Feeding a Fussy Toddler

One thing I did with both of my kids was give them food they can dip. For example, chips with salsa, hotdogs with ketchup. It made the food more fun. Also, they will dip things that we would never think of like dipping crackers or toast into peanut butter. Something else that worked for my daughter when she was little was cheese whiz. She would eat almost anything that we put cheese sauce on.

Keep trying to feed him what you eat. My son was the same way. I offered him what we are eating and then if he didn't eat I would pull out what I knew he would eat. Some people say if they are hungry enough they will eat anything. My son is 2 1/2 years now and does try different things, but still will not eat meat. I believe I heard that it can take 20 tries before a kid will eat something. Good luck!

D.

Mom to 2 1/2 year old twins and 3 month old.

My first son ate everything you put in front of him and my second son skipped baby food all together. He could not tolerate the texture of the food. Currently his diet is still limited. One child is just as healthy as the other. Never give up introducing but don't stress yourself on his choices.

Hello! I know you're probably not going to like this, but just give your son what he'll eat. I've been through this scenario 4 times. Our youngest is 4 and is just now starting to try new things. We had concerns and asked the pediatrician about it and he said that although the kids were picky and not eating what we wanted them to, they'll still get everything they need. There were days that the only thing our youngest would eat were fish crackers and juice. Every once in awhile try putting a little bit of something new on his plate along with the usual food he enjoys. Less stress for the both of you. Trust me, he'll eventually grow out of what he loves now. Hope this helps. Good luck!

B.

My daughter (16 mnths) was a very fussy eater in the beginning. She didn't want to eat anything but baby food. The first thing that I was able to get her to eat was stuff shells. She loved the cheese in the middle and the noodles were good too. It was a little bit of a messy first meal but it worked! Now she eats most foods with her favorites being eggs, and turkey dogs and blueberries!

Personally I think your child should eat what they are given because once you start catering to them they will think that is normal. I would never make my child eat anything that I wouldn't eat but i am also not going to make something special just for them. Sooner or later they will come around and eat what they are given and it makes things so much easier than trying to fix different meals for everyone at your table.

We also go with the distraction route, we use noises of animals, or say, "here comes daddy's car." Vroom in the food and then do this with every person we know.

try noodles and rice,that usually works.spaghetti o's too

Give him what he likes to eat, and one new thing with it, over and over and over again. Kids have to see something a lot of times before they decide to try it, and then they may have to try it a bunch of times before you can be confident they will eat it.

In the meantime, try to sneak some things into his favorites, like a little pureed carrot or squash into the chicken broth I used to mix those into mac and cheese when we were going through the anti-vegetable stage.

Will he eat the Gerber Graduates meals? My son loved beef andtomato, chicken and carron, and cheese and spinach ravioli, and they're pretty balanced in terms of food group. And they can be picked up, which was a big deal for him.

HTH

Try combining foods he likes with the food he doesn't. Does he like american cheese? Try chopping the meat up in the food processer & put something he likes maybe bbq sauce or ketchup on that, then a piece of cheese on that & microwave it to melt...make sure it is cool enough before giving it to him. This sometimes works for me. Airplane noises has also helped! :-) Hubby came up with this idea!

My son was doing that for some time too until I tried dipping his meats in sauces such as ranch dressing and BBQ sauce. The more flavor things had, the more he ate them. My son will not eat baby food anymore either and I figured it's because they're just to bland. Give it a try and he may just give in. Let me know if my suggestion helps. -- T.

When my boyfriend was little, all he would eat was peanutbutter sandwiches. The doctor told his parents let him eat it, it is healthy for him. So that was what he ate, and eventually he outgrew it. Now he hates peanutbutter!

I would say, feed the child what he will eat, and be sure to keep giving him vitamins. Also, try to give him pediasure. The chocolate kind tases pretty good to kids. You can leave it warm, or chill it. It has a ton of vitamins, and your son may enjoy it. It is a good suppliment, if the child doesn't eat everything he should. also, jsut keep trying to introduce new things, and see what happens. I personally never use babyfood for my son, or my daughter when she was a baby. I made all their food myself, and they love to eat prettymuch everything. Try making him his own food. Try little pastas, creamy soups, youghurt, fruit. Ever give him a banana smoothie? blend a banana with milk. they taste pretty good. also try cheese. pancakes. they are great to kids, and if you cut them in pieces, the baby can feed himself. frozen waffles. hope that helped.

Try not to sweat it too much. My daughter was a VERY fussy eater and when she did eat it was not much at all. Her ped said not to worry about it as long as she was growing. He said to make sure she was taking a multi vitamin and that one day she would just start eating. Well, I used to fret about it anyway and wouldn't you know it, she's now four and has turned into a pretty good eater.
At least you are getting fruit and protein into him, the multi -vitamin should help with the rest. Also, I read you need to offer a food at least 13 times for a fussy kid to eat it. So persistance could help. Good luck!

A.

When my daughter doesn't want to eat (but I know she is hungry) I use the art of distraction! I keep her hands busy with stickers or a favorite book or we sing songs etc. I buy fresh (store baked) turkey breast and roast beef. I offer her fresh fruit (like watermelon on the rind) and fresh pasta (like orzo) or rice. Baby food has been boring to her since she turned 1 year and is now 18 months eating everything I eat. I realized recently that she wasn't eating as much because of teething so I changed the texture of what I offer to softer, easier to chew foods. Maybe that is part of the problem? She also loves chop meat with pasta in a pasta sauce and chicken with rice and mushrooms. Just a few suggestions...Hope it helps and good luck!

Have you tried yogurt and cheese? My daughter is 11 months and doesn't like very much (including baby food!) but she LOVES all kinds of cheeses and the yobaby yogurt. Oh and veggie burgers- any kind I buy she loves. She likes to pick stuff up to eat it, so I try to make the pieces big enough for her to do that.
Good Luck!

Hi D.,
We had a similar problem with my son except he only wanted bread & carrots. Who knows why they choose what they do. With our pediatricians ok we put him on liquid vitamins(the Gerber brand were his favorite). She told me not to worry, that he would grow out of it.... but I did. Then when we ate we would greatly exaggerate how yummy the food was. This peaked his curiosity & he wanted a taste. It didn't take too long before he was eating regular food with us. Hope your sons curiosity is as easy to peak as ours was. Good luck!

Just keep feeding him what he wants to eat and keep trying other foods. It may be maddening but it is what it is. He will eventually eat other foods. My son is finicky at times...likes carrots on Tuesday but not on Thursday. Usually he wants to eat what we have. Sometimes he'll eat babyfood but not often. If he doesn't like something, he tosses it over the side of his high chair. Keep on with what you're doing...

I would just go with what the doctor says. I have a very fussy 10 year old and that is what I did. Good Luck