My almost 2 year old son won't eat meat?

Question

He is such a great eater, there hasn't been a fruit or vegetable that he won't devour, but when I try to feed him any kind of meat he just spits it out. I have tried cutting it up very small and hiding it in his veggies and tried giving him dipping sauces to dunk in. He loves to dunk the meat, but then uses it like a spoon to suck off the sauce. Are there any tricks I'm missing? Did anyone else go through this and now have a meat eater? I'm concerned that he may not be getting enough protein, fats and iron in his diet.

Answer 1

Meat is really not needed too much. If you are concerned about his protein intake, then you can offer him different beans and lentils cooked differently at dinner. As for fats and iron; well I assume he gets a lot of fat from his milk (whole) and iron is in everyday foods like cereal and such. I think you just need to focus more on a healthy and well balanced diet and you should be ok. At the next check up you can ask your doctor to do a iron level check and if there is a concern, then you can ask him about ways to incorporate more iron into his diet or the use of a supplement. At this moment I think everything is just fine and for the protein I would suggest beans and lentils. He should be ok on everything else. GL

Also, always offer it to him though and I am sure eventually he will want some.

Answer 2

Be grateful you have a child who likes fruits and veggies. I have a kid that will only eat broccoli and chicken. We bought her a Guinea pig, so now she tries everything she feed him like apples and carrots, etc. It's probably just a phase.  

Answer 3

I'm not sure if you have tried any kind of lunch meat..but you could try making shapes with a cookie cutter ie, stars, moons, things he's interested in and then use veggies/fruit to decorate. This might entice him to at least try a taste. Good Luck..

Answer 4

i think he is fine most kids do this sort of thing.it sounds as if he eats enough of everything else.but if you are still worried go and speak to your doctor.

Answer 5

My daughter was like that, kinda still is. She won't touch hamburger or pork but eats chicken if it doesn't taste like chicken. Her doctor said it was ok as long as she got protein from other sources. In my opinion its not a big deal. Kids have their own tastes. Maybe he just doesn't like the taste or texture. And think of it this way he'll be healthy later on in life if his eating habits stay the same. Vegetarians live longer!

Good luck....

Answer 6

maybe he cannot digest meat, please consult your doctor

Answer 7

he sounds like a very smart little boy!he probably realizes that it's dead animal on his plate and finds it totally disgusting because it is.you can give him peanut butter,beans,and cheese instead and you won't have to worry about the protein and fats.raisins and green leafy vegetables are excellent sources of iron.what a cool kid!

Answer 8

my oldest son was very picky about what kind of meat he would eat until he was about 5 years old. he still can be picky to some extent and he is 12 now. Until he was 5 years old he only ate hot dogs and chicken nuggets as his meat. he would not touch lunch meat at all. I convinced him that lunch meat was made of vegetables (soy) and he ate it (and liked it). I dreaded the day he realized that I had been lying to him, but I guess by the time he could read he knew that he liked it so it was a non issue. He ate his first bite of hamburger without gagging when he was 5 or 6 years old.

Answer 9

tell him if he doesn't eat the meat there will be consequences.  Like no snacks, no tv, early bedtime, etc.... good luck =]

Answer 10

My 31/2 year old son did the same thing when he was two.  Now its the first thing he eats.  What I did was I still put it on his plate.  When he finished all his fruits and veggies he would ask for more and I would tell him he had to eat a piece of meat before he could have any more.  He would put it in his mouth and then spit it out. I would give him one more fruit or veggie just for trying.   Eventually I got him to try one piece and then he gradually started eating more.  If your son will eat peanut butter I would give that to him for his protein until you can get him to eat meats.  Just keep your patients and he will eat it eventually its just a phase.