On Monday, my little princess was scheduled for her 3 year checkup. After weighing and measuring, the nurse told me she is in the 50% percentile for weight and the 80% percentile for height. She is such a picky eater after moving from baby food to solid foods but I just chalked it up to her being a typical toddler. During this transition, her pediatrician told me it was not uncommon for toddlers to have smaller appetites or be very selective on food choices.
During our visit, I wanted her pediatrician to offer some suggestions on providing a more balanced and nutritional diet. One thing I discovered is the amount of juice I allowed her to drink on a daily basis. I believed as long as the juice was organic, 100% juice, 25% less sugar or diluted with water it was acceptable. Her pediatrician instructed me to only allow 4-6 oz of juice per day. She said the juice consumption was more than likely filling her tummy and causing her to refuse solid foods. I know that in addition to juice the rest of her liquids should be milk or water. One thing I did resolve to do with my kids this year is to encourage more water consumption.
If my little princess had her way she would eat cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, chicken nuggets and drink milk. Her pediatrician suggested giving her a fruit/vegetable juice blend, veggies with a dip, hummus or guacamole. I also wanted to confirm whether a multi-vitamin is necessary and of course her pediatrician said absolutely. My fingers are crossed as I attempt to get creative with her meals.
This is going to be an interesting journey and I welcome any and all suggestions from other mommies who may have meal planning ideas that work for their picky eaters.
