As a child I liked almost everything that was put in front of me. The exception was capsicum, but I think this is an adult flavour anyway, so I was considered a good eater.
I was always amused by my friends who insisted on eating white chicken meat only, or refused to eat a meal if they saw a hint of green vegetable poking out. Imagine my shock when Noah became that child!
For the two years or so of his life Noah ate everything he was given; in fact he would try anything to get his hands on more of whatever it was! Then one day he became a fussy toddler. Meals were reduced to him hardly eating anything and his frustrated parents wondering what happened. He even stopped eating his favourite meals and vegetables, and started saying no to food before he had even tasted it. It was driving us nuts!
We couldn’t understand why he would eat everything at day care and whenever he visited someone else’s home, but when he was with us he suddenly lost his appetite. After attending a food workshop with Ed Halmagyi - Fast Ed of Better Homes & Gardens fame - we knew why – we had made meal times a battlefield and let him be the food gatekeeper, rather than us.
So we tried Ed’s tip – put the meal in front of the child and let them sit there for half an hour with no discussion about whether they will eat it or not. If they eat it, great, if not, remove them and give no other food options. The first night he refused to eat the scrambled eggs (his choice) I cooked and cried, threw cutlery and asked to be let down from the table. We stuck to our guns and ignored his tantrums for 30 minutes. He was tired so we decided bed was the best option. Our shocked toddler cried for more than an hour and then went to sleep.
Ed said it would take three or four nights, but eventually hunger would overcome the will to say no to food. While he does still say no to the odd meal, he will now at least try what is put in front of him and knows there is nothing else if he refuses. It took a bit of persistence, but eventually the message got through – we make the rules when it comes to food, not him. He even tried roast pumpkin and carrot soup with chilli in it last week – it was too spicy for him, but he asked to try it. Win!
Ethan, on the other hand, seeks out new foods to try. Not content with the standard fare he is offered when he eats with his brother, Ethan wants to try everything that goes into our mouths, including tea, coffee, wine, chocolate, quiche, curry, fresh fig, lemon etc. He even tried some spicy relish yesterday. He didn’t like it, but wanted to try it. Ethan has even figured out how to open the fridge and chooses what he thinks he might like, then brings it to us to try.
It’s fun having taste tests with him, and encourages his older brother to try more options (Noah can’t be seen to refuse something we congratulate Ethan for trying).
Are you children fussy, or do they try everything?
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Johanna Baker-Dowdell is mum to two boys – Noah and Ethan – and combines looking after them with her work as a blogger, journalist, writer and public relations consultant. She owns and manages Strawberry Communications which started small in the third bedroom, but has grown into its own office space (in the converted garage).
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Tuesday, 04 May 2010
Needless to say I am frustrated with the whole situation and am more than ready for him to start eating a more healthy balanced diet. Crackers, milkshakes, juice and yoghurt must be getting boring to him by now!
I will try this method in a few weeks as right now we have started a new routine to deal with bedtime issues.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Veronica Frost (single mum of 2, actor, writer, student)