Eating

Kerrie - posted on 11/13/2008

I can get my daughter to eat most anything if I sprinkle a little parmisan cheese on it. I have also tried using spices like nutmeg on sweet potato cubes or carrot dices. It works really well for us. Try french toast with cinn. and vanilla or pancakes with blueberries. Another trick I have is I put a little beni-fiber in her juice it helps her work through the poo-poo troubles she sometimes gets from too many bananas.

Kate - posted on 11/11/2008

Livi is brill with her food she eats anything and everything its great but im still breast feeding and struggling to wean her off it,so yes she is great with food but not with her milk have tried the bottle and she just pushes it away and shouts at me.

Shannon - posted on 11/11/2008

Rita--

Does you daughter not like the bottle or not like the formula, or both? Formula can be mixed up and refrigerated for 24 hours. I've known moms who mix up a days worth in a pitcher and just shake it up a bit before serving in a sippy. Might want to try that. We're keeping around some formula for outings in case we are in the middle of the mall. Can't easily carry around real milk or juice.



Just some thoughts. Not sure about taking it to goodwill, but does your community have a food pantry? They'd probably take it as long as it is sealed. Also, shelters would proabably take it, especially ones for battered women and children. Our church is always asking for donations for babies and such in those circumstances.

Shannon - posted on 11/11/2008

You sound like you are talking about my child! She was always such a good eater...ate everything we gave her so well. This last month she's been very picky, especially with table foods that she did eat as baby food. I think it is partially teething (she's finally getting teeth!).



I've seen that with my LO if I just feed her one thing, she gets disinterested easily. So, it's two bites of what I want her to eat, one bite of one of her favorites. That helps some. Also, I was told to start offereing choices. Kinda hard when they don't understand how to match a look with a taste, but I think that will come eventually. Maybe getting the pureed form and mixing it? Even if you have to mash the table food in it?



Hope he's doing better!

Magen - posted on 11/07/2008

I've noticed that when my daughter goes through spells were she doesn't want to eat what I have given her, I first of all let her do it herself/or I help depending on her mood. Sometimes I think that she doesn't like what I am feeding her and in all reality she just wants to feed herself and then she is fine. And vice versa. And I also allow more time in between meals and less snacking. Children have to eat, their bodies offer the same hunger ques that our adult bodies do, so I give her some more time and offer it again about 30 mins-1hr later and she eats it like she never had a problem with it. I am kind of a stickler about not letting my child be a picky eater. I think parents allow children to be picky eaters, so in our house you eat what is on your plate and there are no special meals fixed. I even set this rule in stone with my husband, luckily he has learned to live with whatever it is that I make for dinner. : P

Elizabeth - posted on 11/07/2008

my son has always been a relatively adventurous eater - he just won't eat more than one or two bites at times. He'll eat fine for a few weeks and then go through a 2-3 days stretch when he'll eat relatively nothing, but still drinks his milk. The Doc says he'll get on board eventually and recommended we give him pediasure with his milk. But as a mom, i must admit it stresses me out when he doesn't eat. It does help to know it's a pretty common issue.

Candice - posted on 11/04/2008

My daughter went through a really picky phase where she just wanted yogurt

i kept giving her what we were eating then filling her up with the yogurt

my doctor gave me some great advice on that: she said dont give your 1yr old a bottle for 2hrs before its time to eat then they'll be more hungry when food comes around

now she's almost eating like she was when she was 9 months

hope it helps, worked for me

Rita Kymm - posted on 11/02/2008

My pediatrician just said that they should be off the bottle by like 15 months, so I wasn't in a hurry. Another source said between 9 & 12 months we should be switching them to CUPs, not sippy cups, because with a Sippy they don't learn to drink with control. I don't buy that, because my 3-year-old had a sippy forever and does great with a cup now. Anyway, my main concern was wasting my overstock of formula, cheap as that sounds. Can you donate that to goodwill or something?



Isn't it weird how most of us are listing the same stuff? Dairy, beans/peas, and fruit. Sounds like it's pretty normal. And honestly, that's really not a bad mix for nutrition. Either way, it's temporary. Keep telling yourself that.

Sara - posted on 11/01/2008

Emma is the same. She loves bananas, cheerios, yogurt, pears, strawberries and now she loves really small cut up tomatoes. Chicken sometimes, meat rarely. But check this out, my mom used to make this for me when I was a baby, its famous in my country (Italy) it's called STRACCIATELLA. Mix well: 1 egg, grated parmesan cheese and some bread crumbs. Put some vegetable broth to boil and then put your mixt into the broth. It will turn into some kind of texture that babies can eat with a spoon or even with their hands. Emma LOVES this and has lots of good protein and very healthy and nutritious . Let me know. Oh! Emma is still loving her bottle and she has a bottle 3 times a day....is that normal??

Rachel - posted on 11/01/2008

i am so glad to hear my daughter isn't the only one! she generally eats beans, cheese, and fruit bars (like a nutri grain). she loved so many foods when she ate baby food....it does seem like it's a texture thing because when she picks up a new food in her hand, she immediately drops it and makes a grossed out face. :) i'm sure it's just a phase....and she seems healthy otherwise, so i'm trying not to stress out about it.

Jamie - posted on 10/31/2008

i have the exact same problem! my son used to a variety of foods. now it's just cheese, yogurt, bananas, and those fruit strips by gerber. he will eat most fruit and an avocado. but now he despises almost anything hot. i can't tell whether it hurts his gums (he's getting his molars in) or if he's just being picky. but i am so there with all of you. it's so frustrating sometimes and those fruit strips are expensive!

Ash - posted on 10/31/2008

we have to 'trick' our daughter into eating cheese by putting it on green beans! it's the weirdest thing ever! she did decide that yams make her cry :(

Denise - posted on 10/31/2008

My husband and I have been struggling with our daughter changing her mind on foods. One day she loves the melon the next won't eat it. One minute she is eating the grape tomatoes like they are the most wonderful thing and the next she is spitting it out on the floor. She is in love with blueberry bagels and any kind of noodle in meat sauce. Otherwise, it is a mix depending on the day. Yogurt, meat, and cheerios top the list. I really worry she is not getting the right balance of daily nutrition. Any ideas on other foods she can feed herself that might be better for her?

Elisabeth - posted on 10/30/2008

My son likes to just throw all his food on the floor, and maybe eat some of it. It's hard to get him to eat all range of food, but like Michelle said, just keep offering it to him and eventually he'll take it.

Lacey - posted on 10/30/2008

well I am so lucky my Dane will eat anything and I mean anything...as for the last post the day after Danes first birthday which was october 3rd I took the bottle and formula away and havn't looked back...he did great switching to whole milk and not having a bottle it was pretty easy...if yours doesn't want the bottle I would just take it away altogether than you wont have to deal with the attachment that they form with the bottle after time...

Rita Kymm - posted on 10/30/2008

Wow, I seem lucky. Tansy will take most of the things we feed her, but her favorites are mainly crackers, cheese, bananas, and green beans. Look on the bright side - at least the firmer stools make diaper changes easier. :) Just like we have cravings when hormones are changing with pregnancy, I'm sure babies have favorites and cravings as their bodies are growing and changing too. It won't last forever.



While I'm here, I have a question. My problem is that we have an overstock of formula as Tansy has transitioned to juice and such, and she has decided in the last week that she doesn't want a bottle. Do you have your little one just rejecting the bottle already? I know it's a good time to get them off it anyway, but have you ever tried mixing formula in a cup?! Not pretty. But she needs the fluid, or we have the same problem as with the bananas and cheese. Any suggestions are welcome. -Rita

Shannon - posted on 10/30/2008

I can relate! My daughter wants only green beans, peas, strawberries, and mandarin oranges. No meat! I keep trying to she spits it out and screams at me.

Jennifer - posted on 10/30/2008

My son is going through the finicky phase right now. It is super frustrating. I try so hard to give him a variety of different foods but it seems like he always wants the same things. My son will not eat fruit or veggies. I keep trying but have not had any luck. I have started making him fruit and frozen yogurt smoothies. He enjoys them so that is how I have been giving him his fruit servings. I am still trying to think of ways to get him to eat veggies.

Jenna - posted on 10/30/2008

Hey Ladies! My son is also a very picky eater. He eats so much cheese and yogurt. It seems to be that he is only eating dairy. I wouldn't be so concerned but it makes it really hard for him to go to the bathroom and have really hard stools. June I like your idea of all the blending. That sounds great! I think it is a texture thing too with the pickyness??? for my son anyways

June - posted on 10/30/2008

yogurt.

Sawyer's obsession is yogurt.

NOTHING else will do!

So, I have started blending in tofu (we call if yofu! he he he!) to get some protein in him & he hasnt' noticed at all. We also blended sweet potatoes/yams into peach yogurt & he gulped it down!

The pediatrician says just keep trying & that sometimes it takes 12-15 times of tasting something before they like it. I say... blend it in! =)

Michelle - posted on 10/29/2008

My daughter did the same thing. I just kept offering her new food with her favorites, and eventually they will expand their horizons. As long as your child is getting healthy foods throughout the day, there is not much else you can do. Cheese = calcium and protein, bananas = potassium. Good Luck!!