I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I think I would enjoy motherhood a lot more if I never had to feed my child.  Maxwell is PICKY.  Now, is he way worse than other kids?  just as picky?  better?  I have no idea because I have nothing to compare it to.  All I know is that trying to figure out what he will eat on a daily basis can drive me bonkers.  I just want him to get good, nutritious things in his body but he doesn’t always agree.

A list of the normal “kid” things that he won’t touch…not even touch to his lips.

Fruit – all kinds, no matter shape, size or color.  He will not eat a single piece of fruit.

Most vegetables – unless in the form of a jar of baby food which I definitely still let him eat as part of his dinner.  It’s no different than applesauce, right? Anyway to get those carrots in him!

Mac and cheese, pasta, rice, chicken nuggets/fingers, cheese…the list goes on.

He’s also gone anti-milk since we stopped giving him a nightly bottle about 3 months ago.  This kid used to beg for his milk in a bottle every morning and night and now I literally cannot get him to drink one ounce from a sippy cup or regular cup.  I’ve tried it hot, cold, with chocolate, vanilla flavored, in a special cup, with a straw, everything.  No milk is drunk.

These are some pictures from one day when I gave him some vanilla milk.  He actually tasted it and liked it!  Or so I thought.  What you see below is one of about 3 sips of milk he took.  And that’s about all the straight milk he’s had in the past 3 months.

Luckily he’s a GREAT yogurt eater and we do our best to give him smoothies, calcium fortified OJ, make his oatmeal with milk, etc.  I also give him a cup of milk every single night with dinner just hoping that one day he’ll choose to drink it.  I can’t tell you how much milk I’ve poured down the sink.  It’s so frustrating that I’ve even considered going back to giving him a nightly bottle but my pediatrician says not to do that.  Don’t worry, we’ll be discussing this at his 2 year checkup at the end of the month.

The things he will eat?  There are things – enough that he’s never going to starve.  Susan and I are constantly trying to get creative with ways to incorporate the foods he will eat with new things for him to try.  The problem is that he’ll often eat something one day and then just say “no” the next.  I tell ya – when you prepare a meal for him and then set it down and hear that little “no”, it is maybe the most defeating feeling on earth.  Because once he says “no”, you’re in a losing battle.

Things he will eat include almond and peanut butter, yogurt, any type of cereal/cracker, bagels, Morningstar Farms corn dogs, a specific chicken sandwich that I make him with flatbread and pesto, beans – he does love beans usually!, and a variety of breakfast items like veggie sausage and oatmeal.  There are more things, sure, but these are the most consistent ones.

One thing that he will always eat consistently?  A black bean burrito from Moe’s!

Go figure!  Susan discovered his love of these and he will eat that whole thing without stopping.  Oh, it makes my heart happy to see that!  Of course, if I make him a black bean burrito at home I usually get the dreaded “no”.  Oh well, I guess everything tastes better from a to-go container, right?!  🙂

Going out to eat with him is a challenge too and I usually end up bringing food with me because I can’t rely on the standard kid’s menu unless I only want him to eat french fries for dinner (grilled cheese, another kid staple, are touch and go).  One place we know he’ll eat?  Mexican.  He loves some queso and refried beans (sans rice of course!).

If anyone out there has suggestions of things to try for either food or milk, I would LOVE to hear them.  Specifically around the milk.  I know he needs it for the calcium and I am just out of ideas.

All this said, I do keep it in perspective and know that he’s not going to starve to death and he will grow out of this…I just hope my sanity can make it through!!