Difficulty Finding Table Foods 22Mo. Son Will Eat

I have a picky 19 month old. I know what she really likes - bananas, corn on the cob, whole grain rice, bread. I usually provide her what we are eating. It depends on the day what she will and will not eat. However, if she is not eating her meat one day, then I respond by saying that if she eats just one piece of meat she can have more corn. Or if we are having bananas for dessert, she only can have a banana if she eats one more piece of meat. She pitches a fit, but eventually eats at least one piece of everything on her plate. The she is rewarded with whatever it is that we are having that she wants - corn on the cob, wheat bread, rice, etc. That way we are not reinforcing her picky behavior and she is eating a well balanced meal. Plus, I don't think we are asking for too much. Just one piece is not a whole lot to ask, but it gets some iron in her! Plus she is being rewarded with food that is very good for her.

Hi F.. Try Gerber "Lil Entrees." My daughter loved them at his age--I even added just a pinch of seasoned salt to add a little flavor. Gerber Graduate individually wrapped things are good too---like the little meat sticks in a jar, green beans, corn, carrots, etc. And again, just a pinch of some type of seasoning is ok as long as it is just a little--and being from Gerber--he will be getting the nutrients he needs. Maybe worth a try! Good luck!! C.

I don't have much time to respond now, but will write more later; just couldn't bear to sign off without sharing one word with ya:

AVOCADO!! ;D

Hi F., my suggestion is to feed your son whatever you and the rest of your family eat. Cut it into small bite-sized pieces and put it on his tray or on a plate and offer him a child sized spoon and fork to try it with. I would let him play/experiment/eat whatever you give him for just as long as the rest of you eat. Hopefully at least 30 minutes, then take him down. This will get him used to eating as a family, and also he will grow up knowing mom isn't a short order cook and you need to eat whatever mom cooks. A little while after dinner you can offer him some yogourt or a jar of babyfood as a snack so you know he's getting some nutrition. Some other foods are welch's fruit snacks (they're softest and made with real juice), raisins, cheese, bananas, vienna weenies, any canned fruit, or canned or steamed veggies). Sooner or later, he will start tasting whatever you put on his plate because he will see you and dad eating it and because he will realize he's getting down weather he's still hungry or not.

At almost 2 - it is a phase - and I would definitely try to wean baby foods - my kids liked the baby food oatmeal texture way better than adult, but had given that up as well by this age.

Keep offering what you are eating - I have seen lots of helpful ideas on this before -even letting him select things from your plate.

I won't add any more advice, just good luck!!

My son was almost 2 1/2 before he stopped eating the baby food oatmeal with a jar of baby food fruit swirled inside for breakfast. He also had yogurt for a bedtime snack for a long time as well. There are tons of foods you can try with a 22 month old. (I haven't read the other responses, so I apologize if it's a repeat). Here are some ideas:

Breakfast:
biscuits with jelly (since your son likes that)
pancakes
waffles (either the regular with syrup, or there are a bunch that are fruit filled or flavored that you can serve dry)
cereal (dry or with milk)
toast (my sons always loved cinnamon, but plain butter is good too)
sausage (the patty kind can be ground up like ground beef)
scrambled eggs (my sons like when I put green food coloring in them like the book Green Eggs and Ham - Looks revolting to me, but if it gets them to eat it . . .)

Lunch or Dinner:
pizza
grilled cheese sandwiches (you could slip a slice of ham in there too)
mac & cheese
spaghetti & meatballs(still a favorite of both of my sons!)
lasagna
meat loaf
chicken nuggets or steak fingers
Hamburgers
quesadillas
tacos
enchiladas
sloppy joes (this was one of my son's favorites at that age, but very messy - I only made this on the night before I was going to mop the kitchen)
mashed potatoes or baked potatoes
rice
ravioli
chicken noodle or chicken rice soup (or probably any kind - I just drained most of the broth)
just about any canned veggie heated up
corn on the cob
strawberries
bananas
oranges
pineapple
apples
applesauce
grapes (cut up of course)
cherries (pitted and cut up)
raw cucumber (I peeled it and cut the seeds out, so it was just the soft fleshy part they ate)
raw carrots with ranch. You can buy the shredded carrots which would be easier to eat.
My son's favorite vegetable has always been raw bell peppers - all the colors. Just be sure and slice it super thin

Basically, long story short, a child who's almost 2 can probably eat the same thing you eat - apart from the choking hazard foods or typical allergy foods your doctor suggested you avoid. If he's a little picky, maybe make it a little less spicy, but honestly, my son's liked the foods a bit on the spicier side. Dipping sauces always helped my boys too - ketchup, ranch dressing, salsa, melted cheese.

Hi F., at 22 mo. I think your son should be able to eat anything that you are eating. Do you sit down as a family at meal times? This may help with his pickyness. If he sees mommy and daddy eating it, he will want to imitate you and follow suit. I would think he is a bit old for baby food, especially if he has most of his teeth. Maybe he is being picky because he is wanting to explore new textures. I chop fresh fruits and veggies into little cubes or wedges for my 26 mo. old. My daughter loves cantaloupe and watermelon. She likes cheese, canned manderin oranges, canned pineapple, and she loves eating cereal with milk out of a bowl with her spoon. She feels so proud to " do it herself" LOL! Good luck, hope that helps!

My kids were the same way. As I look back some of the items contained salt but, they loved deli meat9turkey breast) with cheese and crackers , pot pies. It was soupy but, they likes the flavor, spagetthi with meat sauce and chicken noodle soup. Try some of these. Also, let him eat whenever. If you try at noon and he doesn't want to try again at 12:30. i think it will change eventually. It is just a phase.

I totally disagree with the person that says a child will not starve themselves.

The person in child development obliviously has never heard of a child with "Sensory Issues". Some have them so severe that they are unable to physically get the food down.

Have your child evaluated since you are not only having the "picky eater" you also are having the gaging reflex.

Feed the child what the child will eat - at least you know he is eating something as opposed to Nothing.

Please, those of you out there who think they know it all don't throw your "Knowledge" at people because some will take it literally and do real harm to their children.

Have your child evaluated since you are not only having the "picky eater" you also are having the gaging reflex.

Hi F.,
I'm a mom of 7 - 20 years apart and just 3 left at home.
One of the things I found most helpful with helping kids eat was to not give snacks between meals. I know some think a little healthy snack is essential, but not to little tummies.
A healthy appetite will help kids eat just about anything!
Also, be careful about making a big deal about his not eating much - perhaps he should go hungry - just once - if he refuses his dinner at dinner time do not give him a bedtime snack to help him get over his hunger. He'll eat food at the next mealtime when it's time to eat! Do your best to have regular mealtimes so everybody knows that that's the time to eat.
L. C

I have a 13 year old daughter who has been a VERY picky eater from the time she was 18 months old. If I tried to get her to eat new foods, that gag reflex would kick right in! So we learned a long time ago to just stick with the few items she prefers. At 13, she is still horribly picky, but has been willing to try a couple of new foods (usually for other people, not for us!). So, anyway, the things that have always worked for her are yogurt, cheese, bread w/o crust, PB&J, mac & cheese, pasta w/butter (small, such as acini pepe or alphabets), rice, french fries or baked potatoes, pudding, warm cinnamon apples (peel and dice, sprinkle w/cinnamon, cover w/plastic wrap and put in the microwave for about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes), bananas, strawberries, blueberries and grapes. If you are worried about your son getting the right level of nutritiion, I suggest supplementing with a multivitamin. That always worked w/my daughter and she has been very healthy, her diet notwithstanding!

FYI, My daughter refused peanut butter and anything that smelled like peanuts. We found out, eventually, that she had food allergies to peanuts and other stuff.
So, if your son does not want to eat something don't force him.
My daughter at that age liked cookies, pasta with cheese (no much tomato), cheese, and fruits (not all).

try pasta like gerber graduates?

My son is exactly the same way too, and he's 26 months and still picky. I tried and tried introducing table food. At first he did well with it, and then the next day he would want his 9 month baby food. It wasn't until after he turned 20 months that he was interested in eating Gerber Graduates. After a month of serving half and half, then he was all Graduates. But he doesn't eat all the different flavors of Graduates either.

His favorite right now is any pasta like spaghetti and ravioli with tomato sauce, no cheese since he's lactose intolerant. He likes it when he doesn't notice the cheese in his food, just a little bit like parmesan. He also loves green beans and sweet peas, but doesn't like carrots or potatos. Funny though, he loves french fries, and I smash his carrots into his spaghetti sauce and mix it up where he doesn't notice it. Again, I think it might be a texture issue. He likes cruchy foods and soft foods and not much in between for example like a little piece of steak.

I also think little boys have a harder time since they don't mature as fast as little girls do. My little boy's cousin who is only two months older and is a girl, she eats everything plus too she drinks cows milk, which I think is a big plus to liking mac & cheese and yogurt and such. My boy just won't touch the stuff.

Also another big favorite he likes is chicken casserole. It's soft, and it has his favorites like noodles and peas. And since he has an issue with big chunks of meat, I shread the canned chicken as well. Crazy thing is he can handle the cream of mushroom soup, but I think cooking it at 400 degrees helps break it down and helps him digest it.

Other things he likes are chicken nuggets, waffles, black olives, and corn. He's also been slow about wanting to eat off of our plates too, but he's coming around...very very slowly though.

Anyway, sometimes but not at every meal, we do make him eat what we are eating and tell him that he'll get nothing else if he doesn't. I understand the whole being stern part, but with my boy not being a big dairy freak and already looks skinnier than his classmates, I make him eat different things every other meal. You know, make his favorite one night and the next night don't. I try to balance it out so that he gets at least two big meals a day if he's skipping due to not trying new foods.

Buttered toast or English muffins, French toast, grilled cheese, put some baby cereal in his yogurt, mashed potatoes(sweet potatoes), crackers and peanut butter or plain or with jelly.

I have a degree in child development, so I hope you will value my advice. It sounds like your SON is in control. If you want him to eat what you serve (whatever you are making for yourself), then you need to be more STERN about his foods.

Don't "cater" to him. If you are eating chicken & rice with green beans, put tiny bites of chicken, rice and green beans in front of him and then eat yours as if it is the "best thing in the world". At almost 2, he should be given a spoon and a plate of tiny bites of food (about 12 inch cubes).

If he does not eat it, let him go play until he decides he is hungry and reheat the same plate of food for him. Then if he does not eat it, you do NOT give him anything to eat or drink (except water) until the next meal time. Then you put whatever you are eating in front of him repeating the same process as the previous meal.

A child will NOT starve when fed at regular times with only ONE option/choice of foods to eat. If he is hungry, then he will eat. If he is not, then reheat it later.

Don't fall for the trap of letting the child dictate the meal. When he gets to be about 3 or 4, he can help you meal plan, but at this age he is CONTROLLING you. (Whether you realize it or not)

Sorry to be so harsh, but I understand that food costs money and you don't want to waste it.

Blessings,

P. <><

My son is also a picky eater and doesn't like certain textures. He is almost 2 1/2 now and is getting better. My son also doesn't like bread texture so we make him crackers or toast instead. He also loves mac n' cheese, string cheese, chicken nuggets, apple (without the skin), bananas, cereal with milk, waffles, applesauce, yogurt and almost anything that is crunchy. Hope this helps some. Good luck!

Have his hearing checked. My granddaughter was like that,was so picky. We found that she had a lot of fluid on her ears. Since surgery she eats everything. I think it was a texture type eating.

I also have a baby that just turned 2 beginning of summer in my day care. He also has a gag reflex. They found he had a reaction to eggs and peaches. He still gets a lot of baby food I think at home but at one point when he I kept feeding him more and more lumpy foods he is eating them. Will try to refuse then I will not let him and he then likes most of it. He just will not eat like all the other kids. He was a preemie 1.9 but has grown to 30 pounds now. Tall and long arms and stronger. They were worried about his lungs awhile back and was in the hospital for a week. They said he may have trouble with his lungs for awhile. But he is back to normal. He has eaten yogurt and applesauce buy himself. He is trying to eat a vanilla waffer or graham crackers and licks crackers. But I decided once he would eat something more lumpy I started fixing his food in a Cruisart. I put in tons of extra food. I may have hamburger and mix in some crumbed whole grain bread with milk. I fix him cream of wheat or oatmeal for breakfast and get it down with mixing in banana or applesauce or both. If something he refuses I then get applesauce and scoop on of what he does not like and add the applesauce on top. He then can not taste the other. He eats everything but wants to refuse a lot of stuff at first. I try to get as much different things in his food as possible. When I fix mixed fruits cut up I will run it through the machine with yogurt. A week ago I added bread to canned carrots and he at too much and threw it all up. I also give him milk in between the food to wash it down. I feel that a variety of tastes will help him when he finally eats real food like the rest of us. I am so tired of feeding him. But it has to be done. I always give him challenges to get him to progress. He is doing great. Last week I put up a cheap hoop on a door and had three 2 yr olds excited to make baskets. He does not understand to get it in but did a few times. One little boy wants to do that all day. He is really good at it and younger and smaller then the other two boys. It is so much fun to give them challenges. I try to teach them how to eat instead of hands and how to have manners. If they grab a toy from someone the other one gets a hug. We treat each other with respect and love. I hope that this early learning will carry them on through school years caring for others. Good luck. Ont he food side. Fresh steamed foods are the best. Frozen next and canned last. Canned food has a lot of sodium in them. Someone said rinse them off and that is probably a good idea. G. W

My DD did the same exact thing, and I just let her continue to eat baby food (I would stock up when it was on sale!)until she was ready to try some new things. The toddler age group is such an "independent" age...everything has to be their idea. She had a very strong aversion to certain textures, and I recall being the same way as a child. I did manage to get her to eat "crunchy" finger foods, like Goldfish and little matchstick carrots with Ranch dip, but meat and diced veggies--no way! When she turned 2, I went back to work & the daycare fed the kids. After a day or so of holding out, she tried the food because she saw the other kids eating, plus they let the kids "help" serve the other kids at the table, and that suited her independent streak. So, let him help you do some things in the kitchen...very simple things...and he will feel more a part of the action. Make sure his high chair is at the table with the rest of the family (take the tray off & bring the chair up to the table)and get him out around other little ones during meal time. Remember, these little ones have little to no control over their lives except for 2 areas...when they sleep, and how much they eat. Our job is to put something in front of them that is healthy, and don't resort to becoming a short-order cook once he is tired of baby food. Good luck!

I have a picky eater too and went through the same phase. She wouldn't even eat macaroni and cheese or bananas!! And she was suspicious of anything with more than one visible ingredient (LOL). But I found she would eat some off the wall things that actually are good for you. Here's her odd list:

Pistachios and peanuts (shells on- the game was to get the "little guy" out of the shell). But she ate the nuts.

Black olives
Strawberries
Laughing Cow lite swiss cheese wedges (she spreads it on whole grain club crackers)
Gogurt (comes in a fun tube)
Thin sliced aged cheddar cheese
Spaghetti noodles with Smart Balance (or butter)
Egg noodles with Smart Balance or butter
Peanut butter on a spoon (babysitter showed me that one)
Multi-grain Club Crackers
Green peas (not canned! Get the frozen ones - they taste better.)
Black beans (sauce rinsed off)
Biscuits with honey
Waffles or pancakes (you can get or make whole-grain versions)
Cinnamon toast
Ocean Spray Lite Cranberry Juice
Apple juice
Ovaltine
For a short time she would eat hotdogs (but only one brand - Hebrew National - the neighbor figured that one out - and no catsup!)
She ate turkey bacon for a while - won't now.

Finally, recently (thank heavens) she started eating individual pepperoni pizzas but there is ONLY one brand she'll eat. They come in a 10 pack at Sam's Club.

My oldest niece was the very same way. Now as a teenager she tries things in restaurants I wouldn't even order (LOL) so don't worry, it is just a phase. I always give my daughter a good multi-vitamin. Flintstones makes a chewable vitamin with Choline.

I know this sounds hard, but he will not starve if he misses a meal or two. Give him things he likes and if he refuses, that is ok, just put the food away. He can choose to eat what you serve at the next meal. Dont' be upset or make it a power struggle. Make it very matter of fact. This is what we are eating, you dont' have to eat it, but I won't cook something dfferent. No problem.

At the next meal he will probably be hungry and eat what you cook. When we are hungry almost anything sounds good and is good. Just don't force any particular food, or make it about eating what YOU want him to eat. The meal you fix is the meal we will eat. Don't start with foods you know he doesn't like. Start with foods he does like, then as he gets accustomed to the new ways you can introduce other foods that are new with the same response. Most issues like this are not "like vs. dislike" but a power struggle, especially if the things he likes are refused sometimes.

Once the power struggle issues are resolved then you will start to see there are truly foods he does not like, we all have things we don't like, kids are the same. And we, as adults don't like to be forced to eat things we truly detest.
Th book "Love and Logic" helped me a lot taking the power struggle out of many issues with my kids. Life got so much happier. Good luck!

My 2 1/2 year old liked (and still does) noodles, chicken noodle soup, chicken nuggets, green beans (right out of the can at room temp), grapes (when she was 2, I cut them in half), mandarin oranges, spaghetti, pancakes, hotdogs, deli meat, cheese, cheese sticks, strawberries, blueberries, pringles, mac-n-cheese, applesauce, hard boiled eggs (she only likes the whites; however, will usually eat 2), raisins, craisins, yogurt (she now loves the gogurts, which are nice when I need to get out the door and she won't eat prior), cheetos, teddy grahams, stew, rice (she loves rice a roni). I usually feed my 2 girls (my other daughter will be 4 the end of Sept.) whatever we are having; however, these are back up foods and lunches. I hope this helps.

If you are looking for healthy, don't read any further. I give my son Pizza Rolls, they take 50 sec. in the Microwave, or mini corndogs. They are kid foods and I have a busy schedule. Also try giving him a little of what you are having for dinner.

F.,

I'm not an expert in this, just a mom like you. My thoughts are - what is he eating that is the jarred baby food? Obviously this is a taste that he likes. You might try giving these things to him in the table food form just softer. Remember also that baby food has much less salt that most of our jaded adult tastes are used to. He may be having trouble getting used to the salts in the table foods. So go light on that and see if that helps.

You know, I'm with him - sometimes eggs really turn me off and other times I really love them.

D. T

You could try www.wholesomebabyfood.com and see if they have any suggestions or recipes that would work for your son. I love the site and have made all of my daughter's baby food from the information and recipes on there!
J.

F.,

Since he seems to like creamy foods that slide down easy, could it be possible he would like mashed sweet potato or avacado/guacamole? These are actually very nutrient dense foods for kids. Another is hummus - creamy chickpea spread. These can be staples.

Good luck.

How about applesauce, mac n cheese, etc. Have you already tried these kid friendly foods?

Hi F.,

I had the same issues with my son and I used to worry all the time that he was not getting enough nutriton from the foods he would eat. Then I found a product that puts 17 fruits and veggies into gummie treats. The only way that could be more of an answer to prayers would be if it were in chicken nuggets!

I loved the product so much I decided to market it so I could make it available to other moms like me. Email me or visit my Mamasource profile if you would like more info.

In the meantime, your job as a mom is to offer and encourage eating healthy foods. As long as you keep offering and making them avaiable, he will eventually come around. IN the meantime, you can give yourself peace of mind with the whole food gummies. Do not confuse them with gummy bears or gummy vitamins - they are worlds apart! When you visit my website, you'll see why.

Blessings,

M.
"My son eats all his veggies now. Even the green ones!"