I Need Help Getting My 12Mnth Old to Eat Table Food

I agree with Kathy, try giving him some type of finger foods like chicken nuggets, veinna sausages, cutting a sandwich up into squares etc.... If you are feeding him (don't) give it to him and let him try. He maybe more open to other foods if he's doing it himself. My daughter didn't want anything to eat @ 10mos unless she could do it herself. Even if he makes a huge mess let him do it, it just might work for him. He do not have a problem so don't take him to no feeding clinic.

My now 27 month old was just like that. He was SO picky. My son liked hard, crunchy stuff because he was constantly teething. If he cheerios, that is great. They are good for him. He rarely ate baby food, unfortunately. So you just have to get creative. The good news is that at 27 months he tries just about everything. Still a bit picky but it has gotten better. My pediatrician told me this: Look at what your child has eaten in a week's time. Don't get too stressed about the day to day battles. It is frustrating but I am sure it will get better. Good luck.

Hi C.

Those little ones can be so fussy when it comes to eating. My cousin's little one had a lot of feeding issues and ended up falling off the growth chart for a while. She continued extended breastfeeding - almost exclusively....also wouldn't take a bottle - until at least 2. When her weight fell off the charts, they had her mom stop nursing completely and put her on a mix of half & half with pediasure. For whatever reason she accepted this in a bottle and still ate very little. Over time her weight improved and her mom at least felt like she was getting some higher quantities of nutrients. At some point in the middle of this, they realized she was having some other concerns and did some testing. She had suffered a stroke during birth. She had some effects of it in her swallowing reflex which affected her eating and drinking. She started working with occupational therapists and gave it time for relearning. She'll be 4 in Dec and now eats everything - not tons, but a variety of foods.

Good Luck
H.

Feeding clinic in a hospital? I've never even heard of such a thing. I think that is a bit of an overreaction, unless he is dangerously malnourished, which I doubt. Do you think he would prefer to eat with a spoon? My daughter will eat with a spoon just because she likes the control of doing it herself (even though she is heavily assisted by me). We started letting her play with the spoon to get interested in it, and one day she just decided she wanted to do it herself. If it's the textures that creep him out, I wonder if it would help to let him play with a tray of whipped cream, finger paints, etc., to get him used to getting dirty and gooey? It can't hurt to try. Have you tried putting a variety of colors and textures infront of him - like cheese, carrots bits, peas, kiwi, etc? The other thing to consider is the tone of the meal. Are you rushing? Does he sense your frustration? A relaxed atmosphere where you are enjoying food with him will help. I know that sounds dumb, but I used to work at a daycare where lunch was like an assembly line, and there were some kids that could handle it and gobble their food up and be on their way, and others just couldn't and they would get frustrated and end up not eating much. I remember that sick feeling I had in my stomach every time I had to feed one of the ones that didn't eat well, so I can imagine what that must feel like as a parent. I have heard that it is normal for them to go on hunger strikes from time to time. Maybe you should get a second opinion from another pediatrician. I'm still fixated on the whole feeding clinic thing..... Let us know how it turns out!

My daughter is 11 months and refuses baby food all together and won't eat anything really wet/mushy. You should try yobaby yogurt (it's loaded with nutritious stuff!) and block/cubes of different cheeses... My daughter loves anything that she can pick up, makes her feel more in control of what she's eating. I would also try veggie burgers... you can get all different types and they are on the harder/not mushy side. I recommend Dr. Praegers (they are all veggies). Or try turkey meatballs or turkey cold cuts (the dryer/roasted) the better. I know the frustration of a picky eater so I just keep trying new things. I also give her larger pieces so that she can hold them and bite them, she goes for those things first.
Hope this helps!

jess

take heart...your child will not starve. I did not switch my son until he was 15 months old...you have time. My suggestion is to give him baby food at night, but give him "kid friendly" food during the day without baby food to augment. What I mean by that is toast with peanut butter and/or jelly for breakfast and cut up grapes or blueberries or strawberries.

There is a great baby yogurt called Yo Baby that my son loves. Try that and cut up bologna and cheese (my son eats it with ketchup - yuck!). The biggest thing that my son really grabbed onto was feeding himself. That is when he really took off with table food. It was almost an overnight swith for him to get off baby food once he got the hang of feeding himself.

You'll get there! (I think your doctor may be jumping the gun with a feeding clinic unless there is developmental issues.)

Good luck!!

Hi-My son (who is now almost 2 1/2) would not take any baby food (and still won't eat applesauce)early on, so I was also concerned with him not getting adequate nutrition. One item he loved to eat was and still is Eggo waffles. If your son will only eat something on the harder side, maybe toast them up well and put a bit of butter on it. You could also try soft cheeses. My son loved shredded cheeses. It might be a fun texture for him to try.

Hey,
I've gone through a few ups and downs with my daughter's eating habits. One trick I've used to introduce new things is to take a favorite food and put a new food on or in it until that new food is recongnized. One thing I keep forgetting is that babies and toddlers need to be introduced to new foods over and over until it is something that they recognize and then they will accept it. His favorite today maybe rejected tomorrow and vice versa.
M.

If it helps at all my 12 month doesn't really liek to eat either. She hates to be fed so baby food is hard and she kinda just plays with everything else. I have found that if she is a little distracted, out at a restaurant or we have company over for dinner, that I can at least get half of a jar of veggies or fruit into her. She has her favorites, those toddler crackers and tomatoes, that she eats nonstop. But I have tried a small bit of peanut butter on some saltines. most of that goes in. And at ACME they sell soemthing called a MUM MUM, it is int he cookie aisle. It is a rice rusk wafer and she loves them. They come in veggie. My doctor told me the same thing about ending the meal if she won't eat. He said, as long as she is happy and playing and seemes to have energy and continues to sleep well that I shouldn't worry and to continue to give her new things. I hop any of this helps. I understand how aweful mealtime can be when the babay won't eat.
Best of luck.

He is now 23 months and will only eat cereal, pizza, grilled cheese and chicken nuggets. And for the longest time he wouldn't eat dinner at all. His doctor said that as long as he is gaining weight and having enough poopy diapers that he's fine. I still keep trying to get him to eat new foods and I even try to give him sauces to dip it in. That has worked a little. Good luck!

My daughter is 9 months old and by and large a pretty good eater. However she does go through some meals with pursed lips and refuses to feed herself. One thing that works VERY WELL has been distracting her with toys (or spoons/kitchen items, etc) and then if I put something in front of her mouth she gobbles it right up. More than anything she seems bored by the process of eating and doesn't like being couped up in the chair-- so if I can keep her entertained and focused on something else she will eat.

Hi, there, all you can do is keep offering table food in small quantity along with other foods your baby will eat. You can also dice or blend table food to small pieces and mix it in the food he does eat. Good luck!

I have a 23 month old who is quite a picky eater. When we were starting to try to transition him to table food, I never thought it would happen...we tried logically going to 2nd and 3rd stage foods but the chunkiness made him gag...it was either pureed or nothing (or toast and cheerios, anything crunchy) The first thing he tried that wasn't either of those options was the Gerber diced fruits and veggies...he loved that they were big boy food and he could pick them up on his own and shove them into his mouth...not sure if your little one would like them or not but anythings worth a shot...

Everyone gave great suggestions. I think all you can do is keep trying, offering a food over and over until your child at least agrees to try it. Thats how it is with my 25 month old...a lot of refusal, then he tries it and suddenly its a new favorite. One thing to consider (because you mentioned that he prefers only hard crunchy foods) is that he might have some sensory preferences, which is not uncommon with kids(Can be issues with different noises, fabrics, touch, taste, whatever), in which case he would benefit from help from an occupational therapist. If all else fails, it might be a better alternative than going to a hospital, some OT's even make home visits. Most likely though, its just some toddler quirk that he needs to outgrow. Good luck!

My son is the same way. He will eat the crunchy stuff,(cherrios and crackers, etc.) but doesn't even want to touch anything else. I started toasting whole wheat bread and cutting it in strips and he ate that. Now I buy the real thin sliced wheat bread, toast it and make a sandwich. It sounds a little gross but I puree meat and veggies with a little creamcheese or plain yogurt until it's spreadable. Then I spread it between two slices of toast then cut it in strips or small squares. It can get messy when he begins to pull it apart but he is eating! Also a diversion tactict seems to work. I give him something he will eat and slide in a few spoonfuls of some puree in between. I am sure he will grow out of it but at least I can get a little nutrition in him till then. Gook luck with your little guy.

Lisa

I heard about a boy with a similar problem that ended up having a very severe digestive disorder (sorry, can't remember exactly what) - anything that he ate hurt him, so of course he didn't end up wanting to eat. I'd take him to a GI specialist that can make sure that everything is working properly, and that there aren't any blockages or other issues in the GI tract that is causing the problem.

Good luck, I hope that you find out what's going on and that your boy ends up enjoying food soon.
-M.