Food Ideas?? - Windham,NH

Its tough to get some children to eat new foods. But to not get them to eat new foods can be disasterous. I know of several children that in effect tell their parents what they will eat and as a result what the parents will cook.

I had a business associate that was very effective at work, but when we would go out for a business lunch or dinner he was so picky, that he was like a three year old. I know he was passed over for promotions because of his lack of social ability.

How do you force the issue? Feed her the foods you eat, cut up for her abilities. We fed our kids what we ate and when they refused we kept feeding it to them until they got over their aversion. I remember my wife putting up with a temper tantrum from one or more of our kids because they were having to eat what we wanted them to eat. They were given a little of what they liked. In between what they wanted, my wife fed them what we wanted. When they got hungry enough they ate.

Hunger is a fantastic spice. I was a scoutmaster. After a 10 mile hike, even picky boy scouts will eat just about anything.

Good luck to you and yours.

1 year olds and older toddlers are just by nature picky about food. It is one of the things they can be in control over to some extent. She sounds very NORMAL!

I second and third previous advice in keep introducing the foods in small amounts but paired with at least one thing you know/hope they will eat. My two get what we eat but I add a bite or two of cheese, apple sauce, a chicken nugget or similar as well.

I read similar advice from a mom of 10 where her adopted kids come from very different backgrounds. She makes it a point of making available more options on the table and letting kids "pick and choose" out of what is there. She said over continued exposure even her most picky kids would try a bite or two of things that were "strange" to them. So instead of one main dish and one/two large sides for her brood she does 4 or more smaller sides as well as slices of fruit & cut veggies so that kids feel like they have a say in what they eat. She offers a bite of the newer items each time to those who aren't eaters of the dish.

Right now with my little girl I would LOVE IT if she even remotely liked the same meal over and over. I'd gladly make her mac&cheese with hot dogs and broccoli over and over because I know that it would eventually change. We are going through a food roulette phase of nothing is what she wants but crackers and cookies and milk. Crackers and cookies are being limited to one at a time paired with anything else I can think of at the time.

For now you can always provide her with one of the above "will eat" items along with what you are eating. At least you know she will get a few bites of food in while giving other foods a chance. IF YOU DON'T BRING IT TO THE TABLE INITIALLY FOR DINNER THEN DON'T GO MAKE HER SOMETHING ELSE. You can also start a small pre-bedtime snack to help.

You also have to take into account her age. If she is closer to 16-18 months there isn't a whole lot of enforcing trying everything. My daughter is 22 months and getting her to even try 1-3 bites of something is difficult to impossible. By 2 1/2 though requiring tasting followed by no snack before bed would be more age appropriate.

My son is 13 months and I pretty much offer him whatever we are having, so he is exposed to lots of different foods and will try anything (luckily), but he loves rotisserie chicken (chopped up), bologna/cheese rolled up, strawberry jelly and cream cheese sandwiches (on whole wheat bread), but I try to modify some of what we're eating so he can eat it too....for example he is too little to eat tacos, but will leave some of the ground turkey unspiced, and chop up some tomatos, give him a pile of shredded cheese, some black beans or refried beans and he is good to go! He is also at the age where he wants to feed himself, so meals are messy (since he doesn't use silverware), but loves spaghetti, meatballs, soups (I just drain the liquid), etc... Good luck!!

A child can only be as picky as you let them be. If she refuses something and you make her a hot dog instead, then that's all she's going to eat. Hot dogs are NOT healthy! They are filled with tons of salt and preservatives, exactly the stuff a growing body DOESN'T need. Same with mac & cheese. It's just not a good food for kids to eat a lot of. Keep offering her different foods. We have "no thank you" helping. My daughter has to eat 3 bites of everything on her plate. If she chooses not to eat, fine. She sits at the table until the rest of us are done. We don't hound her to eat once she's eaten her 3 bites of everything. She doesn't get any snack or dessert before bed. It took about a week of firmly implementing the rule for her to understand that we weren't giving in. Now she eats almost everything we give her. There are some exceptions, so on the nights I make something that I know she doesn't like (like anything spicy) she eats leftovers.
She used to be really picky, but now that she has to try everything, she's learning there are a lot of foods that she really does like. She now loves green beans and peas (which she hated before).
Trust me, your daughter won't starve either. If you tell her that she has to eat her food, but then give her a hot dog b/c you're afraid she's starving, then she's not learning anything.
You can also serve her one new thing with one thing you know she likes. So, if you have chicken for dinner, also give her a small scoop of cottage cheese. But, make her try the chicken.
If you fall into the habit of only giving her certain foods, you'll find yourself being a short order cook for the rest of your life. Not fun!

Keep trying! It can take 15-20 tries before kids (and adults) get used to a new taste, flavor, texture.

The ONLY restrictions you have (according to the current policy from the American Academy of Pediatrics) are foods that pose a choking hazard and those that are a known family food allergen.

Otherwise, you can try ANYTHING and everything.

Steak might not be a good idea because she probably hasn't cut the molars to chew. But, most fruits and vegetables when cooked or ripe enough should be fine. Pastas, rice, beans, eggs.

Honestly, start giving her what you're eating in small enough bites, and she'll quickly develop her palate for more and more foods. Just try to stay away from foods with high levels of sodium, sugar and preservatives.

Good luck!

I understand that babies and toddler have extremely sensitive tastebuds, and will "not like" the most ridiculous things. I once saw on this special on the BBC on picky eaters that a child has to be introduced to a new or different food, it has to be given to them at least 11 times before they may accept the food as OK. Our toddler goes through phases where she eats everything, or only one item really well, and then won't eat anything but fruit and bread items for a week. Sometimes it's teething, sometimes its an upset stomach issue, sometimes it's just general refusal to eat the food because I want her to eat it, or annoyance that I'm trying to feed her or make her eat when she'd rather be busy doing something else (even if she's hungry too).

Try giving her a new food once a day, every couple of days, and allow her to try it without pressure. Don't get upset if she won't eat it and it all ends up in the compost bucket. As long as she's taking a vitamin, and being offered a pretty varied diet, over the course of a month it all evens out nutritionally even if it seems like she's not eating much. A bite here and there adds up.

Also, I change up the menu... a lot. I don't want her in the habit of eating the same thing all the time and expecting it. Sometimes we feed her what we're having, and sometimes I feed her from her pantry of food items, but I like to pay attention to how she's feeling and what I think she might be interested in. Right now she seems to think that anything dipped in hummus or marinara sauce is great.