{"id":738,"date":"2009-10-13T11:51:38","date_gmt":"2009-10-13T17:51:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/?p=738"},"modified":"2009-10-13T11:51:38","modified_gmt":"2009-10-13T17:51:38","slug":"the-pickiest-of-picky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/2009\/10\/13\/the-pickiest-of-picky\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pickiest of Picky"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen me mention before that The Littlest Apple is a very picky eater, right?\u00c2\u00a0 Well, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really just the tip of the iceberg, and anyone who has had the pleasure(?) of feeding The Littlest Apple knows that saying he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153picky\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is the understatement of the century.\u00c2\u00a0 I honestly don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think my own mother or mother in law REALLY understood the depth of this until they were in charge of feeding him for 24 hours or so.\u00c2\u00a0 Most of our friends and family have heard us tell tales of The Littlest Apple\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s awful eating and his struggle to gain weight, but I still doubt they really get it.\u00c2\u00a0 And in typical Littlest Apple fashion, he will do his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153performance eating\u00e2\u20ac\u009d where he eats reasonably well (for him) while in the company of other kids, thereby making the other kids\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 parents think that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re just big ole liars.\u00c2\u00a0 (Note: I was greatly hoping the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153performance eating\u00e2\u20ac\u009d would occur at mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s day out, but no such luck.)<\/p>\n<p>I have had SUCH a hard time getting this post together, going through several drafts, trying to find a tone that is warm and witty but also conveys the true nature of this without being a total downer.\u00c2\u00a0 Because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really THAT BAD, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all.\u00c2\u00a0 The food and the <em>eating of the food<\/em> is a daily battle here, and it is not pleasant.\u00c2\u00a0 Not one bit.\u00c2\u00a0 Because we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been dealing with it for oh, 2 years now, this has become our normal.\u00c2\u00a0 We have gotten used to it.\u00c2\u00a0 That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not to say we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve gotten complacent and aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t concerned, but it is so much easier to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153accept the things I cannot change\u00e2\u20ac\u009d instead of crying in frustration every time I try to feed this kiddo.<\/p>\n<p>Why is feeding The Littlest Apple so awful?\u00c2\u00a0 <em>Let me count the ways<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.Well, for starters, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re working with a fairly limited food selection, despite my attempts to broaden his eating horizons.\u00c2\u00a0 The Littlest Apple is the KING of refusing to acknowledge the existence of any new foods that are on his plate.\u00c2\u00a0 IF they make it to his plate, that is.\u00c2\u00a0 He will also scream if he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re putting on his plate if he sees you prepping the meal.\u00c2\u00a0 Yesterday, he took this to the next level by screaming at me for adding certain foods that he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want TO THE SHOPPING CART AT THE STORE.<\/p>\n<p>Just for kicks (and for the dietician), I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve compiled a little list of foods The Littlest Apple will eat, along with comments for each since there are few foods that without their limitations.\u00c2\u00a0 (Please note that lots of the foods on this list fall into the category of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153things I said I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never feed my kids\u00e2\u20ac\u009d).<\/p>\n<p>Will eat most of the time (let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s call these the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153scream-free foods\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, shall we?):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Most      fruits (apples, pears, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, oranges,      pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe)<\/li>\n<li>Chips      (plain potato chips, pita chips, tortilla chips, flavored chips, Cheetos)<\/li>\n<li>Crackers      (saltines, Goldfish, Cheez Its, Ritz)<\/li>\n<li>Pretzels<\/li>\n<li>Chocolate\u00c2\u00a0 (this is absolutely on MY list of      scream-free foods too!)<\/li>\n<li>Butter<\/li>\n<li>French      fries (But they can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be too crunchy.\u00c2\u00a0 Or too mushy.\u00c2\u00a0      Or too cold.\u00c2\u00a0 Or too      hot.)<\/li>\n<li>Craisins<\/li>\n<li>Oreos      (only really eats the filling.\u00c2\u00a0      Occasionally eats the cookie part too)<\/li>\n<li>Ice      Cream (egg allergy prevents many options here)<\/li>\n<li>Popsicles<\/li>\n<li>Jello      and pudding (but usually only at Grandma\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s house)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Will eat some of the time:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cheese      quesadillas (only the kind I make with flour tortilla, cheddar cheese, and      lots of butter.\u00c2\u00a0 Not the kind      you can order at restaurants, and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t try to sneak any meat in there or      switch up the cheese either)<\/li>\n<li>Cream      cheese (plain, not flavored)<\/li>\n<li>Ranch      dip (but much screaming if it gets on his fingers)<\/li>\n<li>Graham      crackers (though yesterday he crushed it to bits and threw it on the      floor, just for fun)<\/li>\n<li>Yogurt      (must feed himself, does not want help.\u00c2\u00a0 Also does not want it on his hands, so you can see the      conundrum here)<\/li>\n<li>Pizza      (not frozen\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6must be delivery, preferably fresh.\u00c2\u00a0 Will not eat it reheated unless you can somehow      convince him that the Pizza Man told him to eat it)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Will eat on rare occasions (most of these he used to eat more frequently, but then stopped):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hummus      (but may or may not be allergic to sesame, so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m discontinuing.\u00c2\u00a0 Bummer.)<\/li>\n<li>Chicken      nuggets (egg allergy prevents most restaurant, fast food, and frozen      varieties.\u00c2\u00a0 Current only      eating dino nuggets, and even then, it requires much \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pretend to be a      Little Applesaurus Rex and bite the head off the dinosaur! Roarrrr!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d)<\/li>\n<li>Shells      and cheese (many issues with temperature here, also, only SHELLS will      do.\u00c2\u00a0 No elbow macaroni      allowed.\u00c2\u00a0 Also, must be from      the single serving containers, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t try to serve from a family size box      because it isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the same.\u00c2\u00a0      And leftovers are not allowed.)<\/li>\n<li>Pasta      with butter and salt (more temperature issues, the noodle type can also be      problematic.\u00c2\u00a0 Usually just      licks the butter off)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about it.\u00c2\u00a0 He is missing some major food groups, wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you say?\u00c2\u00a0 He will not eat vegetables.\u00c2\u00a0 Not. a. single. one.\u00c2\u00a0 Carrots have been used as dip-to-mouth conveyances, but none have been consumed, not even by accident.\u00c2\u00a0 He will not eat meat, except for the rare bite of chicken nugget.\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not keen on baked goods such as bread, muffins, cake, either (and there are some big egg-allergy hurdles here as well).<\/p>\n<p>Only a few of those foods are high calorie.\u00c2\u00a0 And even when he likes a food, he rarely eats more than a couple of bites.\u00c2\u00a0 5 grapes=breakfast.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00bd flour tortilla=snack.\u00c2\u00a0 1.5 crackers and a tbsp of craisins=lunch.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00bd cup watermelon and 10 pretzel sticks=dinner.\u00c2\u00a0 These examples are taken from one particular day last week.<\/p>\n<p>As recommended by his dietician and doctor, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re currently supplementing his diet (such as it is) with Boost 1.5 (which he calls \u00e2\u20ac\u0153milk\u00e2\u20ac\u009d) because he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not getting the calories he needs.\u00c2\u00a0 This product is like Pediasure but more nutritionally dense and must be special ordered.\u00c2\u00a0 He will only sit down long enough to drink his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153milk\u00e2\u20ac\u009d if we let him watch TV (things I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never do as a mother, take 2).\u00c2\u00a0 And being the smart 2 year old that he is, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s learned to ask for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153milk\u00e2\u20ac\u009d so that he can watch TV.\u00c2\u00a0 Super.\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gone from picky eater to the more extreme resistant eater on the far end of the eating spectrum.<\/p>\n<p>The Littlest Apple is a resistant eater to be sure, but this is just one of the many reasons for our food battles.\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got reflux, delayed gastric emptying (meaning his stomach takes FOREVER to empty and he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have normal hunger cues), food allergies (egg, sesame, previously dairy) and a very strong-willed personality too.\u00c2\u00a0 And have I mentioned that he just turned 2?!\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The classic 2 year old independent streak at the dinner table is not helping things either!\u00c2\u00a0 Each of those things could easily be a blog post on its own (and may be in the future).<\/p>\n<p>To add to the eating pressure (you know, because all that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t enough), when he was six months old, the pediatrician gave us the dreaded Failure To Thrive (FTT) diagnosis (could there BE a more guilt-inducing name for this?!) based solely on his low weight (no developmental delays) and referred us to a team of specialists.\u00c2\u00a0 The team consists of a pediatric GI, dietician, social worker, feeding therapist, psychologist, various other assistants and nurses.\u00c2\u00a0 The Littlest Apple weighed 4 pounds 9 ounces at birth (born at 36 weeks) and just wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t catching up the way he should have.\u00c2\u00a0 The pediatrician now defers to the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153team\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for all things weight related.\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still struggling to gain weight. The Littlest Apple (25 months old) is currently 33 inches tall (20%) and 21 pounds (not on the charts yet for weight, but so far following his own little curve).\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been tested for everything under the sun (cystic fibrosis and celiac disease, among others).\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been <em>thiiiiiiiiiis<\/em> close to getting a g-tube for feedings, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m afraid we might almost be back at that point again.\u00c2\u00a0 The dietician mentioned it again in passing last week in our when she was going through her list of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153things to try\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and realizing that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve pretty much exhausted all other options with little to no success.\u00c2\u00a0 When the tube feeding option came up before, the doctor told us that The Littlest Apple would be the first child at this (rather major) children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hospital needing a feeding tube that has no other MAJOR medical issues.\u00c2\u00a0 Parents are all about comparing whose child is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153best\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153first\u00e2\u20ac\u009d at stuff, but this is not exactly what I had in mind, you know?\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d much rather have the first kid to read or write (and maybe I will!\u00c2\u00a0 Ha!).<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes it is hard to see the humor in this, but I&#8217;m really trying.\u00c2\u00a0 I hope this post wasn&#8217;t too much of a downer.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d love to hear from those of you dealing with picky eaters, whether yours is mild, severe, or somewhere in between.\u00c2\u00a0 And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d certainly love to hear from any other kids diagnosed as FTT (because hello, mommy guilt!!).\u00c2\u00a0 It always helps to know there are other parents struggling too!\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hoping to update the resources section soon with some books I found to be (quasi) useful (and probably more useful to those of you with children a little less extreme in their pickiness than mine).<\/p>\n<div class=\"linkwithin_hook\" id=\"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/2009\/10\/13\/the-pickiest-of-picky\/\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen me mention before that The Littlest Apple is a very picky eater, right?\u00c2\u00a0 Well, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really just the tip of the iceberg, and anyone who has had the pleasure(?) of feeding The Littlest Apple knows that saying he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153picky\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is the understatement of the century.\u00c2\u00a0 I honestly don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think my own mother or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-motherhood","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=738"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":743,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738\/revisions\/743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepickyapple.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}