Operation Picky Toddler

Oh, my sweet Johnny boy, why won't you just TRY the pasta? Ya know, I have been working diligently the past few months trying to get my son to try new foods, even if he doesn't eat any more than that one bite, at least he tried it. Sounds simply enough, right? Well, sometimes. I like to think I'm pretty intuitive and also pretty well versed in communication with my little one and finding ways to be creative with making him excited to try new foods.

For instance, "Wow, Johnny! There's a dinosaur on that meal! Do you think the dinosaur loves to eat that?" Johnny will exclaim, "Yes mommy yes! Dinosaur!" So, he seems excited to try it, right? Wrong! Or, "Hey Johnny, this tree stick (broccoli) looks like the one Old Brown (Peter Rabbit show) likes, I think you will really like this too! Look at mommy eat this yummy tree!" Sounds good, right? Well, he thought so too! Thankfully, he tried a little piece. He thought for a second and then tried it again and decided the texture was "yucky" but the taste was good. Okay, so I'm onto something here. My next goal is to try to boil or steam the broccoli so maybe the texture will be more pleasant.

The typical American kids favorites such as, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, pasta and meatballs; my son will NOT eat. To say I'm pretty happy about that may be an understatement. However, I'm not at all opposed to my child consuming those foods SOMETIMES. I guess it's just mind boggling to me that he doesn't like them.

So, what does he like? Well, I will make a list:
Fruits:
Bananas
Apples
Pineapples (sometimes)
Watermelon (sometimes)

Vegetables:
Broccoli (we are almost there!)
Carrots (same above with texture)
Spinach (I hide it in his protein shakes and pancakes)
Peas (he's not opposed to peas completely, he will actually touch them and squeeze them, he just hasn't tried one, YET!)
Potatoes

Dairy:
American Cheese slices
Milk
Almond milk (shakes ONLY, I don't blame him)
Greek yogurt with fruit

Meats/Fish/Protein:
Chicken nuggets (I'm going to work more on perfecting a homemade recipe for this)
Whey protein (I have to make shakes for him so he gets more protein as you can see)

Grains/Nuts/Etc:
Whole wheat bread
Tortillas
Peanut Butter (Marantha Crunchy)
Home made protein pancakes
Home made french toast

So, as you see, he eats SOME really good food which, after writing this I am actually very pleased with. However, most of these items he will not eat as a complete meal or mixed together. For instance, he loves bread and cheese but hates cheese sandwiches! I can sit there for an hour with him and tell him, "Johnny, if you just TRY this, you can play." No go! He will cry and cry, turn his head, stuff his hands in his mouth, etc. So, I see how long I can go with no TV on, no games, no toys, nothing, until he at LEAST licks the spoon. But I think he's just so worked up every single time that no matter what it is, he's going to not like it and gag.

However, maybe he inherited this all from me? I remember up until the age of 21 (no I'm not kidding) that I wouldn't try ANYTHING. All I really ate was peanut butter sandwiches, salami sandwiches (BOTH PLAIN, mind you!), and anything fast food that was simple. I had never even tasted fish until my twenties! I didn't try mayo and mustard until I was 25 (again, serious). But now I will eat just about anything that you put on my plate!

I want my son to enjoy different foods and eat more protein in his diet (along with veggies) but I also feel like at this point, I'm doing what I can do be successful. All I can do is keep on trying and not give up.

At this point I am EXTREMELY thankful for Earths Best and Plum Tots for their squeeze packets of delicious and healthy food! My son LOVES them, and at least he's getting some fruits/veggies/oats/and quinoa in there!

Do you have any success stories for Operation Picky Toddler? I'd LOVE to hear it!