How to Feed My Son

It seems like an easy thing, feeding your offspring. From breastfeeding to formula to baby food to solids, the concept is simple. But when you have a 5 month old that won't drink more than 2 oz at a time or an 8 month old who gags on pureed baby food, eating is a harder task. If I knew how to feed my picky eater then my life would be much easier. Instead I spend lots of time looking up recipes that he may try and looking up tips. Getting tests done on his stomach and throat. We also spend an hour every Thursday with a therapist to talk about why he doesn't eat much. So a how to would be wonderful.

Instead, this is about how I feed my son.

Here he is, at 14 months old and 16 (almost 17) pounds. He is my clingy, whiny, non-sleeping, loving, cuddly, beautiful man cub and this momma bear could not love him more. But it's such a struggle to get him to eat a normal meal. He picks at his food and throws it on the floor or takes it out of his mouth. I understand that toddlers are tricky, but even with the foods he likes, he eats the bare minimum.

This week I have been working on structured meals and our homework from the therapist is to work on him eating meats. Meats are his hardest foods to eat. He just spits them out or gags on them. So I have been working on new recipes using meats we haven't tried. For example on Saturday we had Middle Eastern Turkey Burgers and sweet potato fries.

To me and my sister, they were delicious. But Ray was not convinced. He ate two bites of the bun (he loves bread), one bite of the burger, and two fries. And his bites as small little slivers. And then he was done. Nothing makes me want to cry more than to watch my son struggle to do an everyday necessity.

This is my struggle and my life.

This is the recipe for the turkey burger: http://weelicious.com/2012/03/05/middle-eastern-chicken-burgers/