Toddler and table: feeding the picky eater

Meals are prepared for three children. / Courtesy of Jane Han

By Jane Han

Three meals a day, seven days a week. That’s 21 meals a week and 84 in a month.

Wow, just seeing these numbers make me feel dizzy.

Cooking was never my strongest forte, but as a mom of three toddlers, it is my responsibility and one of the single most important tasks on my list of mommy duties to provide a balanced, healthy and tasty meal three times a day.

Sounds like I’m doing a pretty impressive job, doesn’t it?

In reality, not so much.

Up until Ellen and Ann turned 15 months, I can proudly say I was strict about what I gave the girls.

I religiously prepped their meals separately as I thought adult seasoning was too strong for them and I made sure they got a colorful platter of food at least two meals a day.

No sweets (not even their first birthday cake), no salty food, no pizza, no fried food and the list went on. Puffed rice snack was their biggest treat.

Yes, call me uptight and boring.

I secretly cringed when I saw other children the same age eating chips, gummies and ice cream.

But now, with Ellen and Ann almost three-years-old, ask me what they had for dinner yesterday.

Kentucky Fried Chicken (yes, crispy fried chicken, heavily seasoned fries and buttery biscuits, the whole shebang) and ice cream for dessert. Oh, I did throw in some fresh strawberries in between dinner and dessert.

What about 15-month-old Lauren? I hate to admit this, but she ate pretty much what her sisters ate.

Lauren is a firm believer in equality. She has to get everything her sisters get. If not, she throws a pretty impressive fit.

After sparring over this issue one too many times, I gave up and now tolerate all three girls to stay on the same page on eating _ minus chocolate and other “extreme” flavors.

Yesterday was somewhat of a special occasion, but giving fries is definitely not a big deal anymore.

Now that the kids are out more, they get exposed to a lot more different types of foods than before and I’m cool with that.

Food is a huge part of this world and I want them to explore as much as they can.

But the tough part is, teaching them moderation and self-control and encouraging them to make healthy choices.

This is something even this 34-year-old mom struggles with everyday, so it would almost be funny for me to expect much from my three-year-olds, the age experts classify as the “pickiest” eating phase.

Fortunately, Ellen is generally not a selective eater. Dairy, fruits, vegetables, protein and everything else in between seems to go down pretty well for her _ on most days.

But Ann is a whole different story.

She is Ms. Picky.

No dairy, including milk and cheese, no eggs and any other soft and mushy textured food, and a bunch of other no’s that sometimes flat-out frustrates me.

I tried begging, bribing and all the other tricks parents rely on to feed just one more spoonful, but it always ends up being just a one-time deal.

So do I just let her live off of toast and strawberry jam for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Ann would probably jump up and down with joy.

Honestly, I’m often tempted to just give her whatever she pleases because I’m sometimes too tired to wage another eating war. But oh the guilt trip afterwards.

I talked to pediatricians and read dozens of articles on picky eating, and it seems like the only answer, really, is to continue introducing and offering a variety of foods, whether kids eat it or not, and pray and hope that they’ll one day accept and appreciate.

Till then, I continue today to steam up another batch of mixed vegetables, which I’m pretty sure will be left abandoned on the corner of their plates, untouched.

At least Lauren thinks broccoli is fun to eat so she often helps me finish up all her sisters’ leftovers.

Thank you, Lauren. Keeping my fingers crossed that you will go straight past the picky phase.