I Am Running Out of Ideas to Feed My Picky Eating 1Yr Old.

Hi, I don't know if this will help, but my daughter is very picky also. The doctor told me that as long as she gets one good meal a day (take everything she eats and combine it) she will be ok.

I to have a picky eater who is 8 years old. He still won't eat vegatables except fried okra, which I don't fix but may every 6 months or so. I've talked to the doctors and they say he will eat when he gets ready. He only ways 54lbs, but is healthy and is average on his growth chart. We make my son try new things, but he will just gag at the table. He eats plenty of other stuff, just not vegatables. Just be persistant and keep trying, I know it's hard.
Wyonette

Hey C. do not worry about her my daughter is the same way ...she eats when she is hungray...i have done everything i mean everything...the doctor said it is normal for children to not eat all the time once they become active in walking and doing things on thier own...my daughter Angela is 2 1/2 now and i have been struggling for the longest time...somedays shell eat all day and the next not want ne thing...the doctors also said give her what she wants even if your feeding her the same thing 3 or four days in a row as long as she eats it is food...now angela only eats one veggie and its corn...she loves chicken nuggest and fries, mashed potatos and noodles, she likes the meatballs out of the spagettios can, yogurt, applesauce, fruit oh and she dips almost everything in ketchup...it kills me when she dont eat but i always try to make sure she has it infront of her if she dont eat it i try again later...the other night all she had for dinner was 2 pieces of bread and butter thats what she wanted...She weighs 27 lbs and is 2 1/2 years old...when she was born she weighed 8 lbs 14oz...i was told one time to let the food sit on an end table or some place where she can reach it and if she wants some she may pick at it...there is really no way to fix this problem just feed her when she is hungry.

My pediatrian did give me a prescription for pediasure and she really likes it, only thing is i have to mix it half and half...half milk and half pediasure...pediasure is like a supplement that helps if shes not eating alot...it is expensive tho,if you buy it by the cans its slightly cheaper.

Hi C.,

My son is 13 months. At his 1 year check up, he weighed 22 lbs as well. When you pick him up, you can feel his ribs...he's happy and healthy.

He doesn't like to eat most things that I give him right now.
He is living on Stage 2 Gerber Oatmeal with Pears, and those Fruit Puffies by Gerber. He loves them.

He will also eat yogurt, and veggies. Have you tried peanut butter bread? Check with her doctor, since she already has allergies to milk. I cut the crust off of one piece of bread, smear on a thin layer of peanut butter, and then scrape most of it back off again. He seems to enjoy it. He likes spaghetti some times too--try to feed her foods that she can pick up and feed herself. Like buttered noodles, peas, diced carrots, potatoes, or rice. She probably like the independence.

T.

22 pounds is a good size for 1 year. my daughter was only 17pounds 8 ounces at 1! she was in the 5% so our ped was not concerned at all. she was sort of backwards though - she ate everything (not meat as we're vegetarians). their weight gain slows significantly as they get close to 1 though. at 18 months, she only barely hit the 20 pound mark to turn front facing in her carseat. so in 6 months she gained just 2.5 pounds which kept her at the 5% so it's pretty normal to just slow down alot. most kids get picky around 1 too. my son was very independent with feeding himself at 1 year too. i just let him to it and tried to keep him away from anything not easy to clean. i got some of those spoons with the bent handles that make it easy for them to hold and they have little holes on the scooping part that help hold food on the spoon. try thick foods - make cereal thicker than you make give if you were spooning. try soy yogurt or little pieces of fresh or jarred fruit. i found mine ate more when i gave them the power to feed themselves. good luck!

Personally, I think 22lbs is a good size for a 1 yr old. I don't think any of my 4 were much more than that at 1. Actually we just had my 2 1/2 yr old weighed yesterday at our WIC appt., and she is only 25lbs. They weren't really concerned, but they did kinda gave me "the look." I feed her a variety of foods, whatever we are having, and offer healthy snacks as she wants them. She knows when she is hungry and she eats.
I think they have recently revised the charts to reflect the heavier society that we live in. According to the growth curve that I have from 1997, my daughter is in the 12th percentile, the WIC ladies told me yesterday that she is in the 2nd percent. According to the same chart, a 12 month old at 22lbs is in the 53rd percent. I read a study recently saying that there is an obesity problem among babies as well as the rest of society, so that has to affect the growth percentiles.
I would not worry so much. Babies are too smart to starve themselves. And they will eat what they need, just be sure to have healthy choices for her.

hi i am A. v and i just joined the group.i can not believe you ped. said that to you.my oldest was alot like that when she was a baby (5 now) and she was the pickiest eater i too worried about it as she was so tiny that stay on formula til she was almost 2.for like 6 months the only thing i could get her to eat was a happy meal from mcdonalds and the dr. told me that as long as she was still eating that it was fine that they do just go thru stages.she is 5 now and her favorite thing is chinese food now so i do believe it will get better she loves broccoli and many other good things just be patiant it will get better.let her eat whatever she wants.just try to stick with the vitamins also because those will pick up anything she is lacking.good luck

Hi! I just wanted to "weigh in" too. My 20 month old was only 18 lbs at 12 months. Since he's a boy that's even further off the charts. He also has a milk intollerance and is so sensitive that we can't even give him bread with any milk products, etc. You didn't mention if she's breast fed or not, but wiht my son he was and didn't really get interested in solids until well after his first bday. Now he eats like a horse!! My ped has been great and hasn't suggested any suppliments or anything. She says it's mostly genetic and trying to "fatten" him up may only come back to haunt us later when he's older.

I hope all the advice you've gotten helps. The important thing is to relax and know that she, ideed, will eat when hungry. You mentioned that you make your own baby food. I did too and love the Super Baby Food Book by Ruth Yaron. I still make the porridge for him once a week or so (grind up organic brown rice and lentils or another protein and cook) and he loves it. It's a fabulous book and since it's vegetarian she's good about giving substitutes for milk. Hope that helps!
K.

HI C.
I have a 13mnth old son who is a very picky eater, he still wants baby food and it has been a job to get him to eat table food. He will only eat hard crunchy things like cherrios, french fries and crackers. He won't eat fruit or veg either and he only weighs 20lbs.
Try toasting some very thin sliced bread with butter, and cut it into strips, he also eats frenchtoast sticks or mini pancakes if I toast them. He loves yo baby yogurt so give that a try...it has lots of calories for such a small serving. I always run out of things to try because he is so picky but I keep trying something new and hopefully he will eat it sooner or later. From what I have read I think some kids are just not as adventurous when ity comes to eating but I do undestand yr frustration and concern. Good luck with everything and let me know how it goes.
Cynthia

Hi Celest. Every baby is sooo different. As long as you think she is healthy i would not be worried. Keep trying and trying and giving her the food and one day she'll just gobble it all up! don't make a big deal out of it to her about eating and try to make it fun... use dips, say her favorite cartoon person eats it, etc... cut stuff in fun shapes make smiliy faces out of dip, etc... Just some thoughts... does she drink a lot of liquids during the day? if so, maybe cut back on that and she'll be hungrier at meal times (and maybe not so many feedings). If she eats mashed potatoes (or something similar) try chopping up meat (very very small) and mixing it in the mashed potatoes... my son had issues chewing the meat (he loved it just hard to chew) so that's what i would do. Try giving her V8 juice or that V8 splash she'll get some great nutrients from that. Try fruit/veggie smoothies... the internet has some great recipies for them.
As for her weight don't worry so much as long as she's healthy... Some family member's kids at 2 1/2 yrs old only weight 22 and 23 pounds. My kids on the other hand are always off the charts (no less than 95%percentile). My son was ten pounds at birth (was 4 days early from duedate) so he had a big start on life. his weight was always off charts as a baby (and older.... he will be 3 this halloween!) BUT according to the peds he was not obese or overweight he was perfectly healthy for HIS growth progress. And you would never think just looking at him that he weighed a lot. He's a healthy solid kid and still is. My daughter (currently just turned 10 months on monday) she was also a big baby with an early start weighing 9 pounds at birth (and was two weeks early) she also is off the charts with weight but not obese or overweight and perfectly healthy with her growth progress. Feeding my son he ate everything but hard fruit (would eat the same stuff mashed so we figured it was the texture) still wont eat it. everything he eats is very healthy and never to this day had hot dogs, fast food, french fries, etc (i guess im the picky one) but if he didn't like something i'd keep giving it to him (like say maybe a few days later and keep doing it and eventually he ate it) he's almost three and is a little picky about how much he eats. sometimes he'll eat all on the plate and others he'll eat a few bites but like the others said they'll eat what their body needs and wants and when they are hungry. don't sweat it i'm sure she's an active healthy little girl!! be patient :-)

Some days my son is very difficult to feed, and it doesn't seem like he's eating much. I also have the same problem with him wanting to feed himself, or knocking the spoon out of my hand and throwing his food (even feeding it to the dog on occasion). He is just over one year old and at his one-year appointment he weighed just under 22 pounds. Our pediatrician said that the rate of weight gain always slows up as a child gets older, and as long as he is following his normal curve then whatever he weighs or measures is fine.
Your pediatrician will (or should) tell you if he is concerned about your daughter's progress. If he didn't tell you all of this when you expressed your concerns, perhaps you should start looking for a new doctor! Your pediatrician should be able to assuage your fears and give you ideas on how to improve feeding times, not making you feel guilty for your difficulties in feeding your daughter.

Hey, don't feel bad about the weight. My 13 month old is about 19 1/2 lbs now she was about 18 even at her well-baby check up at a year she is just petite she eats just fine, my problem right now is she doesn't want anything but her fruit and her milk and cheerios some fruit bars and gerber graduates cheese crackers but if I make her a lil' entree or something she throws it on the floor and if I feed it to her she spits it back at me, I am hoping its a stage she used to love her veggies. Glad to hear she is eating well again!!! (I hope Kelina's turn to grow out of it comes VERY soon)

My son was also very picky and sometimes still is. He is almost four years old and weighs only 31 pds. He put a few pds on by drinking pediasure cause he weighed 25 pds for a long time. He hasn't put on any weight this year and the doctor's say he is fine. He is picky, but he stills eats good for me. He loves broccoli and carrots and I don't mind cooking either. But they say to find something they like and if that's all you can get them to eat, that is fine. But the pediasure was a life saver and he loved it. He is still not a snacker but I just keep trying different foods till we find something that he likes. But it took awhile. Some days he eats ok and other day, he is really picky. He doesn't eat any kind of fruit except apple sauce and he drinks juicy juice which is equivalent to one fruit. So I still give him some of the toddler/infant fruits just to get some fruit in him. I read from 2-5 years old, kids should put on 1 pound a year. They told me to make him drink more whole milk to put some weight on.

I read your request and you sound like me. My 20 month old daughter only weighs 22lbs and had only gained 3oz in 3 months. She eats like a bird. One thing that I found works for her, is when she wakes up from a long nap, before I offer her milk I put her in the highchair and offer her a healthy snack like fruit or veggies. Usually she'll go for it. Once she eats that then I'll let her finish up with some milk.
She also loves "bip-bip" which is really dip. Everything is dip, gravy, ketchup, sour cream, etc... She'll eat it if it has dip on it with the exception of meat. Most kids will not eat meat at this age, cheese is a good alternative to that. She also loves beans, especially baked beans. As messy as they are, it's a good source of protein and fiber for her.
I also offer whatever I eat to her. I eat a banana every morning and always offer her a bite and she responds quickly with a "NO". Well, yesterday for the first time in 20 months she ate 1/2 of a banana and she loved it. So keep trying!!!!
Hope this helps and don't get discouraged. You'll notice that on some days she'll eat and others she won't.

Hi!
I have a 2 yr. old daughter who is lactose intolerant and it has been a big challenge for us. She, also, was a picky eater at one. I just looked at my baby book and at age one she weighed 19 pounds and 6 ounces! She has always been on the slight side, but is now starting to fill out. Under the advice of a G.I. doctor we added a calorie supplement to her soy milk to ensure that she was getting enough calories throught the day. It was called Duocal. Perhaps you could ask your Dr. for a sample if you are really concerned about her weight.
We too hit a period of time where she would only eat a few items. So, we let her eat as much as that as possible. Her favorites were bread, pasta, and peanutbutter crackers. Luckily, she seems to have outgrown this period and is now more willing to eat a variety of foods. So, perhaps it's just a phase for you. We were lucky that she was willing to take a multi-vitamin. Perhaps that would make you feel better if you gave one too?
How much milk/formula is she drinking? Maybe she's not hungry because she drinks so much? Just another thought.

Hope it helps!
jen :)

i have pretty similar problems with my 14m old... she seems to refuse a lot of what i try feeding her, though through fights i get her to eat what i want her, but i hate doing it that way... seems that they just have that independence crisis... :))) i do offer her a lot of things that she could pick and eat, as cheese slices, fruit pieces(slices or cubes), babycarrots(the little ones, whole), slices of bread, crackers, chewy fruit snacks(i found one brand that has calcium in it, which i thought was great), freeze dried baby corn, and other like that in variety... not all in one day of course...
i'm not so much worried about her size or gaining, as she is about 35 in tall and about 30 lbs... but i just want to make sure she gets enough nutrition daily,... try to be perfect and give her all she needs... :)
but after 1 yr they dont really need to gain anyway... so dont worry too much, as long as she is developing well and is healthy, it should be good... but i guess should say same to me... :)
all the best and i hope i could help a little...

22 lbs seems pretty normal. My daughter was always in the 90+% and was only 28lbs at 1. Their weight gain slows tremendously after 9 mos. My ped told me otherwise they would be 500lb 5 yr olds.
My daughter is 4 and still doesn't eat meat. Loves fruit & veggies though. I used to feed her anything she could pick-up. Ravioli, carrot sticks, maybe even try some dips for her to dip foods in. I have a niece who will eat anything with ketchup.

Hope this helps!

Hello I am a mom of three kids, ages 4, 1-1/2 and 4 months. I have some advice for you.

1. Stop worrying about how much she eats. She will not starve herself and she will eat when she is hungrey.

2. Lacotse Intolerance- Have you tried the enriched rice milk by Rice Dream? That is what my child uses and it will give her all of her vitamins that she needs.

3. 7 total feedings a day is way to much. If you give her 3 meals a day and cut her snacks out you will start to see her eat at the meals. I would not give her cereal at night but instead a cup of milk. She has to be hungrey to eat at meals and with all of the snacks and the 4 meals a day who would be hungrey. She doesn't need that much to eat to gain weight. Also remember that weight gain is a part of growing . If she isn't growing right now then she probably won't gain a ton of weight. You will see her start to gain weight closer to 19 months and then grow upward quickly.

Remember, those goofy charts are a stat for all children not just for yours. The charts are a standard but are offset by the current obesity problem in the US. My kids have never been in the high parts of the charts but are healthy and happy kids. Your should let her determine when she wants to eat but make sure that you provide her with a well rounded meal. If you need help on meatless meals let me know or visit my website at thematernalsource.com and all of my meatless and milkless recipies are there. We are a vegan family and the kids are healthier for it.

My doctors, my mom, my grandmother and my mother-in-law have all told me that very young children have an uncanny knack for knowing what their bodies need and that they will eat when they are hungry. That hasn't stopped me from worrying about my son who as a small infant was failing to thrive and almost dropped off of the charts. Now he is two, healthy and at the 50th percentile in height and weight.

One piece of advice I read and confirmed with my doctors is that you have to look at what they are eating over the course of a few days to a week, not just at each meal or each day. While one day may make it look as if they are not eating well, usually if you look at the whole week, you will see that they are actually eating a pretty balanced diet. That being said, keep trying meat and new foods with your daughter. One thing that worked with my son was to try little piles of different foods, such as cut up meat (ham was particularly enjoyed), cut up fruit and vegetables. Foods that he could use his fingers to eat. When I found something he particularly liked, I tried to make sure he had it several times a week. I've found he likes foods like cucumbers, zucchini, and cheese. Although cheese won't make your daughters list due to her allergy, keep trying. One suggestion given to me was to use an ice cube tray instead of a plate and fill each one with something different cut into small pieces to avoid choking.

Try not to worry so much about it. I know that is easier said than done but it sounds as if she is actually doing fine.

Hi C....
It sounds like you are doing a great job!!! Your baby is getting what she needs. I have a two year old and I have always prepared all of her food as well. I used to get frustrated because she would throw her food and not eat meat as well. But i found out from other moms...that is normal. So I concentrated on the foods that she enjoyed and I would gradually add other ingredients in so she could get used to them before a gave her a full serving of it. She likes the cereal...so try pureeing a fruit or veggie and mix that into the cereal. Don't give up on a food either....she may have to adjust to the different texture of another food.