Monday, February 23, 2009

Potato (A Toddler Eating Habit Discussion)

Let me preface this by saying The Boy's eating habits are pretty good for any child his age, especially considering his particular issues. Therefore, this is in no way a complaint session regarding The Boy's dining practice but rather an observation of what is, I am certain, an ordinary practice among toddlers.

Potatoes. The Boy enjoys them baked. He will eat them with or without ketchup. At breakfast when we go to the diner, he likes hash browns with ketchup. At our diner, the hash browns are just pan-fried potatoes. He doesn't eat much of them, because he is far more interested in eggs and pancakes. However, he is less enthusiastic about the shoestring hash browns at IHOP. He hasn't eaten french fries in at least a month, and he no longer has any interest in potato chips, if you can imagine that. Despite the fact that his oncologist said that if all he wants to eat is potato chips, let him eat chips all day, rather than eating nothing. He used to flip for chips and dip (not intentional, the rhyming, but it works) and now has no interest. He also doesn't like garlic mashed potatoes although I guess that isn't too much of a shock.

I wonder why he is no longer interested in chips and dip. Unfortunately for me, I still love them. Tastes change rather quickly with toddlers, probably more so with him. Also, when he finishes a round of chemo, we usually stay away from chips and gear his diet toward foods that are easier on his stomach. By the time he would have otherwise been over his post-chemo stomach, he then had a bit of an illness. Then we were sick and couldn't even look at a potato chip. Once he was clear to eat them, he didn't want them.

Disappointing, because it was a word that he would say consistently. Asking for "ips" once a day or so.

He isn't great at eating vegetables all the time. I guess he gets enough of them that I'm not worried, and for some reason he LOVES his vitamins.

Tomorrow's excitement is free pancakes at IHOP in honor of Mardi Gras. Can't wait!!!

1 comment:

areyoukiddingme said...

Free pancakes! DD would love that. Between the book If You Give A Pig A Pancake and actual syrup, pancakes are high on the favorite food list. She is (surprisingly) not that interested in chips - she asks for them and then doesn't eat them. Maybe toddlers are just not that interested in that kind of fat intake. She'd rather have cheese and butter and chocolate...