Quinn has always been a picky eater. I know most toddlers are tough to feed, but after a quick poll
of my mommy friends and reading a ton of online articles and forums, Quinn
seems to be especially picky.
One of our biggest issues is that Q won’t eat meat. We’ve
tried every type of meat there is, but Q refuses to pick it up and eat it. If
he does put a bite in his mouth, he immediately spits it out. The only meat he
likes is Hubs’ meatloaf. Yes, meatloaf. Weird.
I’m worried about how much protein he’s getting. I know he
gets a ton of it from all the milk he drinks and all the cheese he eats, but
being a Michigan girl, it seems weird to have a kid that refuses meat.
So I’ve resorted to the thing I never wanted to serve him: frozen
lumps of pressed, breaded chicken parts. Yes, that’s right. Chicken nuggets.
Technically, these are not chicken dinosaurs. They’re all-white meat chicken Mickey Mouses (Mickey Mice?), but same difference. The first night we
served them to Q, I cut them up into bite sized chunks and put them on his
tray. He took a couple of bites, but he wasn’t all that impressed.
The second night, I decided to leave the nuggets intact.
From what the experts tell me, toddlers are all about presentation when it
comes to food, and I assume these frozen lumps of pressed, breaded chicken come
in the shape of Mickey Mouse ears for a reason. So I handed him a whole one, and he
loved it.
*sigh*
Judge me if you must, but Q is only in the tenth
percentile for weight. He’s a tall, skinny lad who can have all the chicken
Mickey Mice he wants.
Speaking of chicken dinosaurs, you should totally read When Did I Get Like This?: The Screamer, the Worrier, the Dinosaur-Chicken-Nugget-Buyer, and Other Mothers I Swore I'd Never Be
by Amy Wilson. I laughed my ass off, and so will you.
Having trouble feeding your toddler? Welcome to the club! Here
are two of my favorite bloggers who have wonderful posts about what they feed
their kiddos and how they get them to eat.
