Eating Problems - Springfield,MA

Let him try doing it by himself. At his age this is probably a struggle for independence. He will make a mess but it's the only way they can learn! You can also try giving him his own baby spoon to distract while you try and feed him. Don't worry about him getting enough food. Small Kidd don't need many calories and when it comes down to it he will eat if he is truely hungry. Good luck! Both my kids did this (actually my youngest still does) and it will pass!

I commiserate. My son is 22 months and I have the same problem. He is a very picky eater, and some days I worry that he seems to have barely eaten anything. I gave up on the high chair months ago because he simply wasn't having it. I would let him roam and call him to me get some bites off the spoon. That worked for a few months...until he learned to say no. It's funny that I should see your note today, because last night I tried something new and it worked like a charm. I'm going to try it again tonight and I pray that it works. I fed him in the bathtub. Whatever works... cleanfreaks!!! LOL Bathtime is his favorite time of day. He is relaxed, happy, playing with his toys, we talk and laugh and sing. When he saw his plate of food, he opened wide and ate. He didn'tfinish everything, but I got him to eat more than he would have if he had been out of the tub. I'm all for trying whatever works. Best of luck.

BTW...when he is in his chair, have you tried giving him the spoon and letting him feed himself? It's messy, but my son likes to do that also.

My mom asked me a few weeks ago if I give vitamins to my son. She said it will increase his appetite. I had never heard that before. Has anyone else? If it's true, maybe that will help.

He is absolutely not getting enough nutrients - milk doesn't begin to have what he needs. Actually it's not even a necessary food. I agree about giving him some control if you can put him in a booster seat or something else less confining. Give him some foods he can eat with his own fingers and you can even try giving him a fork he can manage himself. Get a fun dish/utensil set. Put a toy in front of him - one of those suction things that can't be pushed around.

If he just plays with the food, take him down from the seat and send him on his way. When he is hungry, put him back at the table and put the same variety of foods out in front of him, letting him choose what to eat. Don't give him more milk than you normally would, and consider cutting down.

There is a fantastic kids' supplement called Now for Kids which will give him tons of great nutrients in a balanced blend - it can go in his milk, juice, applesauce, yogurt or water. It comes in vanilla and chocolate and is delicious. The vanilla can go in juice and applesauce, and the chocolate is great in milk & water. I just came from a conference and listened to numerous MDs talking about how they use this in their practices here in the US and in 3rd world countries where it is literally saving children's lives. It is highly absorbable and therefore a tremendous value. If you want more info, let me know.

I agree he should feed himself, lay down a towel or even an extra shower curtain to help with the clean-up! My son really got into it when we got him his own chair, like one of those little tyke ones. Now he pulls it up to his play table or the coffee table when he wants to eat. But it could also be that his teeth are bothering him. My son went through something similar. We have make-your-own popsicles and I just put 100% juice in them. I noticed eating hard things made him cranky and given a popsicle he calms right down and sits quietly, same thing with frozen blueberries. I think his teeth hurt him at times, as those nasty 2 year molars may be coming through and they must REALLY hurt. You can always try that and maybe use like V8 fusion with the fruits and vegetables to help him through the day sooth his teeth and get nutrition.

Hi M. -

I agree with the other posts. It will be more fun for your son if he is able to feed himself. The other issue might be the confinement in a high chair. Twenty month olds do not like to be still. I would suggest putting cheerios/kix/small bits of food on a toddler-sized table. Let him eat when he is hungry and let him eat on the move.

Your son may also be filling up on milk - replace some of the milk you give him with water and see if that increases his appetite for solid food. A lot of milk can sometimes make kids constipated and if they are constipated their appetite can decrease.

The big thing is that food should not be a battle. Unless there is an underlying medical issue, they all eventually eat when they are hungry. Have patience. This will pass.

Keep in mind that when your son is 14 yrs. old, you will be asking how to stop him from eating you out of house and home!!!!

T. Y
SAHM of almost 4 (9yrs, 7yrs, 20 months and 29 weeks pregnant with baby #4)

There are special spoons with little holes in them that hold onto soft food like applesauce http://www.amazon.com/Sassy-Toddler-Spoon-Multiple-Colors... that might help. There are disposable bibs called Bibsters with a pocket to catch foods that fall. There are drip cloths for under high chairs to catch all the spills. Let him make a mess and get the right stuff to make clean-up easy for you. If he is truly a picky eater after that then try Pediasure, it is a formula for kids 2-10 that provides vitamins and nutrition. Just check with your pediatrician because you do not need other vitamins if he drinks a lot of Pediasure. Good luck!

He's 20 months he probably doesn't like sitting in the high chair anymore and he should be feeding himself. Before we got our booster seat for the regular chair we took the tray off the high chair and sat him right at the table with us and we always give just a little of everything we are having and let him go to town. I think if you let him do it you will have more success and a lot less stress at meal times.

At 20 months old...you shouldn't be feeding him. That's a large part of the problem, right there!

Put the food in a dish. Any goopy foods (applesauce, yogurt) should go in a bowl. The rest should be cut up into tiny pieces he can pick up with his finger and thumb. Let him decide what he eats and how much of it....

Most kids don't need to be hand fed much past their first birthdays. My third child was completely proficient with a fork and spoon by 14 months and had been feeding himself for 4 months prior to that.

Yes, definately let him feed himself. Give him a variety and let him decide what he wants to eat. My son was a horrible eater and I used to get so stressed about it. They will eat when they are hungry. It is so simple, but so true. Eating is one of the few things they have control over at this age. If he puts up a fight then let him down from the highchair and enjoy your meal. Sounds like a power-struggle and once he realizes you are not going to fight anymore he might decide to sit and eat. My Ped told me when we were going through the same thing "Don't make mealtimes a battle, because you won't win". Once I actually listened to that advice, things became so much better. My son is not almost 5 and he eats so much better. Good luck!!!

M.,

Have you tried making pancakes or french toast letting it cool down and then giving him a piece to eat while he is walking around and playing? Some doctor's say not to let kids graze but it meal time is a fight I can guarentee you your son will win everytime.
I've added things like grated carrot, zucchini and apple, as well as mashed banana to the pancakes. Generally for the french toast I make it with cinnamon raisin bread. You can see if this goes over better at least for breakfast.
Grilled cheese, sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches are go to eat for lunch - and again can be eaten outside.
We do mac-n-cheese with grated carrot and zucchini into it as well as tofu as worked for us. As well as ravioli and ziti pasta - hand food - it make work out better for you to try.
Also have you let him feed himself? Try putting him in his chair and giving him the food and the spoon and let him do whatever he is going to do even if it's not eat and just play. A friend of mine once said "Eating is something they are 100% in control of. They either eat or not but we can not force them to eat." Profound really, and very true. The weather is nice enough to sit outside if you are concerned about the clean up but I will tell you that they only getting better at feeding themsleves the more they do it, but in the beginning they make a mess. My aunt used to lay newspapers out under my cousins high chair and when the meal was done she just had to roll up the top layer of newspaper and through it out, not a lot of clean up there.

Anyway, it's things to try.
Good luck,
L.

He wants to feed himself! Let him experiment with picking foods up with his fingers and also using toddler utensils. He is almost two and needs independence!

My son is almost 19 months old, and about 90% of the time, he feeds himself. He has been doing this since about 12 months old. I only do foods which he can easily feed himself. Your son is probably too old for you to be feeding him all the time. Im curious why you are still feeding him; is he eating baby food still? If so, this isn't what he should be eating. By 20 months, he should be eating whatever you and your husband are eating, and he should be able to use a fork or spoon on his own.

I've never really forced my two kids to eat at all. but i did learn that if you cut down on the milk and juice drinking at this age they tend to get hungry. i don't think it's picky eating at all it's just that he's too full of milk or juice from what your giving him that he may not want to eat . so limit his bottles and give him finger food at first instead of a bottle and see what happens. hope this helps