My Almost 16Mo. Old Will Not Eat What We Eat.

My son will be 3 next week and he still does not always eat what we eat. BUT he still likes the #2 baby food veggies as well as yogurt. So if he doesnt eat a decent dinner then I spoon feed him 2 of those baby food veggies or a cup of yogurt so that I know he at least ate something nutritious before putting him to bed. He'll outgrow it eventually, he's just being picky. But by giving him babyfood or yogurt he at least had something he likes that was nutritious.

I always look at it this way. When he is a 10 years old, he is going to beg you for a juicy hamburger or spaghetti. Right now their taste buds are so different than ours. I don't think we can expect them to love what we do. One of my toddlers won't eat fruit, vegetables, or any meal that has multiple parts. For example, he'll eat a tortilla and cheese, but not together. My other toddler will eat anything. And, I mean anything. I think the important thing is to creat a positive eating experience so that he enjoys meal time. Ultimately, his taste buds will catch up. Good luck!

I always make sure my son had a good breakfast and lunch since I am NOT going to be cooking two dinners around here and I don't want to always eat kid food.

What I do is try and make sure there's one thing in the meal that I know he will like. This can be hard with toddlers since their taste's change...sometimes over night. Some nights he eats a lot, sometimes, not so much. I think the important thing is he's being exposed to family dinner time and new foods. I've been told that it's best not to pressure them regarding foods too much. Chances are they will come round and the pressure can actually make things worse in the long run. It's frustrating sometimes when you feel like you're throwing food away, but I'm told their nutrional requriements are really not that much at this age.

I think it's good that you're putting your food down in front of him every night rather than doing the nightly chicken fingers routine. I think the exposure is good, even if he doesn't always eat it. I sometimes give my son yogurt but after dinner and as a "dessert" so I don't think it's that bad. :)

Maybe some other moms will have some advice here.

It can take toddlers 9 or 10 times to decide they like something. I honestly don't see a problem with making healthy alternatives available, such as the yogurt. My personal rule of thumb is they have to try everything first (and by try I tell them 2 bites), and I always offer the dinner meal first - but if they are truly not willing to eat it, I do give them other foods. Because he's so young, I don't really see this as a huge problem and he will most likely eventually eat the regular meal. Just don't get trapped into making 2 completely separate full cooked meals!

Could it be a texture thing? He might like things if the texture was different. How long has he been on "Table food"? Did he transist to table food from blended baby food well or was it a struggle? I would go back to baby food for a while and try to transist again. Or use a baby food grinder to soften and coarsely grind the food. sorry, these are my only thoughts, none of my kids were that picky. I also think that he is just exploring his boundaries. He eats yogurt that is an easy consistency, so I would go back with food he used to like before he became a big boy. You can also emphasize that he can't have any because he is to little, he has to eat the baby food. No table food for you buddy. When it is his decision he might be more open to the table food.

My three year old still doesn't always eat what we eat--and at age 16 mo. I was still giving her Gerber Graduates and things like that. All kids are different of course, but try giving him toddler foods rather than regular things. He will come around. Good LUck!! :) C.