16Month Old Eating Habits

My little girl is 2 and we have constant battles with food too, she's super picky. Read Toddler 411, it had great advice and it helps you to relax. It says no child ever died from a lack of variety of food. Yes, he can live on goldfish crackers! (mine does!) Hope this helps!

First of all. Is he gaining weight consistently on his curve and does he meet all his developmental milestones? If the answer is yes, then what he is doing is VERY age appropriate. Alot of kids will eat anything that is not nailed down and then at about 1 1/2 yrs, they change their eating habits and that can last a long time. You have to think between like 2 and 5 they gain an average of like 4 lbs a year, how much do they really need to eat?

My suggestion is keep offering him the food you eat at meals for dinner. Lunch and breakfast should be whatever he likes and you know he will eat. Dinner should be about what the family is eating and he needs to get used to that. He will NOT starve!! If you cater to his pickyness, you are setting yourself up for disaster. I am so serious. Instead of trying to feed him at dinner, put pieces that he can handle in front oh him and let him feed himself. It might be messy, but not only will he learn to be independent and self feed, he may be more willing to eat if he is in control. You know what I am saying. But make sure you always give him silverware with his food, eventually he will connect the two and will start using it, if only to mimmick you. And if he does not eat dinner, he gets his third cup of milk and no snack until dinner is completely done. After you do the dishes and everyone has left the kitchen so he will not see his resistance as a way to just get a snack he likes for dinner, after dinner.

NOW, for the milk and pediasure. Pediasure is expensive as hell. Why are you giving him that? He does not need it (unless doc said to give it to him) and you may be spoiling his appetite. I would also limit his whole milk intake to no more than 3 6 oz glasses a day and then the rest of the time, I would give him water in his sippie cup to be at his disposal. Not only will he not get filled up on milk and pediasure, he will learn to like water and what better drink is there? Juices and koolaids are not the best thing for him to be drinking all day long since they are both sugars. He doesn't need juice because you say he is eating fruit. Start diluting his juice until you can remove it all together. Juice should be a treat and not his main source of hydration.

Also for the meat and fish and other things he won't eat. Ketchup and bbq sauce are the duct tapes of the kitchen. Let him dip his food in it, even if it is messy and you may see him eating more and more. If not ketchup and bbq sauce, you could try ranch, catalina or honey mustard. Whatever he likes. Hope this helps!

I am 26 and I have a 17 month old daughter. She has 12 teeth total but she still will not eat a whole lot of different things. She hates mashed potatoes but will eat French Fries or baked potatoes. She loves mac n cheese, banana sandwiches, and PBJ. I try different variety of foods. She loves fruit too, but I still feed her stage 2 baby food because she just will not eat enough REAL food to fill her up. She doesn't like meat except crab, shrimp, and lobster. Go figure, only the expensive things. That's a girl for you(haha). I have only lived here for about 2 years but my husband and daughter have been my 24 hour priority. I now am going through a divorce, but I would love to make friends for myself and my daughter. Feel free to email me@ ____@____.com

I agree with Mary Ann about the Pediasure!! It's expensive and could be filling him up as well. 2 sippy cups of milk (the 9oz ones) is more than enough for their dairy supply a day. My son gets one in the AM with breakfast and one in the PM with dinner. The rest is maybe 3-4 cups of 75% juice to 25% water in his cups. If your son's DR recommends the Pediasure as a suplement, you can use Carnation Instant Breakfast instead.

What kind of eating schedule is he on? If he isn't, then you need to get him on one and only let him have a small snack 2 or 3 times a day. Also, at meals, only give a few bites of the foods he will eat along with foods he won't like meat.

No child ever starved themselves so don't worry about that happening. But what will ended up happening in the long run is you will become a short order cook because when he is 5yrs old and won't eat what you cook.

Good luck!!
~S.

I read through some of your responses and I want to confirm a couple of them.
#1 If my son doesn't like what we're having I say "have 5 bites and then you can have (whatever you know he will want)" - This works! and I figure 5 bites of collard greens is better than none!
#2 Ketchup, ketchup, ketchup! Who knew? (I never ate ketchup growing up) Yes, it does have sugar but it also has antioxidants and it will help him to get some good protein in when you dip chicken, beef, and yes even green beans! in it :)

Hi C.,
It has been so long so I don't remember what they are called... graduates, I think. They have the little things that look like hotdogs but are very very soft. My little girl liked them but would only eat them if the skin was peeled off. She liked the fact that she could feed herself. It's not called eat or get nothing... it's here is your food and YOU choose to eat it when you're hungry because you will not get anything else. Don't give in and say oh here is a nutrigrain bar because you wouldn't eat anything else. I found chicken to be very friendly to the little ones. It can be made with so many different flavors. Mine liked garlic chicken and they liked it when it was marinated in italian dressing and then grilled. Yes, we ate allot of it and yes my husband and I ate it right along with them. You could also do the eat five pieces of chicken and five pieces of greenbeans and then you can have applesauce. Let him see it on the table and just explain how it's going to be in a calm tone. The portions can be as small as a tablespoon size but it will be a start and he'll learn he'll be rewarded for doing something good and maybe it will spill on to other things in his life. Good Luck!

Wow, you have been dealing with alot and it looks like you are doing a good job so far! A few tips
1. Mix other foods in with his fruit. - My daughter was the same way and I started to mix other foods in with her fruit. Don't mix half and half, at first mix 3/4 (mostly) fruit with whatever food you are trying. Also if you are introducing a particular food, mix that with all his fruit. Try one new thing per week.

2. Meats - My daughter would not eat meat at all for a very long time. Don't worry, you can substitute other foods that are just as good for her. Also try to mush up fish (white fish, it's less fishy tasting) with applesauce or other fruits that he likes.

3. Pedia sure is good, but try to mix it with milk. to cut down on the sweetness.

In conclusion, I think your lil man has a sweet tooth! My daughter was the same. The good thing is that to this day, she loves her fruits and veggies.
Your son will probably never have a weight problem, if you keep him on the fruits that he loves. Make sure you start him in on the veggies too.
Just don't give up. he will be fine. One thing though. I would get the spoon back, if he's not using it to feed himself, then he is just testing you. You need to develop good habits with him from now, and you will be MUCH happier later on

First, try putting several things on his plate so he can check them out and choose. If he's not using a plate, but it on his highchair tray. He may touch them and throw them but that's age appropiate. He's exploring. He's gonna make a mess. Try soft green beans, peas, corn. Cut up some chicken or turkey or beef hotdogs into small pieces (make sure they are small if he doesn't have a lot of teeth), try some crackers. Give him more options and let him try them. Kids need to be exposed more than 10 times with some foods. Keep trying. As far as the spoon goes, let him bang, just getting him used to the spoon/fork is good. Do you and your husband eat with him at the table. Do that. It help to let his watch you use your utensils and eat. Hold a jar of babyfood and you each hold a spoon, you dip yours and feed him a bite and tell him that it's his turn, he may begin to do it. My daughter is 16 months too and this is what I'm doing and it works. Good luck!

At this young of an age it isn't that big of a deal.Seems like he eats a decent amoun of things and his teeth are still coming in so some good may hurt him.And it sounds to be like he only likes things that may be mushy and cold and things that are chewy....prob also for the gums.I don't think you should worry right now.Jut keep offering things.

my son also 16 mos- has gotten very picky - he's my third - so I knew this stage was coming- just keep offering him the food you have eventually he will start eating "normal" again. also- give him food before you give him his milk(this helped with my guy) I woulnd't give him pediasure unless he is severely underwieght. try giving him eggs with cheese melted on them for breakfast my baby loves them (when he doesnt' get milk first!)or how about oatmeal? they have the instant kind with cinnamin apples (my kids favorite) or you can even make the healthy kind out of quaker rolled oats - make it with half milk half water then put tsp of brown suger in it- waffles and muffins are not a good breakfast- they burn sugar REAL fast and it really has no nutritional value - then they are just hungry all day long. I started reverting back to baby food again for veggies b/c my son was starting to refuse them from the table...if he has a hard time taking them- try mixing with a little applesauce this trick has worked so far for my little guy- I think you'll find you have to keep constantly trying new things- and when something stops working....find another method - this will last thruought thier whole childhood- just when you find a method that works- they'll change on ya- and you'll have to find another!
also try lunch meat - either in small peices broken up or hidden in a grilled cheese sandwich- my son will only eat meat that way - or with ketchup on it as someone else mentioned. My little one won't use a spoon yet either- don't worry - it's just developmental - pretty soon you'll be at his first soccer game and this will all be a faint memory!
Good luck to you- email back if you have any questions.
Nikki

Hi C.. My son is 16 months old too and he went through a short spell where he didn't want to eat anything. Very very picky. Now all of a sudden he is eating everything he used too. My doctor told me that they go through spells where they don't want to eat but eventually they will grow out of it. I also give my son pediasure to make sure he is getting the nutrients he needs even if he didn't want to eat.

Hi C.,

I always offered new foods to our little ones when they were young. For breakfast, I might put a few scrambled eggs, some whole wheat toast, and some apple chunks out for them. I would start with the least favored food (the eggss) when they were hungriest and most inclined to eat a less exciting food, then give the bread, then give the fruit. The second and third 'courses' didn't come out until after a dent was made in the first, and so on. Perhaps this system might help your baby expand his horizons!

I would stop feeding him most of what you are giving him now. Looks like he has developed a liking for sweets and this can be very bad for his health, long term. He needs protein for his brain and body growth. You need to provide more high protein foods such as cheese, cottage cheese, fish (can crumble up easily for his consumption) and also green and yellow vegetables. Reserve the fruit servings for the end of the meal or at the end of the day. Don't react when he does not eat immediately. Just don't provide any of these sweet things and he will be hungry enough to eat what is good for him. Fix his plate of healthy food and put on his tray and then go about your own eating. Do not eat any of these sweets in front of him either. The diet he is now on could well lead to obesity and childhood diabetes.