, yes, the food conundrum. My 3 year old eats fairly healthy. She loves fruits, will eat several veggies and dinner, lunch and breakfast are usually fairly healthy. However, it wasn’t always that way. When she was a baby she hated almost all baby food except pears and peas. As a toddler, about Annie’s age, we were hard pressed to get to eat anything, let alone something healthy. Then one day it just clicked. She is usually willing to try anything, especially if we are eating it too. The live by example thing really does matter. We aren’t crazy health food people, but we try to keep the options healthy when possible but do love our sweets. And sure enough, so does our daughter.
vickie says:
i sneak in the healthy. whole wheat pastas, veggies under some cheese on pizza, and the best trick of all – put it on daddy’s plate. use him to your advantage. my kid will sample most anything if its on daddy’s plate. just give him extra.
Leigh Elliott says:
Heather I struggle with this so much. I don’t like to admit this to many people but we used to have a bad habit of going through the McD’s drive-thru. It was just too easy. Crying, hungry kid in the back+easy, cheap drive-thru that has food my daughter will eat=parental bliss. BUT….it had it’s consequences. We did this for about a year and a half. Not every day. More like, once a week, or once every two weeks. Not a LOT. However, we were both becoming addicted to it. She would see the golden arches and cry for “Old McDonalds”. Images of the “Super Size Me” would flash through my head and I would think, “the only one in charge here is me, I have to stay on the road, DO NOT TURN IN TO McD’s!!”
We’ve been “clean” for a month now. That is not a long time. But it has been hard. My daughter has not had her wish of Old McDonalds food whenever she wants it, and I have not had the ease of quieting and soothing a hungry, crying beast in my back seat. I figure I am better off pulling into a gas station and getting some pretzels and chocolate milk than going to McD’s.
My daughter is almost 4 now and has a pretty limited list of what she will eat. I try to take comfort in the fact that she loves hummus and yogurt and try to not shudder when all she wants for lunch is grilled cheese. We try to have dinner together each night and even though I don’t expect her to eat a plate of broccoli, it’s there on the table, and it’s on her plate. I am hoping with making things available to her, both good and bad, that she will mirror what we eat eventually. And that even Old McDonalds is ok every now and then.
Expat Mom says:
My oldest has intestinal issues, so he HAS to eat healthy . . . a high fiber diet with no processed flour and little sugar. That was near impossible when he was small, but now he’s five and yesterday he turned down a chocolate croissant that he was offered because “That stuff makes me sick and I really hate being sick.”
My 4 year old, on the other hand, hates anything green (even green candy) and won’t touch tomatoes. He’d happily live on plain pasta with nothing but butter on it. sigh. You just have to do the best you can and once they’re a bit older, make sure you explain how well their bodies work with GOOD food.
Beth says:
I feel ya. But remember kids caloric needs are much different than adults and while we see cheesy mac and cheese and think fat and carbs, that’s pure energy for the little ones! True it’s not great if that’s all they’ll eat but at the same time, you can’t make them do anything, really. So go easy on yourself. Some day she will pick up on your healthy habits, too, and have a jar of roasted red peppers for a snack.
Sweet Boy says:
I had such problems as a kid because I was allergic to refined sugar that it enforced my mother to use just natural ingredients. I am pleased to say that I have kept that up and only ever cook from raw ingredients. I feel so much better for it.
Mary says:
What is in those Puffs anyway? They don’t taste like anything to me but my kids go for them like they are laced with crack. Healthy eating is a constant struggle for us as well. Some days are great, others not so much. I’m hoping if I just keep putting the healthy food out there that they will eventually grow to like it. I hope I eventually grow to like it too for that matter. I miss my take out!
Leslie says:
Mike,
I applaud you for being aware of the need for healthy food for Annie, and the pitfalls of eating too much junk food.
For a toddler, eating things like cheese isn’t so bad. They do have higher caloric needs and they’re constantly in motion, burning energy. Carbs and fat aren’t so much the enemies that they are for adults.
I’d try to keep the processed foods to a minimum though. All of the junk and chemicals do add up.
And I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that you don’t need all that soda, right? Put down the can, Mike. Step away from the can. It is not your friend. High fructose corn syrup, aspartame — they are the mean kids on the playground who beat you up for your lunch money. Run from the thugs. They will smack you upside the head and slink away, leaving you bleeding on the asphalt. Shun the can, Mike. Run the other way, as fast as you can! Your body will thank you. The sky will smile on you. Birds will sing to you. Lizards will stand on their hind feet and clap their little hands. The Goodyear blimp will fly over your house with congratulatory salutations.
You’re a phenomenal dad. I’m very impressed with how involved you are in the day-to-day details of your daughter’s life. You’re one of the good guys, for sure! As always, this was a thoughtful and intelligent post. Kudos to you for caring about your child’s nutritional needs.
Heather says:
Try a veggie/fruit smoothie. I blend fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, grapes, banana- whatever I have in my fridge) with handfuls of carrots, kale, and brocolli. My daughter LOVES them. She refuses most veggies with lunch and dinner, but I can always get her to drink one to two sippy cups full of nutritious goodness.
Babbalou says:
My advice is to NOT get in the habit of making special kid meals for Annie. Make a healthy dinner for the three of you and she’ll try it all eventually. And then you’ll have the problem I had with my boys- at a restaurant they’d always want to order the rack of lamb unless we limited their choices – as in, “no, we’re having salads or chicken breast sandwiches tonight, not lamb or steak.” Friends who made separate kid meals when the kids were young, thinking it was temporary, ended up with terribly picky eaters who expected to be served whatever they felt like eating even when they were teens! As young adults, my boys will eat just about anything. They eat vegetables and salads and will often order salads a big salad for a meal in a restaurant. I never offered fruit juice, just milk or water except on special occasions. And usually chunks of fruit for dessert and chunks of vegetables, cheese or beans if they needed a bite while I was making dinner.
Rachel says:
I so agree with this. My fiance and I do not have any kids, but he is 29 and the WORST picky eater because his mom always made him separate meals. If he tries anything now, he usually likes it, but he is uber picky about it. I mean, in one way, it does show you that picky eaters grow up just fine (I think he turned out ok, haha); but in another way, it shows you that what you start early in life stays with you.
Lisa D says:
I have the same problem, but I think it’s just hard-wired into kids to not want real food. I fed my older son homemade baby food convinced that I Was helping him develop his palate. When he hit 14 months, it was grilled cheese and chicken nuggets and nothing else. Literally, he ate dim sum in Chinatown one day and a week later nothing but cheese. So I didn’t bother with homemade for my younger son and the same thing happened. Sometime after 1 year–right when they start getting a mind of their own–they just don’t want to eat anything. But I wouldn’t worry. My husband LIVED on pb&j when he was younger and now he’s more apt to try new things and like them than I am–and my parents forced veggies down my throat.
Rah says:
That is the cutest picture of Annie, ever.
Jen says:
You worry cause your a good dad. Someone told me that toddler nutrition is measured by the week, not by the day.
At our last appt, our ped told us that our 2.5 year old seemed to be the type of kid who wouldn’t eat unless he was having a growth spurt. Fantastic when your kid sits at the 10-15th percentile for weight (and 75th for height.) Add a big head and he looks like a lollipop!
mp says:
Our pediatrician told us that we should try to get a variety of foods into our kids over the course of a week.
To me this just seems wrong. I try to make sure my very picky kid gets at least one type of food from every food group each day. I bribe her, yes, by withholding dessert until she eats her proper meal. Hey, if the kid is going to have a sweet tooth, use it to your advantage! Sure, your gal will cry until you show her that you mean it: no cookie until the carrot is gone. So it does involve a will of iron on your part. (And a willingness to let her go hungry sometimes.)
And it absolutely involves only stocking the good, nonprocessed food in the house for the whole family. My husband and I eat so much healthier since having kids. Of course, we still do dessert and eat out once a week–we’re not crazy!
Lauren says:
Totally disagree with the cookie for eating carrot advice. You should never force anyone to eat. A child will not starve. Give them healthy choices and let them decide whether they want it. Bribing will set her up to have issues with food.
Elizabeth says:
I’m still a picky eater and I’m 27 lol. Love the picture by the way!!
Gale @ Ten Dollar Thoughts says:
We struggle with this too – especially the restaurant component.
When my son (now 2.5) was a little younger than Annie and started venturing into finger foods I made up a recipe for little veggie pancakes (usually spinach or broccoli) that can be made in batches and heated up as needed. He loves them and they have been his primary source of green veg for a year and a half now. I know that at some point we’re going to have to convert him to veggies in their native form. But in the meantime I take comfort in knowing that he’s getting the good stuff somehow.
If you’re interested in the recipe, just let me know and I’ll shoot it to you in an e-mail. It’s really simple.
Glenda says:
Love that picture of Annie. She’s too cute!
I think all kids go through the picky stage. My son was about 8 mos and didn’t want to eat his baby food at all…so there we started him on finger foods. My daughter was in love with her baby food. They both ate salads and veggies when they were 3 and then went through the picky stage.
I think even for kids everything is OK with moderation.
Gertie says:
Sounds pretty normal.
Just do the best that you can, offer decent food… maybe try to get creative, but definitely don’t worry. Annie will be fine. : )
Rebecca says:
There are kids out there who do nothing but drink Pepsi, eat Doritos, and eat cupcakes. Annie is doing great! She has great parents.
Brandy says:
While my kids love a lot of fruits and a few vegetables I think they would be made out of chicken nuggets and macaroni & cheese. I try all kinds of foods but they are not overweight and the doc is happy with their growth so we continue on, with a carrot or two pureed in wherever possible!
Maile says:
Both of my girls (2.5yrs & 14mos) eat very healthy. Ive never fed them anything from the baby food isle. I think it helpe hat I nursed and I eat a lot of curry so they got used to spicy things. My eldest wasnt eating any of the baby food I was making until one day mixed in some hot sauce and old bay and she devoured it. With my second I didnt really bother with too much baby ish food, I just pureed what I was eating(I always use very little salt in my cooking anyways). Of course both of my kids love chocolate and candies, but I only buy candy at trader joes so it has real fruit and no artificial colors or flavors. But I offered my daughter a corndog for dinner one night and she said no, she wanted green beans!
Minnyc says:
Annie is the cutest kid ever.
I don’t have kids so I can only imagine what it’s like. I did buy my sister in law Jerry seinfeld’s wife’s cookbook for my niece. I saw it on oprah. It’s about how to hide healthy food in food kids like.
PattyB says:
It’s pretty funny that the advertisement directly under this post contains a pic of a giant burger! Don’t overthink it too much. I’m sure you and Heather are doing a great job. I have always fed all my kids the same types of things when they were coming up, but they all liked different things. I think my 11 year old would only eat hot dogs, mac and cheese and chicken tenders, if I let her. Wouldn’t all kids like to do that, really? Keep giving her healthy options to choose from, and eat healthy around her as well. It will start to rub off, I promise you.
MrsP says:
I agree with your Mike completely. It is truly sad what kids are eating these days. My son started off eating healthy, then when he progress to table food it all went downhill from there. My husband and I ate nothing, but junk food so obviously he did too. It is not until now that I have decided to do something about our eating habits and it is not easy. I just don’t want my kid to be 7 and obese, like it seems a lot of our kids now are growing up to be.
SADYE says:
My son is 18 months and I started a blog for this very reason. He won’t eat much of anything that isn’t a goldfish or a puff. If you come up with any ideas that work, please share them! I’m desperate over here.
Samantha F. says:
The biggest thing I can recommend is keep offering the vegetables, even if she doesn’t eat them when she eats the rest of her food eventually she will get curious enough to try them. We also mix veggies in with our daughter’s other foods so she really has no choice but to eat them.
Also, try to make things like salad fun-instead of putting the dressing ON the salad, put it on the side and then help her dip the salad ingredients into the dressing. This way she eats her veggies (and if you get a chicken salad she gets a protein as well) AND doesn’t get as much of the dressing either.
Stephanie says:
That picture is adorable! So I know this has nothing to do with child nutrition, but your shirt made me de-lurk to comment and yell GO GIANTS!!! Hubby & I are going to our first game of the season tonight and I swear to god if they pull the same crap tonight as they did last night, I’m gonna have a fit. Hope you and the little fam will be watching and cheering!
Annie needs some Giants gear!!!
ldoo says:
I am constantly saying that my 12 month old is going to turn into a cross between a Cheerio and a pea. She eats her weight in those daily (not to mention Puffs, of course – that’s like crack to her).
Denise says:
It all starts with you and Mike. If there isn’t soda, chips, junk food, etc in the house then how does a toddler demand them? You just have to decide what you want for Annie and then put those thoughts into action. She will eat what you eat, it may take a little while to change the habits she’s already come to acquire. It does take a great effort to push away all the marketing and sort through the junk at the grocery store.
Sometimes it sucks, but when I see my girls reaching onto my plate for my salad, I know my sacrifice to not indulge has paid off for a life time of good habits for them. Don’t get me wrong we do indulge, but it’s always a treat and they know the difference.
Julie says:
Don’t worry, Mike. My daughter is 15 now and she has decided she’s vegan! See…things could be worse. A vegan teenager!
aqua6 says:
Our daughter is almost 3 and will eat anything. She prefers spicy rather than bland food, since we eat a lot of that. We don’t have a lot of junk food in the house and she gets water or milk, sometimes watered-down juice. I’ve never bought the puffs or the squeezable fruit/veggie packs. She’s had them when we are with friends and depending on her mood will gorge on them or ignore them. She has preferences on how we make the vegetables but otherwise will eat them all.
I’ve met many people that say their child will only eat nuggets but if the child doesn’t have the option of the nugget he will eventually eat something else. She tried a nugget last week and I think the texture confused her. Like others, I used her eating habits as the reason to improve mine. I feel a lot better and lost weight in the process. The number I heard the other day was from the CDC, that children born after 2001, 1 in 3 will have type 2 diabetes — the type that is preventable. When we eat at restaurants we share our food with her since the servings are huge and aren’t limited to grilled cheese, nuggets, and rarely vegetables.
Amelia says:
I am SO with you on this!!! I gave birth to the pickiest child known to man. At 20 months, she still eats baby food because I guess she just can’t be bothered to chew. I hope against hope she’ll eat normal food by pre school at least…
Lynnette says:
I don’t think you really need to worry too much about it. You are both great parents and being conscientious about it will help greatly. My almost 1 year old (in 2 days) will pick out the veggies on her tray and eat them first, the meat next, the carbs last at every meal. But I also give her marshmallow cereal every once in awhile and she’ll pick out the marshmallows first and the cereal second. It is all about balance. You guys do a lot to balance Annie’s life, diet and all. Keep up the great work.
Kate says:
Unfortunately it gets worse. While you can put the effort and model eating healthy foods while your child is at home, imagine what it will be getting in any form of daycare/preschool. And children imitate what they see other children eat much more than other adults. Look at the options for convenient school lunches (e.g. Lunchables) and you will be even more appalled. I watched my son eat all the vegetables and gradually reduce his preferences to broccoli and green beans: the ones most likely featured in the school (marketed as healthy) lunch and thus his idea of which the edible vegetables are.
Ashley says:
As a person with severe food allergies, I’m an ingredient reader. I have to be cautious on what I put in my mouth, right down to the type of Ibuprofen I purchase. As a mother who’s concerned about raising healthy children I am a label/research hound. I want to raise children who have healthy bodies, healthy minds and good habits. Food manufacturers make that bloody difficult! Healthy foods are rarely as such. Unless it’s straight from the ground it’s almost always processed and depending on how that’s done it’s hard! Kid foods are full of unnecessary sugars, dyes and the like. And kids, mine (who do love their veggies) included love all those not so healthy foods.
We just decided right from the time my oldest was about Annie’s age that we’d allow treats but we’d talk about them. Before she could even understand we would talk about healthy foods and what they did to make her body feel good and about treats, how they were nice and how a little bit was ok, but too much didn’t make her body feel good. She’s 4 now and she get’s it. She’s all down for her treats (hello M&M’s) but she also loves her “healfy suppers” because she knows that her body will grow better that way. She also exercises with me, because again we tell her that’s how she keeps her body healthy and how it will grow to be strong. And all that aside, watching your 4 year old do warrior pose is the cutest thing- ever.
statia says:
I think this is every parent’s struggle. Whether or not they’re eating healthy enough. But if you make it a point to sit down at night and have a meal together, and put vegetables and healthy foods in front of them, at least in their line of site, they will eventually learn to like them.
Case in point: We do just that. We try to eat at least four to five meals together every week. We’ve always put vegetables on their plate. They may not have to eat all of them, but we do make them eat some. And don’t get me wrong. They love their mac and cheese, burgers, french fries and pizza. Along with the myriad of other junk. But this week, we’re on vacation, and do you know, that both of my kids, rather than eating mostly junk, they ate mostly fruit and vegetables? I felt vindicated that we’re teaching them well. Even if it doesn’t seem like it most of the time.
Keep up the good work.
Veronika says:
My youngest is just a bit older than Annie, by about 11 days I think. You’d think I’d have feeding children down to an art. Well…. my youngest is my best eater so far. I kid you not. I watch the baby scarf down roasted bell peppers and zucchini like there’s no tomorrow, while her older siblings still argue that it can’t possibly taste good. The only difference is that our baby didn’t get baby food. She got regular big people food from the start, mainly because we moved continents and they didn’t have those individual jars of single flavored baby food you usually use as starters. My best eater so far! I am thoroughly convinced now that baby food spoils baby’s appetite for “real” food later on. My biggest issue is also with giving up my favorites. “You give your baby… gasp!… Coca cola??” Well, yeah. I drink it in front of the baby, no way she’s not going to want it.
Noelle says:
It is crazy what restaurants put on the kids’ menu. At least put ONE healthy option! The only restaurant I’ve found that serves grilled chicken and BROCCOLI on the kids’ menu is Olive Garden.
Tracie says:
I said all those same things before I was a parent…and then found out just how hard it is!!
That is the cutest picture ever!
Karla says:
This struck a cord with me because we’re having the same issues. Our daughter LOVES puffs but isn’t super interested in other finger foods. We’ve been having luck with feeding her the organic food veg/fruit mix pouches like Ella’s Kitchen, Plum Organics, or Happy Tots. But trying to get her to eat much other solid food is pretty difficult.