Woman lets son be a picky eater: "A relaxed mom is more valuable to him than organic carrots"

Amy Christie

A woman had always dreamed of the time when she would be a mom and wished to have a foodie child, ready to explore different tastes and eat all the nutritious foods. Since she's a former food editor, she devoted plenty of energy to passing down her habits to her child.

After several classes related to feeding and plenty of hurdles, the woman finally came to terms with the fact that her toddler would be a picky eater. And she decided it was better to let it happen rather than get stressed every day and put pressure on her son's eating habits. Picky eating is now a go for her, and she doesn't regret being more flexible to be able to meet all other challenges and keep her family happy.

What are the details?

"I've always wished to be one of those parents who said, 'My child loves sushi,'" Irina Gonzalez shared about how she thought she would be able to guide her son's eating habits.

As it turns out, food struggles became quite frequent. The woman followed several accounts on social media to get more tips about turning her son into a foodie. However, all the lessons she tried to enact had no effect.

"Despite having all this knowledge, my son became a typical picky toddler," she said.

Before becoming a mom, the woman usually dismissed the kids' menu at restaurants.

"I could not understand why parents would sit there and eat an expensive meal while their kids ate chicken nuggets. "

She did her best to try different foods during her pregnancy since she wanted the baby to be interested in various flavors. As soon as she welcomed her son, the woman focused on his first food experiences. She didn't hesitate to spend quite a bit on organic purees that ended up being thrown away.

"When he could start on purees, I rushed and bought $100 worth of organic produce from Trader Joe's. He just had roasted carrots later that night," the mom recalls.

As her son started to reject different foods, Irina got worried and tried even harder to find nutritious options for him. She even felt she was failing because she didn't have enough time to cook all of his meals.

"I worried so much over his picky eating — such as when he threw food on the floor. I kept buying him old favorites, but he was now interested in crunchy starches. So, I blamed myself for not cooking enough, even though being a working mom meant I sometimes had to rely on convenience foods," she added.

Unfortunately, there soon came a time when she had to choose between her foodie expectations and more pressing matters. He had several ear infections and colds, so gradually, food options took a backseat in her mind.

"Having the stress of our family getting constantly sick, food became the last thing on my mind. I forgot about my son becoming a foodie, and I simply focused on getting through it. Most days, I made sure that he ate and slept. I stopped offering him pricey organic berries and bought the things he would consistently consume, including crunchy snacks from the kids' food aisle," the mom said.

She no longer panicked while he was throwing food and let him tell her what he wanted to eat instead of trying to convince him to have something else. The mother came to the conclusion that there was no way she could do everything and that letting go of some expectations would reduce pressure, and the whole family would feel better.

"As a tired parent, I realized there are more important things to focus on than my son being a foodie baby. Now I'm focusing on making things easier for all of us. I've saved myself a lot of stress by letting go of my expectations around his eating," she explained.

Not piling up others' expectations on top of hers helped Irina see the positive side of things, and dealing with major issues without getting stuck on what other people achieved with their kids helped her get back on track. Even though she appreciated following the lessons that turned babies into passionate foodies, in the end, she realized every family is different and not every idea will work for each child.

"Ultimately, I've found that a relaxed mom is more valuable to him than organic carrots," Irina concluded.

Setting the bar at a medium or even a lower level and interacting with a child without stress and annoyance can make a big difference in daily life and communication. It might not change the way they eat, but then again, there might be different priorities you have to focus on.




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Dallas, TX

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