There Goes My Good Eater

When we went to the pediatrician for Tali's 16 month check-up, the doctor warned me that Tali's eating habits might start to change. She isn't growing as rapidly as she was so she might eat smaller quantities and become more picky. I listened to what she said but kept my fingers crossed that this wouldn't happen. Well, it did. The second part, at least.

I wouldn't classify Tali as a picky eater because she still eats a wide variety of foods. I would instead say that she's learning how to have her own opinion. For example, yesterday she loved baked beans and kept asking for more. Today, however, she spit them out. I know she likes them, she just didn't want to eat them today. (To be fair, I wouldn't want to eat the same thing everyday either.)

This new ability, to create her own opinion about food, is making it hard on me. If I make something for lunch, how will I know if today is a day she'll eat it? She can't tell me what she's in the mood for. And there's no rhyme or reason for why she doesn't want something. She just doesn't.

A parenting decision I have made is not to enter fights that I cannot win. Food and sleep fall into that category. I cannot force something down her throat and I cannot force her to sleep. I can offer her food to eat and I can put her in her crib for a designated period of time, but if she doesn't eat it or doesn't nap, I cannot force her.

Regarding food, I try not to provide Tali with too many options. I don't want to get in the habit of making five meals to figure out what she'll eat. But now I'm trying to navigate this new territory and at quite a loss. I'm sure I'll figure it out. I just miss my good eater!