My 17 Months Eat Very Little and Limited Foods - What Other Foods Can I Try?

I will share an experience with you that I had with my now 16 year old, when he was younger, I could always tell when he was growing, you could not satisfy that child's appetite when he was growing, but when he was not experiencing a growing phase he would eat like a bird, and to this day, that is still the case. You could always try dressing up his food in fun ways if you are really that concerned about him eating, but if there are food that you know he likes, and has eaten before, just try things like funny shaped little meatloaves, or maybe put his mashed potatoes in a fun little shape on his plate, try dressing the food up so it looks more fun to eat. Hope this helps you some.

why dont you try the book by Jessica Seinfeld that tells you how to mix spinach into brownies and such...ive had a few friends who had great success with it! Good luck!!http://www.oprah.com/foodhome/food/jseinfeld/food_jseinfe...

This is a very normal stage for toddlers. My LO stopped eating almost everything he had previously eaten. I keep offering foods that we eat and sometime he'll eat them and sometimes he won't. In order for ME to feel better about what he's getting, I found that he likes soup. I make a veggie soup and then puree it and he will gobble that down. I know he's getting his veggies that way. He also likes chicken & pastina soup. He loves his fruit, no issues there.

Keep offering foods & find creative ways to sneak in veggies. I looked at that Deceptively Delicious cookbook and it seems pointless to me personally. There are easier ways.

I was in the same situation when my boy was that age. I found out he became like this everytime he had atooth come in. What I did often was make hamburger patties and add grated zucchini and/or carrots to te meat. He didn't notice it at all and loved the hamburger. Also try mac and cheese with broccoli florets cut up really small. The key is to hide the good stuff amid the junk-lol! It sounds like he is eating a pretty good variety though. You're doing the best thing by not stressing out. He'll be fine, also don't forget the mulivitimin!

i give my kids yogurt and mix in some applesauce. they love it. i give them the whole milk version so there are lots of fat and calories to keep the weight up. i also play games sometimes-pretend my son is a little puppy dog and give him puppy treats (aka green beans) or pretend the green beans are little caterpillars and he has to eat them before they crawl away. sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. i also try to eat the same veggies at the meals and i say, "let's eat our carrots!" and i eat them at the same time-or let's drink our milk etc. good luck.

T.,

At this age your son is probably very active and doesn't want to take a break to stop and eat. Sometimes they will go thru stages and eat only one item. Sounds like he is getting nutrition from the variety he is eating but give him a kid's vitamin or Pediasure just to make sure. To help get him to slow down long enough for a larger meal, try reading to him at lunchtime or snack. Letting him know the longer he eats the longer you will read to him. Enjoy Enjoy your son!

That sounds just like my 18 mos old...right down to the items on his "menu":) My son loves to dip things and we've gotten him to try new foods by providing his favorite "dip" to go with it. He loves to dip food in tomato soup, sour cream, mashed avacados, applesauce, tomato sauce, yogurt, etc. He's also really into using utensils and bowls just like mom & dad. Grilled cheese is still his FAVORITE, but I've been able to sneak extras into those as well...like tomato or spinach, turkey or ham, etc. Good luck!

T., I suggest putting in front of him what YOU want him to eat. A variety of foods as you would want. His seeing you eating and enjoying those items with him is important. I did not want to become a short order cook as my mother was for my brother. The battles, tears, and the lack of nutrition is the side effect. Also, he should not be in charge of these decisions. In the end, he will be insecure and continue to question your athority in the future. If he chooses not to eat at meal time, hoping for a snack or treat later, cover his plate and put in the fridge until later. Meals first, treats later. Do not act angry or annoyed. If you do this, he will eventually eat what you want him too (for the most part, one of my boys HATES broccoli, but he will eat other greens, so I don't push). You will be glad you did this at times you are having meals prepared by others and your son is happily eating what is given and willing to try new things. It also helps if he can be involved with preparing the food in some way. Just being near you and feeling a part of what you are doing to prepare food is great, sometimes, hard, but, in the end a benefit. I wish you well, and can say this has been what I did with my two boys, 8 and 9. -R.

Hi T.,
I actually just brought this up to my pedi at my daughters 2 year check up...he said that it is totally normal...one day they will eat everything under the sun and the next nothing at all....My daughter is very very picky but these are some of the things that she will eat....mac-n-cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza, any kind of pasta, waffles, french toast sticks, toast with butter, rice, (she loves rice)mashed potatoes, cereal....I have a harder time with the fruits and veggies...many of them she will not even touch....but she loves any kind of beans...especially rice and beans...so go figure....My pedi said not to force them to eat...they will eat when they are hungry!! Good luck!!
Meg :)

I learned from experience and my children's Doctor that they do this every so often. Especially when the weather gets good. But I learned that when they are hungry they will eat. I went through this with my two children. They survived and are now healthy adults. I know if a child drinks a lot between meals they tend to eat less too. Maybe cutting back on liquids some will help. I hope this will shed some light for you. God bless.

T.,

Most toddlers are very picky eaters, they will eat something one day and not the next. If he's hungry he will eat, just continue to give him something you know he likes at least once a day then feed him whatever you are eating for the other meals.

My kids love breakfast, so I try to cram as much nutrition as possible into that meal. Pancakes with fruit in them; whole grain, fiber-rich cereal (no sugar); eggs; occassionally bacon or sausage; whole wheat toast with jam; etc.

For other meals have you tried spaghetti or lasagna (there's a very easy recipe on the Barilla lasagna noodle box)? How about chicken quesadillas?

One thing I can always depend on with my kids is smoothies. Just throw some fresh or frozen fruit (blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries), ice cubes, plain yogurt, a banana, and enough milk to make it pourable into a blender. No sugar and loads of nutrition!

One last thing, try not to give him too much juice... it will often reduce appetite. I give my kids maybe 4-6 oz a day, then dilute it with an equal amount of water.

Hope this helps! Good luck and enjoy your time at home with your son!

-J.

Talk to your baby doctor (my spell check didn't come up with the proper spelling).

I have read, that children will eat what they "need" to survive. I wonder sometimes, that during this stage of development that may be children learn to overeat and even eat the wrong foods because parents are too concerned about "how much" they eat. I used to put a fork full of food on their plate just to get them to taste it. The battle was probably just as intense as if it was a portion. My youngest son (now 30) still hates vegetables.

My sons used to love Spaghetti-o's, in fact I think they still do. American's overeat. We have super sized everything. I'm checking on the recommended serving size for myself and trying to encourage others to do the same.

D.

T.: My picky eaters love cinnamon/raisin bread with peanut butter, nutricious and delicious. Cut-up cukes, baby carrots, hard boiled eggs, grapes, raisins, cheerios, cheese on a plate were a big hit too. Yogurt with fresh berries added. Canned spaghettios/mini raviolis with meatballs. Finger food platters that looked good worked well--they can help themselves and I think at this age kids are more "grazers". If they're hungry, they will eat even tho you think they're not getting enough.
L.

My 18 month son LOVES chicken soup! Also with matzoah balls. He will eat some other foods but without the chicken soup, I'm afraid he wouldn't get the nutrition he needs. I often (still) blend chicken soup with either pasta or rice with some of the chicken from the soup and.a green vegetable. He eats that with some cut up pieces of the carrots from the soup and chicken pieces on his plate. Also, avacado is always a good extra on the plate. I make one or two pots of soup weekly! The mixture is also great to blend and freeze. Good luck!

Hi mom,

best thing is to give him the Juice LAST, he will tell you when he is thirty.

Foods

Fish sticks
chicken nuggests
stewed beef and Chicken
steamed and boiled veggies
Quiche with veggies in it
omlets
melted cheese on top of broccoli,
peas N pasta
soup
dole fruit cups
apples
strawberries
kiwi
pineapple
Nutella and toast
french toast
waffles
cereal
daily vitamin
ham and turkey and crackers
grilled panini ( Grilled cheese with ham or turkey)
tomato and fresh mozzarella lightly salted
grilled chicken
corn on the cob ( kernels do come out in the poop)
Pasta's
Home made pizza's
home made breads and cookie
Barbequed meats ( make sure they are soft)

Use toppers such as Whipped cream, ketchup, salad dressing, ranch dressing, barbeque sauce,

Good luck

M

Hi T.,

My daughter just turned 2 and she has issues with eating. Not that she's picky, just doesn't like to eat. So when I can get yogurt or pudding with whole milk, I add a tablespoon of vegitable oil and/or a tablespoon of powdered mile to add the calories. We went to a Nutritionist and they recommend 3 meals a day with 3 snacks allowing 2-2 1/2 hours between offerings. Nothing in between meals and snacks except water. Have them sit for all meals and snacks. YoYo Baby yogurt is good and add calorie boosters to food like mayo, veg. oil, wheat germ, powdered milk, cheese (any kind he likes, cooked egg yolk. I also give her a pediasure at night before bedtime. It's a little more assurance that they are getting a little help when they don't eat so well on some days. Hope this helps. Any questions, you can email me at ____@____.com

Offer him anything he seems even remotely interested in, but most of all don't worry all kids go through periods of eating tons and then not eating much, he will most deffinately not starve himself. Start keeping a journal, he might be eating more than you think in a 24 hr priod. If you get really concerned the check in with your peditrician. But trust me with a eleven year old and a
2 year old, they go through these fazes.
try peanutbutter on a cracker w/ a slice of banana,
yogurt, frozen yogurt, peas (or try a new bean) with melted butter and elbow pasta, put a tomato or slice of ham on his grilled cheese, chicken salad or egg salad on crackers...think outside the box my 2y.o. will eat just about anything if he has applesauce to dip it in (like green beans and carrots) try putting a little honey(if the dr says it's ok) or grated cheese on his veggies, add veggie puree ( yup like gerber 1st and 2nd foods carrots squash and sweet potato) to pancake batter he'll never know the difference. Good luck and happy eating and don't stess or you cold make eating stressful for him.

At 17 months old he should be able to eat just about anything you eat. Give him small amounts so it doesn't overwhelm him when he sees it on his plate. Smoothies are a great idea too. Add a few vegetables to the smoothie. He won't even know they're in there because the sweetness of the fruit hides the taste of the vegetables.

Just don't try to force him to eat. And don't give him too many snacks between meals. If you do give him snacks have him sit in his high chair or at the table to eat them.

Just keep in mind that this is probably just be a phase that children (mostly boys) go through and that children do not starve if they have food in front of them. As long as he is eating the foods you mentioned in your post he should be OK and sooner or later he will eat other things too. And by the time he's a teenager he will be eating everything in sight and you won't be able to fill him up! haha

G....

Hi T.,
i have an almost 16 month old who's always been a picky eater. Here are some things I give her.

avocado (make sure it's ripe enough. when you press it should give a little. if it's hard it's not ready)
orzo pasta cooked in chicken broth
tofu cubes cooked in chicken broth
any noodles like spaghetti; angel hair. she loves noodles.
cut up meatballs
raisin toast (she loves the pepperidge farm one)
low sodium boars head sliced ham with american cheese
all sorts of fresh fruits (grapes; banana; strawberry; apple;clementine; orange; grapefruit)
edamame (young soybeans)
she also loves peas (i usually cook the peas along with the pasta in chicken broth).

These are her staple foods but I pretty much give everything that we eat and she loves trying new things although will not necessarily eat it.

Hope that helps

Alex

T., my son is 20 months old and about 4 months ago he would not eat ANYTHING that did not include cheese. Now he eats anything we put in front of him. He entered the phase where he wants to be just like Mommy & Daddy about 2 months ago so anything we eat he wants to eat. If he's refusing to try something I just steal a bite from his plate and then he'll eat it. I don't know if your son will enter this stage soon, or if it will apply to food, but if so take full advantage of it. My best food ideas are Progresso soup with the broth drained - I get the low sodium kind - and then he gets all sorts of veggies, noodles, meat, etc, but they also have flavor and are easy to chew & swallow. Also someone mentioned dip - it really works,, but it can be messy. Good luck!

It might just be a phase. My son goes through patches of time where he is on food strike, and then he can't get enough. My son is somewhat picky, but he'll eat well if it's the stuff he likes. He always eats much better if I just cooked the food, rather than heating up the food. I make spaghetti, and to add nutrition I make the sauce fresh and instead of basil I'll put in chopped spinach, or I make it with lemony scampi sauce (he likes this better). What my son eats a lot of is rice and some chicken or beef. He loves steak, so I broil it and cut it real thin and put some of the juice on it. I also make chicken, I sauté chopped onions, garlic and red/orange/green peppers, then the chicken thighs and add some tomatoes' and paprika, salt and pepper, and let it cook. It comes out saucy, so he really likes it. Another thing he eats is brisket; I put in a slow cooker with a little BBQ sauce and let it cook over night. He also eats rice almost very day, so I'll add corn to it but most of the times it's plain white basmati rice. he eats chicken nuggets, but that's a lot more recent. Pizza is always a good one. I know last summer he ate anything bbq'd, so I'm looking forward to cranking out the BBQ grill this year. I hope this helps, but I realize my son does not eat the norm of kid foods, and likes things a bit more complex. Maybe you can try some new flavors to see if your child will eat it, I think try something saucy. Your son may be bored with his menu, my son gets like that sometimes and I have to switch things up. My son eats a lot of fruit, but veggies are always hidden. i also like the smoothie idea, I think I'll give it a try.