eating problems

Kathy - posted on 10/30/2010

my son will not touch anything but yogurt, bread and gerber snacks. the only way i can get any fruit or veggie in him is the V8 fusion juice

Tricia - posted on 10/04/2010

I actually feel better now I have read these! I was worried too. My 20 month old wont eat any meat, not even chicken nuggets, absolutely no veggies either :( His diet consists of french fries, mashed potatoes, applesauce and pudding. Eats breakfast foods, cause their sweet in taste, and occasionally a grilled cheese for lunch.And of course "snacks". My doctor said as long as he's getting his calcium foods, that he will get the protein from that and he is fine! He is 23 pounds. Hopefully though with age their eating habits I'm sure will get better!!

Lauren - posted on 10/04/2010

We tried to substitute his lack of nutrition with Pedisure and V-8 etc., but that turned out to be a huge part of the problem. He would get filled up on the drinks and not be hungry. At this age they are only supposed to have 8 oz of milk or pedisure a day and only 4-6 ounces of juice. That's not very much!! Anyway, be careful not to give him too much juice or milk. We were also told by the eating clinic to alternate foods starting with two foods that he likes. For example, a bite of potato chip and a bite of orange. After he get used to the rhythm (after a few days), alternate a liked food with one he doesn't like as well. For example, a potato chip and a piece of hot dog. This has worked pretty well for us.

Alisande - posted on 10/04/2010

Thanks for all the ideas! My son is 21 months and is in this stage too. He'll eat specific things: chicken, mac & cheese, yogurt, strawberry waffles, green beans or peas. But then he'll have days like yesterday where he wouldn't eat anything but a hot dog. I don't worry too much about his veggie intake, because he does LOVE green beans and peas. He'll eat those all the time. But he doesn't eat much and I'd like him to bulk up too. He's 24 lbs and still wearing 12 month size pants. He wasn't a premie, he's just slim! 18 month pants fall off his waist.

Sarah - posted on 10/03/2010

I make smoothies for my daughter almost daily. I blend fresh fruits (bananas, pears and apples) frozen berries (strawberries and blueberries), an all natural yo baby yogurt, and CARROT juice, I get carrot juice from bolt house, in the produce section. I put it in a cup with a straw and she will drink like 10-12 oz's of that. She loves them and she is getting a ton of fresh fruit. I also started giving her these too: http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.a..., and also she really likes to "feed" herself. So I like to give her foods that she can feed herself, I pour her yogurt in a bowl and she eats it with her spoon, I do that with her cereal too. I buy Kashi blueberry flakes and she LOVES them, I throw a little banana in there and she is getting a fruit and a grain! My other favorite is by Motts. They make the apple sauce mixes that have no added sugar (very important because the regular motts are loaded with sugar)...they make all sorts of flavors, country berry, pomegranite, etc. Needless to say cheese sticks work too! Good luck, my daughter isn't too picky, BUT she doesn't really like her veggies so I try to make up for it in other ways!

Emma - posted on 10/01/2010

I'd take him to see a Doctor or maybe even a child health nurse!!!! They'll be able to tell u what to do!!!!

Casaundra - posted on 10/01/2010

Well this is new but Hayden has been eating better when he watches Seseme Street in the morning, lunch is easiest if its about 30 min after his nap and dinner well, if he doesn't eat well then it's Organic toddler formula before bed just to give mommy peace of mind. I have been putting veggies into everything like sweet potato french toast, carrot scrambled eggs with parsley, obviously veggies in smoothies, spinach in muffins, sweet potato/squash and flax seed pancakes etc. Good luck! Oh and temping him with ricedream ice cream sandwiches.

Alexia - posted on 10/01/2010

i like the brocolli trick, calling them trees. my mum used to call mushrooms 'jingle jangles' and we thought it was so funny, we would eat them! kumara was also called 'lolly potato' because it was sweet. if any mums are worried about iron intake, as my two children don't like to eat much more than chicken, I buy cereal with added iron, plus a milk milo drink gives them just over half their daily iron needs. you can also buy some baby vege/gravy mixes with added iron, so i usually add them to potato mash. biggest thing i found is consistency and routine. my kids have mashed veges every night, with the occasional chicken nuggets and fries nights, or cocktail sausages. i think they are just used to eating their veges now. my daughter has always been a good eater, she is 3 years old now. my son was a bit more picky, but he is getting better.

Alexia - posted on 10/01/2010

my son is 20 months old also. he eats his vegies every night, but my trick is to use potato and kumara for sweetness and mash the silverbeet/spinach, carrots etc into it. our local plunket service suggest giving kids singular vege fingers to try, but if they won't eat it that way and will eat it all mashed together, why stress yourself and your child out. let them eat it whichever way is easiest. my son still gets all his veges, and when he is old enough, he will eat them separately, just as i did as a child. i also make up a gravy, and freeze into ice cubes. then i add an ice cube size gravy to the mashed veges, my son loves it.

Julie - posted on 09/30/2010

my son is the sam he will not eat soild food only puree pudding will not touch nothing i have taken him to doctors they have told me he just being an awrkard child which i thought was unfair x

Cecilia - posted on 09/29/2010

my daughter is the same way and she is picky you got to ask them what they want or give them smaller portions and then if they want more then they will they are going through growth spurts i finally got my daughter to eat things that she didn't like

Maggie - posted on 09/29/2010

We just took our 20 month old daughter to the doctor for the same reason. He told us to keep her on a regular eating schedule, offering a full range of foods at each meal, and keep the snacking down in between because it will keep her from eating a full meal. He said at this age they are just showing their independence and ability to take control of their lives, but they will eat when they get hungry enough. So far I've found that my daughter is happy with lightly buttered toast, fruit and milk for breakfast which leads her to eat more at lunch (grilled cheese and fruit or some other simple meal). Dinner can be a challenge, but for the most part I know she won't eat meat (doc said that's completely normal at this age) so I have to find other sources of protein. Just keep offering and trying not to give into snacks too often is the best advice I got from the doc and so it is working for us. Also, don't show him you're frustrated, keep neutral, because he will do anything for any kind of reaction at this age (again from the doc).

Melanie - posted on 09/28/2010

I feel for you! My son is also 20 months and the picky eating so frustrating! For the last year I've been trying to get him to bulk up but he's still in the lower percentiles (10th-25th) weighing in at 23lbs. He's been getting worse lately about picky eating or just not wanting to eat at all. It's hard to know what to do to help them sometimes.

Casaundra - posted on 09/25/2010

I have heard the same thing about calling broccoli trees....funny I'll try it

Casaundra - posted on 09/25/2010

ohhh I feel ya! I guess kee trying, thats what everyone tells me to do...also try to put everything and anything in to pancakes, oatmeal and breads. Shredded carrots, cauliflower, yams, flax seed goes into everything. Check out http://www.doitdelicious.com/

Heather - posted on 09/25/2010

It's so funny to read this post, just because my husband and I just got over an argument about my 21 month old son not eating his veggies, and throwing them all over the floor. We've been trying everything to get him to eat more nutritional foods. All he wants to eat are crackers, cereal, cookies, he does like lots of different fruits, but even those he's weening out one by one and not eating them. I really like the idea of giving him the V-8 Fusion drinks...because then he'll get the veggies his body needs without even knowing it! Because it is so hard to get so many suggestions for hiding veggies in foods he already likes. (like mixing them in mac and cheese, or a grilled cheese sandwich) I swear my son can smell a veggie a mile away and wont eat his favorite foods if theres any trace of a veggie in it.

We're getting through it though, and supplementing his lack of veggies with vitamin drops. At least it gives me a piece of mind that he's getting something!!

Mary - posted on 09/25/2010

It is so hard to get kids to eat who dont want to eat. I think it is so much harder than most people think. My suggestion would be to just go with it. If there are foods that they like eating let him have them. Put a plate of snack food on a low table for him to pick at all day. Try putting different foods with similar textures and tasks to what he already likes. Mix some of a Jar/Can with something new to try and get him to have it.

I understand how hard it is as my girl does not care if she never eats. It is so hard to get your child to eat or drink if they dont want to. We have force feed our girl at times as she would just not eat. She also learnt to vomit so that was quickly given up as she would just vomit and bring it all up again.

Good luck and try not to stress to much, although i know that is so much more easier to say than to do.

Elisia - posted on 09/25/2010

I do V-8 fusion too!! It's the only way I can get in veggies although he does like broccoli and beef (chinese food). Try hiding food in things... like avocado in a grilled cheese sandwich. Good luck!! I think we're all in the same boat here! Ugh.

Jennifer - posted on 09/24/2010

when my daughter chevelle refuses to eat anything i give a big sippy cup of milk mixed with the breakfast essentials stuff or the pediasure sidekicks and the v8 fusions so she still gets nutrients even when she doesnt want to eat

Judy - posted on 09/24/2010

We've had the same issue with the older kids (now 20 and 14) that we're all having with these little treasures, patience and persistance seems to be the key and don't make it an issue. They do live through it and we will too if we don't let it become a major thing. We just keep giving our little one different types of food each day, some go in and some goes on the floor and some she just shakes her head and says no no no, but then a week later that's her favourite food for 2 minutes and she'll scoff it! LOL. Can't win and it's not worth trying, just keep putting different food in front of her and hope something goes in. My eldest one lived on 2 min noodles for a while and vegemite toast, and the middle one was peanut butter sandwiches, they survived and we got past all that frustration. The only other thing we did do with the older ones when they got to this point was add a children's multi-vitamin to cover what they were missing, just about at that point with our little one now. LOL.

Karen - posted on 09/24/2010

Try not to stress out and keep offering foods even tho he has denied them before. I call brocolli, trees and my son eats them. I never thought it would work so you never know sometimes! Hang in there tho!

Kristy - posted on 09/24/2010

You are certainly not alone. We too have been to GI, Nutritionist, Feeding Clinic, Geneticist, etc... Have had blood drawn, an endoscopy procedure, and on meds to see if appetite could be increased. Daughter could care less about food - there are about 4 things that she'll eat (and will take only about 5 bites). She is mostly sustained by her EleCare Vanilla Formula which is super calorie dense and full of nutrition. She is 20+ months and weighs 16.5 lbs. There has been concern since she was 4 months - but through all of this, not much has changed. Patience and persistence. Once thing that has helped her is letting her do things on her own - even if it makes a huge mess, and even if she "eats" 8 times a day ..... ANY food going into her mouth is a SUCCESS. She also has all the alergies (dairy, eggs, peanuts) which complicates things.
HANG IN THERE!

Diana - posted on 09/23/2010

My son 20 month old son has been to the GP, Health Nurse, Pediatrician, and a Dietitian for the same problem; they all told me to relax first of all. Then than it takes 20 times before a toddler feels confident about trying something new. Give him small meals all throughout the day and if you think he's not getting enough nutrients add oil, butter or sugar to his food (this is what they all said I swear). Teething can cause a lot of pain and put them off food, you can give him Brauer Teething relief, that helped my son a lot. Keep trying different foods until you find one that he likes and stick to it, he will be happy to eat that for awhile.

Julieanne - posted on 09/21/2010

my son was same..still is a bit. all you can do is keep offering things and if he's not interested then don't fuss. i think our problem got worse coz he noticed the attention it got? I found he wanted what i was eating so let him eat off my plate. most people cringe at that idea but if it gets him eating and trying new food then i don't care. once this began he stopped liking bland babyfood and prefers home cooked now. much easier we all eat the same. he fluctuates between wanting me to feed him and doing it himself too, so that adds to the issue. as long as meal time remains nice and not a chore then it goes smoother around here. good luck with him..

Sandra - posted on 09/21/2010

my son is 20mths also and he is very picky on what he eats he used to eat fruit all the time but now he doesnt but i give him 2 weetabix and i put dried fruit in it and he loves it for breakfast he downs it in no time if he wont eat veggies try veggie fingers or veggie grills it worked with my little boy he is still quiet fussy but getting better