Food Just Tastes Better Off the Floor
Sometimes you just have to go with it. You pick your battles, and go with what you believe are the important ones, and then let loose on the others.
Our 2 year old used to be a champion eater. Last year, when she was 1, people would do a double take, "Is she really eating, THAT?!" As she plowed throw chicken enchiladas, no matter how spicy. Thai soup, bring it on, breakfast burrito, "Bite mama? Bite??" So when the picky eating started I was shocked.
I've always served our Littles the exact same things we eat, just smaller bite sizes. Don't get me wrong, lunches consist of super kid friendly food, but at dinner, we all eat the same thing. Overnight, she started picking out certain things from her dinner and refusing to eat it. Or would take a bite and then land that bite right back on her plate 30 seconds later. YUM! Yeah....not so much...
My child that used to eat 9 chicken nuggets at lunch, now maybe eats 5. She used to devour an entire sausage and green pepper slice of pizza, now only the sausage and the cheese. Part of this I think stems from the times she is growing more, she obviously eats more....and ever since she was a baby she was very firm on eating EXACTLY the amount her belly wanted to eat. But now I feel caught between helping teach her good habits, and being desperate to make sure she eats something (as the lack of eating has the not so fun side effect of her sleeping badly and then asking for milk in the middle of the night because she is hungry - oh joy!) When you also have a newborn and a 1 year old, this kind of fragmented sleep does not help your brain.
So it comes down to the battles. This is not a battle to stop her from pushing, biting, taking toys from her sister. This is a battle over where to eat. For some reason, she likes to take her food from the table and eat it EVERYWHERE else BUT at the kitchen table. In the bathtub, sitting on Dada's lap, out on the front porch, at the coffee table, and most recently, from the kitchen floor. Double joy! I know what many other moms would say, that we are hurting her more than helping her, BUT I'm looking at it this way, she's eating. And eating means she sleeps better, which means she is rested in the morning, and then she plays better that day. All of this means she is much happier all around, which means our family is much happier. And in the grand scheme of things, do I really think she will eat off the floor forever? Nope. It's just a phase.
Is this effecting her in other area's of life? Well she is 26 months and she says "pleeze", "tank you Mama", "scuse me", and "bess you" all about 90% of the time. She is a happy little 2 year old filled with loads of hugs and kisses for everyone, she likes to share with her 1 year old sister (well, as much as any 2 year old would), she wants to help with the baby, and she claps for EVERYONE that goes potty, young and old. So no, I don't think it's hurting her "psychological growth". I tend to think we are letting her figure out some things for herself, maybe it will help her be more assertive and independent in life. Who knows?
Maybe, just maybe it means she likes to eat waffles off the kitchen floor. And that's a battle I don't think we need to take on.
Original Orange County Moms Blog post.
When she's not serving up waffles on the floor, Shanna can be found sharing "Simple Tips, Fresh Ideas, and Great Products" For making busy lives brighter at My Favorite Everything. (You might also find her clinging to her sanity and her coffee while also on Facebook and Twitter, @MyFavEverything...).
