How to Keep an Older Baby as a Healthy Eater?

KEEP offering them!!!!!!!!! My son is 4 now and happily eats brown rice, carrots, tofu, onions, mushrooms, spinach, collard greens, black beans, barley, lentils...the list goes on. It's because that's what I cook with and put on his plate almost every night. Some days he just picks at it, but other days he'll eat two bowls of dinner. We aren't overly strict, but we do limit junk. We do have a rule that there is no treat or junk food until a healthy food is eaten first. So if my son wants a cookie or chips, he has to eat a bowl of peaches, carrot, or whole wheat toast beforehand, for example. And we usually make the ratio something like 3-4 healthy bites = 1 treat bite. Like I said, we aren't strict on it, but it's been amazing to watch my little one eat such healthy foods. He has a TON of energy, sleeps well, and hardly ever gets sick. Keep offering them!! Some days will be better than others...but don't give up, and eventually your son will eat what is offered because that's all there is! He won't let himself starve, I promise. Good luck!!

I agree with MommyJane, keep offering the good foods. You might consider backing up to a few things you know are favorites of hers, and keep expanding from there.

It is shocking how quickly kids can become "distracted" by the pumped-up flavors and textures of not-so-healthy food.

basically, yes. I would give something in the morning that I new they'd like (and that was healthy - like real oatmeal, not instant). Then I'd not worry if they missed something. It's not only an issue of picky eating, it's helping them learn that it's okay to do things which are unpleasant, and it is okay to be hungry. Nobody dies by missing a meal. But many adults are unhappy because they have to have what they want, how they want it, when they want it - it's the universal human condition! But as parents, our responsibility is to slowly, daily, over many years, consistently train and guide our children so they grow up to be pleasant adults.

At every meal,offer a food you know he will eat, along side something you are trying to re-introduce. Try not to make a big deal over the non-preferred food, but continue offering at every meal. it is very common for babies and toddlers to become wary of new foods. My 4 year old just went through this spell for a few months where she'd say "I don't like (insert whatever food we know she does, in fact, like)", and I'd say, "Okay." And put it on her plate anyways. Then we didn't talk about it at all during the meal, and inevitably she'd eat it and be fine. Set the foundation now that the healthy foods you want him to eat will continue to be offered, even if rejected, and soon enough they won't be unfamiliar anymore, and your baby should feel comfortable enough to try it. By offering something preferred at the same time, you're taking the power struggle out of the equation. Good luck!

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At every meal,offer a food you know he will eat, along side something you are trying to re-introduce. Try not to make a big deal over the non-preferred food, but continue offering at every meal. it is very common for babies and toddlers to become wary of new foods. My 4 year old just went through this spell for a few months where she'd say "I don't like (insert whatever food we know she does, in fact, like)", and I'd say, "Okay." And put it on her plate anyways. Then we didn't talk about it at all during the meal, and inevitably she'd eat it and be fine. Set the foundation now that the healthy foods you want him to eat will continue to be offered, even if rejected, and soon enough they won't be unfamiliar anymore, and your baby should feel comfortable enough to try it. By offering something preferred at the same time, you're taking the power struggle out of the equation. Good luck!

Why is he exposed to all this non-healthy stuff? Is it at home? The tough part is that if you want your child(ren) to have healthy eating habits, you need to have them too. Kids want what you have. There are healthy versions of all your favorites, spelt and brown rice pastas, whole wheat crust pizzas,and so on.
Fast foods are hard to avoid when your kids go out, but at home keep only healthy stuff around. It's good for you, too!
S.

Make your own pizza with whole wheat crust, sauce with no HFCS - or make your own, lots of veggies, and lowfat cheese. I have done individual pizzas using whole wheat bread or English muffins as the crust. My son LOVES it!!

Keep offering healthy foods and no 'junk.' Soon Little One will figure out if he wants to eat, then he had better eat what's on the plate. YOU pick the menu. Offer one veggie you know he likes and one experimental one. I usually have a protien, 1-3 veggies, and some kiind of grain for lunch and dinner, then fruit for dessert. GL!

I agree with the others and also think you sadly need to hide them, like my husband's chips, until they are napping or out with someone else. Our daughter fell in love with bagels and chips and now I offer her Utz whole grain pretzels with Omega-3s as an alternative. She has asked for them less and less since we kept them out of sight and keep healthy foods around. ALso when we're out, I pack lots of healthy options, even if we're eating out. That way I have something ready, especially foods she might turn down when we're home. When she's out and hungry and her surroundings are new, she's more likely to eat something she might normally turn down. Remember, outta sight, outta mind! We're going through the same thing now too!

We seem to be leading parallel lives.

I have a three year old and a one year old. I have gone through the same food struggles as you. I started giving my healthy eater processed foods because I work full time and when I got pregnant a second time, I was too tired to cook when I got home. It got bad enough that I made a ton of changes when the baby started eating solid foods too. I have been writing about my experiences cooking and getting off processed foods at www.thetableofpromise.blogspot.com I invite you to read. I also list recipes and suggestions of what we are eating and who is eating what.

I think it is important to keep offering the healthy offering. I have discussed my concerns with my pediatrician and she suggested the same saying that she looks for GROWTH as opposed to weight gain in toddlers 2-3 year olds. In the last year my son has only gain a pound or so (and I think he had a meal in his belly when he was weighed) but he had grown three inces, so my ped wasn't worried. We (me and the kids) do fight about food sometimes, but now that the junk has been taken off the table and the pantry, he has acclimated. The irony is that my oldest was never a picky eater when he was a baby, he gobbled spinach and beans and all manner of meats and veggies, it was only getting older and becoming a toddler that got him out of whack. So I have faith things will get easier. My baby is much pickier. He refuses to eat certain things and has trouble transitioning from one food to another, like if he starts eating tomatoes he will ONLY want to eat tomatoes. But he gets enough healthy food down that I am not too worried about him either.

There are enough plain healthy foods like roasted chicken and brown rice or potatoes and fresh fruit that are good and most kids will eat, stick with those if he'll eat nothing else. Processed foods have stuff in them that are harmful for your child, too much added salt and sugar as well food grade dyes and preservatives and flavorings that trick the palatte into thinking what you are eating is flavorful because the food itself doesn't taste good enough. The processed foods are also missing most nutrients aside from carbs. As your older one weans off the processed foods he will likely forget about them. My kids both ate homemade pizza last Friday with a homemade whole wheat crust and topped with tomatoes and spinach and feta cheese and onions and olives. The baby ate everything and the big guy ate the crust, feta and olives but picked off the rest. I was pretty happy.
Good luck! Stay Strong!!