Food Ideas for a Picky Eater

I'm due to have my baby in a few days, but do have friends who already have children. Therefore I've not dealt with this issue directly. If this issue arises, I plan to deal with it by continuing to serve the variety of healthy food options to my daughter. If she refuses to eat, she can make that choice. Eventually she will get over it and try these other foods.

This is horrible...I know coming from one child that is horrible and another that is a great eater. Anyway, I have a son that's also an extremely picky eater...since he was a baby and its continued. I knew he liked pizza, so I'd sneak in vegetables under the sauce. Or else I'd make taco pizza....using refried beans on a tortilla covered in cheese. Which, for some reason he would eat from time to time. he also liked cheese melted on tortilla chips...sometimes I'd sneak the beans under the cheese too (again, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't). Does she like any of those Lipton (Knorr) pasta or rice mixes...they have dehydrated, very small veggies in them. My son will eat these from time to time and I'm hoping eventually he'll be ok eating regular vegetables since he's getting some of the flavor from the pastas. Also, another thing that helps my son to be more willing to try new food is if he's involved in helping to actually make the food. He'll put his own sauce on his spaghetti or whatever else I can think of where he actually is dumping what he wants on his plate (I may have to microwave it for a bit afterwards, which he seems ok with). Hope any of this might help you...and best of luck getting more helpful ideas!!!

Hi A.
I've dealth with this too with my 18 month old. Vegetables are particularly a challenge which has concerned me. I recommend a baby cookbook that has great, unique ideas in it. It is called The Baby Bistro Cookbook by Joohee Muromcew. Good luck!

Hi A.,
I am a registered dietitian in the area and so I have some experience working with picky eaters. There are a number of books on childhood eating/feeding. Have you read any? I will give you some ideas at the end of this email.
Does your daughter eat any dairy or protein (nuts, nut butter, meat, beans)? Protein needs are high at this age and so its important that she is getting some of those each day.

Besides her behavior, do you have any reason to be concerned about her growth? Has her doctor expressed concerns? Is her weight stable?

I would recommend you try not to show her your frustration, if she picks up on it, there will be a power struggle that may not end! (you know how tenacious they can be).

Have you tried including her in meal preparation? Even stirring something cold, or just watching as you talk her through what your doing may help her feel involved and more curious about eating. My son loves watching and stirring things while I hold him and he is only 17 months.

Kids seem to love dipping things, if you are trying for more fruits and veggies, could you try some new dip recipes (using whole milk yogurt, or cottage cheese, even a sour cream and yogurt mix!) and cut the fruit so she can dip it.

Author: Ellyn Satter Has a number of good books, look on Amazon for cheap ones. She is very recognized in the field. Good luck, get back to me if you need to.

Gotta run, i'm at work!

H. S., RD

My daughter is 2 1/2 and also pretty picky. I don't have specific food ideas just because I NEVER know what my daughter will eat day to day (although grilled cheese and mac and cheese are usually safe bets)
One thing I realized when my daughter was about your daughter's age is that she really didn't need to be fed 5 or 6 times a day like the pedi recommended. (I don't know if you're doing this but I thought I'd share my experience)
I found that if I waited longer between meals she was pretty hungry and would be more likely to eat what I put in front of her.
If she didn't eat what I prepared she could still have yogurt, cereal, fruit or toast...something that didn't take a lot of extra prep on my part.
I hope this helps. I really wouldn't worry about it too much. This is pretty common. My nephew only ate white foods until he was about 4. Very strange but he's okay.

I also have a very picky eater. We had her on a high fat diet for a month to get her back up to her big 3 percentile. One thing I would do to boost her fat intake was butter everything I could. She likes fruit and icecream so I would make her a smoothy with whole milk, icecream, fruit, veggies and protein powder. I used Arbonnes vanilla flavor and she liked it. Try letting her dip things in ketchup, ranch, sweet and sour, or I have even tried LeAnn Chin lemon sauce. I buy summer sausage because it is high in fat and protein for snacks. I buy YoBaby yogurt because it is made with whole milk. Try changing the shape of the food, for instance, my daughter likes chicken strips not chunks. I have no idea why. Let her feed herself. Put the food down and walk away. I sometimes leave the room and watch her though a mirror, she can't see me and I can see her. She usually eats better without me watching her. Her doctor told me not worry. She will eat when she needs to. Some days she will eat a lot and other days two crackers, this is normal for this age. I understand your frustration though. Good luck.

Hi A.! We had a 22 mos. old picky eater too. She is now 2 weeks away from being two. What we did is hard, but it worked for us. We made her the same food we ate for dinner and if she didn't eat it she didn't eat. We didn't give her any snacks either. After 2 days she was hungry and ate. The thing is, is that your toddler is not going to starve and if she's hungry she will eat what you give her. What I have found is that we have to put something in front of her about 10 times before she will eat it. I just didn't want to be one of those families where each kid eats one thing and the parents eat another, or when you go to a friends they refuse to eat what is made for them. We believed it was for her own good and it worked. Like I said though it was hard and you feel guilty but she was fine.

I have 2 very picky eaters too. My 3 year old loves noodles and parmesan. We buy the wide egg noodles, cook them, add some butter and then shredded parmesan (not grated). Roll up sandwiches are usually a hit (tortilla shell with peanutbutter and jelly or turkey etc.) Purchasing some cookie cutters and making fun sandwiches with those sometimes helps. The other thing that works for us is dipping sauces, ketchup and or ranch. Wish I could offer more. Thanks
D.

I found the book "Child of Mine: Feeding with love and good sense" by Ellen Satter to be helpful. She talks about simply providing nutritous options and letting your child choose. If your child doesn't want to eat, don't make a big deal out of it and just offer again during the next scheduled meal/snack. No child will starve themselves to death!

My kids are now 2 and 4 1/2 and this has worked quite well with them. My son has definitely gotten more opinionated about what he likes and doesn't, but it's more about asserting his independence than about what he really likes. (His favorite foods one day are rejected the next). On the other hand we've been to a potluck where he rejected the baked goods and opted for a plateful of fruit.

I've heard it suggested that kids need to taste some things many times (like 12!) before they can learn to enjoy the taste.

Good luck!

Hi A., my 12 month old is the same way. I wrap up mexican rice, peanut butter, etc in tortillas. It's something that we always have on hand. I also mix pasta with different things, cream of chicken, cheese, etc. I know you hate to see her not eat but she'll eat when she's hungry. We tried to get our daughter to eat peas for the longest time, all she would do is smoosh them with her fingers. We had peas one night and she actuall ate them. I hope this helps.

Hi Aleska,

It sounds like you are really frustrated and sometimes kids use this as an area to push buttons on parents. I feel for you because my 4th was like this and she's really skinny, to make matters worse. If your child is thin, it wouldn't hurt to have her checked by a pediatrician first (plus they can give you some ideas).

My best friend's son won't eat a whole lot so she always slips in one of the shakes they sell in the baby food aisle that gives the needed nutrients, I believe it is called Pediasure. Its a little pricey, but worth it if you're worried about meeting daily requirements.

Offer a variety of foods, but do not try to cooerce her into any of it. If she eats it, praise her, if she doesn't, do say anything. That takes some of the appeal out of seeing you get upset when she says no.

Try feeding her at the same time each day. I have five kids and two daycare kids, so I have it structured, three meals, two snacks (one for my school agers, right after school). Don't let her watch tv or do anything that may distract her from her food.

I've read that kids often slow down their eating at this age because they get so busy, eating really is a bother. And, I've gone through periods where my kids survived on just a couple of foods for a time. Make sure to give her a good multi-vitamin, don't call it candy. They make them in hard, gummi, and liquid form now days, so you should be able to find something you can slip by her.

Bottom line, she will absolutely NOT starve herself, not if she's healthy. It should come back around. Try googling the question, "How can I get my 2 year old to eat?" and follow up on the answers you find.

Good luck! I know how scary and uncertain it can be!

M.

I don't have any direct experience with this, but a mom I know has started "food therapy" for her daughter. I think it's a function of an occupational therapist, but I'm not sure. It seems to be making a difference. Worth looking into maybe through her pedicatrician.

I also found this article interesting:
http://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/contpeds/data/artic...

If this is a recent phase, she may likely outgrow it, considering that she is nearing two years old. A wise pediatrician once told me that my child would not starve to death as a pickly eater--she's maybe just trying to assert her toddler independence! Some things that did help was involving my daughter in the grocery shopping, having her pick out some fruits and vegetables, for instance, that appealed to her. We made fruit salad faces with cut up grapes for eyes, banana slices for a nose, strawberry mouth, maybe adding a marshmallow or chocolate chip or two for added tasting incentive.
Find a kid's recipe book that would help you make some fun meals with your daughter's help, so it won't be a power struggle at the table when it comes time to eat what she helped make. (Mommy's big girl/helper!) Otherwise, don't worry too much, maybe give her a multi-vitamin if the pediatrician okays it.
(My friend's son lived on chicken nuggets for about two years and is a healthy 12 year old today.) My daughter is now 15 and is still somewhat picky, but she has a good sense of nutrition for the most part.
Good luck!

Hi A.,
My two kids are the same way! I read that sometimes you have to present a new food 17 times before a child will eat it willingly.
I have been feeding my 16 month-old bean dip, cheese sticks, and he loves dried fruit! my daughter too, especially cherries. My daughter loves Vruit juice too, though I try to limit their juice intake. Mostly though I just try to give them healthy food, and then I don't worry about it. What do you give your daughter? Maybe we can swap ideas.

Don't worry, this is perfectly normal. My son who is three refuses to eat for me alot. I spoke with his ped and as long as your child is growing at a normal rate it's nothing to worry about. Toddlers sometimes only eat 3-4 things (mac and cheese, hotdogs, grapes, etc.). I would strongly recommend a multi-vitamin for your child and let them eat when they are hungry. I continue to offer small amounts of differnt foods to my son, and if he doesn't eat them I don't push it (we have way too much child obesity these days). They will eat when they are hungry. I know this can "mess up" dinnertimes, but if my son refuses to eat he still has to sit at the table while the rest of us are eating before he can be excused (I usually give him a piece of paper and a crayon to draw with to keep him occupied. I hope this "advice" helps.

I have a 4 year old who was the same way at that age. My pediatrician gave me some good advice and that was to let it go and not push so much. It was really hard for me because he is very slim and I was concerned for his health. The doctor said to give him a daily multi-vitamin and not to put so much emphasis on it. Alot of times it's an attention getting thing and when you let it go, you will get through meals alot more smoothly. At 4 he still doesn't eat alot but he will try new things.