what do you feed a picky eater?

As an infant, Ian was a terrific eater. He'd eat just about anything you'd put in his mouth. 



Like all little ones he often got just as much on the outside as he did on the inside. 



While on baby food, he especially liked sweet potatoes and carrots - so much so that he turned orange! I've learned since then that too much carotene   http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/orangebaby.htm will cause this. Unfortunately I think it may have scarred the child mentally.


As he grew older and moved on to "real" food Ian became a lot more selective about the foods he would eat. Basically the staples for him became - cereal, waffles, chicken nuggets, cheese pizza, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and, most importantly, macaroni and cheese. 


If you gave him food he liked, he was a happy camper.  I learned early on not to try and force him to eat things he didn't like. Have you ever seen a kid gag on applesause or green beans? Not a pretty picture. 



Here he is chowing down on waffles. Note the Power Ranger action figure next to the plate. 


There were many years that the boys really thought they were Power Rangers!



Andrew liked waffles too but then he liked just about anything. 


Grilling out is something we've always enjoyed, especially in the summer. For awhile we had a table and chairs for dining outside. Most of us like hamburgers on the grill - yum! But of course, Ian was having none of that. 


He would insist on this: and it had to be Kraft, generic would.not.do.


Yes, macaroni and cheese at the barbeque! 



Hmmm, looks like the dress attire for eating outside is little more casual than it should be.  Really, who lets their kids eat in their underwear and no shirt? 


Thank goodness for our little All-American eater. Though he did have a peculiar way of eating the burger. 

I guess it's sorta like eating corn on the cob, there are two methods... back and forth like a typewriter or around like a watch hand, which appears to be Andrew's preferred method. 


It should be noted that Ian comes by his pickiness honestly. His cousin Joel is listed in the dictionary next to the word. He LOVES mac and cheese too.  At all the family gatherings Pat would fix a huge bowl of mac-n-cheese for the boys. 


I guess Ian never suffered from his "restricted diet" because he's always looked healthy and content. 


And fortunately for us all, he has gradually expanded on what he will eat. He and Joel have seen the error of their ways and now savor the taste of homemade macaroni and cheese. 


However.....


I still have to keep a couple of blue boxes on hand.