How Can I Get My 15 Month Old to Eat a Variety of Foods?

My son is 13 & 1/2 mo. old. I mix either green beans or carrots (Gerber Graduates)with pieces of meat stix. If I put just the veggies by themselves he won't eat them but mixed with meat, he eats it all. I let him feed himself. He makes a mess but eats so much better. He also loves cottage cheese. I originally let him feed himself that too but because he loves it so much he will let me feed it to him. Good luck.

Hey! My son just turned 16 months yesterday so we are right there with you on this issue. We're just continuing to give him healthy foods. They say they won't starve themselves. This has just translated into my son eating continuously throughout the day (8 or more times a day!) But he's eating good stuff. He also started to refuse milk so we gave him pediasure for a while and now we alternate whole milk with whole milkshakes! We also do the Poly-vi-sol vitamins for infants and toddlers. Oh and there are days where he just cries because he didn't get what he wanted. We're doing sign language with him and that's helping a lot!
One more thing- give him a baby spoon or fork. My son wouldn't eat anything this morning and just cried and cried until I gave HIM the spoon and yogurt. Messy experience but he ate most of it and was soooo happy. He's just a little too independent for this mommy!!!
Good luck girl! You're not alone!

I also refuse to become one of those moms who have to cook 2 meals every night because my dc only eats chicken fingers. My only advice is to continue doing what you're doing in providing him a variety of healthy foods. I found with my ds, it would take a good number of tries before he'd actually eat some things. He's a good eater, but if he's teething or not feeling well it can be especially difficult. It's very normal. A friend whose ds was in ot told me that it can take up to 30 times for a child to actually try a food.

My son is almost 3 years old and he was like that when he was 15 months old. All I did was just experiment different things on him and if he didn't eat it, he didn't eat it. I never forced it on him. Sometimes I would just let him eat things that were on my plate and other times he just nibbled on different things that I knew he liked. Eventually he grew out of that phase and as he grew older he started to eat and try more and more things, a couple of which he wanted nothing to do with when he was 15 months. You just gotta work with him and let him figure out what he likes and doesn't like. What I would do sometimes is try one things with him and if he didn't like it I waited a couple of weeks and tried it again and he ate it. Just be patient.

This is such a tricky time with feeding etc. Part of the problem is that they are not as hungry at this age as they have been up til now. So, it might be good to look at his week rather than the day, of eating. Also, one thing that my kids love, that I dont feel quilty about at all, is english muffin pizza. We use whole wheat english muffins, ,cut them open, spread a tomato sauce on, and low fat mozz cheese. I tend to serve it with a cold veggie and dip, but they think they are getting pizza, and I know they are eating a healthy meal. So I guess finding creative ways to serve him might help. They also love fruit salad (meaning apples, oranges, and bananas cut up together.) My kids are older and get to use a toothpick to eat that, but maybe something similar like a special fruit spoon or fork. I also sneak yogurt and fruit into a smoothie, and they think it is a shake! My girls have one for breakfast almost every day. Good luck, just keep offering him a little of everything that you are eating, along with some of his healthy favorites, and you will get there!

good luck girl. That's when it started with my son too and I offered him a variety of foods. I think it reverts back to that old saying "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.".... so you just keep doing what you're doing -- offering him a balanced nutritious meal....

I tried dthat... my son is 2 1/2 and he still won't eat much of anything. I'm not going to force anything on him but it is offered and he can eat it or not.

My pediatrician said as long as he's getting milk and a multi vitamin I should be fine until you can actually say (and they understand).. you WILL eat this...

You're definitely doing the right thing with what you're serving him. At 15 months he should almost exclusively self-feed. He can use his fingers for most foods and if you have a toddler-sized fork, he should be able to hold it himself and take a bite from it if you get it on the fork for him. He could even get the food on the fork sometimes if you let him practice ;-). My son gets frustrated after a few missed bites and puts the fork aside and goes back to fingers, or hands me the fork saying "bite, help." He'll still need help spooning things, but should be able to handle a spoon as well as a fork with a little practice. It can get pretty messy though!
If you don't want him to be a kid who only eats pizza, hot dogs and chicken nuggets, don't feed him those things, or just do so sparingly! We do eat those things (I have a 3 yr old and 20 mo old), but only about once a week.
As far as how much he eats, it's going to look a lot different from how he ate his first year. His growth has slowed a lot. If he's eating well at daycare, chances are he's not terribly hungry later on. I learned with my own toddlers that about one good full meal in a day is about all we could expect. The rest of the time they'd eat half of what was served or maybe even less. I also just read somewhere that a serving size of something for toddlers is about a tablespoon per year of age. That's not a lot of food! His eating patterns will vary widely and from day to day over the next 2 years. You'll drive yourself and him crazy if you start worrying about it now!
Just keep serving him like you've been, and let him eat what he wants of it until he's full or starts playing or misbehaving (signs that he's not really hungry). If he only eats potatoes and leaves his meat and vegetable behind, that's fine. If you start making an issue of it now, it will be a point of contention for years to come. Simply take him out of his chair when he's done with a cheery "Ok! I can tell you've had enough!" and send him off to play. If he hasn't eaten much, don't worry, he'll make up for it at another meal or another day. He should be getting 3 meals and 1 or 2 healthy snacks. Somewhere in all of that is enough to satisfy him and keep him growing normally. Hang in there!

Good ol' rule of thumb that my Mother and Grandmother have always told me when I had the same problem with our son, "They will eat when they are hungry" "If they are not hungry then they will play with their food" and which came to be true. He will be going through so many changes at so many different times, his eating patterns are going to constantly change. For a few months or weeks, he might be eating tons (or like it may seem more than others) and then other times it may seem like he is eating next to nothing at a meal. If he is getting good meals at daycare and eating well, then you don't have much to worry about at home. When he is going through growing spurts, this will dramatically affect his eating habits, he will be eating all the time, and probably be eating the entire snacks in between meals too. You are doing all of the right Mommy things that you should be, don't worry. "He will eat when he's hungry" hope this helps C.. God Bless.

Go to www.askdrsears.com it has some excellent articles and ideas about feeding picky toddlers.

Try serving the undesirables first. This way there is no choice between what your child perfers and doesn't. Give only a small amount and then when these are finished place other items on the plate that are more preferred.