Baby Becoming a Picky Eater

When my son was about that age, the only thing i could get him to eat was sweet potatoes. So I started mixing a little bit of the meats with it. little by little, i started adding the meat until it was both jars mixed together. (lets face it, the plain meat is disgusting!!) I would also add a little bit of other veggies until he accepted the flavor. Now he's 3 yrs old and loves all meats and veggies. however he refuses to try sweet potatoe casserole!!!

I read it takes a LOT of times of offering/trying a food before kids decide they "like" it so don't give up. Offer him whatever you are having (as long as it is not a choking hazard (I was a little freaky about that). But I do now have a son who LOVES to try anything he has never had and he eats anything except cream cheese. My point: give him what you know he'll eat and already likes but keep offering him different stuff along with it. O. day maybe your son will be like mine, who asks "Do they have shrimp here?" when we go to McDonlad's!

It's pretty normal for them to like something one day and not like it the next. That happened to us too! Just keep trying!

Hi T., Keep trying the veggies! Personally not one of my three girls ever ate babyfood meats...and after trying them myself I didn't blame them! UCK! It maynot be a taste issue for your son, it may be texture. I have noticed that around the 1 yr mark my girls and the kids I have babysat have all gone into the "myself" stage. They want fingerfoods...so try giving him cooked green beans, carrots, peas, raisins, pieces of banana, toast, crunchy cereals like kix, honeycombs, trix etc. Remember the "experts" say that you have to offer a food 15 times before a child truly can decide if they like it or not! Also different "cuts" of the same item can be a factor like french cut green beans vs itlian cut. Best wishes!

keep trying different foods. sometimes they do make faces when eating. my son still does it and is 18 months old. try some peas they are sweet and it may be something he may be able to feed himself. as long as is he gaining weight and growing is the only thing the doctor will be concerned with.

Baby food meat IS pretty gross. I have been giving my son shredded turkey and chicken breast because he gagged the one time I tried to give him the baby food meat. Try cubing (pea-size) meats or pureeing them yourself if you are nervous about chunks, maybe he will like them more.
Also, although I have never tried it, I have read that some babies really like tofu, and that is an excellent source of protein.
Also, my son really likes all kinds of fresh fruit in those mesh bags that they have, I will put bananas, apples, pears, all kinds of fruits in one and he will go to town! :) It IS really tough to figure out what they can/should be eating, but just keep introducing new stuff while keeping the other stuff he already eats there too, like the sweet potatoes. Try mixing baby food carrots with peas or green beans, or squash. Also try pureeing some fresh veggies for him, just throw a few kinds in a blender that you think will taste good. You can always add greens without making the taste very strong. Good luck!

T.,

Sounds pretty normal to me. At that age, they're experimenting with table foods. So what he doesn't like today, he may like later if you keep presenting it. And, conversely, what he likes today, he may refuse tomorrow! And his favorite baby food tastes, may not be to his taste once he eats the 'real thing' as table food. That's just the way they are. Keep presenting him with lots of choices and try to look at what he is eating over a few days, not just at any one meal. Sounds like he is getting enough nutrition, especially if you're still nursing. Best of luck!

Welcome to the world of toddlerhood! No, seriously, all 3 of my children have had various eating issues...my 5 year old had allergies so we kept him on baby foods a long time since it was hard to work around the allergies, my daughter started eating ONLY table foods at 8 months, refusing to eat anything from a jar (which we talk about often b/c her favorite food before she was a year old was Italian sausages), and my 9 month old ONLY eats baby food bananas, applesauce, and occasionally pears. If he was eating normally, it's just a stage I would guess. You can offer him the things he doesn't want to eat and once he takes a couple of "no thank you" bites, give him what he really wants, you can try being very creative with foods (designing faces out of the food and have him eat the eyes, nose, mouth, etc., and other silliness), you can hide the foods inside things he likes (adding veggies to mac-n-cheese or whatever), but I would say it's fairly normal for a little power struggle to occur. Perhaps moving him towards more solids would help (not losing the nursing, just the baby foods), or allowing himself to self feed more. Basically, I would just try different tactics until I found what worked. But I do agree with you not to give in to his picky demands.

Did you ever see those little hand grinders that you can take right along with you? That way you can grind up and use as baby food what you are eating, whether that be at home or at a restaurant. It could be more nourishing and attractive to him than the prefixed Gerber--AND much cheaper. So whatever you are having and want him to have, you just pop into this nifty little gadget and prepare right there while you are at the table from the menu you are eating.