Thursday, May 28, 2015

Picky Eaters!

My just turned 3 year old has to be THE pickiest eater on the planet.  It was so bad that back in February I booked an appointment (with our Dr.'s referral) at our local children's specialist center and could not get in until May 29th!  I was desperate and was having a hard time waiting and felt May would never come.  That is until they called to give me a quote of 1k$ for the cost of the initial evaluation. And yes, we do have insurance. Sigh.  That's when I threw my arms up and booked another appointment with my pediatrician.

See, my toddler has not eaten a single vegetable since her pureed baby foods at 6 months of age.  It's been oh, 1.5 years!  And fruit is about the same. She hates bananas, strawberries, blueberries, etc. She also won't get near any kid-friendly food like chicken nuggets, pizza, or french fries. And yes I have tried putting them on her plate like 20 times without pushing it.  I even would pull the, "you can just touch it and see how it feels, you don't have to put it in your mouth." But no. I couldn't even get her to play basketball with blueberries in a cup.  The girl would.not.touch.them.

So her eating life has consisted of cheese, yogurt pouches, Annie's bunnies and peanut butter on a spoon. Oh, and she loves Cliff Kid Oatmeal granola bars.

Our doctor said she obviously likes different textures so it's not a sensory issue.  She is gaining weight so there wasn't any worry there thank goodness.  She basically told me I needed to read a book by Ellyn Satter called How to Get Your Kid to Eat: But Not Too Much. She said, "read it, just read it. And then give me feedback. I want to know if it works."

I was like, no way will this work.  Mealtime had become something I dreaded. I never had to go through this with my now 5 year old. She doesn't always eat her veggies, but she tries them and can spit them out if she doesn't like them.  She also eats chicken, fish, hummus, avocado, fruits, etc.

But man, the constant making several meals for members of my family was becoming a beating!  I remember babysitting for a family of a 6 year old and the father telling me he didn't want his kid to run mealtime, that it's so easy for his kid to turn meals into a restaurant and making 3 meals for his family. Boy was he right!  That had become my life. I make meals for the grown ups, serve some of it to my 2 girls, but also make extra things I know they will eat.  And articles I had read in parenting magazines and books said if I didn't fix this now, I would have a 7 year old that only ate pizza, 3 meals a day!  Now I know some kids do have sensory issues or on a spectrum do eat the same thing for consistency.  They don't like change and new foods are hard for them.  For those, an eating specialist is definitely needed.

But my girl unfortunately was just being a stubborn red head.

So, I am in the beginnings of the Satter book but so far it has really started to help.  She basically tells you that parents decide WHEN to eat, WHAT to serve and WHERE to serve it, and the child decides WHETHER to eat or HOW MUCH to eat.

Here's how it works:

1) You put food on their plate that you know they will eat, and then also put things on their plate that are new (things you are serving yourself).

2) You don't talk about the food, no pressuring to eat, no "just taste it", no "just one have more bite"

3) Dessert is not tied to the if or how much they eat battle, so no baiting or bribing with dessert.  Satter advises to serve dessert with dinner (try not to have at every meal though).

4) Meals need to be family meals as much as possible, so kids see their parents eating and enjoying their food too

5) AND the magic words if they put up a fight and say "yuck, I don't like it!":

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO EAT IT"

Yep, those 5 little words are all you have to say.  Period.  No fighting, arguing, bribing.

This philosophy puts kids in control, because we all know you can't control what your child eats (hello, just like the potty training issues where we can't make them go :) Power and control are huge with kids, so this approach lets the child decide what to eat off their plate and how much.  And they can have seconds if there is enough left.  They listen to their own internal hunger cues and food is not a reward or punishment.

So far it has worked great. I made eggs, bacon, fruit and toast for breakfast (which I figured she would only eat the peanut butter I put on the toast), but she ate everything on her plate minus the blueberries.  I just put my plate, her sister's and mine on the table, and started to eat. Didn't mention a thing about what was on her plate and she ate it. I mean, ate the bacon too!!  I didn't reward her and get all excited and make a big deal at all.  When she was done, I told her she could take her plate to the sink.  Wow!  I wish I had tried this all sooner.

I am so glad my child is not going to turn into a granola bar anymore, since that was all she was consuming.  I know it will go in baby steps and there are time she eats just 1 bite on her plate.  I'll report back in a few weeks after I finish the book and to let you know how she is doing.



Sunday, May 17, 2015

Dallas Summer Kid Activities



Summer is almost here!  That means no school, ice cream and snow cones, summer camps, and finding ways to pass the lazy days of summer.  Now that my kids are a little older, I have come across a pretty good list of places to help beat the heat in Dallas too.  

Outside Fun
  • Ridgewood Recreation Center remodeled their splash park a year ago and it's lots of fun for kids to run around without the hassle of a pool!  There is also a playground next to it for fun before or after swim:


  • Arboretum picnics in the morning (before it gets too hot)

  • Top Golf  for putt-putt

  • Playgrounds that have padded surfaces with some shade are Scottish Rite Hospital's playground and Coffee Park at Hillcrest and Northwest Highway.  We had our daughter's 2nd birthday party at Scottish Rite awhile back and loved it!

  • Klyde Warren park downtown also has a lot to offer, including splash areas for kids to run around, food trucks and a park. If you are feeling adventurous, you can try to take the Trolleydown there too. 



Movies
  • Cry baby movies at the Angelika recommended for babies under 6 months on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 1:30pm.
  • Alamo Drafthouse also has summer movies for kids in the mornings. This summer they have Curious George, The Iron Giant, and Willie Wonka (2005). Check out their site for more details here.
  • Studio Movie Grill has Summer Kid Movies Mon-Friday at 11am for 1$ kids and 2$ adults, check the schedule here.  They will have How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek, etc.
Indoor Playgrounds
  • Pump-it-Up on Forest Lane has open gym play Monday-Fridays from 10-11:30am and from 12-1:30pm.  7$ first child, 5$ additional child.  You can now reserve a spot online! Check out their Online Registration here.
  • JumpStreet indoor trampoline park has open jump from 10am-9pm Monday-Sunday and is 4$ if under 4 and 8$ from ages 4-7.
  • The Perot Museum has an area on the lower level for children under age 5 to play and run around in, with water play, climbing structures and art activities.  Just beware the museum and parking gets crowded in the summer with kids out of school!
  • Walnut Hill Rec Center on Walnut Hill and Midway Rd. has open play/gym for children through age 4, Monday through Fridays from 10:30-11:45am for 5$. Express Cheer Open Gym
  • CooCoos.  Ok, so technically this place is in Plano and I haven't been yet, but CooCoos is a huge indoor bounce house type place. 8$ for children 4 and older and 5$ for 3 and under, open daily from 10-6pm. 6505 W Park Blvd.
      
  • Lake Highlands Rec Center now also has a great indoor playground for our littles from ages 0-5. It's 3$ for open play, Wildcat Fun Zone operates weekdays from 9-10:30am, 11-12:30pm, 3-4:30pm, and 5-6:30pm.

  • Indoor Playgrounds at Galleria Mall and Willowbend Mall.  I prefer going to the Galleria one in the mornings when it's not as hot (it's on the top floor) and not as crowded :)


  • The Treefort at Watermark Church has a great indoor play area. Check out the daily schedule of open hours here (scroll down).


  • We also love going to the Fair Park Aquarium. It's small so it's not too crowded, parking is free and kids of all ages love it! Plus it's air conditioned :) 8$ for adults and 6$ for kids 3+

Libraries and Storytimes
  • Reunion Tower has storytimes on Wednesdays this summer from 11am-11:30am on the GeoDeck! There are crafts and storytime. Discounted admission, 8$ for kids 4-12 and adults 14$. Details here.
  • Barnes and Noble at Lincoln Park also has storytime on Tuesdays at 10:30am
  • Northpark Bookmarks Baby Bounce and Tickles for Toddlers. Check out their calendar for weekly times: 
  • Tuesdays at Whole Foods Park Ln has storytime and crafting at 10am! We love going here for the free snacks too!
  • Pottery Barn Kids off Knox also has a Tuesday storytime at 11am
  • Storytimes at Lochwood Library on Fridays at 10:30m or Skillman Library at 10:30am on Thursdays.  Also Highland Park Library has them daily at 10am, click on link here.  The Preston-Royal location also has a different activity each Tuesday at 10:30am from music classes, to storytimes.
  • For fun weekend storytimes, visit the Half Price Bookstore on Sundays at 3pm for children under age 10.
  • Richardson Public Library I've heard has the best area for kids with an aquarium, lots of stocked kids books and a train table. Check out their schedule for storytimes though as you have to register beforehand here.
    Food/Restaurants
    • Best indoor restaurant playground is at the Chick-Fil-A at Southwestern and Central Expy, and Hillcrest Ave because it's not as crowded!
    • Bake and Play/ Lakewood Salon at Mockingbird and Abrams is a great indoor play area for kids.  Complete with dress-up clothes for girls and boys, playscapes, train tables, doll houses and food to feed your youngster!  It's 8$ per child, but if you buy a 10 pass punch card, it's 5$ a child. Don't forget socks for you and your kids!





    • Monster Yogurt in Casa Linda is also a great way to cool off the summer with a froyo AND an indoor playground!  Check out their site here.

    • Sno snowcones!  The best way to beat the heat, just wish it had indoor playground. But they have the best all natural flavors made in house! Meadow and I-75.

    Hope this list helps fill up your Summer fun! If there are any other places I've forgotten, post in the comments below. Happy Summer!