Feeding the kids!

I have the hardest time finding foods the kids will eat. Really it is my daughter, Evie, is the pickiest eater ever! She might eat something today, but definitely won't tomorrow. Yesterday I made smoothies. 10oz juicy juice, apple banana, 2 containers Gerber 2nd foods Banana, and about 10 ice cubes (2 hand fulls). Then I blended it together, which scared Christopher to death! I felt so bad. Evie loved it. Today won't touch it! She pushed everything away and says, "No, Don't want it!" It is horrible.

I love the Graduates "Pasta Pick-ups" Christopher will always eat those! They are perfectly sized to, I take one everywhere! They also will usually eat the roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy meal to. That is the only one that Evie will eat! I feel so funny at the store because when they are on sale I buy 10 or 20 of them at a time. So when it is time to eat and she refuses everything else I can get her to eat something.

I am always searching for easy kid friendly foods. If anyone has any ideas. Let me know. My daughter is the only kid I know that won't eat PB&J or mac & cheese!

Picky eater!

I am starting to worry about my daughter's eating habits. Basically she doesn't eat. She is so tiny and always has been very skinny, which is fine. However, I fight with her all day long to get her to eat anything. The older she gets the worse it is getting. Because as she is learning she is discovering junk foods. So not only am I fighting with her to get her to eat I am also trying to ensure she eats good foods.

She says, "Yuck!" To any and all foods offered. Sometimes she will end up eating them anyways, but most times I am forced to search out foods she will eat instead. One good thing is that she loves fruits. I try to make each bite count, but that isn't always possible. Especially when others around her aren't eating healthy foods.

She is 2 now and weighs only 24 lbs. According to the pediatrician she is in the 18% percentile. He did not seem to concerned, but suggested we keep an eye on her eating, attempting to get her to eat good foods. I am at a loss for foods to give her. I have no idea what she will eat from day to day! It is driving me crazy. I am so worried for her health. I don't care about her weight as a number, but I am worried about her getting what she needs from food. As well as the relationship she is developing with food for the long run. I don't know what effect all this will have on her later in life.

Some days I don't know how she has any energy because she hardly eats. If you ask her if she wants to eat she will say, "No eat!" I have learned that you never ask her that or you open yourself up to a battle with a toddler that neither of you can win! So instead I have tried to give options do you want A or B to eat. This also gets a "No, eat!" reply.

So now I just give her food. If she won't eat it I try something else. I keep trying until I get her to eat something, even if it isn't much. If she absolutely refuses I let her up. I won't force feed her. I know her tummy is small and can't hold much. I usually try to get her to eat 4-6 small meals (snacks) a day. Depending on how much she has eaten.

If anyone has healthy meal ideas or snack ideas that have worked for picky toddlers I am all ears!