OMG for a second I thought you were totally judging me! From what I can see, kids are either picky or not. I was a very picky eater as a kid but I turned out ok and I try pretty much everything now and enjoy a wide variety. We expose DD to lots of food, always offer that she can taste but she is stubborn. I feel you with a picky kid!
Yes CM... Really on the fence about that one but I've seen good reviews for early breakfasts...
my problem is i totally can't keep my mouth shut about it. And then people bring out the "well if you have a kid with special needs it's different" thing... which even though my son does, I feel it is irrelevant because I do not think I would feel much differently about it even if he didn't have special needs. I tried to "make him eat what I ate" when he was younger and this is what it led to:
@Lisa F I feel you even more. My daughter is on the spectrum too and I think picky eating is just an aspect of that. She also does not like loud and chaotic places so am thinking of getting her some ear protection as well for the trip. (She still freaks if we turn on the vaccum cleaner or the exhaust fan at home).
lol no. I was being sarcastic. this is something that always gets me going on the restaurant board. I should let it slide but it REALLY gets me going. I was told by a feeding expert to take the pressure off, don't make a big deal out of it one way or the other, and just keep offering (exposing them to it like you said). When they are ready they will try it but not a moment before and if you force it you do more harm than good.
LOL, I remember being very difficult to feed as a child and I'm fine now. I think for most, it's a phase.
But there would always be food people won't eat- for me it's ketchup. Oh and insects! LOL! 
And yeah! Although I wouldn't say I'm picky, I really hate mushrooms and eggplant - and for some reason those are the main ingredients in a lot of vegetarian dishes (I'm not 100% vegetarian but about 80%. I still like fried chicken, seafood, and the odd bite of steak or burger). And I would be so unhappy if someone forced me to eat that. I am a bit worried about DD's protein intake but my new blender just arrived today (yay, old one broke) and so we'll be back on the protein shakes in our house!
how old is your daughter? proteins were REALLY tough for my kid. I made his baby food and he would not touch animal protein for years... but he loves hummus, which is pretty the only protein he'd eat. He does not like chicken nuggets (he will tell people very obnoxiously that he hates McDonalds lol, there is none where I live but when we go off island it is not his first choice) but the first protein I had real success with for him were hot dogs (have to be boiled hebrew national, grilled forget, pork forget, natural casing forget) and deli meat. I think due to the softer texture. Then I was able to get him to eat breaded and fried (in olive oil) chicken cutlets... real thin sliced chicken breast. i figured this had to be better than formed nuggets that he wouldn't touch. And now finally he will eat most marinated and grilled/broiled meats, but they have to be not too challenging texturally (his favorite right now is teriyaki marinated boneless skinless chicken thigh that I grill but he likes steak now too). He just turned 8 and I would say chicken cutlets became acceptable about a year ago and grilled meats very very recently. I just gave him lots of hummus and he lived on nut butters, cheese and yogurt. I don't actually think that americans need nearly as much protein as we consume anyway.
Honestly I think kids that are NOT picky eaters are the exception to the rule, from what I've seen of my DD's friends and classmates. And I know for a couple of those kids, the reason they are not picky is because the parents will not feed them anything else if they refuse what is served. And while that might work for some kids, if you ever tried locking horns in battle with my daughter, you will lose. I hope she will be a top notch lawyer one day LOLMy kid has no other developmental issues, he's just plain picky. I, too, tried to force the issue once (feeling the pressure from family and others) and it led to him gagging and crying and me yelling... it wasn't a good look for either of us. I'm much more relaxed about it now and he's becoming a lot more open to trying other things (or new versions of the same things, like different brands of chicken nuggets, different varieties of cheese pizza, etc...). His younger sister is becoming a bit pickier though, it's making me irritable these days.
I don't think so but I will let you know tomorrow. I will be back with an update!
She's 6. The other challenge is that I don't make or cook meat at home. So a lot of our proteins at home are beans, tofu, tempeh, and a little bit of fish/seafood. I'll eat meat out but I won't buy or cook it. When she was a toddler she used to eat my lentil loaf that I made and hummus on crackers and nut butters but as she's gotten older it's harder (plus no nut butter allowed at school). I try to make muffins with nut butter and extra eggs for protein as well and she drinks milk which I know has protein. We tried the hot dogs too - no luck. No nuggets, mac and cheese (unless homeade). This is why QS in MK is such a challenge! But she'll eat blue cheese. Seriously
It's tough, especially when the world wants to tell you how back in the day they just ate what they were given and look at how great they turned out... But I know people who are TRULY picky eaters (even as adults) and being forced to eat things they detested as kids did not undo that. Teaching overall better habits is where the focus should be, making better choices and portion control and eating when hungry and being active... but respecting the tastes of your child is important too. JMHOMy kid has no other developmental issues, he's just plain picky. I, too, tried to force the issue once (feeling the pressure from family and others) and it led to him gagging and crying and me yelling... it wasn't a good look for either of us. I'm much more relaxed about it now and he's becoming a lot more open to trying other things (or new versions of the same things, like different brands of chicken nuggets, different varieties of cheese pizza, etc...). His younger sister is becoming a bit pickier though, it's making me irritable these days.
I don't like that stuff either, lol. except for beans. but i often put some kind of meat in my beans (sorry, meat eater here lol). I think except for maybe tofu a lot of that stuff is kind of challenging texturally. I'm sure you've tried just about everything, I also hate it when someone tells me if I "just" do this it will solve all of my problems. You should really just take a look at what her protein requirements are for your own peace of mind (i don't know what they are for kids but for adults i know we WAY overconsume what is actually required for health). There is also always protein powder to be mixed into smoothies.She's 6. The other challenge is that I don't make or cook meat at home. So a lot of our proteins at home are beans, tofu, tempeh, and a little bit of fish/seafood. I'll eat meat out but I won't buy or cook it. When she was a toddler she used to eat my lentil loaf that I made and hummus on crackers and nut butters but as she's gotten older it's harder (plus no nut butter allowed at school). I try to make muffins with nut butter and extra eggs for protein as well and she drinks milk which I know has protein. We tried the hot dogs too - no luck. No nuggets, mac and cheese (unless homeade). This is why QS in MK is such a challenge! But she'll eat blue cheese. Seriously
I'm a fan of protein powder
One more thing - there's a book called "It's not about the Broccoli" that I'm reading that really speaks to me about feeding - and how a lot of it is the parents mindset etc. It's an interesting read and we're going to try some of the techniques.
Hmm, DS2 actually does not eat a lot of meat, especially red meat... He eats mostly fish/ shrimp and chicken... and it's usually steamed. He would eat other stuff when we're out but that's not very often so I'm a little worried about a long trip. We've never been away for so long before...She's 6. The other challenge is that I don't make or cook meat at home. So a lot of our proteins at home are beans, tofu, tempeh, and a little bit of fish/seafood. I'll eat meat out but I won't buy or cook it. When she was a toddler she used to eat my lentil loaf that I made and hummus on crackers and nut butters but as she's gotten older it's harder (plus no nut butter allowed at school). I try to make muffins with nut butter and extra eggs for protein as well and she drinks milk which I know has protein. We tried the hot dogs too - no luck. No nuggets, mac and cheese (unless homeade). This is why QS in MK is such a challenge! But she'll eat blue cheese. Seriously
) but for 11 days straight eating food prepared outside is a little daunting.
Yes. Also my rule is I will let you try anything but you have to finish it (sports and activities I mean) and give your best... if you don't want to sign up again that is fine but no quitting in the middle. I think that is a reasonable compromise between teaching them that you finish what you start but not making them do something they hate forever.
Exactly!
