1 Year Old Won't Eat!

Hi, H.! I am a 27 year old single mother and I have a VERY picky 4 year old girl. I have repeatedly asked my Doctor about her not eating since she was one. His suggestion is to let her be. She will eat when she is hungry. It may be a control issue. I suggest to continue to try the foods you know she needs and give her a vitamin. They make them in gummy forms, but my daughter's favorite is the Flinstones.

I hope this helps.

J.

H., I had the exact same issue with my baby (she's now 15mo). I tried to give her baby food #3 jars..the kind with bits of chunks in it. She'd suck the sauce out and spit out all the lumps. But, like your daughter, she'd eat the wagon wheels and cheerios.

When she was about 13 months, she started to feed herself peanut butter toast and pancakes. She's still not the best eater in the world, but is doing better.

I think it is quite common that kids have texture problems. I am sure she will grow out of it. Once you daugher starts to eat bread, try making broccoli cheese pancakes. Use a blender/food processor to chop up the broccoli finely and add it to your normal pancake recipe. Then add shreaded cheese (1/2 cup-ish). Finally add a bit of garlic powder. Its a great way to get veggies into toddlers/children without them knowing it.

Good luck!
-L.-

Try placing the solids in a blender and puree them. And gradually increase the consistency of them

Just keep on keeping on, girlfriend! As long as she is nursing, she is getting all the nutrients that she needs from you as long as you are eating well. A doctor would tell you that until a child is over 12 months, table food is optional. Now is the time to start introducing foods for them to try, with try being the key word. Don't force the food which could be very overwhelming. Offer it, and if she doesn't want it, you know what? That's OK! Just keep offering it to her so she can continue to explore the foods. And if it gets a little messy...that's OK, too! =) Also, don't get too anxious about it...your little one can sense that, and that may also affect how she interacts with the food. Of course, be there to help her out just in case she does bite off more than she can chew, but other than that, let her explore. This is a whole new world for her, and she is just finding out what she likes and doesn't like, and I will add that she still really doesn't know if she likes it after just one try. So try, try again! Keep up the good work, H.! You are doing a great job!

I'm sure she is getting plenty of nutrition, especially if she's nursing. I worried about the same thing, but as long as my daughter was getting her formula, that was the most important. It takes most babies a while to adjust to the differences of something other than a bottle or nursing. I think you'll find that she will go through stages of eating well, then not eating well or loving something one day and hating it the next.

good luck

If you are truly concerned then nurse her more often. Breastmilk is the perfect source of nutrients for a baby so don't ever worry about nursing more often.
As for solids if texture is the problem then try going straight to table foods instead of using jarred baby food. With my twins (now 14 months) they wouldn't eat any jarred baby food so we went straight to table foods- starting with oatmeal and grits instead of the boxed "baby cereal" and mashing up potatos and carrots off of my plate instead of jars. It worked great for us- not to mention SO much less expensive!! Just get baby's portion of table food before you salt and season that whole pot.

H

I am having trouble with my little boy too he will be One TOMORROW! Some days are better than others and some days is old favorites are now his least...I just keep trying. He has started throwing his food and scraping it off off his tongue if he doesn't like it! Talk about headstrong! Some things I have found that worked:
He likes to see me eat it first - if he knows I like it then he might too.
Let him touch it and test it out.
Distraction with another toy while I shovel it in LOL...
Start with a favorite (Chicken Noodle for ex.) then move to table foods.
He is also very texture sensitive. Anything slimy (table foods) he will refuse, meaning he loves carb/bread items to eat. I looked a lot of this up and it all seems normal toddler behavior. They are learning new senses and how their mouth works for them. I try to be patient and hang in there. I wouldn't worry about the nutrition if she is still breastfeeding 4x a day.

Hi H.,

My daughter will be 1 in a little over a week and I am having the same exact problem. It looks by the other messages you've received that this might be a phase with children of this age.

I have been told that as long as the child is still nursing/bottle feeding fine then there isn't anything to worry about. A child can go for a few days without eating by living on his baby fat. But, your daughter is still nursing well so you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

I would keep trying to feed her solids but remember not to get frustrated if she won't eat them.

Hope this helps,
K.

I have a 3 year old daughter who is still not much better. She still eats baby food. Very few solids. Her weight is fine. If you are really concerned make sure your are giving her vitamins. My daughter would go days without eating 5 bites (literally). Hang in there, she will be fine.

We tried to make our own baby food and had a similar issue - my son didn't like the texture and wouldn't eat it. Someone once told me that they mixed a small amount of breast milk in with the homemade baby foods. Because it was a familiar taste, the child accepts it more readily. We ended up using the store bought foods, and never tried this, but we will with our next one!

Hope that helps!
N.