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July 20, 2009
Sherri Meyer, Registered Dietician
I must confess my 2-year-old son Oliver does not like fruit. I am not talking out of season, tasteless fruit, but freshly picked, ripe, sweet juicy fruit. Recently, Oliver passed up a bowl of fresh blueberries for a plate of overcooked green beans (yes vegetables – peas, green beans and summer squash are not a problem). I myself love fruit & keep trying to get Oliver to share my love for all things fresh and juicy: watermelon, peaches, blueberries, and strawberries.
I try to show him how lucky we are to live so close to orchards that allow us to pick fresh, ripe fruit. Oliver loved our jaunt to the strawberry patch, he even picked a few, he just didn’t want to eat them. He loved picking the blueberries off the tree this past week (the unripe ones of course), but had absolutely no interest in putting one in his mouth. But, I must be glutton for punishment because I will not give up.
It hasn’t all been failure; yesterday he actually put a piece of watermelon in his mouth (only to promptly hand it back to my husband). He also likes to “hold” cherries and even as gone so far to try a bite before he hands it back.
Feeding a toddler can be a challenge & being a mother who is a dietitian does not necessarily make it easier. However, I am equipped with the knowledge that allows me to understand Oliver’s food “jags”. One day he will eat roasted summer squash like they are “cookies” and the next day he won’t even touch one. Fresh salmon, Oliver loves it one day, the next day he throws it across the table. But, the most important part of the meal is that he is exposed to the food we eat. Good food, not French fries, chicken nuggets & other processed food. Oliver gets to eat everything we eat from fish, vegetables, fruit, even cookies & ice cream. He knows he can choose anything he wants to eat, but the stipulation is that the choice is only the food we prepare. Sometimes he eats without abandon; sometimes he doesn’t eat more than a bite. But, he is becoming familiar with all different types of food & since he always gets a bedtime snack, he never starves. Research shows that children sometimes have to be exposed to food up to 20 times before they will accept and even like it. How frustrating is that?!? But, I still persist, offering the foods, being happy if he at least touches the food. Children should be encouraged to touch their food (as long as they are not playing with it to get a reaction). Sure, it gets old preparing a nice bowl of sliced strawberries only to have him hand them right back, but I did just that for several days this Spring with the “fruits” of our picking labor. I am confident that one day he will start loving all things sweet and juicy.
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