So my 2 yo... doesnt eat food very well. I think shes still rather eat baby food.
Is our food still too much for her to handle? She was a preemie, and is still so small. I wonder if "solid" foods are too much for her?
Sometimes when we are eating somthing i know she wont eat-ill give her jar of baby food, and she will sit and eat th ewhole thing no probs. but on days we have hot dogs, maybe 3 bites and 5 of mac n cheese or something.
she got her teeth so i dont think its a chewing problem.
everyone keeps tellin me its normal for 2 year olds to be fussy eaters. and as long as shes getting her nutrients and growing shes ok.
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i dont think its a texture thing. Yes the baby food i do give her is a stage 3 so there is chunks in it. I think shes just a really picky eater.. i would freak out if its something serious and if it dont change soon i will talk to her doc and see what he says. but ill try pureeing our food a little and see if she eats that.
I don't think it's because she was a preemie, I had one born at 31 weeks.
It is more likely she is just picky. Keep offering healthy kid friendly foods, she'll do fine!
L.~
I also had a preemie and even tho I waited six months to start him on any foods (such as cereal and formula); we had no problems with him eating foods on the schedule we had from our pediatrician or even daycare.
I recommend you check in with your doctor. Granted kids do not like some textures, but it seems your daughter should not have an issue with finger foods or soft foods that most can eat at this age. You may be over-indulging her with the baby foods - even if it is stage three. If you want to feed her that way, make it yourself so she is eating the same meal you are, just more 'mushed'. Otherwise, you could end up with an even pickier eater.
As for the preemie part - this for us only applied to her weight and height development. Everything else seemed to develop on schedule... I also feel if preemies are exposed to other kids their age, they keep up without any issues.
You might try meeting with a speech therapist who specializes if food/feeding/texture issues, especially if your chid was a former premie. Try University of Michigan Speech and Feeding clinic. You can find their page online, or call U of M and tell them you need a pediatric speech therapist who works with kids with feeding issues.
it may be a b it more work for you, but find the few foods she will eat, and offer those to her at EVERY MEAl, and then take what you are eating and puree it up. She will start to learn that she eats the food she is given, plus by pureeing the food you eat, she is still haveing her pallette exposed to the new foods. baby foods are very bland. So if she won't eat the food you puree up, it could be a sensitive issue to certain spices, and flavoring. i know for my family, i am senstive to too much salt, so i dont use it, and they can tell when they go somewhere and they use salt. For them, they will eat it, but don't always like the strong flavor.
It will require extra effort and work, but by keep giving her table foods first, she may start to eat mor table foods.
I know they say a toddler won't starve themself, and i agree. My daughter goes days she eats like a pig, and other days she eats like a bird. i don't worry since i know she will eat when she is hungry. So keep offering table food, and you can use the baby food as a last resort,
my 2 year old is the same. I give her applesauce and yougart she likes that and she eats not alot but she eats something . she gets milk and everything she needs so I don't worry about. dr says shes fine
No worries! Toddlers ARE fussy eaters. Keep offering, she will get it.
My son is 18 months old and is also a very picky eater. While he does have a "selection" of table foods that he will eat, I still let him have the jarred squash and sweet potatoes. I don't give him any other baby foods at this point, but, aside from corn, which he will eat whole kernel with butter and salt, I cannot get him to eat any "big people" veggies, so, since he still likes the jarred squash and sweet potatoes, I still let him have them. It took him longer than some to want table foods. When he was over a year, he was still eating lots of jarred baby foods. I kept "kidding" that I was going to have to send him to kindergarten with a jar of veggies...but, really, I was kind of worried about it. Anyhow, I've talked to his pediatrician and the ladies at his daycare (I work fulltime) and have been told by both that it's totally common for some kids to still want baby food for a long time. With him, it was a HUGE texture issue. And, he would literally gag on certain foods when I would offer them to him because he seemed to not like the way they felt in his mouth. Now that he's 18 months, he's getting past the baby food phase, but, he still isn't really very willing to try many new foods. We're sort of stuck in a food rut. I just keep trying to offer him new things and feed him what he will eat, otherwise. One of the ladies at his daycare (a mom and grandma) told me that she knows for sure she was still supplementing with baby food until her kids were two. I would guess, being a preemie, your daughter is likely to advance in some areas a little behind what we worrying moms consider "normal." Seems like, if she's eating and gaining weight and, like you said, she CAN eat table food and it's not a medical issue, she's fine. I know how it can be easy to worry about these things though. I still worry on and off when he won't try new foods, etc. I'm 6 months pregnant with my second baby and am hopeing that food is a little "easier" with this next baby.
My daughter is also a former preemie and has had many eating issues, all related to medical conditions. My first question to you is, does your daughter eat the stage 3 baby food that has chunks in it? If so, I know it is smaller chunks then what you probably give her of regular food. You could always try taking what u r eating and puree it up in a blender with milk and see if she eats it. If she does, I would say it is probably a texture issue and maybe also a coordination issue with the chewing and moving it around in her mouth properly. I actually have a lot more advice, but I'm not sure if your daughter has had any medical issues or what not from being a preemie. If u would like to e-mail me, I would be glad to try and help u out. ____@____.com
J.
does she have food texture issue? my daughter was not a premie but she has food texture issues.. she doesnt like how some foods FEEL in the mouth.. she hates mashed potatoes, baked beans..cottage cheese.. etc.. it was hard to get her to accept baby food, then once she got on bby food it was hard toget her on stage 3 food with lumps then it was hard to get her on table foods...
A lot of toddlers are fussy eaters..you should talke to your dr to see what they recommend. there is treatment for problem eaters.. may be covered by health insurance.
