15 Month Old Won't Eat Table Foods!

WELL, MY SON IS TWO AND HE HATED THE FOODS YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. wHAT GOT HIM TO REALLY EAT TABLE FOOD WAS MIXING THOSE IN WITH THE FOODS HE LOVES. iF HE CAN EAT EDAMAME, THEN TRY COOKING IT WITH OTHER VEGGIES AND GET HIM TO EAT THEM. hE WILL COME AROUND TO IT. bY THE TIME MY SON WAS 18 MTHS HE WAS EATING ALL HIS VEGGIES AND OTHER TABLE FOODS. IT TAKES TIME.

I had also had a child like that, but now hw is the best eater of all my children. All you need to do is stop feeding him the baby food in jars and give him the table food do not offer him anything else if he still refuses to eat do not give in and feed him the baby food or anything else,he will eat if he gets hungry enough I promise. Just remember don't give in!!!!

Melissa the mother of five

Don't give him food right away. It's O.K. TO let him see something he wants and ask for it.

Hi,
I think with most things, especilly eating, it is all up to you. If you give alternatives, or let thyem fill upu on any sort of snacks they will not be compelled to eat at mealtimes. Obviously you only want the best for your chiild, but sometimes that is being tough with them, and mealtimes are a great example of how we can be tough to show our love. I would cut out grazing between meals, offer only what you want him to eat at meals and let him go without if he chooses to. He will not starve himself, although he might miss a few meals!!
Hang in there.

Try icy peas and icy corn. In that order. Frozen corn is sweeter than peas, so they tend to turn the peas down for the sweeter corn after awhile. Then you just sneek in a few peas with their corn. This might be the fun crunch he likes and gives him a cool snack in the hot summer time.
Both my children like icy corn and sometimes peas, even at the age of 5 and 9. Try other things frozen too, like grapes and other veggies.
P.S. It requires 0 time to fix and there is no clean up, no pots to wash, etc.

Hi B.:
I had the same problem with my daughter, is your baby drinking too much milk?, my daughter didn't eat chicken or any meat until she was 2!, she used to eat cereals, like cherrios, loved bananas, yogurt, boiled egg, the ped told me to give her vitamins, there wasn't anything wrong with the way she eat, every child is different, don't worry, the way I give my daughter vegetables is creams:

1 small potato
1 carrot
1 tsp of butter
a tiny peace of a garlic clove
salt
milk

(You can replace the carrot,with broccoli, beets, squash, spinach)
Boil the potato and the carrot and the milk in a blender.
in a souce pan heat the butter, fry the garlic, add a pinch of salt, add to the ingredientes in the blender, blend until getting a cream, it's delicious and babies loves it!
Hope it will help you
Maria-Gracia O.

My children were the same way until I started using frozen foods and fresh instead of canned. The trick is not to over cook them, where they still have a crisp to them and put them in pieces like other snack foods that he can handle. Even today my kids won't eat anything out of a can unless it is soup or brown beans. And raw veggies with a dip, today they still will eat. My children are 9 and 11 and love their veggies, just not nasty canned ones.

well just try to put a little bit in front of him and keep offering it and eat the same thing the same way in front of him so he thinks itt is yours too or you could try to put some dry rice with it like a stir fry sort of and if not he will be okay he will get over this phase my son only eats french fries and drinks all day long and he is almost three next month and he is healthy as a horse
hope this helps!!

My child is the same way. My child is eventually learning to like these types of foods (chicken and beef). I learned that if I disguise the food in something else my child eats it. If my child won't eat the chicken by itself then I will mix it with mac 'n cheese. Your child should start eating these types of foods I wouldn't worry too much about it!

I would say try some mac and cheese or something like a corny dog also see about cereal with milk,lunchables,oatmeal,peanut butter and jelly just something simple and easy. we worried about protein with my son because of the carbs and it just seemed all junky foods to us even though it wasn't,we drink protein shakes and we would share with him in his sippy cup at the time now he does it in a big cup.My son was the same way still is with some veggies.I have also mad things look cool on the plate turning it into something he could guess what it is.

Let him help cook something and see if he will eat what he helps cook.Picky eaters are a hand full,he may eat something total different from you but you see once you find a certain food he will want it all the time.

My daughter is alos pickty too they get this from theie daddy.So if you guys are picky I am sure that is where he gets some of it.My daughter was into feeding herself so find things that easy for him to pick up and if he is using a spoon or anything to eat try letting him use his hands my daughter thought that was just cool to touch it and she is just now liking silverware,and if he is a hand eater already get him started with a fork if you play like he is killing the food that works.I know playing at the table is not what you want to to but it helped us.

Now they both eat and I just fix what they like and the will eat everything to get dessert.

Hope I was a little helpful.Good Luck

I totally agree with Janet R and Kimberly A. Janet has the technique down pat. I forgot we used to serve our kids veggies first, then the meat course that they liked. If you don't eat veggies--then meal is over until you're hungry enough to try again. No song and dance required on mom's part.

Stop feeding crunchies, puffs, waffles, teddy grahams and pretzels--all of which have no nutritional value for a growing human, and most definitely contain hidden MSG sources like natural flavoring which ruin the brain's response to normal non-exitatory flavors (MSG and MSG containing ingredients are neural exitotoxins that literally destroy neurons especially in children...read Blaylock MD book Exitotoxins, The Taste that Kills). Google MSG sources hidden: http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/MSG.htm

Any kid will hold out for the sweet stuff if they think it's available. I don't even have that stuff in my cupboard. America is the land of abundance and yet our children are growing up with nutritional deficiencies not from lack of availability but from lack of willpower to choose nutrition over sugar. Our family has a candy/dessert of the week program, so our kids can still eat something decadent once a week so they don't feel deprived. Maybe something for a little bit later in 15 month old's life, but definitely a standard to hold to as the mealplanner in the family.

Humans are designed to crave sugar. Other than the last 50 years it was not too available and was a great energy source--like in a raw berry. A sweet taste packs a glucose sugar buzz any child is quickly addicted to. Ezekial 4:9 bread is a low glucose wonderful sprouted grain protein source that could be broken into bits for little eaters. Nourishing. If you have to have one puffy/starchy product try finding an organic, no preservative added cheerio type cereal and use only when it is too difficult to pack chopped apple bits, fruits of all kinds, dried peas, nuts, green pepper bits, cucumber, or zucchini bits. Avocado is a great food for little kids if they're not addicted to sugar. Okra was my son's first real veggie in all its slimy glory--just plain sliced boiled okra.

With all 2 of my kids it was a texture issue. They still won't eat some things because of the way it feels in their mouth, or mabye it looks different. I would keep introducing it! Keep putting it on the plate and you may see him come around after a few tries. Good luck!!

D. mattern-muck
the mom team
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"the only thing that counts is faith, expressing itself through love." galatians 5:6

Maybe you can try puree'ing the dinner foods together, since he'll eat the stage three foods. OR try mixing the stage three jar with some of the pureed dinner foods. You can eventually add more table food and weed out the jar food so he'll be eating your dinners. Once he is used to the texture and taste of the puree, he'll eat the table food. Have you tried giving him frozen vegies and fruits? My kids HATED green beans, but ate the frozen ones like candy! I cut the fruits up in tiny bite size chunks so they wouldn't be too cold.

All children are unique so it is difficult to compare eating habits, or any other habits. I work in the schools with children with special needs. I would be interested in knowing if your son has any other interesting likes or dislikes. It could be texture or consistency like you mentioned. It could also be that the snack items are readily available and you feed them to him in fear that he isn't eating enough. If he will eat 3rd stage baby food, maybe you can puree a serving of the foods you make to the consistency in the jars. You could even go as far as putting his serving in a jar to help him transition to table food. Maybe he prefers more bland tastes, less seasoning. ECI is a program that evaluates children between birth to 3 with developmental concerns. You could look them up in the phone book and at least ask questions. Somebody should come out to your house to ensure he doesn't have dietary or sensory issues that could effect his development.

Hope this helps. God bless

As long as you can afford it, keep giving him toddler foods and offering him the nutritious food he likes. My son has a texture problem too. He wouldn't eat "wet" fruit when he was younger, he is now 2 1/2 and has started to enjoy them. They will eventually eat. Just make sure he's eating right and make sure he's getting meat in his toddler foods.

I am in the same situation. I care for a 15 month old baby that also refuses to eat table foods. I have gotten him to eat srambled eggs but nothing else. He will just spit it right back out. I also care for a 15 month old girl (just 6
days apart) she will and does eat anything. I have tried to let him feed himself and he will not touch anything that is wet. We also eat together and the kids are always fed together in hopes that he will want to eat what she is eating.
If there is help out there it would be greatly appreciated.

I don't have too much to say to help you other than to keep trying! I'm sure it's just a texture thing. My daughter used to eat scrambled eggs and then she didn't like them...? Now I have discovered that she GOBBLES down boiled eggs! Just a great idea I thought I'd pass on!

It may be that his taste buds are a little out of balance. The first foods you mentioned that he eats are "crunchies, puffs, waffles/pancakes, teddy grahams and other snacks (dried fruit pieces or pretzels)" which are processed, high suguar foods. Other foods may not be as appealing because his tastebuds have become accustomed to a sweeter palate and the fruits with a normal sugar balance like blueberries and strawberries seem somewhat tart. Foods like meats and vegetables have no appeal at all. Consider substituting regular fruit for snacks as well as making it part of the meal and cutting out completely all processed foods. Once the adjustment (which will be difficult at first and is a family adjustment) is made, other foods will be more appealing to the taste. You already have an advantage because he likes edamame. Maybe add diced carrots, melons (which are sweeter) to start the process and then gradually add in vegetables, then the meats. In the meantime curb all processed foods, cereals, and candies so that when the regular foods are offered, he's not already full from processed foods, until a balance is attained, then they can be added back in minimally. Good luck.

I recently sat in on a short presentation given by a dietician. I asked her about toddler dietary needs because I worry that my 3 year old son does not eat enough. She said not to worry because children will not starve themselves. Also, she said a good rule for any parent with children of any age is as the parent, you decide what to eat and when to eat, and the child decides how much. Your son will learn that dinner time with the family is when he is suppose to eat. Another tip that the dietician gave is to watch their milk consumption. Yes, children need 3 servings of dairy a day, but all 3 servings don't have to be milk. My son loves cheese and yogart. She said that if a child drinks too much milk, it will make them feel full, and they won't want to eat at meal times.

One final thought, in my opinion, your son is old enough to be put in time out any time he throws food. This will take a lot a patience and determination on your part, but the sooner you can break him of this, the easier it will be on everyone. I'm sure the last thing you want to do after a long day at work it clean up a food mess on from the floor of your kitchen or dining room. And hey, once your son knows that it is unacceptable to throw food and it is left in front of him, he may be more tempted to actually eat it. Good Luck!!!

We had the same problem with our son. We made a consious effort of not making a big deal out of it what he was eating or not eating, and after a while he started wanting to try new things.

We did give him multi-vitamins to make sure he was getting all the requirements, but he did well and still grew well.

We never forced him to try things, we did ask at times for him to give us a "thank you" bite to show that he is thankful for us at least providing the food for him. Many times we found that when he did the "thank you" bite, he would sneak more and eat that too. I feel he did this to get attention, but quickly grew out of it when he learned it didn't get him any extra attention. We still went on with our meal and enjoyed it and he eventually got to where he thought he was missing something so he would actually try things.

Our son was extreamly head strong, and always pushed the limits on everything. I wish I would have bought stock in chicken nuggets and pizza lunchables though. For 3-4 years, this is all he would eat.

Lengthy, but helpful I am sure. Just be patient. It could be a texture thing that they do grow out of eventually. My advice would be to keep introducing different foods as often as possible. It takes a couple or a few years to discover the foods they like most. For instance, I am a mother of 6; my 26 month old son we are just now finding out which foods really work for him, so that is what we try to feed him.

The most important thing is that they are eating something, preferably healthy even if you have to keep giving them the same food while introducing others until you get there. Then, sometimes they get tired of that particular food and are ready to change and you find out they start liking the foods they didn't like before. I believe the key is variety, variety! As much as possible.

For breakfast this morning for example, I offered him a bowl of cheerios, and he did not eat a whole lot but drank the milk of it. So I then grabbed some easy mac, chocolate pudding and a snack mixture of m&m's, chex mix, pretzels, cheez it's and goldfish crackers. We do not force him to eat anything they have to be happy and enjoyable eaters. He ate all of the pudding, a couple of m& ms and 2 spoonfuls of easy mac. I leave it there within his reach to get going back for more when he wants! I hope this helps!!!!!!!!

Tried american cheese slices with a warmed hot dog weiner chopped? My son loves this! (ps, sometimes they have to eat dinner for breakfast if they want to. My son loves leftover pizza slice somtimes with chocolate or strawberry milk and he enjoys chicken-any kind of way!)

I think it is a texture issue. I have heard of 4-yr-olds (boys, mostly) still eating baby food out of a jar because they don't like the texture. While I'm sure many of those boys are going to grow up and be fine young men, there's no way that would happen in my house (barring developmental delays or something, of course). Not because I want to be a tyrant, but because my children know from very very young that mama and daddy are the gentle but firm leaders, not them. I would pick a healthy table food you know he likes, maybe a pancake, and with that establish the rule that when he eats what you have set before him (just a little bit at first), you'll get out something else, which he'll probably like even more, such as a baby food jar that he likes. If he doesn't eat the table food, meal is done (encourage him cheerfully but no extreme coaxing or drama - this is his choice), and the next meal, which could be just an hour or two later for training purposes, he finds the same food in front of him. After he is used to that, choose a different table food that you want him to try and put just a bite of it in front of him. When he eats that, he gets the other table food he likes, then some baby food. If he doesn't try the new food, meal is done, and an hour or two later you try again. This meshes right into our general family food policies, which trains children to make nutritious choices, but respects their feelings of hunger and fullness. 1)very limited junk food in the house 2)if you're not hungry or you don't like what is served at a meal, that's okay, but nothing else till the next meal 3)second helpings of main dish, i.e. carbs and protein, are allowed after a proportionate serving of veggies is gone 4)snacks, for those who ate their last meal, are fruits and vegetables 5)less nutritious food like corn chips and cookies may be eaten as a dessert after a nutritious meal, in proportion to how much the child ate. If he ate six bites of dinner (including veggies), then a just a tiny taste of dessert is appropriate.

Most mealtime battles happen because adults think it is their job to make the child eat. If you look at it that your job is to provide good food and leave the choice to the child when to eat, he WILL eat. Just take him there in baby steps but always leading him further in the right direction.

With so many Americans overweight and all the health problems that go along with it, and the ability to fill every hunger pang with junk food, I really don't think we do our kids any favors by catering to their every food wish. I'm not saying that you are doing that - just advising against going in that direction with the curve ball he is throwing you. Respect his feelings, likes, and dislikes, but you be the leader and decide what he needs.

Hi! I hope this will help. Its helped with a few of my friends and family members with their babies. With both of my children I did not give them jar food. I pureed everything. This was suggested by the pediatrician. If it's green beans, you just simply boil them until they are soft and tender, add a little salt and pepper to it while it's boiling and then blend it in the blender. As my children got older I just blended it less until they were able to eat it without being blended. This made the transition from baby food to table food a whole lot easier because they were used to the taste. Jar food has a very very different taste to what we give them on the table. I did this with their fruits, vegetables and even their meats and both my 11 year old and my 2 1/2 year old eat just about everything! Again I hope this helps =D

I'd keep him on the stage 3 foods. My son ate those up and everyone kept bugging me to get him off and I rushed it. He, like yours, became very picky and had a limited amount of foods. I felt like we lost out on all that nutrition even if it was 'baby' food. He would eat yogurt and certain snacks but not the real table food. Unfortunately, he was going through a lot of the stage 3 foods...several in one meal and that can be expensive. In any case, I'd stick to those and try adding the other foods too...don't rush into it because then he might be eating very little.
I hope this helps!

Try starting with soups with crackers mushed into them. Start with cream of chicken or chicken noodle with the noodles cut up. Try this for about two weeks and then work him up to mashed potatoes with one of his favorite 3rd stage foods on top instead of gravy.
They say it takes several times of trying a food for a toddler to develop a taste and comfort with texture. Good Luck.

Texigan Grandma

A friend of mine used to have that problem with her 2yo. What worked was rewarding him with "stickers." They are basically cartooney pictures on pieces of wood with velcro on the back. The boy is given a piece of fabric with the other sides of the velcro attached to it. The pieces of wood (approx. inch by inch in size & maybe 1/8 inch thick) go in the center of the table - out of his reach and when he eats something new, he gets his choice of "sticker." The ones my friend has only have 5 per sheet. The last time I was over there, he was devouring his asparagus (and smiling!) so he could get his choice of sticker.

Good luck!