Have You Ever...

[MN Mom]

Had a baby scream toe-curling screams when trying to feed them green veggies?

This is the same family I have mentioned in earlier posts, where the DCB5 refuses to eat anything green (even melon's like Honeydew, or grapes).

Last week they pulled a surprise 9 day vacation on me so I had not seen them since the 2nd of July, brought them today, and then informed me they would not be here the rest of the week...very short notice on both, kind of pissed me off but that's a whole other story.

ANYWAYS....

8 month old baby acted like he was throwing tantrum today. Cried when mom left (he's a momma's boy, so not really worrisome), hit me this morning when trying to feed him applesauce. This afternoon was killer though.. He screamed BLOODY MURDER when I gave him green beans (Gerber) after his 2pm Bottle. He screamed, pushed my hands away, scratched at my face, writhed...it was sad. I have served him green beans before, and though he grimaced (like most babies do) he ate them. Finally, I had to take him out of his seat and HOLD him and both hands while trying to feed him the beans.

DCB5 came in and said "Oh, he doesn't like green beans...mom doesn't make him eat green stuff at home, only tasty like candy food..." I said, "Well, your mom brought me the beans, so obviously she wants me to feed them to him. Sometimes we have to eat things we do not like just because it is important for our bodies to remain healthy. I hate peas, but I eat them anyways." He said he understood, baby finally calmed down....but SHEESH...15 min of that over green beans? I never had this problem with my kids when they were babies. Granted, they didn't care for the baby food peas or green beans...but they never screamed, hit or pushed it away. Eventually they acquired a taste for them both, and now they always eat their veggies.

Considering his brother, 5, gags on anything healthy...esp veggies -- could this be a (call me crazy) genetic thing? Or is this baby seriously spoiled?

I have never encountered an 8mo baby who acted like this...

Any advise would be highly recommended.

[MarinaVanessa]

Personally I think that neither one of them were fed "good stuff" like veggies. The baby has probably picked up on the veggie thing from home and from brother and so throws a fit. I don't think it's genetic or anything, I mean brother did say that he's not fed these things at home. What I think is funny (in a not so funny way) is that mom sends you green veggies which she does not give him at home so that you will have to give it to him :confused:. If he isn't given it at home, then it will be hard for you to get him to accept it in daycare with you. The fact that it is only "green" food he is refusing could just be because he's tasted green veggies and doesn't want them and so associates green food with yucky vegetables. As for brother gagging, I think it's mental. He's probably just subconsciously learned to think of healthy food as nasty.

I had a kid like this once. I served what I served and he ate it or went hungry. He eventually got over his pickiness here at daycare once he realized that I wasn't going to give in. He continued to be a picky eater at home apparently so I knew it was because of mom and dad. He HATED carrots, chicken, and green beans and last year during thanksgiving at home he apparently didn't eat the stuffing (it had carrots and green things that looked like green beans) and didn't eat the turkey (because it looked like a big chicken) but at daycare the next week we ate leftovers and he ate turkey sandwiches, stuffing (with carrots) and green bean caserole .

P.S. I read somewhere that a child needs to be fed something 13 times before they are able to decide whether or not they like it. Usually they say they don't like it but if you keep offering it to them they will eventually eat it.

[professionalmom]

The first time we gave DD sweet peas, we had the video camera rolling. We caught her sour face, then the shudder on camera! LOL!! It was like, "Ew.. this is gross, wait, no, (shudder), uhhh, why'd you do that to me!" Now she LOVES her veggies! But I'll never forget that first reaction! Ah, fun times! ::

[MN Mom]

The first time we gave DD sweet peas, we had the video camera rolling. We caught her sour face, then the shudder on camera! LOL!! It was like, "Ew.. this is gross, wait, no, (shudder), uhhh, why'd you do that to me!" Now she LOVES her veggies! But I'll never forget that first reaction! Ah, fun times! ::

LOL! Sounds as funny as the first time I gave my, now 11yoDD, a lemon slice. Hubby and I were at Red Lobster with her, and they always serve you lemon wedges with your fish..she kept reaching for it. So..like the good mommy I am, I let her have it. OMG the look on her face was priceless! She LOVES lemons to this day. Not in tea, or lemonade...just plain lemons

[Chickenhauler]

Sounds to me like a classic case of children in charge of the parents.

I'd have responded to "mom doesn't make him eat green stuff at home, only tasty like candy food" with "I'm not your mother, this isn't your home, and in this house, things are not like that".


It's not like you force-fed the kid lutefisk or something.

[MN Mom]

Sounds to me like a classic case of children in charge of the parents.

I'd have responded to "mom doesn't make him eat green stuff at home, only tasty like candy food" with "I'm not your mother, this isn't your home, and in this house, things are not like that".


It's not like you force-fed the kid lutefisk or something.

But Lutefisk is delish! Seriously!

Oh I've used the I'm not your mother, this is my house not yours line several times before...doesn't phase him =/ He doesn't act out at me though. He's polite about not eating his food, andI never make him eat his veggies. I offer, and he usually doesn't eat them...then they go into the trash. I do have dessert for the kids who finish their plate, and sometimes that works with him...sometimes.

I'm going to process some fresh veggies from the garden (sugar snap peas and green beans. squash, etc.) into baby food, and freeze it into ice-cube trays. It's aprox. a serving size for babies, and maybe it'll taste better than that Gerber stuff. I really don't want to deal with this boy at toddler age having a tantrum over food. I'd like to head it off now...if possible.

[QualiTcare]

Had a baby scream toe-curling screams when trying to feed them green veggies?

This is the same family I have mentioned in earlier posts, where the DCB5 refuses to eat anything green (even melon's like Honeydew, or grapes).

Last week they pulled a surprise 9 day vacation on me so I had not seen them since the 2nd of July, brought them today, and then informed me they would not be here the rest of the week...very short notice on both, kind of pissed me off but that's a whole other story.

ANYWAYS....

8 month old baby acted like he was throwing tantrum today. Cried when mom left (he's a momma's boy, so not really worrisome), hit me this morning when trying to feed him applesauce. This afternoon was killer though.. He screamed BLOODY MURDER when I gave him green beans (Gerber) after his 2pm Bottle. He screamed, pushed my hands away, scratched at my face, writhed...it was sad. I have served him green beans before, and though he grimaced (like most babies do) he ate them. Finally, I had to take him out of his seat and HOLD him and both hands while trying to feed him the beans.

DCB5 came in and said "Oh, he doesn't like green beans...mom doesn't make him eat green stuff at home, only tasty like candy food..." I said, "Well, your mom brought me the beans, so obviously she wants me to feed them to him. Sometimes we have to eat things we do not like just because it is important for our bodies to remain healthy. I hate peas, but I eat them anyways." He said he understood, baby finally calmed down....but SHEESH...15 min of that over green beans? I never had this problem with my kids when they were babies. Granted, they didn't care for the baby food peas or green beans...but they never screamed, hit or pushed it away. Eventually they acquired a taste for them both, and now they always eat their veggies.

Considering his brother, 5, gags on anything healthy...esp veggies -- could this be a (call me crazy) genetic thing? Or is this baby seriously spoiled?

I have never encountered an 8mo baby who acted like this...

Any advise would be highly recommended.

my advice would be - if the parents aren't making an effort then you shouldn't either. that's normally not my logic, but he's hitting you and scratching at your face? UHHHH.....heck no!

i had a boy that wouldn't eat MOST of the stuff i cooked even though the other kids loved it. one time he came to me right after a meal and asked for cheez itz and wanted to sit in front of the t.v. with them. i was like whatever....i didn't want him to starve, and if his mom is taking the easy route then i'm not going to let it make my life hard.

if she came to me and said she'd been making him eat fruits/veggies etc. after i told her about his eating habits it would be a different story. until then - if it was cheez itz he wanted, it was cheez itz he got.

some things are just pointless when the parents aren't doing their part - like with potty training for example. i've had kids doing GREAT with going to the potty...wearing pull ups or underwear...and moms would drop them off wearing a diaper and ask to put a diaper on them when they left so there wouldn't be an accident in the car or at a store, etc. the funniest part is when i'd give up and start putting diapers back on them and the parents would ask me WHY! uhh...WHY do you keep them in diapers and let me do all the potty work? sorry....i'm not going to keep working at something and putting myself out when the parent takes them home and does the opposite. feed the kid candy for dinner if thay don't care what he's eating. it'll be a constant battle anyway if the parents don't work with you so don't put yourself out when it's not even appreciated.

[DBug]

Kudos to you -- I would have given up after the third refused spoonful . I'm not big on making kids eat food. If they don't eat, they go hungry (even babies). I do write down every single thing they do eat though, so parents know if there's an issue.

But, if you really do want this little one to eat his veggies -- what about giving him a small amount in a bowl to play with and lick off his fingers? You could let him play with it on his own, or you could use it as a distraction and feed him while his hands are occupied. At the very least, he may develop a taste for it after tasting it on his hands ...

[momma2girls]

I have a 13 month here, just stare at the food on the high chair table, it takes her about 15 min. to finally eat it. If I try and help her, she clinches her teeth together and screams!! If she decides to eat, she will, otherwise after an hr. or less, she would be done!! It's very frustrating!!!!!!!

[MarinaVanessa]

I don't make special meals for special kids or kids that "don't like" what I serve, and that includes my own. It's too difficult and time consuming. I'm not a short-order cook. I plan my meals ahead of time, take the time to shop for the ingredients, prepare the food ahead of time and freeze. I serve what I serve. My job is to provide the kids with healthy and nutritious meals, not to make sure they eat it. If they don't like what I serve and don't want to eat, that's ok. They don't have to, but I will not serve them something else and they will not get a "treat" (yogurt, pudding, etc) which I offer extra.

Heck I don't even let parents bring food from home for me to serve even if all I have to do is pop it in the microwave. It creates too much chaos. If I'm serving chicken sandwiches and green beans and some kid had his mom bring chicken nuggets (tyson) all hell would break loose. NONE of my kids would eat the sandwiches and they would ALL want chicken nuggets. Unless they have special needs or have a specialized diet for religious, medical or personal beliefs (allergies, vegetarians etc) I don't allow food from home unless it's a special occasion. I just make sure to tell the parent that they didn't eat very well.

[TGT09]

2 of my daycare kids (7 and 9) and are brother and sister....gave me the best phrase when it comes to kids not wanting to eat.

"You get what you get and you don't throw a fit".

They probably wish they would have never told that to me because even now I tell them if they say they don't like something. :-) Obviously a baby is different and I have no advice just to say I'm sorry your going through that. I however, do not give any food right after lunch if they don't eat...they have to wait until snack time. That is totally counter-productive. If I took the time to fix lunch then they eat it or starve.

[TGT09]

Heck I don't even let parents bring food from home for me to serve even if all I have to do is pop it in the microwave. It creates too much chaos. If I'm serving chicken sandwiches and green beans and some kid had his mom bring chicken nuggets (tyson) all hell would break loose. NONE of my kids would eat the sandwiches and they would ALL want chicken nuggets. Unless they have special needs or have a specialized diet for religious, medical or personal beliefs (allergies, vegetarians etc) I don't allow food from home unless it's a special occasion. I just make sure to tell the parent that they didn't eat very well.

I wish I didn't have to but I have 2 kids that are vegans so all food is sent from home. I'm not about to buy that stuff when no one else would eat it with a 10 foot pole. I don't have to worry about the vegan kids wanting what the others have because they don't want it and vice versa. The other kids think their food looks nasty.

[MarinaVanessa]

I wish I didn't have to but I have 2 kids that are vegans so all food is sent from home. I'm not about to buy that stuff when no one else would eat it with a 10 foot pole. I don't have to worry about the vegan kids wanting what the others have because they don't want it and vice versa. The other kids think their food looks nasty.

I think you missed a part of my quote .

Heck I don't even let parents bring food from home for me to serve even if all I have to do is pop it in the microwave. It creates too much chaos. If I'm serving chicken sandwiches and green beans and some kid had his mom bring chicken nuggets (tyson) all hell would break loose. NONE of my kids would eat the sandwiches and they would ALL want chicken nuggets. Unless they have special needs or have a specialized diet for religious, medical or personal beliefs (allergies, vegetarians etc) I don't allow food from home unless it's a special occasion. I just make sure to tell the parent that they didn't eat very well.

Popping food into the microwave isn't hard really but comparing vegan food to chicken nuggets isn't comparing apples to apples. More like comparing apples to dung . I agree that you'll have no trouble with the other kids wanting to eat that food . I have a friend that's a vegan and all of her food smells and tastes like licking the back of a stamp and chewing on cardboard.

[Daycare Mommy]

It's been a while since I took care of a baby, but maybe you could try mixing it with another baby food or cereal and gradually raise the amount of "greens" vs. whatever you mix it in with.

[MN Mom]

It's been a while since I took care of a baby, but maybe you could try mixing it with another baby food or cereal and gradually raise the amount of "greens" vs. whatever you mix it in with.

I mix it with rice cereal or mixed cereal...makes no difference. If it's not sweet, he doesn't like it..and I'm not about to put sugar in it.

I have tried 1 bite of peaches for every 2 bites of greens..same deal. No crying when he gets the peaches...screaming bloody murder when he gets the greens.

Oh well...maybe I should take Quality's advise and just give up. It WOULD be easier. Though, I'm not the type that takes the easy route as a norm.::