Hi, I have an almost 17mth. old daughter. She does not like "milk"...except for the occasional Rice Milk. I say that to say...I have to make a concerted effort to make sure she gets enough fats throughout the day. She is OBSESSED with avocados! She has 1 every, single night after dinner. It now has gotten to the point that she will refuse to eat anything for dinner, except the avocado. I made her spaghetti and meatballs. she SCREAMED for an avocado (I did not give in). I offered her chicken and some veggies, she REFUSED! So I feel like I should just put her to bed w/out dinner but I am SO concerned that she is too young to do this? I am going to offer the same thing tomorrow for every meal. Does anyone know if this is too young and exactly how much fat a 17 mth old requires?
Thanks!
Thanks to everyone for your wonderful advice and encouragement. My daughter is still going through this phase and has actually gotten WORSE! But I'm trying everyday to take a breathe and let it ride. (Now avocadoes are not doing it:) I still worry about her getting enough fats and nutrients. Again, thank you so much!
I say give it to her with the rest of her dinner, sometimes they need to eat a little before they really feel hungry. Then, don't give in. I find that my daughter will eat all of what she likes first, and only until after she realizes she's not getting more of it will she start to try the other items.
One thing you might try is making her a plate with the "regular" meal and include some of the avocado. Tell her "that is supper" and just see what she does. Don't make a huge deal of what she eats or doesn't eat. Kids really have tiny stomachs and it doesn't take much to fill them up!
The good thing about avocados is that although they are high in fat, it's the good fat that our bodies need. And at that age most kids don't have to worry about getting too much fat! I'd just make sure she gets her vitamin every day to balance out the current diet.
And remember - "this, too, shall pass"!!
My son went through a phase when he was about that age and would eat nothing but hot dogs. I took him to the Dr. and his Dr. said not to worry, it was a phase. Sure enough after a while he started to eat other things. I think eventually it will resolve but you might call her Dr. just to make sure. Every child is different. A.
My favorite books for feeding toddlers are:
Idiots Guide to Feeding Your Toddler and Baby and Toddler Meals for Dummies. My local Library has them so I was able to try them out before purchasing.
My toddler stopped eating anything I wouldn't let her feed herself at that age. I didn't introduce peanut butter or honey into her diet until after age 2 and then the peanut butter was very, very thinly spread.
Anything you can cut up into 1/4 " pieces should be fine as finger food.
Let her eat the avocado!
From my own experience...trying to force children to eat what they don't want will only make them want it less. Offer a variety of foods, and let them pick. As long as everything you offer is healthy, it won't be a problem.
A. :)
T V, No, this is not too young to be a picky eater. My little man is two and a half, and he is always getting hooked on something and doesn't want anything but that, and he's been that way since he started eating solid food. At first it was apples. Then it was cereal. Next it was goldfish crackers. Now it's cheese, any kind, it doesn't matter as long as it's cheese. This is going to sound really callous and harsh, but here's what I did with my son. I didn't take away his fixation completely, no 'cold turkey', but i did reduce the amount he was getting a little at a time, and start introducing more variety of foods until we could go a few days without the 'fixation food'. Believe it or not, your child won't starve if she decides that's all she's going to eat. Eventually, she'll be curious enough, or hungry enough to try other foods and she'll adjust. Mine did. And we just deal with the new fixations and wean him off of whatever it is he wants until the fixation wears off and he eats normal again. Not all kids are that bad, but mine sure was, lol. I hope this helps.
If you want her to eat, dont give in, at our house my kids must take a no thank you bit, then if they dont want to eat, then they dont have too. Also putting her to without dinner is just fine, a toddler is not going to starve herself, she will eat when she is hungry. Its just the same toddlers will not over eat either.
My son is not a picky eater now, but it could change at any moment. I make him pancakes with pureed fruit in the batter, eggs with cheese, muffins made with applesauce, french toast with pureed bananas as a spread instead of syrup as well as making pastas with a cheese sauce and mixed veggies. He use to eat fresh fruit all the time, but does not seem to like the texture in his hands any longer, so I put pureed fruit in everything. He LOVES dried blueberries, they are so sweet it is like candy. Also, try putting a yogurt drink in her bottle. My son will not put this bottle down until it is all gone. Try hiding the avocado and tell her you do not have any (good luck). Maybe mix the avocado with other green veggies (blended) and spread them over a tortilla with a little cheese. My son LOVES fish sticks, maybe give them a try. I do not suggest microwaving them, I cook them in toaster oven, cut in half, put in freezer for a few minuites to cool and he goes to town. My main suggestion is to keep trying, be persistent and to also put a variety of "colors" on her plate and let her pick and choose.
Hi T V, I don't remember how much fat a 17 month needs to have, but avocado is a very healthy fat food. I use to sneak in some of my son's not so favorite foods in by blending them in with foods he liked.
At that age all my daughter would eat were hot dogs. Like you I was afraid that this was not healthy so I consulted her pediatrician. She told me that every child goes through these phases and not to be concerned as long as she still acts normally. She also said that as long as my daughter ate enough each day to make one meal that she was not starving. We continued to insist on her eating something with the hot dog. Eventually she moved on to loving different foods. Your daughter is definately old enough to understand that she must eat dinner before "dessert". Continue on not giving in to her fits. She will eat when she gets hungry enough and it won't take very long either.
J.
My 16 month old son got hooked on Kix cereal. Like your daughter, he would refuse dinner because he ate Kix as his bedtime snack. I took away the Kix completely and replaced his bedtime snack with yogurt or crackers. After a week or so he finally got the hint that the Kix are no more and started eating dinner again. I do keep cereal around but he only gets it if he eats all of his other food at mealtime and seems to still be a little hungry. Good luck!
TV,
When I was your daughter's age I got into the habit of not eating unless my parents put blackstrap molasses all over the food. (Why they ever started this I don't know!) It must have started tearing up my stomach and they had to wean me off of it. I dare say I whined and screamed too but since I was a toddler and they were grownups, they had their way and I survived.
There is nothing wrong with letting her have avacadoes since they are much healthier than what I see other moms on this site feeding their children. Chances are this is just a phase and if you continue to offer her other choices, eventually she will come around. If nothing else, give her only half an avacado, after she eats other food. Also, if she only eats them at night, and eats other food for breakfast and lunch, then I wouldn't worry about it.
K.
LOL...yes, putting a 17 month old to bed without dinner is not a good idea. It's just mean.
Let her eat the avocado, but put other foods out too. Trust me, she will eventually eat other foods.
She sounds like an independent little girl....I have one too. I found that not fighting with her and giving her options, she eventually did the right thing. Now is the time she is starting to make decisions for her self, let her do it, but provide the options too.
She's still a baby. No reason to fight with a baby, not worth it....AND it teachers her how to fight.
T.
Holy cow. Your daughter is getting plenty of fat by eating avocados every day!! Those things have about 40 grams of fat apiece!!
Sounds like you have a vegetarian on your hands :) A raw, whole-foods one, at that. Trust me. She's way better off with the avocado than the spaghetti and meatballs or the chicken and cooked veggies. Serious. But try this: think of her snack times as small meals. She won't think of them as food-fight territory so much as dinner time. Make sure that her snacks are all very nutrient-dense and get that variety in there (since babies cannot live on avocados alone).
Don't be a short-order cook, that's for sure. But just ask her what she wants, and give it to her. I read about a study that shows that toddlers eat what their bodies need.
In fact, try the "nibble tray" - use an ice cube tray and fill it up with all variety of choke-proof foods. I mean, really get your creative juices going. Hummus. Blended kidney beans and honey as a "dipping sauce" for whole-wheat crackers (or whatever else she wants to stick in there). PB, sure, and mango and soy yogurt and cooked Swiss chard and sweet potato. Quinoa, brown rice, really, anything that's super healthy. Then, she can eat whatever she wants. And you get the rest for your own snacks :)
Then, if she doesn't eat her dinner, at least she's been getting her nutrients through her snacks. Think of dinner as just another snack. No law requires that they get their nutrients in at meals. In fact, snacks in general should be super healthy, anyway. Those growing brains and bodies need all the goodness they can get!
As for going to bed without dinner: no child will starve in the face of food. If she misses a meal or two, it won't hurt her. Many kids just don't want to eat some days of the week. They make up for it the next day or two. Very very common and fine. Her refusing some meals might be her way of saying she just doesn't want to eat then, period, unless it's a treat like avocado (ever feel full but still want that candy bar? ;)
If she comes to you later wanting to eat something, give her something healthy.
L.
Avocados are one of the healthiest foods your child can eat! Plus it has lots of fat, close to 25 grams of fat for one I think. Here's a link to nutrition info:
http://www.avocado.org/healthy-living/nutrition
Be glad she likes something so healthy! My baby loves sweet potatoes, microwaved then mashed with some butter and brown sugar. It's the only vegetable she'll eat, but it's also really good for you and it's her dinner several times a week!
Hi. My son is a very picky eater. I always try to give hime something different. He loves fruit and vegatables. He would rather eat a cucumber for dinner and strawberries then anything else. Its good for him so I let him eat it. One day he will eat good and the next he wont. He is almost 4 and growing fast. He has been a picky eater since he was a baby. I did ask his doctor and they told me as long as he is drinking plenty of fluids that he will be ok. Also to offer small meals through out the day and he will get used to eating more. Try something new every other day. Most kids like colorful food. I really like the idea about the ice cube tray. That is inventive. I really hope this helps.
S. T.
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