Crackers Are Life

I’m not entirely sure, but I’m pretty sure crackers are not a good balanced diet, no matter how many varieties they have.  That is ALL my daughter wants to eat. “GAK GUK” “GAK GUK” she screams at me while I’m washing dishes. She opens the cupboard takes the box out and shoves them into my leg while looking up at me with hopeful eyes, for just one more cracker. I try to explain (to a 14 month old mind you) that no, honey, crackers are not for dinner. My husband made a delicious dinner of steak and chicken on the grill with some quinoa with spinach, mushroom, and feta (the steamable, in bag kind). I oh-so gently try to sit down without K (my daughter) noticing I’ve got a plate of food. It is a known fact that once Mamma sits down with food or drink of any kind she must be hounded within an inch of her life until K has sufficiently decided she wants nothing to do with what Mamma has. Inevitably, K has sensed me just about to take my first bite and charges at me with an unstoppable force only toddlers seem to have. I know that K will not like the meat, because for the past couple of months she has chosen to spit out all meat that enters her mouth, but K insists in her high-pitched whine of baby babble that she must taste whatever I have right NOW. As predicted the meat gets spit out instantly, but Praise God she will eat quinoa. K takes a few bites, then incessantly starts asking for more “GAK GUK”. Goldfish, animal crackers, regular saltines, any cracker you can think of I have on hand. K whines until I have figured out exactly which type of cracker she is craving and then she snatches it out of my hand, smiles the biggest smile and goes on about her evening.

K was never a picky eater, when we started introducing actual foods and not just puree’s, she gobbled everything up and would try everything. Lately K has decided the only food she likes are pasta, cheese, rice/quinoa, yogurt, and crackers. I am increasingly getting worried that my daughter will never have a balanced diet, and will never sit down to eat a regular meal! On top of the picky diet she has chosen to adopt, she never eats much at one time. Since K was born she has always just eaten enough to get the gnaw out of her stomach and then come back to eat/drink/breastfeed for more an hour or two later. She still does this, she is my “drive-by eater.” If you stick her in a high-chair or seat of any kind she will eat a bite or two, but nothing more. She will only eat the majority of food while she is running around. It goes like this:

-K watching Tinkerbell/playing with toys
-K starts to notify all she is hungry or someone in the general vicinity has food
-K runs to them and try’s to grab whatever they may be eating
-Adult eating must lift plate/bowl high enough so she doesn’t actually grab the food
-K gets fed whatever was made for her or whatever someone has made for their own consumption
-K takes a bite, chews, and swallows
-K runs away to play for a second
-K runs back to wherever the food source is and opens her mouth expectantly
-K takes a bite, chews, and swallows
-Wash, rinse, repeat until you’ve thoroughly tried coaxing K to take a couple more bites!

She very rarely eats an actual meal, or any large quantity of food. I have, for the life of me, tried everything I can think of, every trick, or idea on the internet to get her to have more of a normal food routine. It’s just not happening.

This worried Mamma doesn’t know what else to do, except to continue to try and give her healthy alternatives of her “chosen” food, and to get her to eat as much as she chooses.

Just one more Cracker Mamma!

My daughter’s weight has never been anything other then average and her height is a little above average, so Doctor’s are not concerned. I just can’t help but wondering if she will be in college asking her professor for a cracker, because she’s starving right this very minute!

Here’s to hoping this is a stage…now I must go by MORE crackers!

Anyone else have picky/odd eaters? I welcome any ideas or thoughts on this! 🙂

-Chaotic Mamma