Does anyone else’s kid survive on snacks and snacks only?

[ruanddrew]

She used to eat chicken nuggets and French fries. Now she only eats gogo yogurt pouches and popsicles. (I started hiding them and saying they’re all gone) Occasionally animal crackers and rice cakes. When I’m lucky I can get her to eat peanut butter and jelly.

Nothing nutritious beyond the vitamin c in the orange juice and 4g Protien from the yogurt.

Edit:
I’m sure it’s a phase. She goes to a montessori school where they feed her all kinds of well made lunches. They claim she eats it but I’m suspicious. Maybe she’s just acting out at home!

I was afraid I’d be yelled at and told I’m a bad mom, but instead I’ve seen many great ideas to use for exposing my daughter to new foods. I’m hopeful! Maybe she will be okay afterall (and yes obviously we brush her teeth every night. She’s fine.)

 

[lidia1963]

@ruanddrew This got so bad that we started calling dinner a “snack,” with very small amounts of the dinner in small piles like a snack plate. I have since read that large piles of food are too overwhelming for toddlers.

 

[simendem]

@lidia1963 We do this too. She’s much more accepting of foods that are “snacks” or “breakfast”. But breakfast might be baked chicken and broccoli at 6pm and snacks might be a veggie wrap and cheese cubes at noon. They have no idea what they are demanding. They just want food and to think it’s in their terms.

 

[designatedvirus]

@lidia1963 I have also read that kids at this age really love consistency in their foods, which is one of the big reasons they love go to snacks. That gogo yogurt and box of animal crackers is VERY consistent. It always tastes the same, it always feels the same. Whereas the chicken you cook could be baked, or fried, or diced, or whole, or have bones in it...

So, sometimes serving something safe with a meal is helpful (like if they always like strawberries cut a certain way, etc.), it lets them feel some control.

 

[christo2003]

@designatedvirus Interesting! We just started cooking our chicken with a sous vide so it comes out the same every time and our toddler has really taken to it

 

[designatedvirus]

@christo2003 I've heard amazing things about sous vide, but I'm too lazy to learn it.

 

[nicolehaganjones]

@designatedvirus It's fool-proof easy, and you can increase your overall laziness by batch cooking mounds of foods with near-zero effort.

 

[ggerald22]

@christo2003 This is a good idea. We don't have space for a sous vide but I wonder if the Instant Pot might give the similarly consistent results.

 

[mercyforall]

@lidia1963 Yep. Call it "exposure portions". Give a bit of each meal component but make sure there are 1-2 safe foods.

I find they serving his "snacks" in a bento box (even if we are sitting at the table) makes it special and he will try more. I've heard a muffin tin works, too.

Op, my kid would absolutely only eat fruit, goldfish, fruit snacks and granola bars if i let him. Keep a consistent meal and snack schedule. Try and get creative. No special orders.

"The parent provides ( meals and snacks at regular intervals) and the child decides (what and how much to eat) !"

 

[ggerald22]

@mercyforall

I find they serving his "snacks" in a bento box (even if we are sitting at the table) makes it special and he will try more. I've heard a muffin tin works, too.

This! Silicone baking cups are good, too!

 

[markmendiola991]

@lidia1963 That makes me feel better since people post those "what my toddler eats in a day" on tik tok and reels and its so much food, and my toddler just will not eat meals like that.

 

[adelita]

@markmendiola991 Unless those people are posting uncut footage of their toddler eating those whole meals from start to finish I'd take those "what my toddler eats in a day" videos with a grain of salt

 

[phil1992]

@adelita More like 'what I end up throwing away each day'

 

[katrina2017]

@markmendiola991 TIKTOK LIES! lol

 

[sparrowseagle]

@lidia1963 Us too! It's a lunch snack, breakfast snack, dinner snack. Everything's a snack! Don't like meatballs tonight? Here have some round burger meat lol. Whatever makes you happy kid.

 

[annetteaa]

@lidia1963 We do this: 3-5 little parts of a complete meal sometime between lunch and bedtime. I feel like I'm always in the kitchen trying to figure out what she'll eat and not just play with.

 

[glendavidson]

@ruanddrew My kid is two next month and we’ve been in a extreme picky phase. He mostly lives on yogurt, peanut butter toast, bananas and applesauce. I’m just trying to stay the course, continue to offer everything, and pretend I’m not bothered when really I want to bash my head into the wall.

 

[psychoclaw]

@glendavidson If you are using whole grain toast that is actually a pretty reasonable diet.

 

[glendavidson]

@psychoclaw Ooo I am!! Thank you kind stranger!

 

[night_owl]

@psychoclaw Yeah! You’ve got oils, proteins, grains, fruits/veggies, and dairy. Sounds decently well-rounded for a toddler. Maybe sneak a little butter under the peanut butter for extra calories if you think they need it.