Very Picky Eater, Suggestions?

You have to keep introducing foods over & over & over again- the same things that he refuses now, he will suprise you out of the blue one day & actually try/like what you offer!!!

I would make muffins and 'hide' things in them- you can make carrot muffins & put babyfood purees into them

same for waffles- make your own and put babyfood into them

you say he like bread- what about grilled cheese? french toast (egg is good protein)?

have you tried beans? straight out of the can or refried/pureed spread on bread?

next I would try taking the babyfood that he loves and mixing in a little rice- so it's the flavor he likes and then he can get used to the texture- just a few grains of rice to start!! then slowly slowly over time add more & more...

Dear Kristy:
My son is still picky eater and he is now going on 8yrs old. What I found was if the food was too bland he would not touch it.

Try something with a little bit of spice to it. If he loves black olives they have a pretty strong taste. When you make a hamburger get the extra sharp cheddar and put it on the side see if he will eat it that way. Also try the more flavorful cheeses, locateli romano, extra sharp swiss it may make a difference.

Pasta isn't everyone's favorite, and neither is turkey.

L.

Don't worry about it. Sounds a lot like my son, although the specific items are different. He still ate a lot of baby food at that age too. He's a perfectly healthy -- but still picky at the table -- 2-year-old now.

Not freaking out when a toddler is picky about eating is one of the toughest things about being a parent (my wife still has trouble accepting it). But kids at that age won't starve themselves. The only thing you might consider is having the doctor check his iron if he isn't eating a lot of high-iron foods like meat. My son isn't a big meat eater, and his iron was low. But we started giving him the toddler vitamins with iron (Publix store brand) and now his iron is fine. (Good thing he likes the vitamins! :) )

I have a 13 month old also and when he started getting picky with solids, I started sitting down and eating with him. Once he saw me eating the same things I was feeding him, he came around. It was hard getting my meals alligned with his, especially at dinner time, but it has been successful. Also, I put a variety of items on his food tray and let him pick what he wants. If I try to feed him a green bean for example, he may just push my hand away. But, when I leave it on the tray with other things (grilled cheese sandwich cubes, pieces of fruits) he ends up eating them as well. The other thing I tried was the Morningstar bites (broccoli and cheese, spinach and artichoke and the chicken nuggets). The last thing I learned was when they are teething badly it hurts their gums to eat solids and when that happens, I do give my son some some purees because he is in pain. Hope this helps!

Have you tried putting spaghetti sauce or ketchup on anything? My son loves them. I take small pices of meat, usually chicken of some kind, and mix it in a bowl with sauce. He gobbles it up. Also have you tried letting him feed himself with a fork? Lots of times my son won't eat something, but then when I give him his fork he devours it. Good luck!