Picky 1 year old

[jtaulbee]

My 1 year old officially does not want to eat anything. He is refusing to eat baby food, and is very particular about what else he will eat. He will eat any type of bread, cheese, and fruit. He will not even put pasta in his mouth. He also spits out most things that he puts in, like veggies. Please help! Does anyone have any suggestions on other things I can feed him? he ate cheese sandwhiches for lunch and dinner today! I'm afraid he's not getting the vitamins he needs.

[kaiya23]

Spread his veggies and fruits on the bread. Mash up banana, applesauce, mashed up carrots (canned ones are already soft) try yams, squash, zuccini. Beans and peas have a "skin" that makes them hard to mash. Refried beans maybe? Try tuna once a week. If you're spreading, even use the 3rd baby foods. Will he eat grilled cheese? Chop up some chicken, turkey or even tiny bits of hamburg and melt it in there. Or try adding chopped tomatos to the grilled cheese. Will he eat tortillas? Make some quesadillas with cheese and mix in the meat and veggies. Just make sure the veggies are soft enough. OR, and this sounds gross, using shredded cheese, mix it in with baby foods, spread it on the bread and make a grilled cheese sandwich with a little added flavor.

Applesauce takes over a lot of flavors that he might not like, so get the natural applesauce (no added sugar), and mix in those baby foods. Same thing with apple juice. Get some V8 and do half and half apple juice and veggie juice (with the water that is recommended). It may not train him to eat his veggies, but at least you know he's getting them. My sister refused to eat peas and my parents mixed them into mashed potatos and put them in her mouth. She swallowed the potatos and spit out the peas. She eats healthy now, so it may just take some time.

[spoonfighter]

Sounds like you're doing better with your kid than I am with my two year old. Mine only eats donuts and meat, and not very much of either. And even to get him to eat meat I have to tell him it's a different endangered species each time. Hope it gets better for you. - http://spoonfighter.com

[lholland]

My 14 mo. old did something similar - all of the sudden she refused to eat the baby food I gave her, just pushed it away. What I started doing was putting 3 or 4 different baby foods on the table and let her point to the one she wanted. She'll eat 3 or 4 bites, then push it away and pick the next one she wants. The feeding process takes a little bit longer now but because she feels she has some control, she does much better at mealtime. I also know that she's getting the nutrition she needs. After she has a little baby food, we switch to "big people food". Again, I put out 3 to 5 choices (small quantities of each) and let her decide what she wants to eat. By the end of the meal, all of the food is so mixed up that she starts eating something she originally wouldn't touch. Also, even if she doesn't like something, I keep giving it to her every few days. Many items that she wouldn't touch originally she now eats without a problem. It also helps if she sees me eat it too - she usually wants whatever everyone else gets. Don't know if this helps but thought I'd throw it out there - good luck!!!!

[kaiya23]

Yeah, I've had to take a piece of what I've given my daughter and eat it for her...with lots of "ymmms"...I've even put it in my mouth, stuck it out on my tongue (because she thinks its funny), showed her how to bite it, and finally eaten it, chewing with a lot of noise. I'm pretty picky, so some of the "ymmms" were fake, but it got her eating!

[MommaC]

Don't get too worked up about it. Kids can see when we're too emotionally invested in something, and they use it to play us. Do try some of those tips on disguising the detestable foods. And do continue offering foods even after they've been rejected. Do eat the same foods and really love them. If he's freaking out that something gross is on his tray, take a bite and eat it. If he screams again, take another bit and love it. My daughter screams to have what's on our plates (all stuff I know she won't like and/or can't have yet), but if I put her food on my plate, then I can give her something off my plate (her food) when she thinks she wants what I'm having. Unless he's showing signs of malnourishment, don't worry. Keep offering foods. Some kids eat like birds, but I've never seen a kid voluntarily starve. He'll come around eventually.