I can only guess what toddlers think when you put certain foods in front of them. Especially, vegetables that aren’t up to their “consistency standards.”

It took a while, but I’ve learned that toddlers, who are picky eaters, will be picky until they grow out of it. Or I should say if they do.

There were times that I’ve tried to think of it as a phase as I worked up two separate menus; one for my little ones and one for the rest of the family. On a few occasions, my husband told me that I should consider adding short-order chef to my resume.

He has no idea that I added it when Tabitha turned two. It was a cute moment between my daughter and I as I tried to feed her pureed peas.  Tabitha just smiled at me and shook her head. She refused it then, and not much has changed when it comes to veggies now.

Maybe I should’ve worked a little harder at introducing veggies into her world. When I tried, she wasn’t interested.

Thinking back to another one of my favorite, “yuck moments,” with Tabitha, I’d have to say it was the time when I tried to feed her some carrots that I had spooned onto to her plate. The look on her face said, “You try it first.”

Can you imagine what went through my mind? Let’s just say that I’m glad they’re passed the stage of having to feed them mushy vegetables.

After watching Tabitha surf through her picky eating stages, I was seriously beginning to wonder if she was getting enough to eat.

At one point, she only wanted a specific cereal for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly for lunch and chicken for dinner. As long as her chicken wasn’t on a bone or covered with sauce, she was fine. Her favorite kind of chicken was baked. Hmm, what mom could complain about that one?

After several more food wars, I began to freak out. Questions that flooded my mind were: “Was she getting enough to eat?” and “Was she receiving all of her nutrients?”

When I talked to her pediatrician, I was reminded that not only would my daughter be fine, but that if she were hungry, she would let me know.

So to avoid any more messes, depending on her mood, I quickly learned to make adjustments. Instead of giving her straight out veggies, I’d mix it in with some of her fruit.

Just like in the picture above, Tabitha finds a way to entertain herself with foods she doesn’t like. That was my third attempt to get her to try pasta. Instead, she decided to practice learning her letters.

I’ve got to give her credit for being creative!