My 16 Month Old Will Not Eat Meat or Hardly Anything That Is Good for Him.

IF meat and veg. are the only thing on his high chair tray, he'll either eat that or nothing. At that age, he'll eat it because he's hungry. Only give choices you want him to eat.

Suzy! You've gotten a LOT of great of great advice here! This is my 2 cents, My son is now 2 and I had forgotten how ridiculous his diet was at 16 months or so... your son is SO NORMAL!!! Try to limit any one food from being eaten in excess, but other than a harder stool, the bananas shouldn't do him any harm. I see a bunch of people told you meat is not necessary. Absolutely true! Plenty of pritein in plenty of other foods.
If you haven't tried these protein foods, my son loves:
petite peas (just rinse frozen ones in cold water to thaw and they are sweet and delicious)
edamame (I buy frozen, shelled ones at Trader Joes, I over cook them a little, then stick 'em in the fridge and feed them to him cold, about a cup at a time)
salmon (SOOO healthy)
refried bean, brown rice and sweet corn burritos with cheese (I make a bunch and keep them in the fridge. I swear, all three of us live on these some days! Yummy!)
MOST IMPORTANTLY, don't fret! Most kids find a couple of favorites and wont eat anything else for a while. If they're EATING, they'll live and before long, will try one of your new offerings. Sounds to me like you're doing great, but I do remember this nerve wracking phase!
:) G.

The next few months are the height of pickiness (17-20 months old)...just sneak it in where you can and continue to offer him the healthy stuff. Try making french toast for the protein (skip the syrup). At least he eats fruit - go for the really rich ones like blueberries and other ones that have lots of color. My daughter started eating a wider variety when she went to preschool and they served her lunch - all the kids ate it!! She was four at this point and now she is six and her horizons have been opened, but she is still a bit picky on some stuff. Good luck

I'd recommend you give him an ounce of Durian Fusion each day in little amounts spread out thru the day. It (Durian)is called 'King of Fruits' www.kingoffruits.com because it's unlike other fruits...it's very high in amino acids (proteins).
He will think he's driking 'juice' but it should help him tremendously by cutting such 'carb' cravings and giving him needed protein, among other benefits, he should sleep better, 'poop' easier, smile more and help you!
www.1000moms1000dollars.com/4health
www.newwealthways.com/4health
Pls let me know what you decide. There is a video I could send you as a link to an email if you'ld like.
J.

Hi Suzy, it sounds to me like your son is eating healthy. Kids go through different eating patterns, but I believe it all balances out down the road. At 16 months it's good he wants to feed himself, try chicken nuggets, fish sticks, things like tha, About the banana's I would give him more than 2 a day, maybe one with breakfast one with dinner, His eating habits will change again, just don't give in and give him junk, the cheese, eggs, fruit, that's all good stuff. J. L.

In addition to what the others suggested, there is something called "Polyvitamin" drops, with iron. It's a vitamin supplement prescribed by my Pediatrician. You can get it with or without fluoride, I believe. It's in liquid form.

I gave this to both my kids.

In addition, a good supplement for children and adults are "Omega-3' vitamins. It aides in brain development, neurological development and many other good benefits. There are many child versions and brands, in natural food stores and online like at Amazon.

My son is a very picky eater as well, and each day is different, his "favorites" vary from day to day as well. There is no way to predict what he will eat. For other times, and per our Pediatrician, I also give him "Pediasure" for children.

But a child will not starve. You can't force a child to eat if they will not. If he wants to feed himself, which is a normal developmental stage... then just cut up the food for him in safe bite sized pieces... put it on the table and let him feed himself. They are learning and want to feed themselves.

As for protein, maybe try tofu. My kids loved tofu. Or try fish... such as salmon... it also contains good amounts of fish oils (ie: omega 3 oils) in it too. It's very healthy.

Or beans. This also contains protein.

Or try soups... simply make your own, by cooking down the vegetables and meats until it is soft, THEN PUREE it all together. THEN, put it in a bowl, give him a STRAW in the bowl.. .and let him "drink" the soup this way. My kids LOVE "drinking" soup with a straw in the bowl... it's more manageable, less messy, makes it easier for them to "eat" and it's FUN.... thereby making it more "enticing" to "eat." AND they "eat" more of it this way, than if I just gave them a spoon to eat with. I found this to be a real successful way for them to eat healthily and fun.

Also, kids love sauces... squirt some on the plate with their food and make funny squiggle shapes with it. It makes it more enticing. Kids also tend to like "Teriyaki" sauce. You can make your own or buy it bottled from the grocery store. You can eat it with meats, veggies or anything.

As long as your son is growing fine, gaining weight appropriately, and developing fine... I wouldn't be too worried about it. Food moods, as I call it, with kids happens at all ages.

Good luck,
Susan

Your son sounds like my son! I wouldn't worry about the meat issue. If he is eating cheese, yogurt, beans and milk he is still getting plenty of protein.

Make sure you feed him whole grains and alot of water to ensure that he doesn't get constipated (bananas can sometimes have that effect.)

As for vegetables -- try avocados. If he likes bananas, he will probably like avocados.

I also make a zuchini bread with shredded zuchini and carrots in it. I used real maple syrup as the sweetener (it has a lot minerals in it, and is about the healthiest sweetener you can use.) My whole family gobbles it up without even realizing that they are eating vegetables.

Another option -- spaghetti. Yes it's messy, but most kids like it (although my daughter doesn't like it much). My son loves spaghetti -- it's a great way to get him to eat meat and vegetables. I make my own sauce (water, tomato paste, basil, diced tomatoes, shredded vegetables like - carrots, zuchini and/or squash (it all breaks down), salt and pepper. I brown ground beef and add it to the sauce. It's not as flavorful as I would serve and adult, but the kids like it and it's easy to make, plus it's completely healthy.

I also make quessadillas and throw a little shredded chicken in -- they never seem to notice.

Mini pizzas - you can use pita bread or foccaccia bread -- use a cookie cutter to make them into circles. Cover with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni (I use turkey) It's fast, easy and most kids like it.

My son is still a very picky eater, but if you just keep trying different things, you'll be surprised what he might like.

Suzy-I didn't read all of the responses, but my son did the exact same thing. I also wondered how many bananas a child could eat one day. I was worried about the constipation from so many bananas. Literally, one day he stopped eating all of the things he had so willingly eaten before. I also worried about the protein. As quickly as he stopped eating everything, he started again. I look back and laugh thinking I worried for nothing. Just keep trying to encourage other things. I chalk it up to teething, growing, etc. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Hi susy,
My sister-in-law used a Vitamix blender to pure chicken into soups so her then anorexic daughter( who stopped eating meat), would get some. Ha ha. Please know that I am not a vegitarian as I write this. It is a deeply held belief that meat is necessary for optimal nutrition. And I know that beliefs are beliefs and there is no sense in arguing them. But here I go anyways: I was raised in a subculture where vegitarianism was the norm. Many of my best friends and acquaintances have never eaten meat in their lives! None of them are suffering from malnutrition or even from deficiancies. In fact, they are some the the healthiest people in America. There is protien in most everything we eat! It is recomended that we eat no more than 30% protein. When people are put on low protien diets of 30% protein or less, they actually have to go mostly vegitarian. In otherwords, the recommended percentage of protien in the diet is best achieved through vegitarianism! That means meat eaters inadvertantly eat way more protien than what is recommended! There is even protein in bread, corn, and rice- its in everything!. So I wouldn't worry to much about the meat part of it. You might even try some of the great meat replacement items in the grocery store. My husband's whole family are big meat eaters, but I have them all in love with Morning Star vegitarian breakfast patties. Try a box of those.
try blending tortilla soup. You can sneak all kinds of veg and meat in those, then top with tortilla chips and cheese.

We are going through the same thing with our 16 month old. Carbs and fruit... What has workrd for us is give him a plate with only meat on it. Cook it in a sweet maranade, or seasoning. Then feed him like a baby a few bites. Veggies I am still losing the battle with. With my girls we just stired it all together and they went to town. Hope this helps.

So I would encourage you to take a week to observe and write down what he eats and how much he eats, then take that to your pediatrician or the WIC worker if you receive WIC. Children need to have control of how much they eat and what they eat, this is survival. What you can do is offer a variety of foods so that he chooses from your choices. Bananas have great nutritional value, he will be eating them like there is no tomorrow again when he is 12 or 13. I do not know the science, but I have observed that boys seem to crave them more than girls during growing spurs. He will also model what you do; so if your family are meat eaters sit down to eat wit him and while you use your fork and knife he can finger pick from his plate while both of you have the same foods. Just keep in mind that his stomach is the size of his fist therefore his serving is going to be very small. One more thing, offer foods every three hours and try not to have eating time with the TV on.

Try dipping in ketchup, or ranch! My son was not eating any meat until we used ketchup. Good luck!

It sounds like he's eating lots of things that are good for him: fruit, yogurt, beans, cheese, eggs, bananas. All good things. You might try giving him veggie burgers to sneak that food group in. My 16m girl loves them with cheese melted on top and cut up into bite size pieces. They're super easy to cook too -- just zap them in the microwave. The beans and eggs he's eating will give him lots of protein too so I wouldn't sweat it. He'll start eating meat if/when he's ready.

Hi Suzy - I have trouble getting my kids to eat enough fruits and veggies and that's why I started them on Juice Plus four years ago. It's not a vitamin but actually vine ripened produce in capsule or chewable form. I highly recommend you get him on Juice Plus gummies so you can have piece of mind that he's getting sufficient nutrients from 17 fruits, vegetables adn grains every day. I look at Juice Plus as a nutritional seatbelt for my family. For more information and to order, visit my website at www.caprice4juiceplus.com or contact me at ____@____.com can read about the large body of independent research that has been done on Juice Plus proving it positively impacts immune function, DNA repair and lowers risk of disease. It's effective, convenient and a great value to ensure your son gets the nutritional power of 17 fruits, veggies and grains every day!

There's plenty of protein in the cheese, beans, cottage cheese, yogurt and eggs. If he does not want meat yet, it's not the end of the world. Do not let him eat too many bananas, as he will get constipated. Have you heard of the BRAT diet? It's for helping to harden stools during bouts of diarrhea. BANANAS, RICE, APPLESAUCE, TOAST(BRAT). Avoid giving too much of those four foods during the day and he should be fine.

I was very surprised that you said he wasn't eating anything good for him...and then proceeded to list a whole slew of wholesome, healthful foods that are full of excellent protein! Meat is not necessary for a child's growth, and most of us tend to eat way more than we need. I can't think of anything your son is missing at 16 months of age. Just keep introducing new foods in VERY small amounts, but don't stress if he won't touch it. Set a good example, and don't put pressure on him to eat specific things, as that will just cause him to resist. Do introduce as many different fruits as you can. Since he likes fruit, he will probably eat most of what you give him, and he'll get a variety of nutrients that way. I take my daughter to the Farmer's Market almost every week to help keep up her enthusiasm for fresh fruit!

My daughter also would not eat veggies at that age, but my doctor rolled her eyes at me when I told her I was worried. She said my daughter was eating so much fruit that it really didn't matter, and gave the advice I just gave you about continuing to offer the foods. As long as you don't offer too many sweets (even juices) and keep doing what you're doing, I think you can pat yourself on the back for having a healthy eater! You can also ask your doctor if he/she thinks it's appropriate to give you son a multivitamin if you're still concerned. (On another note, my daughter, at nearly 4, still doesn't love veggies...but there are a few that she does like -- peas, mushrooms, corn, olives, and salad with ranch dressing -- and I make sure to give her those, but mostly she eats lots and lots of fruit, at least 3 servings day. I know that eventually she'll come to love veggies too. Just give it time!)

Two quick things in response to some of the other posts: My daughter started eating almost a banana a day from the time she was about a year til probably a year ago. Anything more than that *could* cause constipation, but we never had a problem. Other fruits have more fiber, so balance with those and maybe some Cheerios as snacks (great to carry around with you!) and also make sure he gets plenty of water. The other thing is, I never added veggies on the sly to anything I fed my daughter, and I still don't. I want to teach her to enjoy fruits and veggies and learn to make good choices for herself, and hiding veggies in, say, sweets, in my opinion gives the wrong message...they'll start to think that those things are good for them because they won't know that only mom's have good stuff added to them!! That's just my opinion. :)

Hi Suzy,

My son goes through phases of liking things and not liking them and then liking them again, so I just roll with it. For the most part he is an agreeable eater, but here are some things that have worked for me:

1.) Mixing the Gerber (or other brand) veggies into other foods he really likes (e.g. refried beans, applesauce, etc.)
2.) Flavor veggies (i.e. cook in broth, add some bouillon in the water for frozen veggies, or top with gravy or cheese)
3.) At meals I limit the things he really really likes (bread, usually) and then when he asks for more I ask him to take a certain number of bites of veggies or whatever I'd like him to eat and then when he does he gets a little more of the thing he wanted. I repeat this each time he wants more. Sometimes he'll eat more than I request of him! If he plain does not like it (he hates most fruits other than bananas and apples), he'll just spit it out and I won't push the issue, but most of the time he doesn't seem to have a problem with his veggies or chicken. Other meats and fish are a little more difficult.
4.) I'm not real fond of it, but have you tried deli Turkey? It's not the healthiest thing because usually it has nitrates, and when it doesn't it's pumped up with extra sodium, but my son likes it so he gets it a couple of times a week.

Also, I haven't looked into them yet, but I've heard other moms mention liquid vitamins they give to their kids because they won't eat their veggies.

Hope these ideas help! If not, I'm sure your son will still survive and thrive just fine.

HI Suzy!!

I have had the same problem with my 3 1/2 yo since she began eating solids. It doesn't matter. I can mix small bits of red meat into spaghetii or hamburger helper, and she will eat everything on her plate except a small pile of the meat that she has effectively eaten around. As far as veggies, she is a veggie girl. We use to joke that she was our little vegetarian. She will eat chicken nuggets and fish sticks Pretty much anything but red meat. Don't worry about your son, he'll be fine. As said earlier, his eating habits will change in a blink of an eye. But yes, he is normal.

Good luck
L.

suzy~

i also have a picky eater. i just try and try tell something works then then add it to my small list of things she will eat. sounds like a few things on his diet have protein. plus some from milk. since my daughter didnt eat meat to well i made sure she only drank milk and one glass of juice with half juice half water a day. i have also been known to make fruit smooties with a little protein powder (husband drinks with excercising) she loves them and thinks of them as a treat. :) i also get baby food veggies and mix it in my pancakes! makes fun colors and she doesnt seem to notice the difference! :) her favorite is dino chicken nuggets. in the frozen section of the market. that and peanutbutter sandwhiches! i have the same problem with bananas! and ornges she will eat 3 a day if i let her! but i dont. avoid snacks and even cut back on the milk so your child is HUNGREY during meals and hopfuly he will be a better eater of what you fix him. if you introduce somthing and he doesnt like it try again next week he might get use to the look of it and decide it is time to give it a chance. sometimes it is helpful to give your child a choice "would you like to eat a hotdog on a stick or lunch meat?" he might be so excited he gets to pick that he forgets he doesnt like either! lolgood luck!

This is a tuff battle. my sone is 3 and still eats very little. But I stopped buying any snck food. no treats, or snacks of any kind unless it is fruit, cheese and crackers etc. If you don't have cookies in your house he can't have them!! This will force your son to eat what you have. Plus my peds said no child has starved themselves and he has been in practice for over 30 years. He will evntually start eating what you give him.

My son does eat now we dobn't give him any snacks and we are now eating breakfast and lunch. we are still working on dinner but we have 2 meals down.

Dear Suzy:

It sounds like he likes soft food from the list you gave. Maybe it's just a texture thing? Have you tried giving him sweet potatoes mashed with cinnamon and butter? (If it's really important to you, pipe it in star shapes on his dish...he'll go NUTS, I bet!)

My kids love cold cucumber and avocado soup because it's green and weird looking. Just stick a whole cucumber, half an avocado, a head of cilantro, a couple of green onions and a cup of plain yogurt in the blender (salt to taste). For the grownups, add one jalapeno pepper. It's SO GOOD and refreshing. I serve it with a smiley face of sour cream on top.

You can try whipping your mashed potatoes (the regular kind of potatoes) with chicken broth just so he gets to liking the TASTE of chicken without figuring out what you're up to!

In any case, you shouldn't worry too much. The foods you named are among my son's favorites (and he's still alive!). When my daughter was little, she'd only eat WHITE foods! Kids are weird but, like another poster said, they won't starve. Besides, it sounds like your son basically makes good choices. He isn't eating any garbage like sugar or fried stuff, anyway! Obviously, thanks to a good mama's example! Don't worry, you're doing a great job!

Best wishes,

M.

I am a family nutritional coach. If you would like we can chat about what else you can do. Too many questions for me to ask you here.

Kids are my priority, for some funny reason parents feed their kids way better than they feed themselves...funny, dont' they kow that their kids need them to be healthy too?

If you want to chat about some very inexspensive ways to ensure your child is getting what he needs, feel free to contact me.

B. H., B.A.;B.Ed.
Family Nutritional Coach
____@____.com

You mentioned that he is strong willed. My 9 y/o is very strong willed and when he was little I would ask him everything in a question format...still getting my way of course. Example "Jonny would you like Chicken or hot dogs today". He would usually choose, but if he was on a stubborn kick saying banana I'd say ok a banana and chicken or a banana and hot dogs" He felt he was in charge.
Don't tell him but I still do this, he thinks he is in charge about it...but I still get the end result I'm after.

There are many protein sources besides meat (and most are even better for you). I wouldn't sweat it. It looks like he is eating a well balanced diet. Keep up with the beans and cottage cheese. Google protein and see what else you can try. My son ate 6 banana's one day - he used to eat 1-3 on a regular basis. He is 3 now and doesn't ask for them as often. Keep doing what you are - offer great food choices, take note of what he doesn't like and don't make a fuss about it but continue to offer it every now and then until you are sure it is a food he doesn't like, make sure portions are not overwhelming (tummies are small), continue to let him feed himself. Kids WILL eat what you serve them if they are hungry unless they just plain don't like it. With veggies, try serving them raw if you aren't already, with something to dip - hummus, ranch, something he'll like. Try a variety. I found early on with my kids, if I made a veggie plate (sweet peppers, carrots, celery, snap peas, zuchinni spears) for "myself" - they begged for it. Never force. Make it look like it is his decision, even when it is not. With my kids, I've always called healthy food grow food and junk food - junk food! They know they will get taller and grow bigger muscles when they eat grow food - use this kind of language with your son. I can't stress that you and other family members are the role models in the food dept. If you guys are eating veggies - he most likely will too. The meat thing, I wouldn't worry about. My daughter will only eat chicken and salmon. My son, pretty much the same. Neither has ever had red meat and that is fine with me. I'm all over the place here but another thought came to mind - don't try to cover his protein by giving him nuggets and corn dogs, this "kid food" is highly processed and not good for him. I also wouldn't supplement with Ensure or a bar, unless your Dr. recommends it. He is better having his nutrition met by foods in their natural form whenever possible.

**One more thing - my son loves cooked brocili but not raw. The other night I had raw brocili on the kids plates. He said, in a whiny (about to lose it) voice..."you know Mom, I don't like brocili raw!" I said cool as a cucumber... "Oh, I know you don't like brocili! I didn't mean to put that on your plate, that is actually mine!, sorry!" He let me take it, I started to eat it and he said real quick, "It's mine, I'll eat it, I'll eat it" He ate it then flexed his muscles. He also said - "that was actually pretty good" Note, it had been a long time since he tried raw brocili. Just think if I had said after he complained; "eat it! it's good for you!" No way! I would have just started a battle. OK, I'm done! Thanks for listening! (-:

Keep up the great work!
M.