so, in an effort to get things back on track, i completely stopped giving him any kind of junk and raced out to the grocery store and stocked up on as many "trick foods" as possible; all the stuff he thinks is unhealthy and full of sugar, but is actually pretty healthy for him.
i basically went backwards by purchasing a TON of these baby food pouches. they come in so many varieties and elijah actually does love them. he has no idea he is eating stuff like peas, carrots, beets, spinach, blueberries, mangoes, and strawberries. other baby food products i have also purchased a few other random items in the baby food section such as the fruit and veggie puff snacks. and, i have also been buying crispy green products, all natural fruit leather, yogurt, and string cheese.
but, at the same time, i have realized that in order to get him to eat some of the real foods instead of the baby food version, i have to give him "dip". yogurt or even caramel to dip his fruits, ranch dressing to dip his veggies, ketchup to dip his meats. some not always the most healthy dipping options, but as long as he is dipping and eating the food and not dipping and just licking it off, then i am okay with that.
that's kinda what we are working on now. and if he wants to dip his apples in ketchup, so be it! as long as he likes it and eats it!
it has really been a struggle and i have constantly worried about how hungry he is when he isn't eating for us. for now, elijah gets none of that other stuff he was used to and i doubt we will go back to that. birthdays and holidays sound like a good time for stuff like that, and that's it!
have you had to go through this with your chid? what are some ways you presented food or got your child to eat?
