18 Month Old Not Eating Usual Foods

I took an Infant/Toddler Health, Safety and Nutrition course last semester. I learned-

Parent's responsibility- Provide nutritious meals, and decide when mealtimes are going to be served, and how long the mealtime will last.

Child's responsibility- Decide how much to eat and if they will eat at all.

Very simple formula, children will not starve themselves. Sometimes they are genuinely not hungry or interested, and it is okay to honor that. You sound like you are following the formula. The best thing to do at mealtime is to offer/encourage him each food several times, and let him make his own decision about being hungry:)

Also, have you tried letting him serve his own portions? I work at a Child Development Center in the 12-24 month class and we let the toddlers serve themselves from the serving dishes, it really makes a difference and boosts their autonomy.(little serving spoons are used) We also offer each untried food at least three times during the mealtime, and a good portion of the time most children will accept a food by the third offer:)

Good luck!

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Oh dear --- to me -- the cheerios are a bit of a cave - and the fruit even more so -- ( that's just me) --- I would make the servings of them smaller and smaller --- and just calmly remind him-- '''ummmm this chicken/rice/veg - what ever is prepared''' is SOOOO warm and tasty!!!""" -- I know it is hard - but he needs to know that dinner is dinner and please, M.- promise you won't cook something different-- it will stunt his desire for better food.

Bless you dear heart-- you'll come to a place where you feel good about the structure you provide- he really, really needs you to be the adult on this one.

Blessings,
J.
aka-- Old Mom

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I will say that I purposefully didn't read any of the responses because this topic can make me really mad so I apologize in advance if I am duplicating any responses.

I have a 15 month old who is having that exact thing going on. Her eye teeth started to descend and it took me a while to connect the two and I was FRUSTRATED by the fact that she was hungry all of the time but wouldn't eat a darn thing so I feel your pain.

Once I figured out it was her teeth it was a lot easier but finding food she will eat has not gotten any easier. She likes something one minute and is spitting it across the room in another minute. She won't try anything new and foods she loves (normally) she won't touch. I am really grateful that we are still nursing and also very grateful for polenta and thick greek yogurt and honey. That is what she is surviving on right now.

This is my thing about the food. It is virtually impossible to control if a child (particularly a baby) will eat. There are two things that we as parents cannot control--what they will swallow when, and what/when stuff comes out the other end.

These babies aren't even toddlers yet and while they are smart and they are learning things and picking up on things, making an issue over their food, in my opinion, is what will lead to eating troubles later. I kind of view it as the same as when an older child is sick....you feed them whenever they need it and it is usually different than what you are eating. If you have a normal routine, which it sounds like you do, variance from that for a while isn't going to hurt or set off terrible habits, etc. Once the phase (or teething) has passed, you will bring them back around to the way that your family operates and more than likely without any problem.

My sister gave me a tip once that has helped quite a bit lately....take baby washclothes, roll some of them with the fuzzy inward and some with it outward until you know what your child prefers, wet them well but not dripping and put them in the freezer (with or without a bag, your preference). Once they are frozen give one to your little guy and see if he gets relief from that. My daughter's whole demeanor changes when she has one to put on her erupting canines, you can just see how good it feels.

Good luck to you!

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He's probably teething, or otherwise not feeling well. We just went through a couple of week stretch with our 16 month old where he was barely eating anything. Now that he's over his cold, he's eating much better. I wouldn't worry too much just yet, his eating habits will probably return soon. In the meantime try to offer him things that will be easier to eat (if he's teething)...like yogurt and fruit, applesauce, etc...

Hope this helps.

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My son was also a great eater until about that time. He ate all fruits, veggies, meats, etc. Then all of a sudden he wouldn't eat anything I put in front of him. My problem is only at dinner time as well. I'm told this is a common stage toddlers go through. I guess they are trying to assert their independance. I agree that you shouldn't make specials meals to accomodate him. If you start that now it will be harder to get him to eat what is prepared for the whole family as he gets older. I tell my son (who is now 2.5) that this is dinner and if you don't eat it you don't get any other snacks/food for the rest of the evening. He complains sometimes but is starting to realize that if he eats dinner he gets a snack he enjoys (healthy of course) after dinner. As hard as it is for me to let him go to bed hungry I do it if he chooses not to eat his dinner. If you decide to try that approach be sure to act casual about it. Tell him matter-of-factly that this is the only food you will get for dinner. If you make a big deal of it then he may look at dinner as a negative experience and fight you even more. Good luck.

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my sons were the same way when sick/getting sick.

unfortunately as a separate person, it's hard to tell how they feel until something becomes more obvious.

Along with Teething at 18 months,.it could be sore throat or an ear ache. You could try giving them some pain medication - then try again to feed them in 30 minutes or so.
You could also try something soft and squishy; applesauce, yogurt. warm; mashed potatoes or oatmeal. not so much chewing involved and easy on pain.

For me - I'm not opposed to giving into their true and tried favorites (cheerios) when I know they must be hungry and haven't eaten well.

oh,. and only a little related,. but came up for me last week.. Beware the phrase "mom, my stomach hurts" - it's almost always followed by throw-up. you have probably been there done that w/ your older son

all the best,
mk

Oh, don't give in! Do make sure there's a wide range of food groups on his tray, though. If you put a twinky, cheerios, sugared yogurt etc. on there, that's what he's going to want ;-) Why is food so difficult??

I wonder if he could be teething. Just keep serving what you are eating. If he is hungry, he will eat. it is just a matter of fact. If he doesn't eat at dinner and you feel like he still needs something before bed, wait awhile and offer a small yet nutritious after dinner snack, Like cheese or cottage cheese or a banana or something he likes(but not a treat). But make it small like a treat, not a meal.
Sometimes kids just don't eat dinenr because they have gotten what they need during the day.
I totally understand maybe offering a small thing though to help get thru dinner and make it a pleasant experience for everyone. But just make sure it is something small and he doesn't make his whole meal.
It is probably just a phase. it will pass. I think we have all gone thru it at one time of another.

It could be teething. It could be the flu. It could be he doesn't like the texture of what is being served. It could be that he's overly tired when you sit down to dinner seeing as how he doesn't have a problem at breakfast and lunch. You might want to feed him first before the rest of you sit down to dinner or eat earlier. Maybe eating earlier or having him take a nap in the afternoon before dinner. He is developing his own likes and dislikes, his own personality and it will manifest itself in many ways. You don't need to be a short order cook fixing many different meals, but if he ends up being allergic or sensitive to a particular type of food, you will adjust the family's menu or fix him something different. If this lasts longer than a couple of weeks, mention it to your pediatrician and get their advice.

Hi M.!
I know exactly how you feel. When my son was around 2 he decided he didn't want to eat anything! But I followed the same rule as you, he got whatever we were having but I also made sure he had some fruit that he liked so that he would at least eat something. They will go through many stages of eating. I would keep to your schedule and have him eat when you eat, what you eat he will make his way through it.
Another tip, don't be afraid to have your kids try everything you try, they may not like it now but I have found my son eats many different things because we have always given him many things to try. He is also not afraid to try new foods. Good luck!

I always put everything I cooked on the table. My son, who was an extreme picking eater, would only eat meat and potatoes--forget noodles, vegetables, healthy stuff.

Even in high school. But he always was healthy and handsome. He grew to 6'2". I never fussed about it.

If he didn't eat the meal it was removed and that is all that was available until the next meal. He wasn't an unhappy child--an never skinny. I was never upset or worrisome about what he ate.