munchkin meals: the picky eater

There was a time during our Munchkin Meals journey where I thought it would never get easier.  We have struggled with MacKenna’s eating from Day 1.  Just getting her to actually put food into her mouth and swallow it has been a chore.

Cheese Mustache!  Yes, we are obsessed with mustaches…

OK, so it hasn’t exactly gotten much easier, but I will say that as time goes on, MacKenna continues to improve and has started eating more and more as we go along.  However, that has come with a little bit of sacrifice on our behalf.

I always hoped I’d have the kid who would eat anything.  Not just foods kids love, but foods that adults loved too.  That my kid would  be the one filling her plate with fruits and veggies over hotdogs and cookies.  Well, I didn’t get so lucky on the “foodie baby” front.  MacKenna is P-I-C-K-Y.  And stubborn.  She is a girl who knows what she wants and isn’t happy any other way.  But, on the plus side, she is eating, and that makes me happy.

The only vegetables she eats are avocados, although occasionally I can get her to eat a piece of broccoli or lettuce.  But, she does LOVE fruit, especially apples and strawberries.  And she begs us for smoothies every single morning.  Like mother, like daughter, right?!  But, other than the occasional fruits and veggies I sneak into her diet (if she doesn’t figure it out, which she normally does), our meals revolve around cheese, processed meat (hotdogs and salami), peanut butter, and carbs.

The funny thing is, the things I absolutely CANNOT get her to eat at home, she will DEVOUR at the babysitter’s.  For example, the sitter was telling me how much MacKenna loves pizza.  I mean, we knew this since for awhile it was the ONLY food we could get her to eat.  But, lately, she won’t even touch it for us.  At the babysitter’s, she’ll eat more than her fair share.  Along with carrots (with ranch) and other things that she refuses to touch for us.  Ugh.  So frustrating.

So no, it’s definitely not easy with a picky toddler, but it has gotten so much better that it’s not nearly the source of stress that it use to be for me.  I’m thankful that my not-even-on-the-charts, less the 20-pound 2 year old is actually eating something and growing.  I will continue to give her the healthy foods I hope one day she will love, but I will try to be patient until she loves salads as much as her mommy!    

If you came here looking for meal and snack ideas, this obviously isn’t the place.  But, I know a bunch of other toddler moms who have GREAT eaters and are so creative with their munchkin meals that it makes this picky eater’s mama totally jealous!  Head on over to Brittany’s blog and check them out!