Tuesday, January 17, 2012

To Eat or Not

I think not being able to convince my son to eat, no matter what I offer, is #1 on my mommy guilt list. My eating theory, with him, is that "anything goes, as long as some of it goes down." Turns out Raccoon and I do most of the things suggested for food school for kids with SPD, which continues to make me wonder if I should pursue a diagnosis.

I found this description on another blog: "A few months ago, my Loverly Husband decided that he wanted to do this ‘forage’ style meal plan. ...His idea includes no meal planning, just having fresh foods on-hand to consume quickly and as easily as possible whenever hunger strikes."

That pretty much describes my menu planning philosphy (and my ideal strategy if I were single), but it's not really working with Raccoon. All of the quick and easy meals I enjoy (sandwiches, cereal, etc.) he either cannot eat (due to allergies) or will not eat. His tastes are very similar to my husbands - meat and rice - for all meals, breakfast included. But even that is not something I can count on with any regularity. Part of my frustration is that I never know with him. Something he loves one day he won't touch the next. He apparently has the same motto as my dad, "Never the same thing twice."

He will occasionally eat random things as well. Like today for lunch, Raccoon ate 3 hot dogs (usually he just chews them up then spits them out) and drank canteloupe/watermelon juice. That was all he wanted, even though I offered several alternatives.

Since this post needs a point, my hope for this year (I'm not even going to torture myself by making it a "goal") is to help him gain weight and eat a healthy variety of foods.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Becky :) It's been awhile! My little Ana Banana is turning 8 next month and is just barely 40 pounds. She has always been rail thin and in the 5th percentile for height and weight. Once in awhile she fills her tank and eats so much we can't believe it. She loves fresh fruits, especially, so I give her a lot of that, but I also choose fatty foods for her lunch - like salami and cheese - to give her a little fat-boost. ;) Good luck on your quest this year - it might carry on for years to come! They eat when they're hungry; that's what it boils down too, right? ;)

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