Tips to Please Miss C-Jaz, the Picky Eater

Today's been a great day of perusing books for Miss C-Jaz.  She woke up in a particularly good mood this morning - maybe because she slept in till 10:00 from falling asleep by 22:30.  She had a smile on her face, and as always she asks, "Mommy, where's Daddy?" while simultaneously remembering he's at work.  We cuddled in the blankets for a bit, then with no whining she cooperatively came with me to the washroom to wash up for the day.  Those two things are what makes for a good day: no whining and cooperation.

While we were washing up Miss C-Jaz started listing a menu for breakfast in a sing-song voice that went up in tone at the end of each phrase.

"You'll have bread...

...and coffee...

...and I'll have water...

...and apple juice..."

"What are you going to eat?"

"Oh...yah...bread."

She's so lively and animated.

We had a great breakfast, which was the beginning of a great day of eating for my little petite one.  It's always been so hard to get Miss C-Jaz to eat.  She's a picky eater, but she also loves her 'Ka' (milk).  I came across an article on 17 TIPS FOR PLEASING THE PICKY EATER from AskDrSears.com.  I've found that I do some of the tips already with Miss C-Jaz: dip it, spread it, drink it, cut it up, package it, turn meals upside down, let them cook, make every calorie count, and relax.

Miss C-Jaz and Bo helping cook and wash dishes.

There were some tips that reassured me and reminded me of some things.  Miss C-Jaz is tiny so she has a tiny tummie which means that her stomach can hold the size of her own fist.  I usually give her small portions at a time so as long as she can take several bites here and there of different foods, then we're on the right track.

The article made me realize too to count on inconsistencies and that like other toddlers Miss C-Jaz likes to binge on one food at a time.  She can eat a lot one day, like today, then eat much less another day, like yesterday.  On a daily basis I'm trying to stay aware of Miss C-Jaz's food needs, but since her eating habits are inconsistent, it may be more ideal to aim for a 'nutritionally-balanced week' as opposed to a balanced day as suggested by the article.  One tip I'm looking forward to trying is the nibble tray, a customized smorgasbord using an ice tray.

This morning's breakfast consisted of exactly what Miss C-Jaz listed this morning.  She ate the butter side of the toast strips I made her because she thought the other side was crust - it was just toasted and crispy.  She even drank a whole plastic Ikea cup, Kalas, of apple juice and water, alternating sips.  I had my non-Swedish-like cup of Cappuccino and toast with hallon sylt, raspberry jam.

While eating, we had Madagascar playing in the background on her 'DVDV Paya', which I've read a few times as a suggestion NOT to do, but I find that it helps distract Miss C-Jaz from NOT eating.  It's funny to see how her thought processes work and word associations.  She heard Marty say the word helicopter then she turned to me and said, "I like helicopters and butta-fies and 'cata-piw-ows' and 'sips'."  I think she meant ships.

Toast and apple juice and 'wata' wasn't the end of her eating and drinking.  Miss C-Jaz had a quarter of a pear and a few bites of plum.  We sat on the couch for a bit then started reading book after book after book.  We must have gotten through 9 books this morning, which is always great.  She named so many things, like basketballs and 'flowas', asked lots of questions, "Wha deese?  Wha deese doin'?", and she identified letters, like 'O' and 'A'.

I gave Miss C-Jaz her milk, then she snacked on dried jordgubbs (strawberries) and had chicken pasta salad for lunch with 'wata' and 'appa juice'.  We read a few more books, which brings us to nap time and a very dark afternoon in Sweden, which is just so odd, considering it's late afternoon.  When Miss C-Jaz wakes from her nap she'll think it's bed time when it's time to make dinner.  We'll have to see if Miss C-Jaz can continue her streak of consistency for dinner.