Peanut Butter Sandwiches

[Anonymous]

How old is she, OP?

At 2, I'd say let her eat the PBJ - she'll grow out of it soon enough, and probably is feeling the need for some control over her life.

At 5, no, I think it is reasonable to say she can pick breakfast and lunch (but has to have some fruit, dairy and veggies too), but dinner is whatever she wants to eat from what is served to the whole family.

[Anonymous]

My son went through a serious PB&J phase - had one for breakfast and usually lunch. He also ate fruit and carrot sticks and yogurt for lunch or breakfast, but there always had to be a PB&J. That lasted maybe two years (3 & 4 years old) and now he is on to shakes. Has two of those a day, now. Funny, I make them with peanut butter and honey, but throw oatmeal and a banana in, too, so he gets more good stuff.

[Anonymous]

My 2.5 year old DS asks for a PB&J every single day for lunch. I make it about 60% of the time, and the other times I pretend that we don't have any more peanut butter so I can't make it. I then offer him 2 or 3 other choices, depending on what we have in the house (usually grilled cheese, hummus sandwich, or quesadilla--nothing fancy). Most of the time, he's so distracted by the choices and the notion that he still gets to choose his own lunch, that he forgets about the PBJ---most of the time....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way we do things at home is breakfast and lunch is their choice (after being given options). Dinner is dinner. At dinner they have to have one bite of everything and most of the time they will polish off at least one aspect of it.

And we do teach whats "breakfast food" and "lunch/dinner food" and "dessert". That way when our 2.5 year old asks for a cookie for lunch, we can tell him that a cookie is dessert and he can't have that.

Kids often go through food stages. Some kids are picky (and by picky that doesn't necessarily mean spoiled). Our 2.5 year old is pretty picky. I don't see an issue giving her PB&J for lunch everyday. I'd try to diversify a little for other meals. You could also try PB and banana, PB and honey, and other alternatives.

I'm hoping to teach DS this. Too bad DH has cookies for breakfast every day

I wouldn't sweat it. My ds asked for graham crackers for breakfast today and I responded "if I give you graham crackers for breakfast, next you will be asking for cottage cheese to go with it and then you will want a banana too..."

Graham crackers, cottage cheese, and banana - there are a lot worse breakfasts out there.

Good one!

[Anonymous]

You may be able to switch it up with almond butter, etc. for some mild variety. My only concern would be if she's eating them around other kids, to verify those kids aren't allergic.

[Anonymous]

I don't even buy PB. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:funny enough- i was just talking to my best friend, mid-30s, annoyingly picky eater. if we were not friends since childhood i would probably have found this trait so annoying to the point of avoiding dinners with her had we met in adulthood, she's that picky! anyway, she still adores peanut butter, thinks i am crazy for having made the switch to natural PB in college (didn't eat it growing up, we had a fit when my mom tried to take away the JIF).................and get this, blames her own mom for making her so picky. she said she used to have a tantrum ever night at dinner, refuse to eat, cry, leave the table and an hour or so later her mom would bring her the loved pb sandwich, well into childhood (not difficult toddler phase). her tastes never developed, and she acknowledges that its her choice now but she loves to blame her mom a little bit too.

Being picky as a kid is one thing. Being picky as an adult is her own fault entirely. Now, maybe she is in what I would guess is a small group of people who have really strong aversions to some flavors and textures, and it means they can only eat plain buttered pasta, but if not, then she just needs to own it. Her mom made her food that wasn't peanut butter sandwiches and she never bothered to try it.

And I let my pb&j obsessed kid eat it for 2 meals a day sometimes. It could be worse, and I suspect that if I continue to make and offer other foods, he eventually will learn to like a wider variety of things. And if he doesn't, and he turns into an adult that eats pb&j and cheerios, that's on him.

[Anonymous]

I don't want this to turn into one of those 15-20 page threads where moms argue endlessly about food, eating disorders, pickiness, and everyone quotes endlessly from "Child of Mine" and recommends feeding clinics.

But I have a very, very picky eater and I have to say I would weep tears of joy if she were begging me to eat PB & J for all her meals. Instead, if she doesn't like the food, she just refuses to eat. I think if you have a child who wants to eat, who will accept an easy substitution and it's not a big deal -- run with it.

[Anonymous]

My 3-year-old has a pb and honey or pb and jam sandwich just about every day after school. Then a while later she'll have something else for lunch, from a range of changing options. OP, I agree with the PPs who say to just run with it and try to get her to eat some sides with her sandwich.

[Anonymous]

Depending on how old your kid is, OP, it's worth trying to diversify before she gets to school and potentially CAN'T have PB at all.

[Anonymous]

Would she allow you to put other stuff in too? Adding banana slices, apple slices, cheese, etc. in lieu of jam might broaden her horizons in a gentle way.

[Anonymous]

I'd start feeding her that NASTY natural PB, the stuff with the oil on the top, no sugar added, and only slightly salted. She probably will start to hate the sandwiches and ask for something else. If you can't do that, then I would at least buy decent PB, I like the Wegman's organic one.

Personally, I too have a pickey eater. I have starved him out and it works. Its painful to do, but eventually they will break and eat what is in front of them. I'll start with the veggies, next move to the protien, and then the carbs. If I go give him the meal all at once, he'll eat the carbs, nothing else and screech and demand more carbs. He just turned 2

[Anonymous]

Don't count on the love for PBJ getting old. I am 32 and still love my PBJs. Sure, I use whole-grain bread with a thin layer of natural PB and a teaspoon of good jam, and I do a single slice only, but I would happily eat them daily. And generally do.
I also wouldn't count on using natural PB to turn kids off, because my 2 yo steals bites of my PBJ despite my using the nothing-but-peanuts (not even salt), stir-in-the-oil, type of PB. Then again, he's never known anything else.

And now, excuse me, I think I need my fix for the day.

[Anonymous]

How old? Toddler. It's probabably a phase. My son went through many phases where he only wanted one food or went from loving one to hating it. Just keep offering other stuff also. And it will soon be over (and don't be surprised if she hates PB in a week).

If older, I'd find a compromise. She can have half (or quarter) of a pb sandwich, but only after she eats a few bites of whatever you are serving. Gradually move to having her have to eat more and more of the other food. And then move to only having PB two meals a day, then once a day.