What an NYC Mom & Registered Dietician Feeds Her Kids
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Now mind you, my boys are just as picky with sweets! This same evening while Billy gobbled down half of a cupcake (I’d actually forgotten he hadn’t eaten dinner!), and Bobby tasted the frosting, didn’t like it, and gave his cupcake back. Just as with any other snack or meal option, he preferred to eat nothing rather than something he didn’t like. That night as we drove back to NYC, Bobby begged for ice cream. Remember, he didn’t eat dessert at his cousin’s house. I said he didn’t need another “sometimes” food; he’d had ice cream after lunch at grandma’s house. Also, if he’d eaten more dinner, he’d likely still be full. Perhaps if he’d tried the spinach and mashed potatoes mixed or just tried each food twice, he would have found them more acceptable. I urged him and his brother to recognize the need to try foods more than once to truly determine if they like the new taste. To stay neutral and informational, I explained that with age comes “big boy” expectations, including behaviors around and about food. Specific catering to their food requests—especially when we were at other people’s homes or on vacation—would no longer happen. As Billy nodded off, Bobby did say something of genuine interest. He said that I seem angry when he doesn’t like a food. Perhaps he was on to something and my immediate response said it all. I explained how frustrating and disappointing it is when so much ranting takes place over simply trying foods.
And so, the journey continues. It’s no easy task even if this is my field of expertise. Like the saying goes, it’s the shoemaker’s kids that go barefoot!
To read more about Laura’s trials and tribulations while trying to create a positive relationship with eating or to learn about tools for children’s feeding and eating of neutral foods, visit MomDishesItOut.com. Laura Cipullo is also the author of "Healthy Habits," a workbook in “The Mommy Manual Series” (available online), and "The Diabetes Comfort Food Diet," along with the editors of Prevention Magazine. She and her husband are raising their children in Manhattan.