Parents: Protect Your Food!

Toddlers are weird about their food. Toddlers will eat things based on what plate they come from. They will refuse a food one day and eat something the next. Zoe goes to daycare 8 hours a week. I have found out that things that she won't eat at home, she will it at daycare. It is maddening.

Milk. The milk saga has been a long one. Zoe was a formula baby and she seamlessly transitioned to milk on this fabulous sippy cup called the Nuk Active Cup. I wrote about it here. At about 15 months, Zoe became disinterested in her milk. We tried everything to get her to drink her milk. I have used every toddler cup that I have. I even bought new cups. I have given it to her at all times of the day. I have given it to her in a grown up cup, with and without a straw. She simply won't drink her milk. It sadness Nate and I so because we love milk. I will keep trying.

 Back when she used to drink milk. 

Trying to get her to drink it while playing.

When you have a toddler in the house, you realize quickly that you have to protect your food. This is why "secret eating" is a reality in a parent's life. Lunch time is the worst time for toddler food thievery. Zoe loves that her daddy comes home for lunch on most days. One of her favorite things about having him here is eating most of his lunch. Some days, she will eat lunch at daycare, eat more at home and then eat most of daddy's lunch. She sits on his lap and eats his sandwich and then takes one bite out of each of his chips. Poor daddy.

As most children do, Zoe loves cookies. Other than the Gerber Arrowroot Cookies, she doesn't get many from Mommy and Daddy. However, Mommy and Daddy also like cookies, specifically Oreos. For some reason, no matter how quiet I am when I get an Oreo out of the package, she knows. It's like a silent alarm goes off in a toddler when a cookie has been sprung from the cookie jar or package. Those toddlers will find you with that cookie and they will pressure you, no torture you, until you share that cookie. When you don't want to share your food, you end up in the closet, in a corner in the kitchen, in the bathroom and various other places. You also master the skill of quiet eating. You know that if you open a bag of chips or chew too loud, they will find you and demand you give them your food. The struggle is real people, the struggle is real.

The other day, we were all out and about and it was gaining on lunchtime. I was getting cranky because I was getting hungry. We pulled into McDonald's and Nate ordered some nuggets for he and I to share. Before we pulled out of the parking lot we hear a little voice from the back say, "nuggets?". Busted! She is getting too smart. She really doesn't eat nuggets that often, especially from McDonald's, but she spotted Mommy slip a nugget in her mouth and we her forced to share our nuggets. There is no such thing as "secret eating" in the car.

What does else she love? She loves corn cut from the cob. She doesn't really want it from frozen or a can or even on the cob. She likes to watch you cut it from the cob. She loves cheese. She loves cheese in all forms. She is an equal opportunity cheese eater. Raisins. She eats raisins when we go shopping. As soon as she is sitting in the shopping cart she starts pleading for "Rajis". Her love for raisins is very intense.

These corn pictures will never get old.

Ahh!

Those two little teeth!

Toddler eating is a strange part of their little lives. It is frustrating and hilarious for a parent. Like all of her phases, I know it will end someday. Also, I know I will be sad when it ends. Kids grow up way too fast.

Chowing down on Target popcorn.

Morning waffle.

Yogurt face.

Eating a lime. That face is simply amazing.

That's all for now. God is good.