when is he going to eat or try more foods??? 21 months now!

[lin7604]

thanks for that info, it's helpful.  I think i will try your method about no processed foods at all!  I feel that offering him so much is a waste of food and money when he's not eating it, as there is so much waste already!  Also too many choices can also be a problem, sometimes one or two is the most they can handle at this age.  Yesterday at lunch i asked him what he would like to eat, to see if he agreed to one over another.  He shock his head at soup, so i pulled a container of homemade soup from the freezer and warmed it up.  Then once he sat down he refused to eat it saying " done", so i asked him what he would like for lunch ( thinking giving him the choice might help), he pointed to the bread, so i said" a sandwich".  He nodded his head yes.  So then i showed him peanut better or nutella, he pointed to nutella.  So i thought, great!  I made him a 1/4 sandwich, gave it to him and he took 2 small bites and that was it!  So i then told him that this was lunch, you have soup and a sandwich, eat one please, if not then you will go for nap with a empty tummy, your choice.  He choose to go to bed with out lunch!  I made no big deal about it at all.   just said " okay your choice". 
So at dinner i told hubby since he loves fruit so much that maybe we could use it more as a reward food too for dinner time.  We will offer him a veggie and a meat item of somesort and if he eats, or even just tries it he will then get some fruit!  So at dinner i made him 2 fish fingers and mixed viggies.  As soon as we put his tray in front of him he looked at us and said " done"!  I said no we're not done, it supper time and mommy and daddy are still eating.  (We try to keep him for a few min's with us at the table at least even if he's not eating).  So he poked his veggies over and over with his fork, i then took his fork and poked his fish finger with it. he looked at it and took a bite!  SO we gave him lots of praise!!!  He ended up eating a whole one and then preceeded to say " done" so i asked him (since he ate a fish finger)" would you like some fruit".  He shook his head yes and started saying " yummy".  SO i cut up a bunch of cheeries and he ate them all.  SO maybe the fruit thing may work too, who knows......  tonight i am going to try chicken
( no nuggets!) and a veggie and see what happens. 
I just don't get why he used to love veggies up till 14.5 months and then nothing!  He loved cooked arrots till no end!  I even try now with honey on them and still won't eat them, raw mini carrots or cooked mini carrots, thin slices  still nothing. boy do they keep you guessing!

[woopster]

It sounds like you had some success! Well done at keeping calm. The only thing I would say is try not to use food as a reward. Even if he doesn't eat his main meal at least if he has some fruit he will have eaten *something*.

[lin7604]

yes true but it will be the last thing offered from now on!  if he gets it first that will all he will eat then.  Last night a gave him 2 chicken fingers ( not processed one) and mixed veggies again.  He ate both chicken nuggets but wouldn't youch the veggies again... at least he ate his chicken!  So i gave him a big bowl of yougart after, he was very happy!

[becky1969]

We also have this problem, and like you have found a reward system works!

We have a reward chart, and he gets a sticker if: he allows a new food on his plate, he touches the food, he licks the food, he tastes the food (all the way in the mouth), and if he eats a food.  We gives stickers for food on the plate and touching because my kid has some sensory issues, and this is what the therapist recommends.  Anyway, after 5 stickers he gets a reward: can be a small toy (car) or a sucker.  He loves suckers, and I don't have a problem with him getting 1 every 2-3 days. 

Since we started this program we've been able to stop giving stickers for putting a food on his plate because now he'll willingly allow new foods there! Before he would shake his head and say yuck yuck yuck.  Now he either ignores it, or tries to earn stickers by touching, tasting, eating etc.  Last night he tried onion, bell pepper, and raspberries all on his own! So happy! My LO won't even eat most fruits. 

In our case the problem is texture issues.  My kid was a refluxer, and I guess this is pretty common for them.  He has a few other sensory integration problems which he's going to start getting therapy for.  I don't know if you've noticed other ways your kid is sensitive -- loud noises? other texture problems (won't finger paint, touch mud or dirt, etc.) or has problems with spinning etc.?  If so, then it might help to have an OT work with him on his sensory stuff.  That's a long shot though! Most likely just a toddler being a toddler!   

BTW -- started the reward chart at about 27 months old.  Not sure how well it would work with a younger child.