October 7, 2008

The Battle with Food

My constant and only battle (right now) with Hunter is over food. He's never been a big eater. Most recently, my problem is that I prepare two meals for dinner, one for Heath and I and one for Hunter.  I decided that had to stop.  Hunter's problem isn't that he doesn't like certain foods, it's that he won't try them to even find out.  He decides what he will and will not eat based on what it looks like.  

The mentor in a class I'm taking at church suggested that maybe I let Hunter be involved in the cooking process.  I started trying this just last Thursday and it has made a HUGE difference so far. Letting him see what goes into his dinner must be just what he needed. We've cooked noodles, homemade chicken nuggets, pizza, and a quesadilla with chicken and cheese and he's eaten it all!  All of those meals minus the pizza are things he's refused in the past when I put them in front of him for dinner.  I haven't tested the limits too far.   We're starting small.  Baby steps. I'm so proud of him though.  It takes a little more time and effort and some extra clean up to let him help, but it's totally worth it!

Helping me cut green peppers (with a dull spreader)
Cutting green peppers (with a dull spreader)

Putting them into the bowl
Into the bowl they go

Putting cheese on his pizza
Making a cheese pizza

2 comments:

radivonyk said...

He just looks so cute! Zach helps make his chocolate milk every night. He will throw himself on the floor and refuse to drink it sometimes if we ACCIDENTLY made it without him!! It looks like Hunter needs a chef hat too!!

Yellow Beads said...

I think you have a little chef on your hands!