The Girl in the Red Shoes

  • Home
  • About
  • Shop My Favorites
  • Shop My Instagram
  • Breastfeeding Diaries
  • Contact

Uncategorized | May 5, 2016

When you have a child who doesn’t eat

If you are a mom, you’ve probably been down this road. Your child, who used to eat every thing you put in front of him or her suddenly wants NOTHING to do with food. They become super picky and only want to eat foods that are a certain color. At our house, it’s not just that Hudson is a picky eater (he’s three, so yes, he’s kind of picky) but it’s also that he just is not interested in eating. He would rather play or run around like a crazy man than stop and eat. I’ve tried everything…taking him shopping and letting him pick out the foods we will make. Having him help me cook. Putting food on a stick. Cutting his food in to fun shapes. But nothing has really worked as a long term solution. He might eat something one day and the next day tell me it’s yucky and won’t touch it. Or he’ll eat three bites and be done. 

I used to let it stress me out (and if I’m honest sometimes it still does) but I’m learning to just let it go.  When’s Hudson’s hungry, he’s HUNGRY and will scarf down a plate of food while I stare him down try and figure out where my real son went and who the strange boy that is actually eating belongs to.  So I know he won’t starve. And according to his doctor he’s healthy and right on track for height and weight. But most days Hudson wants nothing to do with food. The ONLY thing that has worked for us is to make a smoothie every morning. As soon as Hudson wakes up in the morning he asks for a smoothie…and has ever since he could talk. If it weren’t for these smoothies I don’t know what I would do! So, since he won’t eat, I have to get creative and pack those smoothies full of goodness. Here’s what I typically blend up each day:


Frozen berries (usually strawberries)
Any other berries I need to use up like blueberries or black berries
1 – 1 1/2 fresh banana
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/4 cup tofu (for extra protein!)
Chia seeds (sometimes)
Juice (watered down 50%)


This usually makes about 2-3 smoothies, depending on how much I dump in there. My husband and I drink them most mornings too! I found these cute plastic cups on etsy for Hudson and he loves them.


Sometimes I get really sneaky and add in a cube of frozen left over purred sweet potato, carrots, or green beans that Sadie won’t eat any more to really pack in the nutrition! Shhh…don’t tell my husband!


Another way that I make sure Hudson is getting the nutrition he needs is to give him our most favorite vitamins from OLLY. Every OLLY blend is formulated to be super effective by pairing nutrients in powerful combinations that are designed to meet a specific health benefit. We currently have the Mighty Immunity, Super Brainy, Happy Tummy, and Growing Bones gummy vitamins from the OLLY Kids line and Hudson loves them! And I love that they are natural and healthy for my growing boy.

I let Hudson pick two each day and he absolutely LOVES having a choice…and surprisingly he switches his selections up each day! I think it makes him feel like a big boy to pick out his vitamins himself. 

Want to try OLLY for your child? Right now they are giving away:

  • A year supply of your choice of two OLLY Kids Wellness Boosts 
  • $250 gift card to Tea Collection
  • $500 gift card to Target
  • $100 gift card to Starbucks
  • And a year supply of Method cleaning products
  •  You can enter the giveaway here. 
    I’ve partnered with OLLY today but my love for their kids gummy vitamins is all my own. Thank you for supporting brands that help make this blog possible.

    « A day in the life
    My Greatest Accomplishment »

    Comments

    1. Three boys and a girl blog says

      May 5, 2016 at 1:45 pm

      I could have written this post. My son won't eat anything. Pancakes, waffles and block cheese are about it. It's so so so frustrating. He won't even try anything. I'm going to try this smoothie and see if by some magical way he will drink it! Also totally picking up these vitamins stat! Happy Thursday!

    2. LMW says

      May 5, 2016 at 2:03 pm

      I have been waiting for the smoothie recipe to try with E.

    3. Shayna @ The Fancy Yancey says

      May 5, 2016 at 2:09 pm

      I have always loved that you give Hudson smoothies!! Jack isn't picky yet, really the opposite but I know our time is coming. I will be pinning this for future reference & may start making them soon for Jack! Thanks for sharing!!

    4. bev says

      May 5, 2016 at 3:49 pm

      When I make Hudson's smoothie, I put more spinach in so it is REALLY green!!

    5. Meghan says

      May 5, 2016 at 5:21 pm

      I love this and can totally relate! There are days where Noah won't eat much at all, then randomly he will have a day where he eats all his meals and is constantly requesting more healthy foods! We do a similar smoothie each morning and I love that I know he's at least getting something healthy each day! Right now Noah loveds his Flinstones vitamins but I really love the look of these!!!

    6. Jessica Kessler says

      May 5, 2016 at 6:41 pm

      This is awesome! I need to make smoothies because I seriously think Cam would eat more that way and I could sneak veggies into his diet. I love your recipe. We will be trying it. 🙂

    7. Ashley Dorey says

      May 5, 2016 at 7:38 pm

      I really need to get back into making smoothies! Wyatt is pretty much the same way. Occasionally he'll go for some strawberries but otherwise it's chicken, noodles, & cheese.

    8. Hall Around Texas says

      May 6, 2016 at 7:19 pm

      This was so Mason at this age! We literally had to make him stop to eat. And even then it wasn’t much. And he’s picky…his food groups were chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, milk, and yogurt. That’s all he would ever eat. But, as he has gotten older he is more interested in food and eating and is even trying new things. So, there is hope, Mama! I’m going to have to try smoothies with Mason. He’s weird on texture, but it’s worth trying. Love these pictures of Hudson and his little cup is precious. Have a great weekend and Happy Mother’s Day!!!

    9. phyrglory says

      May 7, 2016 at 12:04 pm

      I'm sure it's a 3 yr old thing, but we have the same kid Haha. He's go go go all day long and picky as can be. Current trend for breakfast lunch and dinner (if he's interested) is crackers. Le sigh…

    10. Caley-Jade Rosenberg says

      May 7, 2016 at 5:59 pm

      Smoothies and juices are the easiest way to get all the nutrients in too!! Absolutely LOVE his cup! x

    11. Jennifer Currie says

      May 18, 2016 at 4:13 pm

      Could you post the link to the Etsy cup? Thank you!

      • the girl in the red shoes says

        May 19, 2016 at 10:20 pm

        It's from an Etsy shop called Remembered Once More!

    Lately on Instagram

    My sunshine girl 🌻 My sunshine girl 🌻
    She’s got a smile that it seems to me Reminds me She’s got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky
    Adding some fall to my kitchen with @geometry.hous Adding some fall to my kitchen with @geometry.house towels!
    Soccer moms unite! Items linked in my bio. Soccer moms unite! Items linked in my bio.
    “We go together like blue skies and sunny days. “We go together like blue skies and sunny days. Like a picture on a page. Like PB&J. We put the ILY in family.” We can’t stop singing the songs on the Growin’ Up Country Vol. 1 album over here! I’ve always loved country music and love that this album features original songs with positive messages that I can sing and dance along to with my kids. The album is fun and sweet and just so magical. We couldn’t love it more! You can find Growin’ Up Country Vol. 1 on all music streaming platforms. Pop on over to @nashville.moms for details on a fun giveaway! Share your favorite Growin’ Up Country Vol. 1 song for a chance to win a family bundle! #GrowinUpCountry #CountryFamJams
    This is 11! Happy birthday Hudson! I love you to t This is 11! Happy birthday Hudson! I love you to the moon and back a million times forever.
    It really is true when they say the days are long It really is true when they say the days are long but the years are short. One day I’m struggling to carry two babies at a time while wrangling a toddler and then next minute they are all off to school and practices and friends’ houses. With all three kids in school we’ve been thinking a lot about their futures and how we are going to one day pay for college. We set up a Michigan Education Trust 529 plan for each of our kids when they were babies and I am SO happy we did! With a MET account, we can pay for future college tuition at today’s prices. With MET’s discounted age-based pricing the earlier you start, the more you are able to save! Plus grandparents and other loved ones can contribute to my kids’ accounts too! With MET you get back what you put in if your child chooses a different path and the money goes with you if your child goes to school out of state. You can even transfer it to immediate family members and all contributions to MET plans are tax deductible! To learn more about how to set up a MET account and the benefits of starting your child’s account early, check out my stories or the link in my bio. @mieducationtrust #sponsored #SETwithMET #MI529 #collegesavings #METSept2023
    Let’s put together a tween boy gift basket! Let’s put together a tween boy gift basket!

    Copyright © The Girl in the Red Shoes 2023 · Design by Alpine Lane