New Foods for a Very Picky Toddler

You don't get a toddler to try new foods. You offer them new foods and they will eat them or they won't eat them. It's extremely common for toddlers to only eat starch and dairy, starch and dairy and more starch. It's a phase. As long as you started out offering them a variety of foods and continue, even if they're rejected, you kiddo will emerge with a varied palate. I think the most important thing is to avoid food wars, which don't help either of you.

Have you tried edamame in the pod? My son LOVES them and they're fun to pop out of the pods.

J.,

I've read that you need to introduce a new food at least 20 times before a toddler will be familiar enough with them to eat them.
The best advice I can give is to keep doing what you're doing. Give him a plate of dinner that is the same as everyone else's, and if he eats, he eats!
Keep in mind that if you continually offer different things, like trying a new recipe every other night, it will take longer for him to try new foods. If you offer peas twice a week, it won't take as long for him to get used to them.
Also, try to plan meals that include one healthy item you know he likes. That way he's not starving when he goes to bed, but you're still introducing new foods.
Hang in there, he won't be two forever!

Here are a few things we did with our son....but remember all kids go through this and he won't starve himself so really it's just us feeling like they need to eat :)
He always has to take a "no thank you" bite. If he tried things and didn't like it he didn't have to eat it after the one bite. The other thing we tried was to call the food something else example my son would not eat hash browns, but loves french fries, so we told him the hash browns were shredded french fries...he ate them LOL
Good luck!

Don't make an issue of it, never talk about eating, never hint, etc. Take him out to eat once in while esp. to really good restaurants (if you can afford it) or great brunches with *omelettes*, pancakes, fruit, etc. *Never* praise, never punish. Just provide. That's what we've done with our incredibly picky toddler who just happens to only like really good food, and I happen to be a horrible cook but my hubby cooks like a gourmet chef. He's gone from the 3% weight at 10 months to 20% at 2.75 years. His height is at least average, and he eats better than other picky toddlers his age we know. He also surprisingly likes foods like mushrooms, beans, olives, sushi (only really GOOD sushi and not w/raw fish), miso soup, asparagus, tomatoes, and salmon. Of course, all it has be prepared by a master chef which may work at a restaurant or happen to be my hubby.

-- have your hubby or a neutral third party feed him (I kid you not -- it is usually a control issue)
-- accept that he may eat barely anything more days than not
-- broaden your idea of healthy or acceptable foods (ice cream is a glass of milk w/fruit plus sugar, carnation instant breakfast shakes have as much nutrition as fortified kids' cereals) ..I found sugar jump-started my son's appetite
-- if he asks for a particular food, give it to him, even if you have to buy it at the store
-- don't expect him to like the same foods the next day
-- try organic foods and fruits
-- try feeding after swimming, baths or long hikes

A list of foods my son likes:

Subway tuna sandwiches w/every but the peppers
Trader Joes' Quiche Mexicaine (frozen section)
Trader Joes' Gnocchi (frozen section - cream sauce)
Trader Joes' Chicken Pot Pie (froz. section)
Trader Joes' Rice mac n'cheese (box - don't ask me why he likes it better than regular)
Costco's pre-seasoned frozen salmon
Costco Island Way Fruit Sorbets
Spaghetti w/tomato sauce
Frozen peas
Nitrate/nitrite free hot dogs
Veggie corn dogs
Smart foods popcorn
Smoothies
Fruit salad w/organic watermelon, grapes, apples & bananas (try it and you'll be hooked -- reg. watermelon won't taste as good)
Enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos, refried beans
Pizza (tomatoes, basil, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc.)
Granola bars
Mixed nuts w/raisins
Dried mango
Bagel w/cream cheese
Oriental rice crackers

Trader Joe's is surprisingly cheaper than most grocery stores, even Costco. Why spoil them with food when they're young? Because they will have a healthy relationship to food for the rest of their life! This is doubly important for girls!!

I was a picky eater all my life -- never been overweight, never needed to diet, always ate what I wanted as much I as I wanted. So it may not be such a bad thing in the end -- just a lot of gray hairs for mom in the meanwhile...

My son was a picky eater until he left home at eighteen at 6'2". Very handsome and never skinny.

There are three things you cannot make a toddler do: eat, sleep, and poop.....sigh.

Your son will be fine. Trust him.

I remember those days well! We tried everything and even would distract our son with something and I would spoon feed him, my best advice is to keep offering it to him and as he gets older try to insist that he at least tastes it. We used to do a bite for each year old they were, even if it was a tiny bite. I was so worried he wasn't getting the proper nutrition. Now this same boy is almost 14 years old and eats most anything. He even loves asparagus and blue cheese, hang in there, all to soon it will be a distant memory.

My son is the same way. My pediatrician recommended the book "How to Get Your Child To Eat...But Not Too Much". It's a great book. Basically, she says that the parents job is to decide WHAT and WHEN the child should eat and the child's job is to decide HOW MUCH or WHETHER they will eat at all. If you offer well rounded snacks and meals at regular times, then your job is over. His job is to decide if he is going to eat. As long as they aren't lethargic, they are eating enough.

So, my reality is that after following some guidance from the book, my son doesn't eat any more that he did, but it has eliminated the stress around mealtimes. Which was seriously more stressful than people know unless they have had a really picky kid. I don't think the "thank you bite" is good for this age, maybe when they are 5 or older. Good luck, I feel your pain!

I have two suggestions for you. First, include him in the kitchen. Whenever my daughter helps prepare a meal, she is much more excited about giving it a taste. Plus, she just plain loves to help cook and bake. :-) Second, we have a book called "I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato" by Lauren Child (it's a Charlie & Lola book). In the book, Lola won't try new foods, so her brother Charlie calls them different things. Example: peas become green dots from Greenland. My daughter thinks that's pretty funny and if we do the same at home, she's more interested in tasting something she might otherwise refuse. Good luck!

Hi I went threw this with my son. I did the give him what we are eating and if he does not eat. Wait till next meal. My son has gone several days with out eating. He still is picky, but not as picky as he was. We no do the 1 or 2 bites of everything on his plate and then he could have a treat before bedtime. (using Halloween and Easter candy) I have noticed he is eating more with us at meal time.
good luck

just keep trying. my grandson will not eat potatoes unless they come from kfc.

As a parent, it is your job to provide your child with healthy food choices - it is your son's job to eat them. Just keep introducing healthy foods over and over. Once they begin to look familiar, he will be more likely to take a bite. If your other kids are eating the same foods, then he eventually will, too. Let them be role models. Just don't make a fuss about it, as a power struggle will only make it worse. Keep your meal times enjoyable for the whole family. This, too, will pass.

Just keep offering nutritious foods and giving him the opportunity to eat. You might try offering one of his favorite foods, along with something new at each meal. You can't force him to eat or try new foods and pushing it will only deter him at this age. I don't agree with even requiring a "no thank you bite". Would you feel very in control of yourself if you were forced to take a bite of foods that didn't look appetizing? He's of the age that it's really important for him to start feeling in control of some of his life choices. Why pick a fight with him over this?

We've never gotten into food battles with our son and he's a very good eater. Sure, sometimes he's picky and sometimes prefers mac n cheese, but often he'll eat spinach, kale, all soups, etc. He's not a big meat eater, so we just make sure to serve him lots of other protein sources.

Remember, this is a phase and it will pass. But, if you make feeding issues with your child it may take much longer to pass.

I'm not sure this will help you - but I've read you have to offer it at least 10 times before they might like it.

My daughter has a very sophisticated pallet yet she doesn't like to try something new. So what works is when we eat off her plate.

Other advice is the 2 no thank you bites - I personally haven't tried it but it seems to work for others.

Good luck to you

My son is a naturally good eater so maybe this advice won't be helpful. But, just the same... when we introduce new foods we give him one tiny bite on a plate and ignore hi--this is key--it has to be his idea to try the new food. He usually will try new things and want more. If we try and feed him he doesn't want it, the more we push the more he resists. We also "prime the pump" sometimes by first giving him food he likes (grapes) and then he will often try new things, which always seems sort of counter intuitive.

On thing that worked for us for a while was the book green eggs and ham. We would read it a lot and then at meal times we would joke and kid (try them try them you will see) and help our daugther get some humor into trying new foods. Other than that I agree with everyone else. Keep trying. At three our daughter is still a bit picky but will almost always try something. I make sure there is at least one thing on the plate she will eat but make her try the other 2. Most times she will eat at least 2 things and sometimes all 3. She doesn't get other things she wants or treats unless she eats most and trys all 3. It seems to work for us. Mind you, I don't do this every night... 1-2 times a week like left over night I will make something special for her that she likes.

Oh, and peer pressure works pretty well so have other family and friends over for a potluck and when lots of kids are eating foods he'll want to try them too. In the summer you can try things frozen (frozen peas in the summer seem to be a favorite hot day treat), etc. Just give it time and put some fun into it.

Stick with it. I have to deal with the same thing with my 2 year old girl. Sometimes we can distract her by talking to her about something and slip a bite of the food into her mouth. Most of the time she realizes she likes it and then will eat it just fine after that. It's just the initial bite that's tough. I have found that it helps to keep a regular sit-down meal time where everyone has the same food. Be sure NOT to feed him any snack or anything a couple hours before the meal. Your little guy will get used to eating what you eat.

The author of "How to get your child to eat - but not too much" is Ellyn Satter. Her webpage is at www.ellynsatter.com. She has a couple other excellent books, all about how to get your child to have a healthy emotional relationship with food. And, her approach takes a lot of the pressure off the parents!

Have you talked to your pediatrician? We just had our 18 month well baby check up and our doc always gives us these handouts that list what kinds of things we can expect from our child next - most babies and toddlers go through similar stages. In this handout there is a section on nutrition and it states that it is normal for toddlers to go through a picky eating stage and that mealtimes should not be a battle. It might be better to try and monitor what your child is eating and look for patterns. I have heard from other moms that sometimes children will choose to eat (for example) carbs and only a particular type of carb for days. And then they will switch to something else for a few days. (Repeat.) What is more important is that you allow your child to eat. It's inconvenient because you don't want to prepare additional meals specifically for your kid but it is necessary because your child is developing and needs whatever nutritional value he can get. Also, because this stage happens at the same time that kids start to show an independent streak, the problem can seem worse than it is. You might have more luck offering him what you are eating alongside what he wants to eat so he has a choice. Good luck. We have an ultra skinny kid (<3% for weight on the growth charts) so I know how frustrating it can be when your child doesn't eat.