When Hayden is hungry, that boy can eat.
Like many kids there are some days when he simply isn't hungry, but when he has a good appetite-- move over & watch out. He will easily consume larger-than-adult portions. He has always been that way since infancy... (not the portion size of course, but just eating well in general).
Even as a newborn when babies are on a liquid diet, he used to make this sort of humming noise when he was being fed. Then when he graduated to puréed foods, we used to say he was just like a bird... he would sit there with his little mouth in an "O" shape waiting for someone to put the spoon in. Feeding time was almost always successful & it was extremely easy to ensure he had balanced nutrition.
But as he developed, so did his now sensory-driven diet. I don't think there are many foods that he doesn't like the taste of, but holy hell do textures get in the way of our options! It is super frustrating.
The list of "typical" foods he will not touch has always included many items that are practically staples for most people. Such as... a bowl of cereal & milk... juice... pasta... sandwiches in general... yogurt... most fresh fruits & vegetables that are firm, smooth, & moist-- he can't handle the texture.
He will eat applesauce sometimes, also he has had watermelon before, & occasionally (but rarely) he will eat a spec of a broccoli floret or an asparagus tip (or something like that)... but not often. Thank goodness I can put chopped spinach in his omelets-- (thank goodness he'll eat eggs--) but that's pretty much it from a fruit or veggie standpoint.
On Monday I was making Dan a sandwich & Hayden said he wanted one too. It's pretty common that H will ask for something which he either doesn't really want or would not eat anyway. I humored him & thought what the heck... it's just a roll & cold cuts. If it gets thrown out, it gets thrown out... not like I have to stand at the stove & cook something.
I made his sandwich on a round kaiser roll (sans cheese or mayo), & then quartered it. He ate the whole damn thing & then asked for more.
!
Flippin' amazing!
But we thought for sure this was a fluke. One & done. He must have just decided he wanted a sandwich, but it will never happen again. It was awesome to witness, though-- from a kid who just doesn't really eat foods that you have to pick up & bite into. For example, an apple or a chicken drumstick... he feels the same way about sandwiches. He will eat pizza (sloppily) & doughnuts of course (while either wearing half or covering the floor with it), but mostly food has to be cut up for him... even hot dogs. It's sort of a long explanation about oral motor challenges, but you'll have to take my word for it.
The point is, something very simple that most people would not think twice about for one second is a very big deal for H: just eating a sandwich.
Well, the next day, he was with my father while I was at work. After I got home my dad told me they went to the diner for lunch, & H had a hamburger.
Woah. What?! Basically the sound of a record scratching went off in my head.
I said, "I don't understand. He wanted the meat? You just cut it up for him?"
Just to get you up-to-speed the thing is, H will eat meatballs or meatloaf but never burger patties. We've tried.
My Dad said, "No, he ate it on a bun. I cut it into quarters & he ate it & then he asked for more. I ordered another one but he didn't eat the second one."
So I said, "How did you know he was going to eat it?"
(I mean, out in public at a restaurant with H... the last thing you want to do is order something he might not eat, when you know he is actually hungry.)
And then my Dad said he ordered chicken fingers for himself & figured they could just switch.
Since then, Hayden has eaten two more sandwiches... one for lunch on the very first day of school, & then again this morning!
Granted it was a breakfast replacement because he was being stubborn, but for this I did not care.
My kid ate a sandwich! He ate sandwiches!
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