11 Month Old Eating Habits

My 2nd daughter went through this same thing recently (she is 13 mos old now) and she grew out of it around 12 mos. But I know how frustrating it can be! They say you need to introduce foods to your baby up to as many as 10 times before they might like it. I tried the 10x trick and it actually does work. She used to spit out pasta and sauce everytime I gave it to her, now it is one of her favorite meals. The same was true for green beans, peas, and anything with chicken in it. My advice would be to keep trying the same foods over and over, while also searching for new things she might like. For example, for a week, give her peas every single night with her cereal and see if she eventually eats it. At lunch, maybe try a new food you think she might like so you keep introducing different tastes.

Another tip while you are waiting for her tastes to develop is to use the sneak attack. Mix in the veggies or protein with something you know she already loves. A favorite go-to for my daughter during those times was always mac n' cheese. She would eat that anytime anywhere, so I started mixing in a veggie with it, I mean right in with the mac n' cheese. The taste of what she liked covered up the taste of the veggie, so she was none the wiser and at least I knew she was getting the nutrition. This has also worked for me with tuna fish. Her favorite fruit is pears, so I take a spoon of tuna and dip it in the pears - she scarfs it down. Wouldn't touch the tuna on its own, though! If your daughter loves cereal with fruit, try mixing some squash in with it. While you're trying to figure all the rest of it out, at least you will know she is getting some variety in there.

At the end of the day, just keep at it. You guys will get there! She'll pass through this phase probably quicker than you think : )

Feed her what you feed the rest of the family, every time. At that age a child should eat breakfast upon waking, a snack after waking from morning nap around 10, lunch around noon, another snack upon waking from afternoon nap around 3, dinner around 5:30 and a small snack before going to bed around 7.

Here is my picky eater plan... try it out and you will be amazed.

There is a great book by William G Wilkoff, MD called Coping with a Picky Eater that every parent or provider of kids should read and have a copy of. http://www.amazon.com/Coping-Picky-Eater-Perplexed-Parent...

This book has what I call the Picky Eater Plan. I have used this plan with kids that literally threw up at the sight of food and within 2 weeks they were eating normal amounts of everything and trying every food.

First you need to get everyone who deals with the child on board. If you are a provider it's ok to make this the rule at your house and not have the parents follow through but you wont' see as good results as what I described up above.

The plan is to limit the quantities of food you give the kid. When I first start with a child I give them literally ONE bite worth of each food I am serving. The book suggests that every time you feed the kids (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner) you give all 4 food groups. So, for lunch today I would have given the child one tiny piece of strawberry, one spoonful of applesauce, 3 macaroni noodles with cheese on them, and 2 oz of milk. Only after they ate ALL of what was on their plate would you give them anything else. They can have the same amounts for seconds. If they only want more mac and cheese, they only get 3 noodles then they would have to have more of all the other foods in order to get more than that. If they don't eat, fine. If they don't finish, fine. Don't make a big deal out of it, just make them stay at the table until everyone else is done eating. They don't get more food until they are sat at the next meal and they only get what you serve. When I first do this with a child I don't serve sweets at all. So no animal crackers for snack but rather a carrot for snack. Or one of each of those. I don't make it easy for them to gorge on bad foods in other words. Now if they had a meal where they ate great then I might make the snack be a yummy one cause I know they filled up on good foods.

Even at snacks you have to limit quantities of the good stuff or else they will hold out for snack and just eat those snacky foods. I never give a picky eater the reward of a yummy snack unless they had that great lunch prior to it.

It really is that easy.

Hi S.:

Maybe try pureeing some less obvious tasting proteins, like chicken, and mix it with the fruit and cereal? If it is not easy for you to puree your own food, then I think that Earth's Best makes some jarred foods that combine proteins and fruit (Apple Turkey Cranberry, Creamy Apple Chicken Compote, Chicken Mango Risotto). Or slowly mix some squash or sweet potatoes in with the fruit to expose her to more veggies? My son had major texture issues at that age and now he will eat anything you put in front of him. Just keep trying and hang in there. Best of luck!

I like the other suggestions, just start pureeing everything for her. Protein is always hard because many small children do not like meat. Peanut butter is a good source of protein when she's a little older. In the meantime try mushing up some beans or try tofu. It could easily be mixed with fruit because it has very little flavour on its own. As for veggies, just make sure they are really soft, puree them and see how she does.
I would continue to nurse if you're comfortable because that will make up for what she's not eating in solid food. If you're not comfortable, at a year old talk to your ped about a multivitamin to make up what she's missing in her diet.
Good luck!

My 12 month old is doing this right now too. Foods she use to eat no problem she is spitting out. Honestly I think she is doing it because it is something new she can do! I ignore it and still give her all that we eat but I also am putting the gerber toddler stews (chix,w/mix veg etc) in a bowl and she digs right into that, both with her hands and she is digging using her own spoon. Have you tried oatmeal? On a side note, I too am nursing..slowly weaning. Doing morning and night feedings only and working on only night feedings. Good luck and have fun with it! (avocado is another one she still loves)

try pureeing the food. Seems she doesn't like having to chew and swallow. You can just puree what you are eating in the food processor and try that. My sister still has to puree some of my nephew's food becasue he doesn't like to chew and swallow. (and he's 2)

As long as she's being breast fed, she's getting everything she needs. I'd be careful about giving a breast fed baby table food. It could really irritate her system. I bet she doesn't like the table food and maybe the veggies and protein because of the taste and/or textures. Table food might be a little salty and the protein and veggies sources may taste very bland to her. She probably likes the sweet of the fruit and cereal because that's what she is used to. If she tends to like sweet - try introducing veggies etc that may have a little sweet - carrots, peas, squash. Just keep trying to introduce new things one at a time. In time she will begin to take them. If you are wanting to start weaning her, I'd start by mixing milk with breast milk and gradually increase the amount of milk until she is fully weaned.

some kids are just not ready for solids at a year. they do start full time solid eating until later on and they have their ups and downs. the great thing about nursing is you know that your baby is getting tons of vitiamins and nutrition on those days she doesnt eat so well! that is why its hard to find a nursed baby that is deemed "failure to thrive" keep up the good work mama nad your daughter will eat solid food when she is ready!

Don't worry too much. Look for protein enriched drinks to increase protien and just keep introducing new foods. My eldest child wouldn't eat meat until she was five!! We just looked for other sources of the nutrients she needed. Cheese was a good one for her. Sounds like you're on the right track, serving what you eat for dinner. It takes several times of tasting a new food to decide if you like it or not, and she'll get there. Toddlers appear to live on air. Don't worry Mommy.

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It takes 10-12 exposures for a child to accept a new flavor and/or texture. 8 teeth really isn't all that many--especially if they are all up front...those aren't really your chewing teeth...they are your biting and tearing teeth.

My daughter only had one top tooth at a year and she certainly used to "chew the flavor out" and then wanted nothing else to do with it.

Large, white lima beans cooked soft are great at this age. The skins come off easily and are a good source of protein and fiber.

Doing a coarse puree in a little food processor may go a long way toward her keeping more in her mouth.