For a while there, my son would eat only a small handful of foods: puree pouches, rice, sweet potatoes. Every kind of meat I tried was met with objection — texture, taste, appearance ... maybe all three. Fresh veggies got the big thumbs-down, but green beans in a can (yuck!) were a safe bet.
But during this time, when I was soooo unbelievably frustrated at dinnertime, I found there was one thing I could reliably turn to. And that was spaghetti night. It couldn't miss! I used rice noodles, which hubby says you can't tell aren't wheat. The sauce was never the same, but at its simplest, some ground beef and/or sausage with a jar of simple sauce from Sprouts. Dinner was on the table quickly and easily — and my son would eat! And when he eats, the mess doesn't bother me.
Then, a strange thing happened several weeks ago. I was doing a spaghetti night once every seven to 10 days. One night I put my little dude's food on his plate, and he turned up his nose. I was perplexed. Maybe he wasn't feeling well, I reasoned.
But then, several times in a row — refusal to try what I thought was his favorite meal. I tried different sauces, different shapes of pastas, different meats.
Nothing appealed to him.
I was going crazy. What kid doesn't like spaghetti!?!? Didn't he know I was making it for HIM?!?
Then, it occurred to me that he doesn't like to combine his foods. Like a lot of toddlers, my son wants his food divided.
So, after all those weeks of irritation, the solution was a simple one: Don't put the sauce on the noodles. But plain pasta is sooooo boring, you say. Yes, yes it is. But he ate it plain without complaint. And he — separately — enjoyed some sausage in tomato sauce.
So, while my husband and I don't necessarily need a spaghetti night in our rotation every week, it sure is a nice, quick easy option to have in the back pocket. Whenever the kiddo wants to put sauce on his pasta, he can. But for now, we can call the case of "Why Don't You Like Spaghetti Anymore?" CLOSED.