There is perhaps no complaint as common among parents of little ones as their munchkins' eating habits.

In the beginning, the infant's first encounters with nourishment other than milk are enchanting. The delicate flakes of rice cereal appear almost ethereal, the miniature utensils charming. Both camera and camcorder are readied upon the baby, who is decked out in a tiny bib and propped up in a high chair, wondering what the cause of the hullabaloo is. Into the mouth pops the spoon. A look of surprise. Then, if all goes well, the infant will, like a baby bird, open wide for more.

Our experience, however, was different. Due to allergies on both sides of the family, my husband and I had held off on solid foods for slightly more than six months. By this time our daughter was set in her milk-loving ways. The spoon, along with any accompanying vittles, was quickly rejected.

Perhaps it was the type of food. Or the texture. Or how we fed her.

For 10 weeks, four times a day, we tried every alternative we could imagine. Sweet fruits vs. plain vegetables, finely chopped vs. pureed offerings, utensils vs. eating with the fingers. All met with resistance.

At the same time we were conducting allergy testing, one new food every four days, trying to place a sample in her tightly closed mouth as she swiveled her head in the other direction. Would this feeding saga ever be resolved?

Meanwhile, our friends were exploring options for their own, more amenable offspring. A wide assortment of jarred food was available, from organic sweet potato to mixed tropical fruits to those based on flavorful Indian dishes.

Doting parents would feed their child homemade kabocha and organic yogurt while they themselves consumed takeout sandwiches for dinner.

After nearly 300 unsuccessful spoon-feeding attempts, my husband and I started our daughter on regular food, albeit cut into miniscule pieces to prevent choking. Lo and behold, she actually took to that method, essentially skipping over the spoon-feeding stage entirely.

Milk was still the sustenance of choice, however. Gallons filled our shopping cart as she would drink up to a quart a day. The volume of food ingested remained an issue, with her weight at 18 months hovering around the 5th percentile. However, our daughter's pickiness had waned; she would happily sample what other keiki traditionally shun: broccoli, lamb, asparagus.

Reports began streaming in from fellow parents of toddlers. A certain half-pint avoided ingesting dairy products, one stuck to health food like tofu and veggies, while yet another would not touch meat unless it came in the form of a Chicken McNugget.

Still, there were those more experienced parents who had advised, whenever we faced a challenge like this one, that it was only a stage. They were right.

At long last, our daughter began polishing off more at each meal. When before she would barely eat one-tenth of a serving size, she could now consume several servings.

Soon she even began asking for the food on our plates. When our toddler happily began feeding herself with the very spoon to which she was once averse, we knew, without even weighing her, that she would be fine.

Monica Quock Chan is a freelance writer who lives in Honolulu with her husband and children.