Trying to Get Toddler to Eat Grown-up Foods

What I did was mash food up to make it look like baby food. Try that and if it doesn't work then I guess she will eat when she is ready. My girls were eating mixed veggies and fruit when they had 4 teeth. Just keep giving her the choice on the plate though. Sooner or later she will eat it. Hope this helps!!!

I have a 3 year old son and 1 year daughter neither one of them would eat the stage 3 foods. They both gagged on it. My daughter has 4 teeth on top and 2 on bottom and she eats regular food fine. She actually will usually only it if I put her in her highchair and just put some food on the tray. She wants to feed herself and sometimes that is the only way she will eat. She absolutely loves the gerber graduates peaches, apples, and carrots that are in little cubes. They are easy for her to pick up and she can feed herself. They are really soft so they are easy to eat. Neither one would eat any of the gerber graduate meals and to be honest some of them smell horrible.

D., if you don't have a good blender, (or Magic Bullet) invest in one, and blend the food you cook for your family. It can still be left chunky in the blender. This is much better than any baby food you could give her. Use fresh or frozen fruits and veggies--no canned food--too many preservatives. You can freeze any left over blended food in ice cube trays. When frozen, pop out of trays and store in ziplock bags in freezer.

Please stop giving her cookies and chips, (These foods are totally empty calories and will fill her up, but add NO nutritional value)

When she gets hungry enough, she will eat. Just don't give in and say "oh well, at least she's eating something" when you give her junk food. A baby who is offered food, will not die of starvation. You have to be strong and not give in to her controlling what you feed her. If you allow her to control you now, can you imagine how much control she will have when she's older. Learn to say, "I'm the Mommy, and I say so, that's why". ( She will begin to ask you why she has to do something when she's old enough )

Good luck.

N., mother of 6, grandmother of 16, gr. grandmother of 1

My experience with both of my children is once they get to the 3rd foods they are done with baby food. The 3rd foods are absolutely horrible if you have ever tried them and the texture of them is not good either. My daughter didn't get teeth until after she turned one. We just gave her real food that was easy to eat such as mashed potatoes, steemed carrots, etc. The gerber graduate foods are great too. They have meat sticks which are very easy for little ones to eat and they also have little meals that you heat in the microwave and some of them are good like the ravioli, others are just messy and do not make good finger foods. My son is two and still has issues with textures of some foods so they just have to grow out of it. He will only eat fresh peaches because the canned ones are slimy because of the juice. Just be patient and keep trying. When you fix meals just look at your plate and think what are we eating that she could eat too. It will get better it just takes time.

my son is 18 months and he cut his teeth late too. What I did with him was I would mash some regular food up so he could eat it. Like frozen veggies by the bag of California blend cook them ,put some cheese on top then mash a little but leave little chunks so she can get use to them. Mac & Cheese do the same thing. She will gag for a while but she has to get use to the texture.

My daughter had a texture aversion/oral hypersensitivity as well and I ended up taking her to Occupational Therapy with Speech Therapists upon recommendation of her pediatrician. She would not even eat baby food and would gag and throw up if even a Cheerio got in her mouth. We started around 14 months and she was eating normally by about 17 months. Once we got her to eat something, we would add one thing to it and try to get her to eat that. So, if you can get her to eat a chip, could you dip the chip in refried beans and see if she'll eat that? If she'll eat a cracker, can you spread a very thin layer of peanut butter on it? (if you are ready to introduce peanut butter). Slowly add one food at a time and build on that. We got our daughter to eat refried beans and we added melted cheese at one point and then sour cream (to give her calories). She is now 4 and eats things like Salmon with pesto sauce, tilapia, and all normal 4 year old foods. Good luck.

My son is now 2 and still has texture issues. I think your daughter will eventually grow out of it. My son's has gotten much better in the past 2 or 3 months, but it was a struggle with him. He still will not eat veggies, fresh fruit (only dried) or most meat. He also will not eat bread or most pasta. He too sticks with food that is crunchy. We just keep working with him, and he has slowly improved. He still wouldn't eat birthday cake on his 2nd birthday; I guess we should be thankful for that. Good luck.

Hi D.,

Besides the texture issues little ones have, there is the matter of their taste buds and digestive system still being immature. They usually prefer bland foods and you'll want to stay away from processed as they are full of preservatives unless you can get organic. When kids are really fussy like Kayleigh, they are trying to tell you something isn't right. I don't recommend using sugar or salt - rather, use honey or sea salt - for making food more tasty.

I understand that store-bought baby food is expensive. Have you tried food processing (or in a pinch you can use your blender) the veggies and fruits that she should be eating? It sounds like the food she will eat is mostly salty or sweet and she has developed a taste for these seasonings. The next time you have sweet potatoes for supper, take the left-overs and mash them up with just a little brown sugar and vanilla (yes, vanilla extract)then run them through the food processor or, if it will take it,the blender. See if she will tolerate them. If so, a small plastic container of these and a plastic (disposable) spoon should make it more "convenient" at day care. If this works you might try making more of your own 3rd foods from family left-overs that she can tolerate. The doctors are correct,though.....she will eat when she is ready to eat. Our society tries to rush most of the little ones through their childhood. Oft times for nothing more than the convenience of not having to deal with their little needs.It's not so much the fault of the parents as it is the overall economic situation where everyone is rushed to do more, cramming more and more into each day. However, the little one's enzymes and physical makeup simply can't deal with rushing their change over to solid foods.

I would get her off of the baby food. Have you tasted that mess. Let her eat what you eat just get a hand held blender from like walmart and puree it, she is definitely old enough. Of course keep it healthy. Once she gets the hand of that food, don't blend it so much and just keep moving her up. Make her a mini quesadilla, my little one loves these, i put some cheese, a little bit of refried beans, put it in a pan and let it get warm and let the cheese melt, cut it up in little traingles and let her have at it. I then give her a side of beans and let her eat them herself. After she finishes give her some yogurt or apple sauce and you have yourself a pretty healthy meal or snack. She might just be having some independence issues..my little girl would rather not eat than for me to feed her!!!

If she likes the "crunch" vs the softer try steamed or a little less than steamed veggies like with a crunch left in them. As far as the other foods have you tried putting them in a food processor and making them the texture she likes. Will she eat mashed pot. ?? Try adapting reg. food to the texture that she is eating the 2nd food stage. My son who is 14 now had that problem when he was 15 mos.to 2 years. IF she doesn't have that many teeth, it is still very practical for her to eat the 2nd stage foods. Just because it says AGE doesn't necessarily mean it is for YOUR child at that age. They are all very different and you have to do what is best for YOUR child. You will get it don't worry. She won't starve to death and as the dR said when she is hungry she will eat. Make sure she gets vitamins right now since she is so picky and cut out something else if the baby food is cramping your budget. SHE must come first. Good luck, keep us posted.

Hi D.,

My son, now 2 1/2, was the same way. Actually, we never made it to the 3rd foods and FINALLy went right into table foods. He had terrible reflux as a baby. We are off meds for the first time in his life, and have been relatively reflux free for about 6 months now.

Still, he will not eat any types of sauces or dips. Pizza, spaghetti, soup, are all out of the question for him.

When he first started eating real foods, it was a texture thing. He was a year old before he could even get a goldfish or a cheerio down and keep it down. Everything gagged him and made him throw up. We stayed on baby foods for a very long time! The first table foods he was able to eat after the usual crackers and cookies were green beans, cooked carrot bites, french fries. Fruits were not acceptable (too slimy).

The doctors all told us he'd eat when he was ready, and he did. I awlays said I wouldn't be that mom who cooked two meals every night, but guess what....I am that mom for now. I continue to try to introduce new foods to him, and sometimes he'll take them, and usually he won't. You just have to be patient, and I know that's not easy.

Good Luck to you. Let me know if you ever need an ear to listen......errrr....eye to read, rather. :)

I'm a pediatric physical therapist and have known lots of kids with this problem. If you can find a pediatric occupational therapist in your area who works on feeding, they can often be a BIG help. Not all OTs do, so you might need to ask around or talk to the therapist before getting referred from your pediatrician. Often, but not always, kids with mouth sensativities have other sensory issues too (don't like loud noises or don't like certain types of clothing or to be touched by other kids).

D.,
I hope my thoughts will help. I think that you should very slowly introduce her to new foods. My baby has cut teeth early - and wants to eat anything she sees me put in my mouth. Our girls are a lot alike, in personality, though. you should just eat things you really enjoy while she's watching. Once a week TRY to give her something new. If she likes the flavor of fruit, try the Gerber fruit strips or FruBu Organic smooshed fruit. That was weird for me, but the baby loved it. Have you seen the mesh feeders? My daughter loved eating with that - it mashes the food for them and they can feed it to themselves. Babies r us or online at onestepahead.com.
Put some fruit in there in the morning on the weekends and see how she does with that. Also, Earth's Best has 3rd foods that are soups. They're actually good, too. Try not to give her the chunks - until she gets used to the flavor. Then, slip in the chunks a few times until she eats it...then maybe she'll be ready for the good stuff.
Good luck.

Listen to the advise to find an OT that works with feeding issues. This is quite likely a sensory issue. They will have excellent advise and tools for working through this. I agree with the writer that said you are likely to see other sensory issues in your daughter (don't like noises, crowds, the way material feels on their skin, etc...) An OT can also help you with other sensory issues that you may face in the future, so it is a good relationship to build now.

My son didn't start teething until his first birthday. He also had a thing with textures. He spit out all the chunks in the toddler foods I gave him. The doctor is right about your daughter eating when she's ready. In addition to the toddler foods I gave him yogurt and applesauce along with crackers and those cool toddler cookies you can buy now. Letting him get hungry helped, too. If he acted hungry or asked for food, I would wait a little while to feed him, just to make sure he was really hungry. This helped in getting him to try new foods occasionally and fill his belly. Now he's 9 and he'll eats most foods. He's healthy and growing. Slowly introduce new foods, a little bit at a time, even if you just show it to her and show her how much you like it.

I would suggest just skipping the 3rd foods and let her eat what you eat within reason...have you ever tried some of the stuff your trying to feed her? You would probably gag too! lol

What area do you live in? I work for the state of Alabama for Children's Rehab Services. We have feeding clinics where a nurse, OT, speech therapist and nutritionist work together and help children learn to eat different things. Sounds like she has texture problems and needs help learning to try new textures. We'd love to help and she can get direct OT. Let me know. If you are in the Montgomery area you can call ###-###-####.

Hope I can help. I am a mother of 5, grandmother of 5. First, don't stress. She is not starving. Don't make a battle of wills out of this. If she wants to eat one thing, let her. Make sure she gets plenty of fluids, juice, milk, and lots of water, most kids love ice water,(the ice in the cup seems to fascinate them), and if you think she needs a vitamin, find one she loves and give it to her in the mornings. Make sure you eat with her, at the table, family style and she will pick up on the fact that eating is enjoyable. Wean her off the baby food, slowly, but you've got to get her use to eating "big girl food". Don't force her to eat, don't beg her to eat, don't punish her for not eating, don't shame her for not eating, don't bribe her. Don't let her have sugar in her diet. Watch out for artifical food colors as much as you can. Let her be your compass as to when you might ask her if she wants to try a bite of something new. Fix her a plate with very small samples and just put it within her reach so that she can try it on her own. Ignore the fact that she didn't try it or that she is refusing it. Just leave it where she can come back to it, she probably will when she thinks you are not looking and she will try it without having an audience staring her down. They have a keen sense of what makes you flip no matter what age they are, and that is their way of trying their independence. Pick and choose your battles. Food is definitely not the one you want to fight over. Remember, the world is sadly full of children with eating disorders. Let her be independent and you will be surprised how she will change. Nobody can have a hungry appetite under stress and she knows that you are freaking out over this and that will reflect on her. Remember...don't sweat the small stuff. And this is small compared to her teenage years. Enjoy your baby, she has her own personality and you need to be happy that she is so precious and unique.

None of my children ever ate the 3rd foods...they are thicker than table food. mine went straight from 2nd foods to table food. My first born didn't cut her first tooth until 10 mos. I started her on soft table food at 7 mos (insides of french fries, mashed potatoes, finely ground meat, etc.) At 8 mos, I started her on rice & gravy (our traditional food here)and she would gum the food & then swallow it. Never had any problems. All of my kids were off of baby food by about 13 mos. That stuff is too expensive. LOL. You would be amazed at what those kids can eat with little or no teeth. Just feed her what ya'll eat, and maybe she'll come around. You may have to slack off on the cookies, crackers, etc. to get her interested in something else. Don't worry about her going hungry. When they are hungry, they'll eat. I have a 2 year old who hasn't eaten all 3 meals in a day since about a year ago.

Good luck!

My kids always enjoyed feeding themselves with this little mesh bag thing on a handle. There are several different versions of this; I got ours at Toys 'R' Us. You put food in the mesh bag, screw in onto the handle and let the child chew on the food through the bag. Most of the time they are very messy afterwards but at least they ate!

Now, my neice would not eat anything but stage 2 foods until she was like two years old. I saw her many times literally vomitting because the stage 3s had even the slightest chunk in it. So, instead of grinding or pureeing her food, my brother and sister-in-law fed her jarred foods for years. (Then she went through a phase where she only ate bacon or chicken strips from Aldis or candy...little queen got fed whatever she wanted!)

Everyone else has said it all. Try serving her what you're eating. Most of it could be mashed witha fork at her age. If not, try pureeing it. Instead of getting the jar bought foods, try steaming and pureeing some. The have a much better flavor. Nothing wrong with the stuff in the jar, but making baby food is easy too. You just need a metal steamer basket(less than $10) and a blender or food processor. You put water in a pot with your steamer basket on top. Make sure water doesn't come through into the basket. Put whatever veggies you'd like in the basket. Cover. Bring water to a boil and steam veggies until soft. Then dump them in the blender or food processor and puree. You can freeze the excess in small portions (ice cube trays then put in a freezer baggie) or keep in the fridge for no more than a week. When I started making homemade baby food for my 1st son last year, I was amazed at how flavorful steamed veggies were. You should try it and serve some with your dinner not pureed.
I'd be happy to share more ideas on making food for her if you'd like. I'm far from an expert. I just love it and love sharing it with others. A friend of mine did it and I thought, "There's no way I'll have time." I was amazed at how fast and easy it is.
Best of luck!
I love the ideas of adding new things to the foods she already eats. That's great!

I could not agree more with Norma S.'s response. Just get a blender and make your own "baby food." Take a look at the ingredient list on jar baby foods. It's scary to think we feed our babies that stuff. I was so shocked!

Try taking your food from the table and putting it into the blender or food processor. If she does not like the texture then to get it smooth add water or broth. I never bought any baby food for my four. I just feed them what we have. If we have soup then I puree it and feed it to the baby. Some meals will be hard but then is when you need to just get a can of veggies and puree it. I am a little worried about the gaging on the food though. Did you tell the doctor about that? The doctor is right about when they want to they will eat though. Don't force it. Just present it and see what she does. Try just putting peas on the table and leaving. If she does eat them be happy but do not get frustrated about if she does not. hope this did not ramble too much.

I am not darce m but I will tell you that My twind arugheters are the same way. It is just nice to know there are other people and I am not a terrible mom. People can tell you all kinds of stuff but you cannot force a kid to eat. RELAX she will be okay when she grows up. I went to a babysitter when I was little that fed us the same thing everyday and it wasn't healthy food. It didn't hurt me when I grew up I started eating all kinds of foods but not until I was an adult, I was a very picky eater as a kid clear into teenage years. Magazines and books the internet and society puts too much pressure on moms. Just don't talk to other people and you will do fine you get too much advice and you get all confused.

My son was the exact same way! If it wasn't a dry carbohydrate, he wouldn't touch it. We just had to keep trying. I'd put foods he normally wouldn't want to eat on his plate first to see if he'd give it a shot. Usually I'd eat something off my plate, make a big deal about eating it and how yummy it tasted, then cut a small piece and put it on his plate. One day he started imitating me, putting the food in his mouth and going "MMMMMMMMMM!" Seemed to help that it was mommy's food and he was eating like mommy. Now although he can be a picky eater at times, he can eat just about anything and will as long as there aren't any crackers or chips on the table - otherwise he just screams for those.
Since the baby food is getting pricey, could you try making your own? Its very easy to just steam up some veggies, puree them (I bought an inexpensive stick blender and it works perfectly for pureeing everything) You can thin with water or thicken with cereal, then freeze portions in ice cube trays. Same with fruit (most you can puree raw) and meats too. You could even take a portion of whatever you're making for dinner and puree it for her.
Good Luck!
On a side note, you may just want to mention it to the ped at your next visit to see if s/he wants to have a speach therapist conduct a swallow test just to make sure nothing is physically wrong.

I don't know about the day care problem, but instead of buying baby food,you could just puree a small amount of whatever your family is having for a meal... that way, she is eating what you are eating and you don't have to buy baby food. Also, if you go this route, you can adjust the level at which you puree the food so that over time you are gradually introducing her to more texture.