Easy Cheesey….

It seems that the honeymoon phase has worn off. Barrett, a child who once ate anything and everything put in front of him, has developed his own set of opinions, preferences and desires. Once a prince at the dinner table, he now shakes his head at certain offerings, digs out every last piece of things he’s not into and of course, rubs his messy little paws through his hair at the end of each meal. Toddler-itis is here. And, I think it’s safe to assume (without making an ass out of you and me) that it is here to stay … at least for the forseeable future. I suppose I’m glad Barrett’s not a pushover but I secretly wish he’d be so for me…

Mere months ago, Barrett ate every single thing we’d offer. Avocados, no problem. Cottage cheese, yes please. Tomatoes, of course. And even lemons, pickles and limes garnered the “more” sign. Barrett was a gem at restaurants, eating entire plates of big human food as kids’ meals just didn’t seem to satiate him. He ate meats, veggies, and fruits without question and made no fuss over flavor or texture.

Now, it seems Barrett’s palate has diminished to very few choices and I am not interested in making it a battle. Throughout the winter, Barrett was a canned fruit and vegetable junkie but is less than thrilled about their natural brothers and sisters. Though he will entertain the idea of watermelon, strawberries and grapes … bananas and oranges suffer a fate of search and rescue should they accidentally be grabbed up with a handful or forkful of other grub. While he will, on occasions of his choosing, mow down on fish sticks or chicken nuggets, any other meat is pretty much not going to happen {yes, I’ve tried hot dogs}. And, of course, veggies get spit out as quickly as they go in.

You may be thinking, what does the kid eat? Well, my friends, the ease comes with cheese. Most any choice with cheese is what this child will choose. String cheese, you betcha. Cheese quesadilla, absofab. Mac n Cheese, you bet your sweet bottom. And the golden ticket Grilled Cheese sammy on whole wheat bread, thank you sir may I have another. The great cosmic joke to all of this, of course, lies in the fact that for the first 7 months of Barrett’s life, I couldn’t even eat cheese and now, he would seemingly starve sans the stuff.

So, breakfast is generally french toast, pancakes or waffles, and fruit {of applesauce or yogurt} and milk. Lunch, well, honestly, I trade off between items on the aforementioned list of cheesey goodness and fruit and milk {always offering a veggie and some meat which are inevitably enjoyed more by the trash can than Barrett}. Dinner is always first, whatever we are having as a family and then sometimes goes to an old standby depending on the night. And, of course, snacks are always a slamdunk. But I am growing bored with these few foods. So I am curious, did your toddlers dawdle in discriminating against certain dishes? Although I continue to offer all things {and he continues to throw 84% of it on the ground and in his hair} at what age did you get stearn with your sprouts? Is there a method to the madness that makes up meal time?

I love cheese more than most things in life so perhaps this explains Barrett’s obsession with this milk-laden goodness and I should just be happy that he eats some things extremely well {I’ve yet to see another 20 pounder put down an entire grilled cheese in one sitting}, but I am wondering, good lookin’, whatcha got cookin’ for your kiddos and what they love and can’t live without.