Question About What My Kid Eats.

What I did was mix the formula and whole milk together and she started taking that fine. Then, gradually I would reduce the formula and she never noticed the difference when she was on whole milk. She would not drink milk cold. The only way I could get her to do that is to give her choc milk and she loves that. She will hardly drink plain old white milk. Good luck. LAC

HI J., My son is 2 and some days he eats great, and some days he does not want to eat at all. And he is picky about his meats. So I do not have much advice for you there. On the milk, one thing that did work with my son is doing part milk and part formula, and then adjusting as you go along, so he gets more milk each time until he is drinking all milk. It might not work but I thought it might help. My son does not really like milk but he will drink it and we do flavor it sometimes. I hope this helps. Good Luck.

J.

Not sure what advise to give you about the meat. My daughter is 3 and still will not eat meat.
Have you tried weening him from the formula a little at a time. Start with 3/4 formula and 1/4 milk. After a few days to a week go to half and half. Then move up to 3/4 milk and 1/4 formula. This should get him used to the taste. My daughter would not drink regular milk after I pulled her off the bottle. I have continously put it in front of her and in just the past couple of months has she started drinking it out of the sippy. I still had to ween her from formula like I suggested. Good Luck!

My daughter was the same way about meat and milk. She's 18 months now and eats both. With the meat, just keep offering it. Sometimes it can take offering a food 10 times before they will eat it.

Keep offering the milk. Some kids just don't like the way it tastes. I was never a big milk drinker. If you are concerned about the nutrients your son might be missing out on, try vitamins. They make them for infants and toddlers and even if he does start to like the milk, vitamins are still great for them.

Hi J.,
Its been a while since Ive been in your shoes. This is what I did as I had a child that did some of those same things.
He liked fruits and veggies too, but when he ate meat , he would sit and chew and chew and chew and never swallow! He didnt spit it out, just wouldnt swallow it. We just started having him spit it out when he would do this. I dont remember when exactly he started eating meat, it just happened. Now he is 21 and a meal isnt a meal to him unless it has meat in it! He loves steak and all meat now..lol..I wouldnt worry about the meat too much. Maybe its the texture of the meat he doesnt like right now. He will probably grow out of this.. lord knows mine did.
When I started my kids on milk instead of formula, I started on 2% milk. If you are trying whole milk, try 2% and see what happens. The 2% has less fat in it also. Problem with this is, this doesnt fill them up like the formula does, so realize he might need some cereal with it to keep him happy.

Good Luck and Stay Strong! :-)

R. B

Dear J., I have had similar trouble with my daughter (now 22mo). She has had previous health problems that contributed to her not wanting milk and meat. She has GERD, and she ended up with allergies. My allergist sugested that I try the milk that has the Acidophilus in it. It made a huge difference with the milk. You can also try to ad some probiotics from the health shop and add it into his bottle/cup daily (my doctors said it was fine) That has helped as well, she will eat a few bites of chicken or hamburger now. My friends little girl has had similar problems and she ended up being allergic to cows milk, although my daughter is not allergic to milk she just needs the good bacteria to help her. I hope this helps, get in touch if you have questions. C. W. ____@____.com

I started feeding my son yogurt for breakfast and gave him other milk based products with his food, including mixing sour cream in with things. After he became accustomed to those, he started drinking milk right away. I agree that you should give soy milk a try also. Its very healthy. I think your peds advice to withhold liquid is very BAD as well as borderline abusive. Although acceptable in the past, withholding food and liquid from a child is not acceptable. As someone who has spent the past several years as a social worker and parent educator, my experience and research tells me this method leads to a battle of wills with the child. Just like every parenting book advises you not to force a child to eat, the rule is the same for drinking. Good for you for following your instincts when your child is thirsty and not following Peds advice.
My son also has trouble with meat. I use chicken stock when blending his meals and after several weeks started blending chicken very finely and adding it to his veggies and he has been eating chicken. He still hates red meat though.

Hi,
I would suggest that you mix the formula/milk half and half then gradually take away the formula. Your little one probably does not like the consistency of milk. And like the pediatrician said, flavor it with chocolate or strawberry or even vanilla if you can find it.
As far as meats, my little one did not like the texture of meat, but since she liked fruit and veggies I would mix the veggies with meat and try that.
I hope this helps!!

My girlfriend told me she mixed whole milk with breast milk (I'm sure you could do the same with formula) to transition her child. She started with a small amount and increased it while decreasing the breast milk until it was eventually all cow's milk. Might be worth trying - good luck!

J.,
Have you tried adding a little milk to his formula? Start adding a little at a time and slowly add more and more so that his pallate slowly grows accustomed to the milk flavor. Don't be overzealous. try adding 1/4 c milk to 3/4 c formula or an even smaller ratio if he doesn't drink that. Then after 4-5 days, add a little more. Go by how he reacts. You may have to add it at even slower and smaller ratios. Eventually he will get used to the change in flavor. As far as the meat issue, keep trying, he will eventually get used to the change in flavor and texture. Maybe don't try too many new things at once. Stick to one type of meat first... Chicken or red meat. Maybe even try these first rather than after he has already satiated his hunger pains with the fruits and veggies.

Hi J.,
I started using 1/4 milk and 3/4 formula then each week I increased the milk until he was drinking all milk. My guess is its
the texture of the meat more than the taste. Maybe gravy or melted cheese
would encourage him.
L. P.

Meat has a flavor and texture that kids are not accustomed to. My little boy did not start eating meats until he was about 3 years old. I suggest continuing to give him meat, when he's ready he will start eating it. But, traditionally meat is the last thing kids start eating.

Hope this helps.
J.

My son also hated eating meat at first. Soon we discovered there were meats he loved - like meatballs and hamburgers, and some he didn't like at all - like chicken. Someone suggested we dip the meat in something first. Applesauce, ranch dressing, etc.

As for the milk, we gave yogurt every morning and they also have those yogurt smoothies for kids.

I had the same problem with my son and milk - he is almost 4 now and he still won't drink it unless it's flavored but he loves Silk soy milk. Give it a try. It comes in vanilla and chocolate. I don't have any advice about not eating meat because, again, my son is the same. He eats tofu and organic chicken nuggets that I get at Whole foods. Try beans and rice too. The two together make a complete protein.

Good Luck.

When my kids came off the bottle they were the same way. I have 3 and none of them would drink milk. I gave them juice but made sure they had plenty of dairy intake in their diet. I also gave my kids vitamins which will make up everything he will need. Now that my kids are a little older they love chocolate milk, I guess it is something they grow into. :)

The daycare our son attends mixes the milk into the formula a little at a time too until they get more accustomed to it. It's still an adjustment, but not as bad.

My daughter hated meat at first, she would chew up the meat then spit it back out. I started cutting up turkey hot dogs into tiny pieces and she loved them. Eventually she started eating small pieces of chicken and red meat. Have you thought about beans since they have tons of protein?