We've been struggling with getting Lydia to eat. She eats her snacks just fine - she loves lil crunchies, puffs, crackers, animal crackers, graham crackers, yogurt, etc. - and she loves breakfast - she eats pancakes and French toast sticks really well. But, she's not eating her lunch and dinner! She had started eating two jars of food for meals (one veggie and one fruit) so well, and then started wanted to eat whatever I was eating, so I decided to pay the $20 at the center for Lydia to eat what the other kiddos are eating. She has always been so interested in food, eats snacks all on her own just fine, I thought she'd do great!
However, she has started throwing tantrums during meals. She will take a bite or two of the food, then start to scream and turn her head away from the spoon! I would then offer a jarred food, and she would do the same thing! It wasn't until she got some puffs or crackers in front of her that she would eat something. This stressed me out because I was worried she wasn't getting enough to eat. Since she has stopped nursing and only drinks about 10oz of formula a day, I was worried about her weight gain. This is why I would give her snacks if she didn't eat the food - so she at least had something to eat! But, this was my downfall. Lydia definitely has a personality, and at only 10 months, seems to know what she wants and how to get it. She knew I would give her a snack after meals, so she decided she only wanted the snack!
Well, this week I have started being stricter with her about what she eats. I make sure she gets something she likes for breakfast, but for 9:00 snack, she only gets the same amount the other girls get. I would usually just keep giving her food until she was done, but it's just a snack! Now, I don't give in to her screaming during lunch time. She gets the food that is offered. I will give her a jarred fruit or applesauce if she's not eating the table food right away. Also, I had Brian get her early from the center on Monday and had him give her dinner (mac n' cheese and applesauce). She ate perfectly for him - no tantrums! Leah says Lydia knows she can get away with a lot with me...smart girl.
Yesterday and today she did great at lunch! She had beans and dogs yesterday and ate them all down! She even fed herself a little bit. Then for dinner she had mac 'n cheese with jarred squash mixed in and some jarred fruit. She ate it all! Today she had a quarter of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and applesauce - yummy! She didn't want to eat her dinner of mac 'n cheese tonight - but she wasn't in a very good mood this evening. I make sure to praise her when she started eating the food and tell her how yummy it is. I think this is helping her because it always makes her happy when she's praised.
I need to keep track of the meals that she likes, so I can remember them for the weekends and dinner. So far she has eaten:
- mac 'n cheese
- beans and dogs
- grilled ham and cheese sandwich
- cheese pasta with broccoli
- peach and pineapple
- hot dogs
I don't mind if she wants to eat hot dogs and mac n' cheese for lunch, but I want her to start eating what we eat at dinner. She is able to join us for the weekend dinners, since I can have dinner ready by 6:00 on the weekend. This weekend I will encourage her to eat what we're eating. Brian wants her to be like him - eating all kinds of veggies and fruits and foods. Hopefully she's not picky like me!
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