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Feeding the Beast… I Mean Toddler

Maggie eating

One of the best things about CF is you can eat whatever you want. The diet of a CFer is high fat, high salt. With the trouble that a person with CF can have in gaining weight, the plan is to load up on calories and build body mass. The only problem so far for my family is that you can’t force a toddler to eat!

Just like any other toddler, my daughter has her days of eating everything and then her days of not wanting to touch even her favorite foods. Yesterday she flat out refused to eat dinner at all… not even a bite. This is tough to take when you know she has to gain weight and avoid ever needing a feeding tube. Plus, I don’t want to show her I’m bothered by her not eating because I don’t want her to associate food with stress. Here are some strategies I’ve picked up along the way.

* Don’t make a big deal about it if she is eating.

* Don’t make a big deal about it if she isn’t eating.

* Don’t even talk about the food other than telling her what it is.

* Give her what’s on the menu and that’s that. For a while, I would just offer different things but since she can’t fully communicate what she wants it became this horrible guessing game and waste of food and she was becoming quite spoiled.

* As she is getting better at understanding and responding, she gets two choices at snack times.
I add calories to her food through butter (on bread and veggies) and olive oil (on pretty much anything) and add Carnation Instant Breakfast and heavy cream to her whole milk (which she loves). She also dips fruit in almond butter (easier to do than with peanut butter). If she isn’t going to eat a lot, at least I’m sneaking in a few more calories and a little more fat.

Often these ideas are easier said than done. Even as I type this, she is asking for chips for breakfast. Yes… potato chips. She can see them on the counter and wants them. Chips for breakfast? What do I say to that?

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About Nancy

I am a freelance writer focused on parenting children with special needs. My articles have been featured in numerous parenting publications and on www.parentingspecialneeds.org. I am the former editor and publisher of Vermont HomeStyle Magazine. I am a wife and mom to a two daughters, one with cystic fibrosis and one who is a carrier for cystic fibrosis.