Table Food - 11 Month Old Refusing to Eat

My youngest is 19 months today and last week he FINALLY ate some pasta, peas and carrots! Up until now this is what he would eat -and ALL he would eat. Anything else made him clamp his mouth shut or spit it out: puffy cereals and crackers, peanut butter, applesauce, oatmeal, and yogurt. I got him to start eating Clif Z bars because he would eat them and they're fortified with lots of vitamins. I also have given him gummy vitamins and toddler Enfagrow formula mixture to make sure he wasn't malnourished. We have tried and tried and tried everything. We've even enlisted his 4 year old brother who is a great eater, but nothing helped. He finally got into it and now he's experimenting more. Hang in there -it will change!

I know this is frustrating. I have twins who just turned one, and one of them is a great eater, but the other sounds like your little one. I have found that even though he isn't a great eater, he does do much better if it is something he can feed himself vs. me feeding him. Also, he seems to tire easily of one food. She can fill up on tray full of one item, but he likes to have a "three course" meal with smaller servings of different things. Also, he does better if he has his sippy cup of milk first to calm him down and a plastic spoon or something to play with so he is distracted while he eats. Good luck and if you find something that works well for you let me know!

Does she feed herself? If not maybe she is getting to that age where she wants to (try) spoon feed herself..My son will not let me feed him and he hasn't for sometime now..try to let her do it and feed her what she will eat..just dont give up on the other foods. I know its trying..My oldest ate everything and my second one, not so much..Frustrated I was...I promise she will not let herself starve...Don't worry it will all work out. I hope this helps you..have a wonderful day

Let her sit with you at/right net up to the dinner table. Offer the food you are eating. Even give her little fork/spoon. Also, leave little bowls/cups/platers of cut up grapes, cheese, pretzels etc. all over the house at a level she can reach. Let her think she has some control, and kind of give her a little by letting her choose. Don't be afraid to try foods also that she can dip into (chips/salsa, chips/gucamole, pita chips/hoummus, etc) as they are often healthy and make her feel like not only can she 'choose' but can also use the chip as a 'utensil'. Also, I know I may get in trouble for this...but with softer foods, let herhave the whole thing (like a banana!). She will feel SO grown up and it actually helps her to learn how to take LITTLE bites off (and you can be a literal example for her by sitting down and eating alongside her/showing her what to do but without her knowing you are trying to show her ;) Foods that works well are watermelon, banana. a smaller whole slice of pizza, strawberries.

Giving them big-people food works every time! And don't forget to be o.k. with the mess ;)

You don't say whether you formula fed or breastfed your daughter. I'm coming at this from the perspective of nursing so I'm sorry if this doesn't completely apply to you.
As a nursing mom solid food is simply a supplement to nursing until the child starts eating enough variety to support them nutritionally (meat, dairy, fruit, veggies, etc). So for me I wouldn't even worry about it until well over a year.
You did indicate that she will eat a few bites of some foods here and there. I would take that and roll with it. Keep offering those foods she'll eat a little bit of and hopefully she'll start to eat more. Just keep supplementing with formula/nursing as you need to.
It sounds like you've introduced a lot of new foods hoping to find one she'll like. I would slow down and only use the ones she'll actually eat a bite or two of and not get too concerned about how much she's eating. If she'll eat a couple of bites of peas, go with it and offer it daily for a while. If she sees it enough she may start to eat more of it.
Keep offering her the foods she does like though and just keep supplementing.
Good luck!

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Hi M.----I work with the pediatricians Dr. Bill and Jim (ABC The Doctors) Sears and they have some great books and advice on their website, www.AskDrSears.com.

Dr. Bill shares that it can take more than 10 tries to get a child to accept a new food. Just keep offering and eventually she will magically start eating different things. I would also be offering her foods from your dinner as well. I took a mini-food processer and would mush everything up that way. Patience is key. She won't starve herself.

I do have some other suggestions that I can share but most are available on hand-outs, etc that would be easier to email directly. Just let me know and I'd be happy to discuss whatever question you might have.

I also know of a great gummie that is made of 15 different fruit and veggie powders along with bran from 2 grains. Dr. Sears recommends this to his patients. He also talks about how consuming these little gummies (also available in capsule form for big people) lead to metabolic programming, a process that leads to a craving of different fruits and veggies.

I've got a bunch of great stuff to share and I love helping others learn how to optimize their health. Good luck, take care and I hope to talk to you soon.

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