June 25, 2008
Moments that Matter- Feeding Fiasco 5
Anyone who has ever traveled with a toddler, especially a feisty, spirited, squirmy toddler, knows that it can be extremely stressful. Like, pass me a bottle of Valium stressful. Yesterday we headed back home after a long weekend visiting family in Virginia. Catherine does not like to sit still for one moment and therefore made our plane ride adventurous to say the least. Luckily the trip was broken up by one layover that was long enough to get in a quick lunch and a stretch/crawling break.
Catherine is now also starting to test her control with eating. Our once marvelous, non-picky eater has decided that most food is just plain nasty and will spit it out of her mouth which in turn makes me into an exasperated mom. I have been told by many, many BTDT parents that this is normal but it still drives me crazy. I have a serious hangup about Catherine spitting out and throwing food that I am trying to work on. At our lunch layover she decided to be extra ornery and refused to eat anything we fed her in exception to a tortilla chip and her baby food brand fruit gel candies. I really wanted her to eat so she wouldn't be hungry during the next part of our flight but she fought us. The crazy part about it is she kept making the sign to eat and more but yet she didn't like anything we gave her. A lady nearby must have taken pity on us because she offered to give Catherine her potato wedge fries. Catherine loves potatoes so we graciously accepted her offer and of course Catherine went to town shoving fries into her mouth. Even though it wasn't the most healthy choice, I was happy that she was eating something and wouldn't be hungry and therefore grumpy on the next part of our flight. This lady was a God-send and eased some of the anxiety that I was feeling at the time. Who knew that offering french fries to a picky toddler would be a moment that mattered to me?
And yes, I am working on my hang ups with this whole food issue.
On another note, I ate something bad yesterday and have been sick with the stomach crud all day today so I haven't been able to post pictures of our vacation. Hopefully soon though!
Jun 26, 2008 @ 06:06:42
Sorry to hear you are sick..and sorry to hear that Catherine wants to be picky.. Make sure to let us know what you are doing ,,, so I know down the road..
Doesn’t sound like fun…
Can’t wait to see the pictures of your amazing trip..
HUGS..
Jun 26, 2008 @ 09:17:12
OMG, my 2 year old daughter also spits out food! We’ve been home for one year and three months, and she still does it (though not as much). Ick!
Sorry to hear you are sick. Have you tried taking Imodium? That’s the only thing that worked for me.
Erica
Jun 26, 2008 @ 12:23:34
Other than the travel with the baby I hope your trip went well. How did everyone respond to Miss Catherine.
Jun 26, 2008 @ 13:52:18
yup. same here. almost 2 now, and getting VERY picky about what she eats. example: loved strawberries. spat out straw berries. loves strawberries again. example: loved fish. spat out fish. loves fish SOMETIMES now. and so on and so on. I think it’s a testament to the child learning control. They can now control a whim on their own, vs. not. Sometimes, it’s just not what they are in the mood for, either. also, it’s what I call being ‘a well-fed, spoiled American.’ We, as grown-ups, have the same initiative, only we just don’t put it in our mouths before we decline something. i.e. Asparagus – i simply won’t put it in my mouth. If my wife put some on a fork and shoved it towards my mouth, I would clam up and look the other way. And if she somehow got it in my mouth when I wasn’t looking, I would be able to tell what it was by taste or texture and IMMEDIATELY spit it out. (and then maybe throw it at her!!) but then again, if I was EXTREMELY hungry, as in had not had enough to eat over the last few weeks or even months, I would eat it out of pure necessity for calories… (albeit reluctantly- since I don’t care for it, I certainly would not complain or spit it out).
So I really try to understand where she’s coming from, and at the same time, I want to be conscious about not giving in to a certain ‘wanted’ food-type – i.e. cereal, or mac-n-cheese, etc.
Hang in there, Wendy. Just a small bump in the road…
Jun 26, 2008 @ 14:13:51
oh, and I hope you feel better soon!