Advice on toddlers eating habits

Question

I am having a hard time getting my 15 month old son to eat. He was eating green beens and has rejected those the last couple of time I made them. I try re-introducing things that he liked in the past and he just spits them out. I have tried hiding them in other things but that doesn't always work either. He does like chicken and beef I just gave him for the first time and that didn't go well. I have talked to his Dr. He is taking vitamins now. He likes grilled cheese sandwiches and turkey dogs but I can't feed him that all of the time. My husband thinks those 2 things are not that good for him. Any advice for me? It's driving me crazy. Thanks in advance..:)

Answer 1

Have you tried cooking them a different way?  Try fresh veggies, instead of canned.  Canned green beans taste different than fresh ones.

If it's big enough of an item, use a cookie cutter to cut it into a funny shape.

Honesly, though, you are the mother.  Either he eats what you give him or he doesn't eat at all.  As long as he's got his vitamins, he'll be ok.  And trust me, he WILL eventually eat.  Just serve him dinner... whatever you and your husband are eating, but cut smaller... tell him to eat it, and if he refuses, put it away and give it to him the next day and send him to bed with no dinner.

He will get hungry and will eat.

Answer 2

be patient and keep trying.  if you can help it... try to avoid the regular foods.  giving it often can encourage him to eat that way.

my son is now 17 months and 2 months ago i was saying the same thing.  horrible eater!  the doctor said it is a common toddler thing.  

i started feeding him a better variety of foods... and finally he eats them again!  he loves broccoli zucchini, spinach... he will eat anything now.

i try to avoid the "toddler food groups" as the doctor called it.  mac & cheese, pizza, different pastas, too much bread, etc.  

the only thing i have to work on are fruits.  he won't eat many fruits... only bananas, melons, avocodos... never strawberries, oranges, or anything with a tang.

just keep at it.  i think some toddlers go through this stage.  they are starting to learn what they like and what they don't.  you just have to encourage them to eat good.  doesn't always work right away (it took me months!) but i got him eating better now =)

Answer 3

I remember my Son was the same way..grilled cheese and milk..but he liked mashed sweet potatoes and hot dogs...Do you still feed him? If you do try the airplane game mine would eat anything as long as I did that..it's better than him not eating and it was fun too.

I hope my advice comes in handy...Good luck....If he's eating just those things it's better than nothing and he will eat when he gets hungry so don't worry

Answer 4

I wouldn't sweat it too much, but to put your mind at ease, try buying a variety of nitrate-free "dogs" like veggie dogs, turkey dogs and for the grilled cheese, try a lower-sodium cheese.  I made a sauce once of a variety of steamed veggies, pureed and then added to marinara when my daughter was on a pasta kick.  She still got her veggies, but she got to have pasta, too.  If your son likes ranch or ketchup, you can add the veg puree to that.

Oh, I also remembered that according to pediatric nutritionists, you want to see them eat a balanced diet over the course of a week.  So if they are all about cheese today, but all about apples tomorrow and only want meat the next day, it all balances out at the end of the week.

And like everything else, this too shall pass.

Answer 5

Who says he can't eat the same thing all the time? As long as it is reasonably nutritious, don't sweat it. Eventually he'll get tired of it and move on. My son (3 1/2) eats PB&J at least twice a day and he is fine. We give him whole grain bread and organic peanut butter and jelly, so at least he's getting the good stuff.  

Answer 6

Just be patient, keep introducing and reintroducing vegetables and other new foods, and hopefully he will get back with the program.

Try different vegetables to see if there's something else he likes, or try preparing them a different way.  My son hates cooked carrots, but he will eat raw baby carrots (your son is too young for that, I know--I was just giving an example).