Picky Eater

My only advice to you is to just keep at it and a lot of patience. A child can need up to 15 introductions to the same food before they will even try it. I also have a very finicky eater - my "youngest" triplet eats a fraction of what her brother and sister eat. So much so that we have a food therapist come in once a week to work with her on eating and facial stimulation. It has helped and we're making progress but I also still keep some of the stage 3 stuff on hand to ensure she gets enough of what she needs from all of the food groups.

Also, is she still gaining weight? That's one thing my pediatrician checked and told me that as long my daughter was still charting where she should then not to worry. When she that I was probably going to worry anyway she recommended that I give her Pediasure to help supplement her diet. I do give her that one bottle a day and it does seem to help while we continue to work on other foods.

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I was having the same problem and I asked the doctor. She said she may just not like eggs and to offer her the right things and she will eat when she is hungry. As long as she is gaining weight she is fine. I also feed her peanutbutter sandwiches which provides protien and she also likes refried beans. For me that was 4 months ago and my little girl is growing fine. I still try to offer her and sometimes I slip some meat into other food for her and sometimes I am successful in getting her to eat some meat.

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I am going through the same thing with my 16 month old.
The thing with Cayden, I will offer him a food and he will have his mind made up if he is going to eat it. Tonight i tried to give him pizza, and he cried:)- but gobbled up my banana brad. The thing i don't get, he never ever TRIED the pizza, to know if he would like it or not. That's what drives me crazy! Now my guy is teething, so I'm sure it is contributing to this, but even when he's NOT teething he still is very difficult to feed.

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We have had the same problem with my now 2 1/2 year old. She's healthy but her diet contsists of only about 15 foods, most of which are fruits. What worked for us at that age was deli meats, specifically Boars Head Maple turkey, edamame in the shell (which she loves to shell herself), cottage cheese and lemon hummus (Dominicks) on pretzels. Now she's even pickier than she was before but I've been assured not to worry. It's so frustrating. Good luck!!

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My daughter who is almost 9, has never liked eggs no matter what I have done to them. I even tried to make a little "taco" for her and made them into breakfast burritos and made them tiny with 1/2 the shell.

She may not be able to handle chewing the meat yet. Keep introducing healthy foods, she will probably come around. I buy my 16 mo. old sausage links and cut them up very small, you can get flavored, turkey sausage, whatever. He does also like hot dogs, and chopped up chicken nuggets. You can sneak foods into sauces too, if she will eat spaghetti sauce.

My oldest loves the filling inside of stuffed peppers, my next child would eat mild flavored chili, but only on a baked potato. Good luck, I know it is frustrating. :)

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Try foods with beans or serve hummos to replace the the iron, fiber, and protein your daughter may not be getting. My 2 year old love beans of all kinds. She eats mild chili, refried beans, hummos, and pinto beans, but almost no meat whatsoever (except process meats - it's a texture issue). Also the smoothie is a great way to get good nutritious meal into them. I blend non-fat yogurt, fruit, and baby oatmeal using a wand blender with a little sugar or low-sugar preserves. The wand blender is also great for sneaking veggies into sauces and soups...Good luck!

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I make my son a meal and if he chooses not to eat I save it for his next meal which he then gobbles up because he is hungry. Try this for atleast a week be tough. They will eat if they are hungry and if you feel guilty make sure they drink their milk. This works out for me but my son is a good eater he just refuses to try new things. TRY adding applesauce to frozen veggies(helps for self-feeding with spoon), yougurt to milk, spinach, diced broc., or chix to cheese and tortilla. My son snacks on frozen peas and carrots and loves frozen blueberries. Frozen black beans are great for protein, bake beans. I fed my son peanut butter and bannas after he was one. I put yogurt on waffles instead of syrup. I spread the yogurt like jelly and let him feed him self. I strain with water any canned foods like fruits, baked beans. At 16mo. my son loved eating a whole but skinned apple. Just watch for big bites. Use graham crackers for dipping in yougurt or applesauce for a snack. Hope this helps good luck. Little things like this are easier then hiding spinach in brownies.

Also try meat tortellini or boiling chicken chunks. My son will eat chicken nuggets sometimes. He is a picky chicken eater, it is the texture. When feeding give the most imortant food item first and let them feed themselves no matter how messy. Let him own his meal. good luck

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My son, 17 months, also recently became a picky eater. His tastes change everyday.....so, I started giving him yogurt smoothies and kefir....he really enjoys them and it makes me feel better that he has some substance in his belly. I would hesitate about the peanut butter, but I understand there are other "butters" out in the market.
But, you know....sometimes it is not worth the stress ....and one day of cheerios and goldfish crackers never hurt anybody. Good Luck!

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If she eats no meat, you may want to try tofu and some other sources of protein such as almond butter spread on toast or nuts (provided she has no allergies). the book Super Baby Food may be a good source of advice as it is geared toward vegetarians. I think all you can do is keep trying and talk to your pediatrician. I know it is important not to set up a battlefield with respect to food. So I would just keep trying.

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I have a very picky eater and my solution to the veggies is V8 Fusion it tastes like fruit juice but has all the good stuff of veggies. My daughter drinks 2 glasses a day (breakfast/AM snack and supper) at her last DR appointment her blood test showed a big improvment and she is more active and sleep longer at night (she was a up til 10 or 11 and then up again by 6) As a younger child the DR gave her iron supplements to replace the lack of meat and vitamin drops to replace veggies and it helped some you may need to sneak some foods to her my mom (God love her) puts veggies in her cake and cookie batter to get my sister to eat veggies!!

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Does she like pork sausages? Most little ones like to hold what they eat...I'm sure her brother does. How about chicken fingers or hot dogs cut into little pieces? Some babies live on hot dogs I hate to say. If chicken fingers are to much chewing for her, you can grind them up, moisturize with a little butter if necessary, roll into small logs, roll in seasoned breadcrumbs and bake until firm enough for her to handle. Your son will probably like it also. She may be cutting teeth or just can't swallow well yet. Good luck mommy.

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kids go throu phases, my nephew wouldnt eat meat for a year, and certin other things, but now he loves meat. Just subsitute the protiens, peanut-butter, nuts ect. Still once ina while put some meat on her plate a little, or use kethcup be creative............ but this is normal

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My advice is to keep presenting her with healthy choices and she will eventually become less picky, although she might always be somewhat picky. Some kids have issues with texture (I have a son like this.) Sometimes the food issue becomes a power struggle, so I would not make a big deal of it. If she doesn't eat her meal, only allow a healthy choice if she is hungry later. Don't get mad or acknowledge it.

Also, my son was avoiding certain foods that I later found out he was allergic to. It seems he was avoiding them because they made him feel sick. This is something to watch for.

Hope this helps. I am the mother of 4 children (10-19) and I am giving this advice on my own past mistakes and successes!

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