Grrrrrrrr! My child is a Nutella Monster!

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13

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  • Charlie003
    Charlie003 Posts: 1,333 Member
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    Yes. I agree. Lazy on my part.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Try compromise...tell him if he eates 5 bites of dinner, he can have two bites of Nutella..and if when he finishes more..he can have more nutella.

    Rewarding children with a sugary snack for eating healthy food? What's next? A Snicker's bar for every apple? Sounds like a way to develop really bad eating habits.
  • mormonmomma11
    mormonmomma11 Posts: 358 Member
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    Honstly I'd "wean him off". Try Carrots/Strawberries/bananas dipped in Nutella, or "Ants on a log" (celery with peanut butter/nutella and peanuts or raisins ontop). Make Nutella Pancakes and slowly transition to peanutbutter pancakes... Use the Nutella as a hook to get him to try new foods. If you are worried about his fruit & Veggie intake - try nutella zucchini brownies, etc...

    He is so little that there aren't very many things he can control in his life - eating is one of the few things that he has any say over.

    Let him help you cook dinner. Kids are always more apt to try things that they helped make.

    When my younger sister refused anything but bread my parents set up a "Restaurant" for her. They made a menu with bread-free options and made it a game, my mom was the Chef, dad was the customer and my sister and I were the waitresses. When she realized she had choices and that she could make her own choice - suddenly she was open to enchiladas, pasta and soup.

    When my little guy (15 months) he doesn't like to try more than 1 thing at dinner (if we do peas, pasta, and chicken - he'll only eat the first one that he tries). In order to get him to eat a variety of foods we all take one bite of peas, then 1 bite of chicken, then 1 bite of pasta. When everyone is doing it together he thinks it's much funnier. Now he points to what food we should bite next (again, asserting his ability to make a choice). When he pionts to the chicken we all take a bite of chicken. At least now I know he is learning to like a variety of healthy foods :)

    Good luck - only you know your son so take my suggestions with a grain of salt ;)
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
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    I was an on demand feeder. If they were hungry they ate if they were not I did not force them, I used to put an array of items on the plate and was told by their Doctor they would eat what they need. I was also told by my Aunt to not withhold dessert so I never did. Mac n Cheese, hot dogs, cereals were always good staples for the stubborn eater. Now 21 and 22 they feed themselves...know what is good and not good, one is a member of MFP (turned me onto it) and very active athletically. We are parents, not miracle workers...kids ultimately "do what they do"
  • SuzieMae78
    SuzieMae78 Posts: 52 Member
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    My son is addicted to Nutella spread on cinnamon swirl bread!! I pack it in his lunch for school.

    Ideas for lunch or dinner: my kids love anything pasta, I always offer a fruit and/or veggie, homemade mini pizzas - make them on a english muffin and they can make them self. baked potato bar. PB & banana sandwich made on bread or tortilla.

    Good luck!
  • leomom72
    leomom72 Posts: 1,797 Member
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    i could eat a whole damn jar of nutella at once :wink: what about mac n cheese, or chicken nuggets, or pb&j ?? good luck..if it has to be nutella, put 2 tbsp of nutella on a tortilla, cut a banana length wise, place in the middle and roll up..thats a good snack that incorporates nutella and other food
  • angiemartin78
    angiemartin78 Posts: 475 Member
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    MY son is still at the run into walls and fall down stairs phase. Complete Id complex. No negoiations. Plus, he will force himself to throw up if I let him cry. Little Bastered has me by the short hairs.

    My daughter used to do this to get her way when she was 2-4 years old and it drove me crazy!!!! I talked to her pediatrician about it and he said let her do it and then make her help clean it up...She stopped after having to clean up her own puke a time or two. :noway:
  • Springfield_Rocks
    Springfield_Rocks Posts: 289
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    Not to be all judgey and junk, but it scares me when a grown adult has trouble out smarting a two year old.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    My kids would go through a jar in a day. I quit buying it. It's like crack! :laugh:

    They have found a snack sized variety for $1.50 which includes cookie sticks to dip into the Nutella. They have to buy it with their own money. I'm such a mean mom! :laugh:

    I remember having trouble with both of them at that age, trying to get them to eat something. Here's the thing, at the age of two, the child will not starve. Also, little ones are asserting their independence. Eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom are the only things in their young lives that they can actually control. Make healthy snacks available, but don't trip if a 2 year old sticks with one food type for a few weeks. Sometimes they might just want protein all the time. Then several weeks later, all they want are carbs. It is perfectly normal for kids to go through times when they will only eat one food. Just keep trying. You might even try not buying it once and see if that doesn't break the habit.
  • nursewhitman
    nursewhitman Posts: 24 Member
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    You can take a hard line approach. No more nutella...

    Offer your child his meals...any food is kid friendly! When he is hungry, he will eat, if he isn't hungry, he won't eat. Kids are simple like that. Just keep simple rules, food at table, no juice or milk in between meals, offer water, and offer nutritious snacks through the day.


    I wouldn't force him to stay at table though until he eats, that is going to cause you more issues.

    Two years old can survive on only a 1/2 a sandwich a day, so each meal only a few bites is going to be enough food, so don't force the issue. They also tend to want and eat the same food every day, that is normal. By introducing different foods, slowly with the foods he likes, that is the way to expand his palate. Don't make an issue over any foods whether he likes it or not, keep it low key and casual. That way food and eating doesn't' become a power issue between the 2 of you.


    I completely agree. Forcing food is a bad idea. Stop letting him have everything he wants. Make dinner. Eat it or don't. Period. You want to break this cycle now.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Try compromise...tell him if he eates 5 bites of dinner, he can have two bites of Nutella..and if when he finishes more..he can have more nutella.

    Rewarding children with a sugary snack for eating healthy food? What's next? A Snicker's bar for every apple? Sounds like a way to develop really bad eating habits.

    How can you have your pudding if you don't eat your meat?
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Try chocolate milk; tastes great and has calcium, protein, calories, and fat.

    um....and about as much sugar as Nutella!

    ^^^^ That's what I was thinking. Just let the kid have some Nutella if you are giving him sugar anyway.
  • LosinItAll2012
    LosinItAll2012 Posts: 238 Member
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    My 6 year old loves Nutella, Peanut Butter and banana sandwiches!!!
  • StormyLlewellyn
    StormyLlewellyn Posts: 96
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    Im not to be trusted with nutella in the house... lol
  • hkevans724
    hkevans724 Posts: 241 Member
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    2 yr. olds are tough, but the good thing is they can't go to the store. If you don't bring it into the house he'll forget about it and when he's hungry he'll eat. Just give him healthier options.

    http://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/

    THIS!!! If parents don't feed their kids junk then they won't get "hooked" on junk!
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    MY son is still at the run into walls and fall down stairs phase. Complete Id complex. No negoiations. Plus, he will force himself to throw up if I let him cry. Little Bastered has me by the short hairs.

    This behavior will continue until you stop giving in. Then it will stop.

    This behavior will continue until you stop giving in. Repeat this in your mind over and over. If you are already letting a 2 year old win, think of how bad it is going to be when they are 8, 12, teens. You have to take control now. You have already let it get way out of control.
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
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    Take him to the produce section of the grocery and let him pick out something that looks really cool. Include him in meal planning and let him help with the preparation. Because it's his choice, he might me more apt to eat it....hopefully. My son used to be pretty picky but once he started helping prepare meals, he ate up everything on his plate.
  • ObtainingBalance
    ObtainingBalance Posts: 1,446 Member
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    This is how my younger sister is! Lol! Not so much with nutella... but refusing meals and only wanting one thing. Obviously, it's not OK to let her choose cookies and ignore all meals. I agree with other commenters, A child WILL NOT starve theirselves, when they see you won't budge... they will eat something else. Put the nutella up high, tell them they can only have it for a certain meal or snack, don't just let them have it for meals. Maybe allow it for breakfast on a biscuit, toast, banana..
    This is just a game the child is playing.

    I lovee nutella , lol.

    Try other fun meals, try to find some new favorite foods :P
    Does he like peanut butter..?
  • branson101
    branson101 Posts: 173 Member
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    my son was the same way with chicken nuggets. If he was forced to eat something he make himself throw up. He did go to bed with out supper. He did eat other foods but has always been particular, not only about what he eats but how it is prepared. I've watched portion sizes, made sure that he exercised and took vitamin (even if I had to crush them in food so he wouldn't notice) and he's always been healthy. The kid rarely even gets a cold and we live in the Midwest.
  • LosinItAll2012
    LosinItAll2012 Posts: 238 Member
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    my kids were extremely fussy as toddlers - and it can become a very emotional battle as you desperately want them to eat healthy, and they are bound and determined to show you they are the boss.

    Have put that long behind, as my kids are now teenagers, so here is the wisdom I can share:

    No child has ever starved to death if there is a wide variety of delicious, healthy food available for them to eat.

    It might seem like they will try to starve - but hunger will absolutely bring them to eat. Put out whole grain toast with peanut butter, a variety of fruit and yogurt, scrambled eggs, cheese and milk. If the child refuses to eat, don't make a scene, just clear the table, and re-offer the same healthy choices a few hours later.

    Trust me - you will win this one - and the sooner you do, the sooner you launch your children on a path of healthy eating choices - so they don't end up on MFP with a weight problem when they are adults! :laugh:

    I agree..... I had a very picky toddler, only ever wanted cheese toast.... I stressed myself out trying to get him to eat healthy... but now he's 8... and I realized that the stress I caused myself was just silly... he wouldn't starve... he will survive on cheese toast! lol That stubborn "fad" quickly passed and was forgotten about!

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