Picky Eater? Try a sibling...

Fortunately, our daughters have never been "picky eaters." Amanda and Eva have always had healthy appetites and versatile palates, and this is something I am very thankful for. It makes mealtime so much easier, and I never have to wonder if they are getting a well-balanced diet.

Avocados? The girls devour them like candy.

Kale? I have actually heard Amanda exclaim,"Kale? I love kale!" which is something I had never even tasted until adulthood.

Peas? Green beans? Broccoli? If it's green, they probably love it.

On the other hand, try to feed them Spaghettio's, tomato soup or other supposedly "kid-friendly" foods, and you will be meet with an upturned nose... and possibly a dish of food on the floor, as Eva likes to do when she rejects something.

Last night I made a dinner of garlic bread and cream of asparagus soup, thinking it was a good night for comfort food. Neither Amanda or Eva would eat it. Amanda pushed her bowl away saying it was "yucky", and Eva simply turned her bowl over and slowly poured the contents onto the tray of her booster seat.

Now I am not usually one to make separate meals for the kids vs. the adults, and last night was no exception. I have been heard saying,"This is not a restaurant." or "You'll be awfully hungry in the middle of the night if you don't eat some of that."

However, assuming they have tried a least a few tastes of what is in front of them, I will usually find a few alternate options in the fridge or pantry to "supplement" what I have already served.

Last night, I was rummaging around in the fridge for the old stand-bys (cottage cheese or applesauce), and heard Amanda proclaim,"Mama, I'm feeding Eva my soup."

This I had to see, especially after Eva's less-than-positive review of my homemade concoction.

Sure enough, I turned around and watched as Amanda fed Eva spoonful after spoonful of the creamy green soup. Amazing!! Eva wouldn't eat it by herself, but with Amanda helping her, she was all for it.

And, even more amazingly, once Amanda saw how much Eva was enjoying it, she too began eating her soup!

Hmm... not so bad after all.

Amanda's expression pretty much mirrored what my face was registering.

Now, really, I shouldn't have been surprised by this incident. Instantly, I had a flashback to when Eva was a newborn...

As a baby, Eva absolutely refused to take a bottle. When faced with the option of a bottle or a missed feeding, Eva chose the fasting route. If any of you remember this trying stage, it's proof that I am not exaggerating.

Dave and I tried everything under the sun... various brands of bottles, different types of nipples, Dave/other friends/family holding the bottle, etc. No matter what, Eva would not budge. She wanted Mama, and Mama alone. No substitutes. (That right there should have been a warning sign for us. She is no less stubborn at 16 months than she was at 2 months!)

When Eva was around 5 months old, I had all but given up on the ideas of bottles. I resigned myself to the fact that I would just have to nurse exclusively (i.e. be chained to her), and was about ready to pack up the breast pump and the myriad of bottles.

I actually gave a few of Eva's bottles to Amanda, so she could pretend to feed her dolls. I figured if Eva wouldn't use them, Amanda may as well use them as toys.

But one day when Amanda was playing "Mama" to her dolls, I heard her little voice proudly say, "Mama, I'm feedin' Eva a bottle."

Without looking, I said,"Eva doesn't like bottles...."

But then I turned around - and could barely believe my eyes. Sure enough, there was Eva sucking away on an empty bottle being held by Amanda. Immediately I jumped up and said,"Let's put some milk in the bottle, and you can feed Eva."

And wouldn't you know it, the little stinker drank every last drop when Amanda proudly held the bottle. I was over the moon!! This granted me freedom to have a glass of wine or go out on a date without having to be home in 2 hours!

This has been yet another learning experience for me. From now on, when Eva resists something, I need to remember to let Amanda have a go at it. She's proven herself twice now, so she may just be my "secret weapon" in this game of parenting.

Come to think of it, Eva really doesn't like having her teeth brushed. I seriously may let Amanda try it this evening. I'll let you know how that goes.