Getting 16 Month Old to Eat

Hi J.,

I know exactly how you feel. I read your comments and was like this sounds exactly like my situation and my son is 16 months as well. He's eating just about the same things that your son does. Somethings he won't even try. He looks at it as says no, no without even tasting. It is so frustrating because I feel the same way you do as for as not eating healthy and getting enough variety. My son does have more teeth but is also teething right now as well. I hope this gives you some comfort in knowing that you are not alone.

Keep introducing new foods to him and even if he's tried stuff before and rejected it, keep persisting. I give eveything I eat to my 16 month old and sometimes she likes it and sometimes she doesn't. My grandmother suggested I invest in the pediasure, vitamin shakes for kids. Ask your doctor first, but its a great addition to ensure my child recieves some nutrients beyond what I'm trying to feed her. Good luck.

I think he's probably getting what he needs. They eat a lot less than we think they should at that age. My little guy is almost 18 months and likes yogurt, scrambled eggs, and some other assorted things, but he just stopped nursing at 16 months and only has 7 teeth, so he can't really chew a lot. I remember with my first baby having the same worries you have, but now with the 4th I've chilled out. lol. Keep offering him food. He won't starve himself and will eat what he wants and needs. Don't worry too much about the Dr's charts. Not everyone fits right in on the scale. If he is happy and healthy, no worries.

It's hard to grasp the idea, but truthfully and honestly, kids will eat when they are hungry and they will not starve. Don't beg them to eat what you have made, but make what you want to make. Don't be a short order cook, but offer all food groups. Most importantly, DO NOT GIVE SNACKS between meals. I do not even offer milk between meals because it will fill them up where they do not need to eat when it gets to the next meal. I ask that they try everything that I have made for a meal. If they do not like it then they do not have to eat it. This actually will encourage them to eat at meals. Hope this helps.

J., I think it's fantastic that you are concerned about Luke's nutrition. Like the other advice you've already gotten, I wouldn't sweat the weight issue. What I would do, is be mindful to offer only healthy choices. Part of the reason that your son may only be eating small amounts of everything else is that he's getting chicken nuggets so often. They are very high in fat, high in sodium and low on nutrition. Unless you're scratch making these, they are probably made with processed, mechanically separated chicken. I'm not a purist--the occasional chicken nugget (maybe once a month?) would probably be fine. If you offer your son broccoli, brussel sprouts, peas, carrots and other vegetables, eventually he'll eat those things. My two boys, 5 and 7, eat all of those. Their favorite thing is still ice cream, but they know they have to eat vegetables and fruit before they get ice cream. It's been my policy that if they don't eat what's for dinner, they don't eat. (And they almost always eat. It's only when they are too tired to cope with food, that they will just go to sleep). If my boys complain about what's on the table, we send them to their room. When they can react decently to dinner, we bring them back out. (Our little phrase is: You get what you get, and you don't have a fit.) Now and then, like when we're having leftovers, or dinner isn't planned yet, they get a choice. But they LOVE broccoli. It's one of their favorite foods. My boys also like to help cook or bake, and I think that has improved their willingness to try what I'm making. Also makes for good math lessons. Happy Eating!

I am sorry to be so late on this, but I found that my picky eaters dissappeared as I put in the following lifestyle changes. Not only do they eat everything I put in front of them (well, except sauteed spinach, which is only under dessert duress), but they are happier, more tolerant and respectful children.
1) Remove cows milk products, replace with rice or almond on a regular basis.
2) Add 1-2 proibotics daily
3) limit all processed food (yes, that means the cherrios). If I do processed, I exclude wheat based (replace with rice based or nut based), eliminate all perservatives, and no high fructose corn syrup).
4) 1/2 tsp a day cod liver oil for as young as 12 months.
There is tons of information on how to improve your child's digestive, that is the trick to a better eater - not how you introduce, what you introduce, or what games you play to try to make it happen. When the body is healthy, the child will want to eat (period).

Best of luck to you, J.

After 11 children (3 years to 23 years) all I can say is they eat when they are hungry. If you only present food that you decide is healthy and limit the choices to those they will choose among those. A good multi is a must because you just can't control what how much they eat(especially when they are teething). At least you know they are only getting healthy food if you limit the choices to only those items. I use and distribute Shaklee having raised my children on these and taken them myself for almost 25 years. I can count on two hands how many times my children have had to be on an antibiotic so I feel they and the healthy food choices made a huge difference. Relax! If you train your child to make good food choices and to only eat when hungry that is a huge investment in their future health and wellness! All children grow at different rates so if you are giving him good food then just expect his body will tell him when he is hungry and enjoy this oh so short time of toddlerhood!

Blessings!
K. B

www.shaklee.net/takecontrol

Be patient. Sometimes a child needs to be exposed to a new food 15 times before he'll eat it. Also, look into adding Juice Plus chewies to his diet. You can cut them into small pieces to reduce the choking hazard. This will add the nutrition of 17 fruits and vegetables to his diet. It is not a supplement, it is whole food nutrition that is very easy to add. Check out my website www.marcybjuiceplus.com.

Maybe make home made chicken nuggets, that way at least he's getting all real chicken instead of the fillers commercial nuggest have. Also, if he likes applesauce, you can try making your own, and adding in other goodies. I make a green smoothie in the mornings,I get Kale and other greens into my kids this way. This could be done more as a sauce as well. Take an apple and blend it good, add water only as necessary for blending, then add in kale, spinach, or whatever else you're wanting him to eat. As long as the greens don't have a strong flavor, it will just taste like apples. You could blend up any fruits that way, and even make ice pops with that as well to aid the teething.
Good luck!

Keep trying to give foods that he has turned his nose up to before. My son is 15 months and kinda doing the same thing. i keep offering the same foods and has started to eat more. It also helps that he sees what his sister, father, and I are eating and he wants to eat the same thing. I was shocked when he ate egg plant the other night but it happens. Before he only wanted carbs and meat. Now he usually reaches for the fruit or veggies offered before the meat, cheese, or bread/ pasta.

Don't give in when he throws a fit. As my mom told me, you have to let them get hungry enough and they will try it. i have purposely not given my kids junk food, fried food, candy, and sweets because my husband and I are so bad about that. My daughter eats a ton of fruits and veggies that we both hate, but we don't tell her that. :)

My son is 17 months old and luckily we haven't had any problems with eating yet. So here's what has worked for us:

1) Sit down and eat with him when you get the chance. I know you're working, so that makes it hard, but eating dinner together is important.

2) Make sure he's eating what you're eating. At this age, they're starting to like to be "big" like you, even if they can't say so.

3) Let him sit at the table with a booster rather than a highchair. Put his food on a plate and let him practice with a fork and spoon. My little guy LOVES this, and gets a few extra bites to his mouth using the fork.

4) Offer 2-3 options on his plate, one of which you know he'll eat. If he finishes that, he either eats the rest, or is done.

5) Let him graze throughout the day. They've got so much going on that sometimes they don't want to sit still long enough to fill their tummies. They also have small tummies that can't hold as much, and even nutritionists say that more small meals a day is healthier than three large ones.

6) RELAX! It's not important how much he eats in a single sitting, it's important what they eat over the course of time. If he's gaining weight, meeting his milestones, and is happy and healthy, then don't worry about each individual meal. Not to mention one serving of food for them is 1/4 the size of an adults. So eating a few bites is ok! My son is a pretty good eater, who likes a variety of foods, and is still breastfeeding, but is a lean 21-22 lbs at 17 months. So don't worry, and don't turn mealtimes into battles by trying to force it. good luck!

J.,
This is a common concern that parents have, but remember...at about 24 months (maybe your son is an early developer), a child's appetite typically drops drastically. Growth slows and he will begin eating about a FIFTH as much as before. You will wonder how he makes it on such little intake, but this change is completely normal! Let him eat as little or as much as he will and don't pressure him. Meals should be an enjoyable time, not a stressful part of the day. He won't starve, believe me!

Do not let him know what he does or does not eat is a concern as children learn so very young how to push our buttons. I simply put very small servings of what we were having for dinner on the baby's plate, always being sure there was at least one of the baby's favorites and then just ignoring what she did or did not eat. Chicken is healthy and so are the fruits especially cantaloupe and bananas. Keep any between meal snacks to healthy fruits cut into small bites. K kept a bowl in the fridge. Also try to cut off any snacks an hour or more before dinner time and very little snacks after dinner and still only the bites of fruit. If we had dinner at 6 pm,s snack at7:30 to 8 pm and then it's bedtime. Sticking to a schedule is a big help both in sleeping and eating. Do not make his eating the center of the family's focus. V.

J.,

He won't starve himself. Offer a variety of foods and let him decide on his own. He will be fine. This is a typical phase and you don't want to make an issue about food. Try to relax and not worry about this too much. We have all been there. My niece went through a stage for a year where she refused to eat anything brown (lots and lots of things are brown LOL - even brownies and cookies) but it passed once the pressure was taken off of her. Make sure he's on a good multi-vitamin and try to relax. At least, that's my opinion. Good luck!