The Path to a Picky Eater is Paved With Good Intentions

If there’s one thing my five-year-old son and I have in common, it’s the doctor getting onto us about our weight. Not in the way you’re probably thinking; my son is small for his age. I think? At least that’s what the computer keeps telling the doctor, and the doctor keeps telling me.?

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My son, the picky eater was a giant newborn, big enough to throw him into a whole new class of newborns. However, he began to thin out when breastfeeding just wasn’t enough for him, and it’s been the same comment ever since: “But you and your husband are so tall…” Solid food wasn’t even on my radar, but the comments about his weight really got to me. I started solid food at exactly six months.

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Keep in mind this is my only child, and I was a newbie at starting solids. Let me tell you, baby-led weaning doesn’t work for everyone. Especially, when you make the mistake of spoiling your baby with peaches before giving them peas. I’ve been struggling with how to feed him ever since.?

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Even after starting solids, the computer told the doctor to tell me he was still underweight. Our pediatrician suggested fattening him up with juice, white bread, and other processed foods. He even advised mixing butter into baby food. Was my kid seriously that underweight that I need to literally fatten him up? He looked fine, acted wild, and slept well. But, I’m also not a doctor.

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I’m not a crunchy mom either, but childhood diabetes is an epidemic. I just can’t load my kid down with sugar to make a computer program happy. I started trying to find food that was nutritious, healthy, and he would actually eat. Mission Impossible. If he didn’t like something I made, I turned around and made him something else. After all, he was underweight. Wasn’t he? Little did I know I was carving the way for a long, up-hill battle with a picky eater.

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It was easy to tell what he wanted when he started to learn how to talk: chicken nuggets. Listen up, I know you’ve heard it before, but resist the urge to give your kids chicken nuggets for as long as possible. It’s not even about how unhealthy they can be, it’s about how your kids won’t want anything else to eat for the rest of their lives.?

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Kicking my son’s chicken nugget craving was incredibly difficult. There was definitely begging and pleading on my end for him to eat his vegetables. Let’s not forget the ineffective “you’re going to sit at the table until you eat your broccoli, I don’t care if you have to sit there all night” tactic.?

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I found common ground with my son through using his favorite superhero, and bribing him with pressing the buttons on the microwave. I would just like to personally thank whoever produced the online videos of superheroes eating vegetables, you’re the only reason my son eats peas.

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“So, is he a picky eater?” Said our new pediatrician at his wellness visit. “His size is a concern, because you and your husband are so tall, take a look at this graph.” I just told her that all the men in his family have late growth spurts, which is kind of true, and hoped she would leave it at that. She mostly did, and we got out of the doctor’s office mostly unscathed.?

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Eventually, you realize how much you really know your children. My son may not be the ideal size according to a computer analysis, but he’s still amazing. He’s super smart, athletic, a little sassy, and most importantly, happy. I just needed to learn to let the statistics go, and enjoy time with my son.