My "Too Cute"s

Monday, August 07, 2006

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A FUSSY BABE?

It’s amazing! My skinny daughter can still fit inside her GRACO swing! My husband bought it when he was in the States. She never cared for it much when she was little. Now she’s going five and the swing can still hold her weight of 13 kgs. Even her brother Mikael is heavier.
I dunno. Methinks sometimes, she’s going to be vegetarian. Some parents have problems getting their children to eat vegetables but I don’t. She opens her mouth willingly for carrots and broccoli which she calls ‘trees’ by the way. If I want her to eat some meat, chicken for example. I have to get her either McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets or Satay. Even so, she has her mood, whether she eats one or half or two or more. It’d be nice to know what other moms are sneaking into their children’s diet to get their fussy children to eat.
She’s okay with Mac and Cheese but my son especially loves it and goes through the mac and cheese phase when he wants to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
She’s not that crazy like him.
Sometimes, I have to read out stories or make up my own to get her to eat. One page, one spoonful of rice. It’s a challenge. The Treat Chart is helping. I got the idea from the first issue of UK's SUPERNANNY magazine. I encourage all parents to buy her book (I'm sure it's in all major bookstores) or the magazines - though I don’t know if the SUPERNANNY magazines are available here in Malaysia. I got to know of her when I was watching OPRAH. (That was back when I was not working. Uhm, that was my favourite past time. OPRAH's very informative and entertaining, as well.) Anyway, SUPERNANNY’s advice is very practical and some of my friends have tried the treat chart and it’s working for them. The mag features the SUPERNANNY’s success stories and it’s really nice to know we aren’t alone with whatever challenges we have. However, you have to be consistent. I guess the treat chart will be my next post.

2 comments:

The Hand That Holds The Quill... said...

if you're trying to go for a more balanced diet for your fussy eater, try to disguise the food that she dislikes. eg blend your chicken/meat and mix it in the vegetable dish/soup that she likes.

one thing that we parents often do not realise is that many essential nutrients are in fact already 'disguised' in most food we eat, eg eggs and flour in cakes, muffins, even ice creams.

So don't worry too much about giving her the 'real' thing. Be creative and try 'disguising' them for a change, and see if it works. ;)

if ur a stay at home mom and hv the time to make 'creative' dishes to 'entice' lil Inez, feel free to check out some ideas in one of my recent entries titled 'Amazing Creativity' at my blog. :)

jujuqtpie said...

Will definitely check it out. I do disguise the food but unfortunately I suspect my daughter is a bit "Monk-ish", you know Obsessive compulsive. I see the signs.
She can't stand even a drop of water on her shirt, must be changed. And don't ever get her sandals slightly wet, even if the water is clean - must be wiped off!
If there's a tiny minute gravel the size of an ant, she'd know!
If I make Milo for her, and it's not properly dissolved, she removes that speck of Milo from her tongue and asks me what it is.
I have disguised food, and I'm pretty good at it especially when it comes to fooling the father of the child. He doesn't eat mushrooms but if I chop em all up into tiny specks in spaghetti, he eats `em all up.
However, I can't fool Inez. She has her own mind. The only way at the moment is to get her to be adventurous in eating. Just try it, I say, it's okay if you don't like it but you hafta try it. So if she does, half the battle is fought. If she likes it, the next challenge is to get her to finish it.
If you have any tasty recipes that I can try, I will and if it works, I assure you, the world will know!
Thanks!