BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Eating For Toddlers => Topic started by: lin7604 on August 13, 2008, 19:59:08 pm
-
Ok, i am getting very frustrated with my ds, he is 21.5 months now adn hasn't tried one new food item since 14 months!!! I try and try and i have been to the point that this is what i am offereing him and that's it it the next meal! Well that has made absolutely no change at all, he just chooses not to eat! he looks at it and says "yuck" and "nah nah". when is he finally going to eat something new!
he still won't touch cheese of any kind, pasta, meat, veggies! I just can't figure out how to get him to eat them..... i hav etried hiding it but he tastes it and then refuses to eat it, the only thing that is successful is muffins, i will make carrot, banana and zuccihini. He used ot eat everything under the sun that was put in front of him and everyone kept telling me to keep introducing it as it's a phase! well it's almost 8 months later and still won't eat hardly anything....... any suggestions.....
-
Ds has this problem and he has oral sensory issues. What does he eat?
-
he will eat anything bread, so muffins, loafs, toast, pancakes or french toast. He will eat soup but only broth based ones like connsume (sp?) or chicken coup. he will eat both with noodles or rice in it but won't touch noodles or rice otherwsie. He will eat a nutella sandwich or peanut butter and jam once in awhile. for dinners he will eat spegetti and meat sauce or lasagna but he can only have a tomato based item like that no more then 2 times a week as his tummy is very sensitive to it! :( He may eat once in a while a chicken finger or fish stick and sometimes fries but that is not a regular thing. he won't eat meat in any other form at all and for veggies won't touch any unless they are cut up tiny in his soup. SO i do make homemade soup and load up the veggies in it but it's not like he will eat soup daily either! He will also eat fruit daily or yougart. He has a decient list when you add it all up like that but he won't eat mostof them on a regular basis. SO right now and for the past 8 months he has a muffin or toast for breakfast, soup or a sandwich for lunch and a fruit and dinner is???? what ever we can get him to eat when it's not spegetti or lasagna.
my main concern is he starts daycare on sept 2nd and what am i going to pack fo rhis lunch as the 2 kind of sandwiches he eats he can't have b/c of a no nut policy! so now what!!! i keep trying him on cheese and jam ones but he won't eat them? he won't eat zoodles, etc either.
-
Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. my ds is 12.5 months and has texture issues, so pretty much refuses anything but pureed foods. It is SO frustrating and this tests my patience more than any other part of parenting. I hate that every meal leads to a fight and ends with him crying and me almost in tears. I'm not sure what to do about it either. don't have any advice, but will check this thread to see if you get any. my ds will eat, cheese and meat and one or two fruits and one or two veggies and that is it! he spits everything else out, swats his hands at me, is shaking his head no and crying all at the same time if i try and give him anything else.
-
My son is 5 yo. He has had eating (texture) issues his whole life. We have gone to many specialists and there has been no improvement. At this stage I am sure some of it has become behavioral. It isn't that he doesn't want to eat different foods, it is that he cant he is scared for some reason, don't know why. He eats dry cereal waffles, everything bagels with nothing on them, applesauce and crackers, pretzels, most anything hard and crunchy. It is so stressful and I don't know what to do, i have tried everything. He will try some new things but when he does he takes the smallest bites and it seems like a struggle. I have been having him eat 3 grapes in the morning before breakfast, because I can get him to eat them. It takes him 5 to 6 bites to finish one and he looks uncomfortable eating them, but I don't think he doesn't like them because he will eat them. He just recently ate crackers with peanut butter, it also takes him so long to eat. He is generally a slow eater but with the new foods he takes so much longer to eat.
Aidan,was on baby food until 2 years old because he wouldn't/couldn't eat anything else and would gag and sometimes throw up when a new food entered his mouth, no chewing just entering his mouth. I have found that most all doctors don't get this issue and there are very few specialist that deal with this problem and none of them have been able to help us. They basically said give him broccoli, say if you eat broccoli, you can have a cookie. That is really absurd, I did try it though and had no luck, he would try it but would gag.
I feel from what your ladies lo have been eating it is a phase and they may be picky eaters but if they eat some meat, veggies and fruit, (none of which Aidan will eat) it may pass in time and their menu will expand.
Just curious, did your lo have reflux when they were small.
-
no mine didn't but we did have allergy scares in the beginning. he was allergic to everything we tried so we had to put a lot off longer then most do, which i think caused some of this. He got tested at 8 months for allergies and founf out some were just sensitivities to his tummy and not a allergy but he was allergic to eggs. The thingis he ate everything after that no issues at all, love everything till 14.5 months! now he's almost 22 months, so a phase if it is one is sure a long one! NOw he won't eat so many of his fav things that he used to love when he was 14 months like mashed potatoes or carrots. he won't eat baby food either, just would be happy living off of yougart, soup and bread!
-
Was he sick with a stomach bug or anything at 14 months? He could be associating the foods he wont eat with his stomach not feeling well. Not sure if this is possible at this age.
-
Food issues are so hard!!! My first thought was if he does have texture aversions, then maybe you could think about what he DOES like, and think of other things that have similar textures. For instance, if he likes toast, how about a whole grain waffle? If he likes pasta (in some forms) then could you try mac& cheese with just a dash of tomato sauce (so it looks familiar to him)?
And I have found ways to cut up chicken soooooooo small that it's like sand!!! I hide that in macaroni, I make stuffing and mix in the minced chicken and make little marble-sized balls out of it and call them dumplings!
My dd (19 mos) went on a food strike recently, and I gave her one of those Gerber Graduates dinners? I didn't want to , but I was desperate...she ate the ENTIRE thing, and now, won't eat dinner unless it's in that container. ??? Just telling you that so you'll know that they do some really weird stuff at this age!!
If you do supect a sensory issue....look for some other cues. Excessive mouthing of objects, things like that...
Hugs to you....I hope you get this sorted!!
-
i kinda thought of that as he would get a really sore red bum when he ate tomato based items or anything with a bit of spice. SO now he can't have anything tomato based or orange juice, etc more then 2 times a week. He used to cry so hard as it was so sore, i felt for him! It would take a few days to clear up but yet he loved those foods so much!!!! I thought with the carrots, etc he just ate so much of them that he got sick of them??? He wanted them all the time, so he ate cooked carrots probally 4-5 times a week.
i have troed as you mentioned Amelia1227, but he still won't eat it??? I tried the mac and cheese thing with ketchup, tomato sauce, but no go. I tried spegetti with meat sauce but with a penne noodle one night and he wouldn't eat it??? so i went back to spegettinni noodles. I tried pasta shells in his soup ( home made)and he wouldn't eat it but he will eat reg chicken noodles that is in the soup( bought soup). I tried O's alphabets, twisty ones and all with sauce, or butter or plain, etc no go???
he never would eat any of the gerber graduate dinners at all!
last night i had won ton soup and he loves soup adn has eaten it before, he wanted from my bowl with my spoon, ok fine. he wouldn't eat the noodles he only at the meat dumplings in it???? i was stunned, he ate them all and they were big! I told him how proud i was, etc gave him a treat, etc. Today at dinner i made meat loaf and potatoes and he wouldn't even touch it with his fork! He said " done, yucky" and left the table! I tried off my plate, fork etc but he would shake his head and say nah, nah!
-
I just wanted to add that almond butter is a great substitute for peanut butter. It is not in the same family as the peanut, so there aren't the same allergy issues as peanut butter. You could try that so you have something to send for his lunches.
I totally understand where you are coming from...my ds is so picky too. It is so worrisome and frustrating. I wish I knew the answer but unfortunately I don't know any other ideas than the ones already mentioned.
-
thanks ! I will look for that, can i get it in the regular grocery store? hopefully he will try it as he always decideds once he sees it if he likes it or not!
what also is frustrating is goin gout to eat, i have to pretty much pack item for him to eat as i can't order off the menu unless it's Mc donald's fries! When it's spontanious eating out, it's even more frustrating!
-
I understand what your going through.My first ds (now 14) was exactly the same way.I tried everything i could think of and the only thing that worked was ketchup and then it would only work on a few things.He would eat chicken nuggets,weiners,potato,rice,carrot,apples,bananas,kraft dinner,bread,cheese,french fries and drink milk and that was about it...well except for the usual junk food like cheesies,chocolate and candy.So i just got so frustrated I gave up and just bought the best quality of those items i could get and let him eat.It became a lot less stressful this way for him and myself.I would like to say it will work its self out soon but every child is different.My ds only actually started trying new things in the last 2-3 years and now i cant buy enough to keep him full....go figure,lol. But he must have gotten what he needed because he is now 5'11" and 145lbs at 14.The one thing i did do was to give him a childrens multi vitamin everyday for years to try to get him some of what he wasnt getting in food.I am sorry I have no other ideas for you,the others have covered what i could think of so i just wanted to send hugs as I know how frustrating it can be and also to say you will get through it.
Christina
-
also Lin7604....as far as pasta...my dd loves mini-shells and penne, but won't touch spaghetti or any other shape of pasta. I have learned with talking to other Moms that that is not that unusual. Maybe get that "Pasta Plus"....(Barilla makes it) which has extra fiber and other good stuff nutritionally.
And I always pack meals/snacks for dd when we're going out....I don't think that's *too* unusual for this age either....??? We don't have much spontoneity, but just to be safe I always carry dry cereal, (wheat chex and Kashi Mighty Bites are very healthy, if your son will munch on dry cereal) one of those graduates meals, and little rubbermaid containers filled with all kinds of snacks. I don't know many moms of toddlers this age who order off the menu with any sucess.....I don't think I do, anyway... ???
-
i know many others who have no issues at all with their kids, they will eat anything..... so it makes me look at mine thinking, why.......
i do buy the whole wheat pasta
i find though if i fill his bag with snacks then all he wants to eat are those cause he knows what's in his bag! So it makes it harder.... he will just want to snack all day when we are out,then if we go to a restaurant for dinner before we go home, there's nothing left or the things he doesn't want! that's not good at a resturant!!! BUT how much can you really pack....
-
Regarding the almond butter, most of my grocery stores do carry it. Definitely the fancier, organic grocery stores carry it - Whole Foods and Trader Joe's around here. Not sure where you are, but those are the ones I know of.
-
i'm from canada. Which isle is it usually with.
-
I'm in Canada too -- Capers/Whole Foods carries it, I even think Safeway and maybe Save-On-Foods carries it too. It's usually with the peanut butter and if it's not it's usually in the Organic/Natural foods isle.
My lo loves almond butter as well.
It's funny he can go both ways with eating -- he's either very adventurous or ubber picky and eats only one or two things. Mind you he's getting pickier and pickier as the days go on. No real advice here because mine tends to be caused by teething (he goes on a total solid food strike for a while).
-
my main concern is he starts daycare on sept 2nd and what am i going to pack fo rhis lunch as the 2 kind of sandwiches he eats he can't have b/c of a no nut policy! so now what!!! i keep trying him on cheese and jam ones but he won't eat them? he won't eat zoodles, etc either.
I might just pack him pancakes for lunch. Or maybe a couple of slices of bread and some fruit.
He eats dry cereal waffles, everything bagels with nothing on them, applesauce and crackers, pretzels, most anything hard and crunchy.
I got these for my girls and they really like them. They're crispy like a chip.
http://www.amazon.com/Calbee-Snapea-Crisps-Original-3-3-Ounce/dp/B000FMZO8G/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1220116426&sr=8-1
And some stores sell baked veggie chips, so that might be worth a try too.
-
those look cool but i bet he won't touch them..... he won't eat real peas or even chips for that matter. I bought apple butter for him to try but he again won't touch his sandwiches! I figured it's dark brown like nutella but he knows it's not the same. go figure! :( i figured i could trick him and would thin kit was nutella until he took a bit and then though" hummm that is good".... the only thing i have been able to trick him on lately was, i bought orzo pasta in whole wheat and sinceit looked like rice i thought we might have a chance with it. I made him his usual consumme soup and put that in it instead of stachy white rice and he ate it! so that is good, more nutrients with that then rice.
-
Hi! What you really need to do is try to figure out whether your LO is displaying typical "toddler pickyness" or a true sensory/textures issue. A child with typical pickiness is more likely to show the following:
1. "food jags", where they want one food for several weeks then switch to another food
2. inconsistentcy, where they will refuse one food frequently, then suddenly eat alot of it for one or two meals
3. increased acceptance of newer foods when hungrier
4. Refusal to try new foods unless they have been presented many times
A child with a true sensory issue surrounding food might show these signs:
1. Refusal to try new foods with what appears to be a FEAR of trying new foods
2. CONSISTENT refusal of most new foods, rather than on and off acceptance of a food
3. Highly stressful mealtimes, where both child and mommy are emotional and agitated
4. Physical reactions to new foods, such as gagging or vomiting
If you have a typical "picky toddler", then it often helps to keep presenting new foods over and over (can take up to 15 presentations before a typical toddler will try a new food!), make sure your LO isn't drinking too much milk or juice right before or at the beginning of a meal, making sure your LO isn't filling up on snacks and that there is about 3 hours between a snack and the next meal.
If you have a child who truly has sensory issues, then that is a whole different ballgame. It does helpt to make smaller changes where you only change one "aspect" of the food at a time(i.e. if your LO eats spiral pasta with tomato sauce just change the shape of the pasta, not anything else!). Also, with a true more severe sensory issue you might consider seeing a specialist to examine how to better help your LO. In my experience trying to do it "on your own" with a true sensory issue can often fail, because you don't know the tools and you already have a very stressed dynamic with your child around mealtimes (understandably so!!)
If you did go this route you want to find an outpatient center with a therapist who works with feeding disorders (usually a speech pathologist or an occupational therapist). If you find a good outpatient center who deals with this they will have worked with many children with sesnory/texture issues, and can treat your child and give you specific techniques that you can use at home. HTH!!!
-
thanks for that info! he is i would say just the typical picky toddler.... he just decides before even trying it that he doesn't like it by looking at it !!! he does do the food jags quite often and refuses one food for quite a while and then will eat it all the time.... right now he is deciding that he no longer will eat blueberries unless they are in pancakes..... and it goes on....