Hello Moms,
My son is an ok eater, he mostly eats things he picks up himself like cubes of fruit, fries, and meat. He also loves applesauce or other fruit pureee thickened with baby cereal (he doesn't really like bread although will eat crackers and chips). He also will eat 3rd food meals at the babysitter's. Here is the question, when I give him rice or other tiny texture like pastina or alphabet noodles he doesn't get upset, he just opens his mouth and pushes it out all over the table or the floor. I have tried giving him food of this texture maybe 5 or 6 times over the last 5 months and he has the same reaction. He does the same thing with any new food but if he likes it, he will pick it back up and put it into his mouth. What are your thoughts? Should I just keep trying?
Hi Beata,
If he doesn't like it, then don't give it to him. Nothing terrible will happen nutritionally if he does not eat rice or tiny noodles. Try bigger pasta if you want him eating pasta, but otherwise, let him get his carbs from other things (like pancakes and waffles at lunch, see if he'll eat chunks of potato, give whole wheat ritz crackers as snack).
Mine were both the same way, it was a texture thing. Now that they're 4 and almost 3 they both like all kinds of things. Don't worry about it, the fact that he likes meat and fruit that's more nutritional anyway is great!
Hello fellow mom,
Consistency is key!! Remember there are many ways to him to eat the foods that you want. A great cookbook is the sneaky chef where she teaches you how to put healthier foods like spinach into yummy snacks like brownies. You can also do what I do if your concerned about nutrition and essential nutrients like omega-3's. I make ice pops out of the nutrition for my girls and I give them omega-3 gummies from Nordic naturals. A lot of what you are experiencing is very normal with your child he will go through phases where likes something like broccoli and then he may dislike it for awhile. He's developing his taste buds. It's common and I tell all my parents in our office is stick with being consistent and try new approaches. Most important of focus on the outcome you want.
Hope this helps.
Dr. V. LaRocco Health Development Strategist.
The Greater Wellbeing
Just keep trying. How your child reacts to new foods and situations will give you some insight to his personality. Besides, he can't keep eating pureed foods forever. He will eventually get the hang of it and it will become familiar to him.
It's not necessary to eat pasta and certainly not at that age. He shouldn't be eating fried either. That's a recipe for poor health. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, millet (you can blend it since he doesn't like small things), oats would be better choices. Remember we are what we eat and if you feed a child processed, genetically modified food (pretty much all wheat is GM now) you will have a sick child with allergies in the future. The lifespan of this generation is going to be shorter than that of their parents and this is due to all the "fake" food and chemicals and hydrogenated fats people are eating. Keep it real: fruits, veggies, healthy grains (blend them into porridge if that works better), organic meat, organic eggs. You are lucky he doesn't like that stuff. Children often know best what's good for them. Eating this way can prevent celiac, gluten insensitivity and leaky gut that can lead to other health issues and allergies.
My son went through a picky eating phase. I want to preface my advice with the fact that I have never seen a toddler starve themselves.
What worked for my son, at mealtime I would begin to only serve him the food he didn't want. If he refused it I would take him out the the highchair and let him get involved in different things. Yes he would get cranky because he was hungry and then I would offer him the food again. Eventually he would eat it.
I know for some this sounds cruel but unless he was allergic to the foods they won't hurt him. I figure I am giving him a gift for his future. In the future he will spend time at the homes of others and be offered things he may not have had exposure to but will be expected to eat.
Now my son is 14 and very adventurous with food. He loves trying new and different things. It is a pleasure to watch, especially knowing just how much it took to get him to that point.
Hope this is helpful to you.
perfectly normal, and just offer it to him next time you're eating it, don't go out of your way to keep making it for him if he doesn't like it. My son, now 2 years old, JUST started eating fruit, he used to hate the texture and would spit it out. The one day I was eating a banana and he asked for some, and ate the entire thing. Don't stress about what he won't eat and focus on what he will eat. I've learned that lesson. They won't starve or end up malnourished. :)
Lynsey
That is a typical phase my boys went through too. But, what I have found with my third son was the textures. He didn't like picking things up with is fingers or hands if it felt "odd' to him and also the textures in his mouth. I would give him those things and if he shows consistently the things hetried and he doesn't like, avoid but replace it with other things he will eat and still get the some nutrition...like chips and crackers instead of bread. That is okay, just make sure you get him the good crackers and good chips and kids do not know what they are missing if you feeding the heathly things to them. If you give them the junk, theyw ill detest healthy things and that is how our bodies are. So, I say continue giving him what he likes and fit in the other things and he will eventually come out of it. My son won't and refuse hamburgers, but he'll eat ground turkey, turkey, chicken, etc. but not hamburgers. I don't care if he doesn't eat it, but I want to make sure he gets some meat into his system and more protein in his diet. If he continues to show that he's having texture problems that can be taken care of and he may need in the near future some help and mention it to the pediatirican if you see and find that he's showing sensitivity with textures both or one of the two, feel in the mouth/feelings with hands. My third son does not like to sit on the grass. He hates grass, but I am still geeting him in the grass because there are grass in our part of the country :) You're doing great and continue doing so. Your son is blessed to have you as a caring mother. Congrats.....
Hi Beata, my advice is not to keep trying. Pasta, is not a great food for your body. It is probably one of the main culprits behind childhood obesity. If he does not like pasta or bread, you have already won the battle. Neither of these foods offer any nutritional value unless they are whole wheat. Moreover, even if they are whole wheat, while they are more nutritional, they lead to everyone becoming over weight. Fruits, veggies, and meat (if he should be eating it) is the healthiest diet any of us could be on. I hope this helps.
