18 Month Old Will Not Eat Meat!

I am sorry about the meat problem but I had a question about you being a mother who works full time at home. I have been looking for a job where I can work from home but have been unsuccessful. What do you do if I may ask? Any tips? Any ideas what I can do to work from that is legit?

Hey M.,
My son Jon was the same way. Hes now 21 months old and he has just decided to start eating meat. He started by eating Ham. My mom was eating a sandwich one day and gave him a bite and from there he LOVED it! Now he just started eating chicken about 2 weeks ago. He does not like breaded chicken though. Spits it right out. Good luck. I think she will start eating it soon. C.

All kinds of great advice here already, M.!

I was only going to add that if she gets to a stage where she chews and chews the meat sucking it dry then spits out the remaining flesh, that's fine because she sucked the nutrients out. She's prolly better off that way without the flesh in her system. I'm not vegetarian but I understand a little.

My 3 year old is a vegetaroan by choice in a sense. She doesnt like the texture of meat although she will on occasion eat lunchmeat or hot dogs. peanut butter is a godsend! her doctor says that's fine for protein. Don't complain.. many moms would love to have our problem with food. As long as she has enough energy to run around she is probably fine. If you are really concerned consult the pediatrician

My son who is almost 3 does not like meat, never did. He like's the fake stuff like chicken nuggets but wont eat chicken, pork or steak. He will eat some hamburger if it is in pasta sauce. I just give him other souces like eggs, and pretty soon peanut butter. But I am not too worried, I really don't like too much meat myself.

Hi M.. I just signed on and read your request. My husband and I are going through the same thing with our 2 1/2 year old. She refuses to eat any meat. However, she may at times eat chicken nuggets. I just tried fish sticks yesterday and she ate two of them. I don't know what else to do either. The doctor says not too worry she will eventually. Keep on offering the meat, maybe one day she will eat it. If you try something I haven't let me know!
Good luck and take care of the family and yourself!

M.

hi M., they go through phases, she will probably outgrow it. the texture is so different from anything, with my son, i used to boil chicken until it fell apart, he liked it all shredded like that, sometimes i would mix it with some applesauce. if nothing works, i suggest you just lay off for a while, let her see you eat it and enjoy it, keep offering with no pressure, and meanwhile give her plenty of dairy and beans for protein. my kids love kidney beans, i just rinse them well and give them a little bowl of them right out of the can, they snack on them! you may want to cut them in half longways for her. hth, D.

i have a 5 year old daughter that absolutely refuses to eat meat. she is an extremely picky eater. She only eats pizza, i got the silver bullet and tried blending my own pizza sauce i put meat and broccolli in it... unfortunately it didnt work for me but that was only because the broccolli didnt blend so well. I know exactly what you are going threw. My daughter i think is the WORST when it comes to eating. Her doctor tells me its only a fase and she will grow out of it. so im still waiting. lol

Mom that's fine if shes not eating meat. Her intake of Veggies and fruits are great. If your worried about her not getting protein, just add other foods with more protein in her diet. She may just not like to taste and texture for meats.

Hi M.-
I'm raising my kids vegetarian. They get their protein from beans, lentils, and grains like quinoa (it's FANTASTIC, fluffy and delicious, worth a try and EXTREMELY high in protein). We eat eggs, which are also high in protein. I'm glad your daughter will eat veggies...green leafy ones are best. If you chop them up small into rice or, better yet, quiche, she'll get a double whammy (quiche is SO easy to make). There are a lot of vegetarian websites with great ideas to look into to get you over this hump. It probably is just a phase, and while I'm a big veggie advocate, it's my choice and not for everyone. Just think, we she outgrows it, you'll have expanded your culinary horizons!!

Bon apetite!
Jen

leave it alone its better for her

Hi M.
yes i feel your pain. My 4 1/2 yr old wont eat meat. He'll eat fruit no vegatable's at all. Up until a month ago I did have the same problem. he will eat a hotdog once in a blue moon and chicken. Please dont get stressed it will happen...

N.

We have the exact same problem same age and sex. We've spoke o the doctor about it and she said that we need to find ways to get her to eat it. I believe that if she is eating little amounts of meat that we can make up for the iron and protein elsewhere while still maintaining a proper diet.

Perhaps its the consistency of the meat that the children do not like. Although it is more reassuring for us now that there is someone else experiencing the same concern.

Ketchup. About that age my daughter would eat anything with ketchup. Just show her how to dip it. Actually anything dipable worked for my kids. Fish sticks in tarter sauce, chicken in ketchup or bbq sauce. Chips in salsa. You should also try various types. My son did not like white meat but would empty his plate of ham pieces.

My daughter was the same way for awhile but would eat peanut butter, eggs, and LOVED beans. Then as we were eating meat later on when she had all her teeth she started asking for it more and more. She wont eat a lot of it but enough of it. :)

My kids have only eaten little bits of meat when they were little. I wouldn't worry about it. As long as she loves the veggies she's still getting her vitamins. Keep trying to give her meat everytime you have it, and she'll eventually start eating it.

let's just say that my daughter is the mayor od pickyville, and what she eats today she will not eat tomorrow, she is also not a big meat eater, fish (she'll only eat tuna), meat (only chicken and ribs - chinese bbq), there are times when she won't even eat fruits and veggies. but, at this time you kinda need to make a decision, vegan is good for her, she'll be getting her protein from other sources, if you make meat for yourself then make it accessable to her-but wouldn't really force her to eat it.