We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat

Amidst a childhood obesity epidemic, I find myself with an anorexic child. OK, he's not really anorexic, but the kid doesn't like to eat. At his last doctor appointment, he was down to 27 lbs from a previous 30. Granted, he was at the doctor because he had walking pneumonia and hadn't eaten much in the past few days, but he lost 10% of his body weight! While in the hospital (with the pneumonia) the nutritionist called us to see if we needed any advice since R had fallen off the growth curve. He used to be between the 5th and 10th percentile, and now he's below the 5th percentile, I guess.

When the twins were babies, I used to make babyfood from scratch. I like to cook and we had a really nice blender. It was actually really fun. I loved to see the look on their faces when I gave them a new food, like pureed asparagus, for example. Once they got older, though, R just got picky. Part of his problem is that he doesn't like to get dirty (an affliction L definitely doesn't share). It took him a long time to learn to use a spoon proficiently because he was too worried about spilling on himself or getting his hands dirty. This morning, I had to cut up an ice cream bar and feed it to him myself, because he couldn't pick the thing up without making a mess.

Not only is he reluctant to try new foods, but he also refuses to eat foods he likes sometimes. For the past few months, I've been skipping lunch entirely because I was sick of trying to force him to eat something. Now that he's lost weight, though, I guess I'll have to keep fighting that battle. Here's an example of what I would ideally like to feed my kids:

Breakfast
Whole-grain oatmeal w/ brown sugar and whole milk
1/2 a banana
Whole milk

Snack
Apple slices
String cheese

Lunch
Low-fat yogurt (naturally sweetened)
Carrot sticks
Whole-grain crackers
Whole milk

Snack
Whole-grain toast w/ butter
Whole milk

Dinner
Whatever we're eating, including lean protein and vegetables
Whole milk

Instead a typical day looks more like:

Breakfast
Dry Alpha-Bits eaten while playing computer or watching TV
Whole milk

Snack
Fruit snacks (may as well be candy)

Lunch
1-2 graham crackers
Whole milk

Snack
none

Dinner
Frozen Mac & Cheese
Whole Milk
Cookie

The above would actually be a pretty successful food day for him. Some days he eats nothing more than a yogurt and a fruit roll-up before dinner. I find myself breaking all the rules. L is a much better eater than R, but she's still very small. According to the AAP children should have no more than 4 oz. or juice per day. I let them have as much juice as they want. According to my hubby, most kids switch to low-fat milk between the ages of 3 and 4. Mine still drink nothing but whole (unless I run out). When the kids were babies, I was determined to allow them only small amounts of sugar each day, as a treat. Now, if they want ice cream for breakfast, they get ice cream for breakfast! Anything to put some weight on the little runts.

Hopefully, these crazy eating habits will get better as they get older and by the time they're teenagers, they will eat a balanced diet of whole grains, lean proteins, and lots of fruit and veggies. One can only hope....