21 Month Old EXTREMELY Picky Eater

well, it's normal in that I would say a ton of kids do it and I don't think it warrants a dr visit.

However - realize that picky eating in MOST (not all) cases is 'learned' behavior. I'm not knockin' ya - we all have fallen victim to our kids 'demands'. You say he 'used ot eat a lot more variety, but now he has stopped'. I would venture to say he has stopped because he's a smart little guy and has figured out how to get what he wants.
If you want this behavior to change, though, you need to change how you relate to him and what rewards and consequences there are about how he eats (natural rewards and consequences - I do not believe in punishment or actual 'rewards' around food).

Additionally, I totally believe that food does not have to be 'traditional' to be acceptable. So, I think a banana for dinner is fine. You always want to look at toddler nutrition on a several-day-in-a-row rolling snapshot. so, he may eat very little one day, but a lot the next. Toddlers do a MUCH better job listening to their own bodies than we do, so it's not something to stress out over (easier said than done).

However - I personally (and I guess you didn't really ask this) wouldn't get in the habit of making him special food - or coddling him like letting him sit in your lap to eat. In order to teach him proper nutrition he needs to sit in his own seat, eat what you prepare that is nutritionally beneficial to him (and part of that is expanding his taste buds) and start learning how to use his own fork/spoon etc when the time is right. He also needs to learn that you are the parent and you set the ground rules.

One thing I do know - toddlers won't starve themselves to the point that they will do damage to themselves. They WILL starve themselves to the point they have learned that mommy will give 'em the good stuff. So, if you give in he is learning how to get what he wants (a skill that he will perfect by about 4) - so the more consistent you are now the easier it will be for you later.

The food stuff is tough - good luck!

My advice is to cut out juice and snacks completely. Have three meals a day and YOU decide what you give him. Give one item that you know he likes and a few others. Do not add to the meal after this or "cave" to his "demands." It is important to remember you are the parent here and you are in charge. You can really create a monster if you start giving in to demands. If he eats, he gets a reward (dessert). If not, he leaves the table. I wouldn't offer snacks even late in the evening. When children get hungry, they eat. A child will not starve himself. I would only be concerned about this if, at your next appt, his weight isn't where the doc wants it to be. I know this is hard. I was super tough on this issue and my kids eat everything now! I decided I was not going to be a short order cook. It will get better if you hold your ground. Btw, I do have friends who are still making mac and cheese for their kids 3 nights a week and the kids are in third grade. This just wouldn't work for me! Good luck! :)

I think what you're describing is pretty normal; it sounds a lot like my 19 month old. So many times when we're out eating with other people, they'll ask "Is he a good eater?" And it's hard to answer. One night he might shock us and eat his meat, veggies, and potatoes and ask for more. The very next night he'll push all the leftovers away. I find that my son is generally crankier and pickier in the evening, so dinner is never our best meal. I try to serve more of a variety earlier in the day. At night, he's offered a plate of everything we're having. I try to serve at least one thing at dinner that I think he will eat, but that's not always easy to predict. If he won't eat our dinner, I ask him to feed some of it to me. Sometimes he'll eat a piece himself because he thinks it's funny to fake me out! And that can lead to him scarfing down the whole plate. If that doesn't work, I go for an easy alternative like a banana or pbj sandwhich. I'm way too lazy to cook a separate meal, but I don't think I'm "caving in" if I give him a banana.
One thing that has helped me is to pay attention to any phases my son is going through. If he goes through a phase of immitating me or my husband, he'll probably want the food on our plates if he starts out with an empty plate. When my son started using his spoon, he only wanted to practice using his spoon. No finger foods for almost a month. He was just compelled to learn how to use the spoon, so he only had soups, yogurt, oatmeal, applesauce. We offered other stuff, but I just accepted the phase he was going through. The same thing is happening now with his fork. So I'm just accepting that I need to come up with some dinner ideas that are easy for a toddler to stab and jab! Good luck!

I was a very picky eater when I was that young. My mom once told me that I started out eating a variety of foods, but I had an allergic reaction to milk one day, and from that time on, I would only eat peaches. I'm not sure why, maybe some kind of taste aversion issue, but she took me to the doctor, who said it was normal behavior, as long as I was eating something. So, I ate peaches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for about 6 months!

Normal.

No biggie.
Eating is not finite in a child. It is very fickle.
I myself, do not eat the same way nor the same things, that I did as a baby or child.
No adult does.
It is ever... evolving....
Don't worry.

Pick your battles.
My son is picky... but we never battle about food or eating.
I don't want hang-ups or issues... about eating for him or us.
He has NATURALLY evolved per eating and his palate of things he eats... has naturally expanded.
He is, despite being picky... VERY healthy, in the 95th-97th percentiles for growth, and is very lean and solid and tall for his age, and hardly gets sick.

all the best,
Susan

If he seems healthy now, you could probably wait until the next checkup. This often is part of toddler territory. When you do take him, talk with the doctor about it. If there's a problem, you can tackle it; if the doctor says not to worry, you'll sleep nights.

I have three granddaughters who are siblings, and their mama does not do a "short order cook" business - they are expected to eat what's put on the table or go without. One girl eats practically every food that has ever been grown or invented. One has rather a centrist position. One is extremely picky, and has been ever since she started eating solids as a baby. (When she decided to like scrambled eggs, we all celebrated.) All three are healthy and active.

Your eater might decide to widen his horizons after a while. He may get bored with crackers and blueberries! Next time you take him to the library, look for Russell and Lillian Hoban's "Bread and Jam for Frances." Your boy is too young for the book, but you'll get a big kick out of it. In fact, I may hear you laughing all the way from Pennsylvania.

I too have picky eaters. I try to have fruit at almost every meal since they don't eat many veggies. But I think what you describe is pretty normal. A banana sounds just fine for dinner to me.