My Son Won't Eat!

Okay, I'm over exaggerating a bit, I mean he eats, just not as much as I'd like him to, and not as well as he could if there's something better to do.

Like play.  Or run.  Or golf.  Or throw balls.  Or play with his airplane.  Or watch TV.  Or read books.

If you don't catch him at the right moment, he just won't eat.  He's done.

So we got a routine going on and realized he eats the most in the morning and after his nap.  But he only likes certain things at certain points in time.  And for some reason, no matter how hard I try, his taste keeps morphing and he's selectively picky.

For a while, he was over bananas.  And then he liked them again one day.

And then it was mac'n'cheese.  And then that's all he wants now!

Cheese sticks?  These are swords, not food mum!  And then, he was into it again.

Apples?  Maybe if I'm at someone else's home, but not in our home.

Those organic bunny crackers you got at Costco?  Yuck!  Oh wait, I like them again.  But now, I hate veggie chips, which I absolutely LOVED before.

I just don't get it.  It's impossible to tell what he will want when he will want it, and yet sometimes he's an angel, into all the foods I love - like kale chips, seaweed, and edamame.

Nevertheless, most of the time, we stick to the staple things that he will eat and we rotate it here and there.

Waffles.  Oatmeal.  Toast.  Eggs.  Noodles.  Rice.  Milkshakes.  Ground beef.  Peas.  Craisins.  Oranges.  Pineapples.

He's pretty open to food he's had, but most of the time, it's just getting him to try something new.  I've discovered you try three-five times in one sitting, and your best luck is if he is ravished, but I'll never give up.

You will like peanut butter one day.
You will like strawberries again.
You will like mashed potatoes one day.
You will like ice cream again.
You will like cookies one day.

And because food is such a fickle thing for him, I find myself picking up crumbs often.

He also does this thing where if he's thirsty, he won't communicate it, but if he's halfway in a bite and he suddenly notice the water, he'll spit out whatever is in his mouth so he can drink it.

Oh Jordan.   Food is good.  When will you discover that to be the case?

NOTE: Although he doesn't eat "well," we try never say so in front of him, or that he's eating well when he is after reading this really awesome article on Pinterest (can't find it now...) about how to enforce good eating habits.  I learned never to tell my son "he wasn't eating" or "your friend eats better" or that he "better eat his veggies" or to reward him with certain foods (ice cream, cookies, etc.).  Instead, I continually ask him to try new foods and tell him it tastes just like the other thing _insert here_ that he really loves.  So basically I try not to make it as big of a deal as it may be based on this blog post.  Just don't let Jordan see this.  Ever.