Can She Survive?????

Updated on August 03, 2008
M.B. asks from Fort Lauderdale, FL
7 answers

It pains me to feed my picky (almost) 14 month-old daughter noodles. Mac and cheese, buttered, chicken noodle soup~~~just noodles.
I suppose it is hard for me b/c my son, now 2 1/2 was always a pretty decent eater, for a 2 1/2 year old anyway!

She refuses to eat anything EXCEPT, noodles, popcicles (all fruit variety),pizza and pretzles (whole grain)...she'll eat cheerios sometimes, and on a good day eggs and string cheese. Oh, and a 1/2 a banana every few days.

She drinks about 18 ounces of organic whole milk, 4 oz. of 100% OJ, and water.

She is teething...BIG TIME...and has had a cold off and on for a few weeks...
which i know can contribut to this...
she was never fond of baby food...REFUSED stage 3...

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S.S.

answers from Boca Raton on

Yes she will survive!! I am a holistic nutrition coach and I teach moms with picky eaters how to sneak veggies into the foods that kids love. You can steam some cauliflower or yellow squash and put it in the blender until it is a smooth liquid or paste and mix it into the mac n chz ( cant detect because cauli and squash blend in with chz color!!) if she eats eggs the cauliflower blends magically into scrambled eggs too! I always puree carrots and spinach and mix into pizza and pasta sauce. You can make up a bunch of veg purees and freeze them and keep in containers in fridge so they are easy to grab and dump into whatever you are cooking!! If she does seem to notice then just cut back on the amount you add and slowly incresase it so it is a natural progression. You always want to put a veggie on there plate that is visible as well, so they know what a well balanced meal looks like and if your lucky one day she will actually eat the veggie you put on her plate!! You may also want to look into giving her juice plus as a suppliment. Im sure there are lots of moms on this site that can help you with that!!
I hope this helps!

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S.S.

answers from Miami on

M.,

Understandably you are concerned. My now 5 year old almost 6 year old son is very picky and I went through the same thing with him. All you can do is offer her new foods. If she tries them and eats them great if not don't force it, let her eat what she likes. If you are worried about the nutrients try the pediasure drinks. I know it isn't what you want to give your child, you want them to eat solid food and understandably so. I had to substitute the drinks at least one a day until I could get my son to try new foods. My oldest son and youngest son will eat pretty much anything thing that I put in front of them from day one. It is a matter of trial and error in some children. With 3 boys I found that one just was a very picky eater and the other two happen to love food, all kinds.

Best of luck.

S.
35 y/o SAHM of 3 boys
Austin 13, Colt 5 and Logan 3

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M.B.

answers from Miami on

don't get discouraged! just always offer what your making, you never know maybe she'll try it and like it! good luck! go with the flow as long as she's eating something she'll be fine! You'll survive this stage too!

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D.G.

answers from Boca Raton on

I am amost 31 and was a very picky eater when I was younger. My mom told me that she feed me Mac & Cheese 3 times a day if I wanted. I am still very picky and do not eat Fruits or veggies. I have tried them but still have not been able to get the taste for them. But I am fine and healthy. My son is pretty picky and is 8 and doing fine and my daughter will eat almost anything. We just keep offering my son new foods until he tries them.

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T.U.

answers from Miami on

I know my nephew and best friends niece both ate very little until they cut back on the milk. Once they went down to one or two glasses a day they started eating alot more. 18 oz is alot for a little belly. If she was hungry she'd eat what you give her. My doctor says to remember they can't starve in a couple of days. Just be persistent. You're the boss. If you don't win now, you're going to be dealing with this for a long time. Good Luck!

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K.M.

answers from Miami on

I personally wouldn't make what she eats a big power struggle. What they eat is one of the few areas kids are in control of. What they get served to eat is what parents can control. I don't think it's an area where the parent needs to be the boss. That's a good way to cause food issues down the road.

Being picky is totally normal. I have a picky eater myself. At any given time, there are probably about 5 different foods she's willing to eat. It's frustrating, but I don't make a big deal about it. I offer her the foods I know she'll eat in as healthy a version as possible. For instance, we are pulling out of a bagel and cream cheese phase. She was asking for them all day long. So I only offered her the 100% whole wheat mini bagels with a little cream cheese. I also continually offer new foods. Sometimes she tries them and spits them out. But, at least she is getting exposed to them. Sometimes she changes her mind.

The stuff your daughter is eating doesn't sound that bad even though it's limited. I've been able to slip extra fruits into my daughter by making smoothies and freezing them into popsicles which she loves to eat. (We often do an OJ, strawberry, blueberry, banana, peach mix. We use frozen fruits instead of adding ice.) You could offer her whole grain or spelt noodles (they're more mild tasting than whole grain noodles) to get in more fiber since she doesn't eat many fruits and veggies. My daughter will often go days without touching a vegetable despite being offered them all the time. There is a book called The Sneaky Chef by Missy Lapine which tells you how to make purees and hide them in food like another poster suggested. I've been trying out recipes once in a while. So that's another option. I'd still offer the real thing on the side though. You could cut back on the milk a little to see if she'll eat more too.

I don't supplement with pediasure or anything else since I avoid stuff with corn syrup in it. I also offer her a Dr. Sears brand multivitamin which doesn't have the corn syrup, dyes, or other bad stuff in it. And she's just fine. Her weight has always been ok and she's always met all her milestones. If your daughter is not underweight, I wouldn't worry too much. Usually, there is one meal my daughter eats a lot at and the other two she kind of grazes or eats a small portion at.

Finally, the teething (and she could have cold symptoms because of the teething) could DEFINITELY be affecting how much she eats. My daughter would sometimes barely eat anything while cutting teeth. Then once the teeth were through, her appetite went way up. So I'd hang in there a little bit until her teeth come in. Maybe she'll eat more popsicles because they'll feel good. Hang in there.

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B.P.

answers from Miami on

She sounds like my youngest boy! He was (and is) a very picky eater...to the point our pediatrician sent us to a therapist and GI doc to rule out serious problems. Nope, just picky. The best advice they gave us? Give up milk. Ask your pediatrician for exactly the amount she needs per day and give no more/no less. We had tears for 3 days. But at the end of three days he ate a piece of bacon (miraculous for him). Six months after, he was still picky (and at 3 and a half, still is) but had added green beans, chopped chicken, fish and watermelon. Also, keep showing the same food over and over. Sometimes it just takes having a stronger will. Good Luck~ Bev

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