Need Help with a Pickey 1 Year Old

Hi L....I have a 7 year old and a 15 month old. My 7 year old loves food but the baby was very picky until about a month ago. The doctor told me it was normal and that he would eat better when he was ready but I wasnt buying that. I put him in his chair and just kept giving him the foods he refused to eat. I wouldnt put the things he likes on his tray at the same time. After about 15 mins I would then give him some fruit or mac n cheese. I tried every single day to get him to eat it and eventually if i walked away and didnt watch him, he started. Now he will eat lots of things. Good luck!

Sometimes kids with allergies are just pickier about food. It works as a kid of protection for me. My oldest daughter has some allergies and she was not interested in solids until she was more than a year and she would spit up if she had anything. She was breastfed until 2 1/2yr so I just relaxed and let her take her own pace with food and she is now 8yr and eats a nice variety of foods. She did not suffer when she was little. Somedays it seemed she was living on air but remember that a serving of food is 1 tbsp. per year so they don't need to eat a bunch. Many kids are over fed and learn to overeat from the time they are tiny and have bottles poured down their throats. He is only 14mo. I would look at how he looks over all i.e. does he pee, poop, and grow and if that is all yes then I would not worry.

Hi L.,
It does sound like your son has a food aversion to certain textures. You are doing the right thing by slowly introducing him to thicker substances. Have you tried to eat the same thing right in front of him? Sometimes that helps. I know my son will eat anything if he sees daddy eating it.
Also remember if your son is still gaining weight appropriately and receiving the proper nutrition try to not worry about it too much. I have had friends whose children did not want solid foods until they were 2. It's a real pain in the butt but eventually they outgrow this problem. I don't know many adults who still only eat pureed foods. :) lol
D.

If you are still breastfeeding or giving formula, your son has enough protein. So don't worry. Hold off on the foods he doesn't like. Fruits and whole grains are excellent food items. Stick with these until he gets older and his tastes change. AF

Basically you're doing fine!! :) Just keep offering the foods to him- I have heard it can take up to 20 (!) tries before a child can even decide if they -like- a food or not. They just need time to figure it out. I have three year old twins and neither of them will eat meat yet unless it's been pureed and I hide it in something else - I use the baby food jars and mix it into soup or mashed potatoes or gravy... They love the flavor but just hate the texture. They'll chew a piece of meat until they've gotten all the flavor out and spit out the fibrous bits. (so fun for mommy!) I know that one day they'll figure it out!
I have also heard that picky eating comes from our early cave-dwelling days- A toddler that wanders out of the cave and eats just anything is likely to die by poisoning- so- nature has "helped" us out by making them only eat what they are familiar with! Frustrating for the modern parent, but embedded in our makeup as a method of species survival.
I agree with that other postings- Let him just play with the foods for now...
He'll grow up soon enough and even though it's fun to see them grow into new stages, remember to take the time to enjoy what they CAN do now... It'll be gone before you know it! I actually almost miss spoon-feeding my twins! (ha ha??)

Hi L.,
I too have a picky eater - but I have the other side of the coin - my son (almost 15 mo) will not eat anything pureed, slimy, or wet and never has. I can't get him to eat baby food, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, etc. He only likes dry types of food - pasta, crackers chicken nuggets, etc.
I have him seeing an occupational therapist for feeding/texture issues and to help us learn how to work with him. One of the biggest things that we are doing is having him "play" in these types of foods; pat it with his fingers, draw circles in it, run his trucks through it, etc. At first he wouldn't even touch these, but he'll now poke and get his hands in it. We are working with him to eventually get it on his arms and then on his face and hopefully eventually into his mouth.
We went through the county (Prince William County has a PIE program - Parent/Infant Education) for the OT and she is wonderful!!! I also took him to Good Beginnings up around 7 Corners, but the drive was long and I had to take off work to take him. With PIE in the county - the OT comes to our house. If you want more information on the PIE program, send me a message.

sounds to me as if you're already doing everything right. you have a little one who eats healthy (yay for fruit and oatmeal!) and you keep offering him other foods yet not attempting to force him. he eats other foods when they are a texture he currently finds agreeable.
the only advice i have for you is to stop worrying.
yes, i know you won't take it.
:) khairete
S.

Why would you give your 1 year old nuts already? Beans are a better source of protein and a softer texture and easy to pick up for a toddler. I would be careful what you give him as he will become more and more picky if you give become desparate to feed him and give him sweets and other unnecessary foods just so he'll eat. My neice and nephews were given cookies and ice cream etc. from the age of 1 on and now that is all that they'll eat. Puree'd food is great. As long as he's getting the nutritious food, who cares what form it's in.

I went through the same thing with my little boy. He was on gerber foods until he was about 16 mos old before I finally got tired of buying it and quit cold turkey. He then lived on chicken nuggets pretty much. I guess that since it is processed meat, he did ok with it. It was a texture thing for him as well as a menatal block due to an over active gag refelx. I wish I had a magic cure, but he has now started eating better at 3 1/2 now that his baby brother is a good eater. In the past 2 years he has lived off of pediasure, and vitamins. Good luck I hope it goes faster for you than it did for us.

i have only two suggestions,

gradually puree the food less and less so it gets bigger and he gets used to it better.

the other suggestion is

tell him that this is dinner time and this is what is on offer. at 14 months they understand a lot more. and will continue to grow and understand more faster when you tlak to them like that. if he dosent want to eat, then just take the food away. babies eat when they are hungary and the sooner he learns that he eats what you put infront of him the better. other wise you life will be worse down the road.

L.,

My son is 11, and also has diet restrictions. He is still very picky but there are ways around it. there is a book out by Jessica Seinfield about how to hide veggies and other good foods in other foods. Like how to make your own chicken nuggets that have veggies and things hidden inside. It has helped me alot. I would be happy to give you some recipies if you want, just drop me an email at ____@____.com

K.