18 Mos Old Eating Issues

My son has always liked fruits, so I am lucky there. Other "tricks" I use are.... he loves to "dunk" any food so if I give him ketchup or something similar he will then eat some bits of chicken or beef (we get him excited about "dunking" his food.) To get him to eat more veggies from his plate, we have also taken to "team bites" where I get a big bite on my spoon and say "Henry too!" he takes a big bite at the same time as me and for some reason finds this funny. We also make funny chomping noises while we eat the veggies and cheer when done. I'm also not above bribing from time to time....I get out cottage cheese, or grapes or something I know he loves (healthy things though - I'm lucky he likes some healthy things!) and tell him I will give him some if he eats a bite (or two or whatever) of his veggies.

My little girl LOVES beans. Of almost any type.

I'd probably keep him on formula for now until his palate expands.

What about fruit and veggies? None of those? I don't worry too much about protein - I don't know a lot of young children who will eat a lot of protein. In my mind, that means they don't really need it. Of course, those children also drink milk, which contains protein as well, so that makes a difference for your child.

I completely understand mama!!! So sorry, its not so easy!! You can give him a mutivitamin the liquid kind say in his yogurt or maybe apple sauce!! Just know you are doing the BEST you can, and little by little you can try new things!!!! And no its not your fault as someone rudely said.... Kids are lil people who just dont like certain things People dont need force things on them like certain foods thats going to make it such an issue.... Dont worry and enjoy the waffles with him!!! xo xo xo

Him eating only waffles, french fries, and crackers is entirely your fault...sorry. Why in the world are you serving him these things?

When their appetites are delicate, such as at this age, you ought to be making every bite count. You couldn't be going more wrong than waffles and french fries!! I know they're easy, but so are a lot of healthy options...and the thing is, he won't starve himself. If you ONLY SERVE healthy food, he'll eventually catch on that if he wants to eat, here are his options.

Just finished reading your post, btw. My youngest has celiac disease, as well as a dairy intolerance, so I understand what it's like to be creative and I STILL don't feed my child this way. Just because something is "gluten free" doesn't make it a health food...nor does organic...etc. And just a note...if your child doesn't NEED GF food, you shouldn't be giving it to him in place of the regular things he could have (for instance, real whole wheat bread.) GF food is often high in sodium. Wheat germ really isn't a good thing to feed a child, either...just being honest.

Even if he screams for a day...or two...he'll get over it. I PROMISE you he won't starve. Try fresh fruits. Peanut butter offers good protein...make him a peanut butter/whole wheat/banana sandwich. Sweet potatoes or homemade sweet potato fries...baked...instead of french fries. And there's really nothing wrong with potatoes in moderation...just not fried. Try adding yummy additions to mashed potatoes...we like broccoli in ours.

I'm sorry if I came off a bit harsh at first, btw, I just don't want to go back and erase. I understand picky eaters...my first one was that way...but I eventually just said "enough is enough" and only offered healthy options.

I have had one child that for over 6 months wanted nothing but cherrios. The dr told me as long as they are eating and gaining weight they are fine. She does not like veggies even now and is slowly getting the taste for them... She is a 15 year old picky eater.

I had another child that for the first 3 years of table food would eat nothing but veggies. Hated meat. Head Start ruined that with their 1 bite rule... not totally upset but now some veggies he would eat before he no longer will eat due to others telling him they are icky. Now he is a 12 year old walking stomach.

Just do the best you can to give him the healthy versions... keep track of his weight and if you are seriously concerned check with a dr. Most of the time at 18 months they are eating what their body's are craving. Just keep trying and it really does not hurt to use the one bite rule. (you have to take one bite of everything on your plate.)

Dawn in AZ

I wouldn't worry about the meat.... my whole family is vegetarians. My kids are 2 and 3 and never had meat.
I would say you need to not give in and keep offering better things. Fruits and veggies for sure. My kids don't get any sort of junk and they know that is life. They eventually will eat.
Also I guess it was a personal thing, but we took the bottle away at 12 months. I think he is relying on the bottle too much.
I would talk to your doc the next time you go in....

If you want him to start eating better, more well-rounded meals you have to stop giving him junk and stop catering to his preferences and simply provide only healthy, balanced meals and snacks with no other options. I would stop giving him bottles and only give him milk or water at meals and snacks in a sippy cup. If he's filling up on a bottle, he won't want to eat. If he knows you'll give him waffles, crackers or fries if he doesn't eat other foods you give him, what is his motivation for eating the healthy foods? If you simply provide him with healthy meals and snack, giving him the choice of either eating it or not eating at all, without allowing him to fill up on milk instead of food, he will not starve himself, but will soon learn to eat and love healthier foods. If you provide his usual foods anyway, he will continue to refuse anything new.

I agree that I would push more fruits and veggies. If you are still worried about the protein you can try nut butters in/on his waffles or even nut meal in place of some of the flour. Whole grains also have protein and you can get things like chickpea flour to sneak into them as well. My son also loves to snack on roasted chickpeas. But really, I would be less concerned about the protein and more concerned that he's not getting a balance of vitamins and minerals he needs from fruits and veggies. Try sweet potato fries instead of regular, shredded veggies in his waffles. I don't have many suggestions about fruit because even when he wouldn't eat anything else my son never turns down raw fruit. Smoothies are also a good option if you can get him to drink them: banana, frozen fruit, flax oil or seed, a handful of spinach and if you want more protein you can put in a bit of peanut butter, you can even add avocado if you want to increase his calorie intake. My advice is to experiment with different things, stop offering crackers or fries and only give him waffles that are loaded with healthy stuff. Keep in mind that a child needs to see a food several (sometimes 10-15) times in order to become familiar with it and give it a fair shot.

I would try beans. If your son will not eat table food (whole beans), then I would try smashing them up in a pan so they are smoother, and spoon feeding him. Also, I have found that my son will eat canned tuna fish or ground turkey, mixed with just a little bit of pureed veggies. The tuna is not as noticeable of a texture as a chunk of meat and the ground meat can be broken down into very small pieces. I spoon feed this to his as well. And don't forget about eggs, they are a great source of protein! I have seen some commercials for a Kashi cereal that has the same amount of protien as an egg, which might be a good compromise for you.

Your post did not say anything about fruits and veggies, so I am not sure if you need this advice, but I will include it just in case. My son is a picky eater and will not eat most fruit because he does not like the moistness of it. I have found some 100% freeze dried fruit and since they are dry, he will gobble them up. Also, I would put some blueberries or other fruits into the waffles. Also, try sweet potato fries baked in the oven!

The other responses mentioned that he was drinking a bottle, but after reading your question, I couldn't find mention of one (not sure if you made an edit or not). My son just switched from a bottle to a cup a couple of weeks ago. It took a while for him to actually take his milk in a cup, which left him more hungry for other food. I have found that he eats better without the bottle.

I have been having feeding issues with my son as well so GOOD LUCK!

Sorry you're having such trouble with your little one! I had one of those! My 3rd son, at 18 months old just quit eating anything good for him one day. The dr. said he was trying to test his power of control and not to let him win. The dr. and his wife had 6 kids (all older than my 4) and he said they had one rule: you have to have one bite of whatever the horrid food is for every year you are old. So if the child is one year old...he must have one bite... if three, then three bites etc. The dr. also said the child wouldn't starve himself to death and when he realized you were serious he'd make up for it by eating a ton. So...according to dr.s orders, we put the food in the fridge and told him when he was hungry we'd heat it up but he wasn't getting anything else. He happened to freak out and not eat a single bite of potato at dinner time. So we told him he couldn't eat till breakfast. The dr. said hold your ground, and don't give in. Come morning we heated up the potato and Drew still wouldn't eat. We put it away with no snacks and heated it for lunch and then for dinner. At which time I was freaking out, called the dr again and the dr. repeated his instructions and we put our son to bed. He cried and cried. We took turns sleeping that night and assuring our son we loved him but there was nothing to eat until morning. This went on meal after meal for THREE full days! after 3 days and 30 phone calls to our dear friend the dr. Drew woke up from his nap that afternoon, came to my said and said "momma I eat". I said ok. put him in his hi-chair and gave him his potato. I said you can have your one bit and then eat spaghetti with us for dinner. He said "no, I eat all" and he did! and then ate spaghetti for dinner too! Needless to say, his days of picky eating went on a very long time. I became a sneaky chef, figuring out how to put good stuff into what he ate. Check out the "sneaky chef" cook books for good ideas on how to do this. Since my son only liked bread and cheese, I began grinding my own flour (along with beans and legumes) and baking my own incredibly healthy breads. He is now 18 years old, six foot 5 inches tall and a very determined athlete.
So, my advice to you? say what you mean, mean what you say, and hunker down for battle. take the junk food out of the kitchen so even if he cries he can't have it cuz it isn't there. The battles are FAR easier won when the child is 2 than when they are 10 or 20! Good luck and best wishes. you're free to write any time.
K.
contented homeschool mom, wife of a wonderful man for 21 years and mom to 4 teenagers!