11 Month Picky with Table Food

My son was the say way when he was a baby. He had definate likes and dislikes. I didnt push him much about it. I just kept offering him a choice of good foods and foods I knew he liked. He would eventually try some. There is not a food he will not eat or at least try now. Just try to relax and know that she will eat when she is hungry and probably only things that taste good to her. If you are worried about her getting the nutrients she needs they have drinks she can have. They can be pricey. I did at some point give him vitamins. Another thing I tried was to make snacks that had faces.

It can take children up to 12 times of being introduced to a new food before they will get used to eating it. Be consistent and in time it is likely that she will begin to try new things. She may not be used to the texture so try the same foods in different ways--diced potatoes, mashed potatoes, etc. Here are two great articles:

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T030800.asp "Feeding Toddlers: 17 Tips for Pleasing the Picky Eater" It has good ideas for introducing new, healthy foods to toddlers.

and
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040200.asp "ABC's of Teaching Nutrition to Kids" I thought this one was especially good because it teaches parents how to make learning about healthy food fun for kids. It talks about how to educate kids so that they make healthy choices on their own later on and so they know which kinds of food are healthy and why. The only thing I didn't agree with was that he suggested rewards, but everything else was pretty good advice.

I have a 13 month old daughter and she also has been very picky. I am glad u wrote this because i have felt like we are the only ones going thru this. I am going somewhat insane trying to figure out what to feed her for every meal. It becomes a headache. Somedays she may eat something real well and then the next day she wont even touch it!! For breakfast she has done real well with the flavored oatmel ( brownsugar and maple flavor) and a piece of toast with butter and her milk. Or we have tried biscuits and gravey, pancakes and waffles. For lunch has been harder: we have done chic nuggets and raviolo's toasted cheese. tuna, cottage cheese, piecese of cheese, yogart, apples that's some of it. For her supper she just will get a little bit of whatever we are having. she really loved goulosh one night. so u are not alone in this. If u have any more ideas please send them my way, would love to see what newer stuff u have tried. They say just to keep offering it to them and they will eat when they are hungry. K.

I do think this is quite common. My son ate great until he hit the one year old mark. I do think that around this age, the growth does slow down a little...so they do not need as much. My son is 22 months now and still goes thru phases of being a great eater/picky. I've noticed when he's going thru a little growth spurt that he eats better. Also, regarding veggies...I always give them to him first, usually while I'm preparing the rest of our meal. Luckily he will eat carrots, green beans, corn and peas very well. But I do notice if I give thim the veggies with his main meal, he won't really eat them. I would probably take a break from the foods she is refusing and try them again in a couple of weeks. I think sometime the more you try to give it to them, the more they what to refuse it.

I think kids go through phases. What my 14 month old son used to love, he won't touch now. But then he will return to old favorites. I have also read and experienced that you have to introduce the same things many, many times before they take a liking to them. Kids won't starve themselves, and when they are hungry enough, they will eat. I used to alternate bites of proven favorites with new stuff, or even glob applesauce on top of something new to "hide" it. Eventually he would get used to it and eat it like it was his idea originally.

I hate to tell you this, but sometimes picky eating is a lifelong problem. My son ate everything up to one year, then suddenly didn't like anything. They called him Starch Boy at preschool because all he would eat were bread, pancakes, mac & cheese and pizza. Part of it is a control issue - no one can make a person eat food, so he could exert some control over his life. The other is a fear of food, which I admit I also have. Some people are easily grossed out by a food's color, shape, texture, etc. While some people have not problem tossing a bite of a new food into their mouths, others just can't bear to do that unless it passes the visual and sniff test. My son was 16 before he started expanding his menu. He's 18 now and ate sushi the other day! I tried EVERYTHING when he was little, but eventually decided that meals needed to be pleasant experiences, so I serve a meal and he either eats it or he makes his own food and cleans up after himself. Obviously an 11-month-old can't do that, but I think it's important to not make a fuss over it or show too much concern. I learned to hide veggies in foods he liked. Baby food veggies mix well into pancake batter or corn muffin mix, especially carrots. I made bread once using low sodium V8 juice instead of water. I also gave him chewable vitamins. His doctor said as long as he's growing he's fine. Well, he's 6'3" now, grown on a diet of mostly starch, so I guess he did ok!

I would stop making her eat the same thing over a week. Have her try it, then wait a few days and try it again. My son was eating almost everything we ate by 11 m. She is probably having a tough time with the different textures. Let her experiment with the food - fingers and mouth. Just don't give up! Keep trying the variety over time. If she doesn't like something this week it might change next week.

oh my gosh it's soo frustrating! my 18 month old son is JUST NOW starting to eat some meats - i really think it's the texture. he will eat any bread, pasta, rice, etc...basically any carbs...any fruits....some veggies...but NO meats. it's really frustrating when his dinners mainly consist of chicken tenders, hotdogs, and peanut butter sandwiches! it's completely normal though...just try to be patient with her and keep exposing her to new foods (and the same old ones she's refusing) eventually she'll try them. (guilty secret - my son is at the age where he hates anything that "looks" like baby food: ice cream, pudding, anything like that. this is bad but i put a little onto his lips and *voila*! once he tastes it he realizes, mommy DID know what she was talking about, this is good! it's cheating and kinda mean because he fights me if i get new things anywhere near his mouth, but dangit, i WAS right! lol) good luck and hang in there. it'll get better! just don't automatically write off things she refuses now. if you DO just feed her the same things every meal, she'll never want to try anything new. keep trying!

My son is 13 months and began eating table food at 9 months and completely switched from baby food at 12 months. It's not always a quick process, so hang in there! Babies have to learn how to handle the different texture of table food, as well as the taste. The timing of this process is different with every baby. Our daycare started our son on grilled cheese, toast, cheerios, melted cheese on toasted English muffins and graham crackers....to introduce textures other than soft baby food. Keep introducing different textures so that she doesn't get "locked" onto only one type. Eventually she'll expand her diet. Our pediatrician told us it can take as many as 30 times of offering a new food before baby will eat it. For soft textures, try applesauce and yogurt. For breads try grilled cheese, pancakes, english muffins, cooked noodles. For fruits/veggies try cooked carrots, peas, fruit cups (peaches, pears, bananas. In the very beginning we also went thru a lot of Gerber puffs and cheese crackers. They're great! They introduce texture but also quickly melt in baby's mouth so no choking.

Good luck!

Have you tried the Gerber graduates? My daughter was the same way with table foods so I tried her on the Gerber Graduates and she did great with them and was wanting the real thing in no time. It also helped when she saw other ppl eating the foods that she was eating. She is 19 months now and still eats foods better if someone else is eating it too.

11 months = picky eating. I think this is often when parents get in the habit of feeding their kids junk just so they'll eat. She'll eat what she needs to (if there is legitimate concerns about weight, talk to the dr). Just keep offering her fresh whole foods and she'll eventually take the bait. My 16 month old still goes in phases, and if I strike on what she wants, she'll eat a lot. She seems to eat a whole lot of one thing at a sitting, not a varied diet (my older daughter wasn't like this), which I think is okay as long as over the week it's varied. When I'm worried she hasn't eaten, I break out the baby food (though she would never eat more than half a jar at a time). Are you still breastfeeding? That should ease your worries about intake, breast milk or formula should be their main diet for the first FULL YEAR. She'll catch on!

K..

It might be that she's not confortable with the texture of the new foods yet. My daughter was reluctant to try new things until about age 18 months, when she got very adventurous and tried anything and everything I offered. She still likes to try new things and loves most vegetables.

Or, it may be that she's destined to be a picky eater. My son is a still a picky eater and he's 5 years old now. His main food groups are chicken nuggets, cheese crackers and chocolate milk.

In any event, I wouldn't worry too much about it. The more she can do this on her own schedule, the easier dinnertime is likely to be down the road.