Food Fight

Let me preface this whole entry by saying this:  Andrew is a sweet, tenderhearted boy who is such a pleasure to be around.  He is so funny, so smart, and amazes me daily with the things he thinks about and talks about with me.  I love being his mommy.

The ONE area in which Andrew is not such a pleasure to parent is the issue of eating.  He is the pickiest eater I've ever personally known.  I was a picky eater as a kid, so I sympathize, but I eat WAY more than he does.  The kid would live on peanut butter crackers if we'd let him.  He refuses to eat many "kid foods" like pizza, PB&J sandwiches, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese...It is so bizarre to me.

Foods he will eat willingly are grapes, blueberries, bananas, apples, baby carrots, crackers, chicken nuggets, french fries, and any kind of sweet treat (ice cream, cookies, cake, brownies, etc).  We limit the more unhealthy items to special treats once in awhile, but let him eat unlimited amounts of the fruits and carrots. 

We have tried bribing him with action figures (have I mentioned how the boy is OBSESSED with Star Wars?) and/or candy.  We have tried begging.  We have tried being patient...We are at our wit's end.  I am thinking its time to just let the boy starve.  I am so tired of standing in front of the fridge listing everything in it, hoping he will say he'll eat ONE thing in there.  I don't want to be a short order cook.  I'd like to be able to make one meal and everyone eat some of it.  (Hannah will eat anything that's not nailed down and then some!) 

I can't help but feel this is somehow all my fault.  We started Andrew on solid foods early (@ 4 months) because his reflux was HORRIBLE and solid/thicker pureed baby foods stayed down so much better and he did so well with the spoon.  However, when we tried to transition to real solids (i.e. an actual pea instead of pureed peas), he stopped eating his veggies.  At that point, I should have laid down the law and given him no options.  I was too paranoid about him not eating to let myself do that.  Now, I know better.

I am only 4'10" and Andrew is short, like me.  He is in the 5th percentile for his height, but he comes by it honestly.  Chris thinks he will grow if he eats more, but I think he will eat more as he hits growth spurts.  Not sure which one it is, but our pediatrician seems to agree with me.  He is not concerned and says Andrew is as healthy as can be, and that when children are not growing at as quick of a rate (but still moving at the speed of light), they crave quick energy (carbs - like crackers!) to help them keep going, but they don't necessarily require the fat and protein we might think they need.  I certainly don't want him to be obese, and I remember the trauma of being FORCED to eat certain foods, so I certainly don't want to do that to him...but I am worried and in need of advice.  Any words of wisdom for me?