am I hurting him by doing this?

[mmom]

My LO is almost 14 months.  The past month he has started rejecting veggies completely, unless they are sweet potatoes.  I have tried cooking them with different flavors and the second he sees them, he throws them on the floor.  I used to be able to sneak veggies in meat loaf, but now he won't touch that either. One day I mashed a sweet potato with a fork and rolled the veggies in meat in it to make little balls and he ate it.  Now I do it all the time.  I do still offer the veggies, but he throws them.  My SIL said that I am teaching him bad habits, by making his food back into "baby food."  But I don't know how else to get him to eat them.  He is on a limited diet as it is for other reasons and I am afraid that if I don't give him his sweet potato balls that he won't eat and protein or veggies.  Am I doing something wrong here?  What should I do?

[Mimi 2]

No I don't think you are doing anything wrong by mixing veggies into the meat and making it into meatballs.  I did it for a time when both of mine wouldn't eat veggies.  They all go through these irrational phases regarding food.  One day they couldn't get enoguh of the next it's as if we were trying to poison them.  Go figure. 

Anyway, does he like dips or dressing?  Do you eat with him?  How are the veggies presented?  I know some would frown on this but I allow my children to play with their food.  Not throwing or anything like that but more along the line of making up a story.  The broccoli are trees, leaf veggies are bushes or whatever, carrots/cucumbers are wheels, etc.  They love pretending to be giants or dinosaurs and wrecking havoc (eating) the village/forest.

Check out the Recipes board for some great ideas at hiding veggies into the meals.  Again, I think you are not doing anything wrong.  Also keep offering. 

[Shiv52]

Hey hun

We're going through a 'no veggie' stage here too.  I am just riding it out and meanwhile I am making bolonese sauce with hidden veggies and other things like that.  I still offer veg but it does get thrown.  Like pp I let her batter on and just play with it.  I really try not to make a big deal about food but I try to make sure she has a varied diet so I see no reason not to be blending the veg in elsewhere for a while. 

They all go through these irrational phases regarding food.  One day they couldn't get enoguh of the next it's as if we were trying to poison them.  Go figure. 

Yup.  For weeks there my LO was requesting and eating so many raisins, I thought she was going to turn into one and now won't even keep them on her plate!! 

Keep going as you are.  Keep offering and I find eating with my LO helps as she'll try things off my plate very readily. 

[stagemanager2]

totally agree, I think the most important is that the right food is getting inside of your babe.  If you have to roll it in mayo do it!  I found that Stan eats more when we put a bit of ketchup on it.  Of course we always try without at first and then give ketchup.  Of course if you are trying to give him veggies everyday it may get tiresome....

by which I mean, you offer everyday and he rejects everyday.... perhaps try not offering for a few days and then trying again, instead of everyday.... does that make sense?

[mmom]

Thanks ladies!  You made me feel so much better.  My LO is very limited in his diet: no soy, dairy, eggs, wheat, and other various foods.  He is also funny about textures:  he doesn't like pasta.  He used to eat the veggies plain, then started rejecting them.   So I started sauteing them in different spices and olive oil. Tonight he actually put a bean in his mouth.  But then he spit it back out.  I then gave him a meatball of meat and veggies and he ate it.  I used to get frustrated and he sensed it.  I know I was not reacting well.  But it is so expensive to cook for him and I try to make food exciting for him and then he throws it all on the floor.  I get discouraged.  He current obsession is "pancakes."  Although they are really baking mix with squash, zucchini, carrots, apples, flaxseed, and rice bran in them.  So they are healthy, but some days it is all he will eat.

[stagemanager2]

I'll be honest, all that stuff in a pancake is more good veggies then Stan gets in a full day!  Stan sometimes will be sooooo picky he will only have grapes all day.... ya, those are weird diapers the next day... It sounds like you are doing swimmingly, esspecially with all the limits you have to deal with!  Don't let your sil make you feel like you aren't working hard enough.... cause you know what, you are!!!  You should be very proud of how much work you have put into your babe's food!  As I type this my son is eating a piece of left over frozen pizza I made for lunch.... it's only cheese pizza! 

Next time, nod and thank your sil for her input....

[mmom]

Thanks Stage!  Pizza has cheese which = calcium.  So you are doing just fine as well.   By the way, I have had days where my LO would only eat sweet potatoes.  Equally interesting diapers...talk about orange.

[stagemanager2]

Yummy! lol

[Mashi]

((hugs)) for the frustrations with the cooking. My LO was MSPI and I kept him gluten free until he was one as well due to family and other food problems - so no milk, soy, wheat, oats, rye, barley - he could eat eggs, and liked them, and that was my sanity. But most other stuff was a no-no. It was TORTURE.  And, yes, expensive. 

I still praise and cheer when DS puts something in his mouth that he has never tried or previously rejected. Don't care if he takes it out or not, it's that he tried it that I tell him was good.  And he gets a big thanks if he hands it to me rather than throw it! 

Another thing that we have been doing that has been working REALLY well with DS the past month or so is taking the food that he likes and really wants (usually bread) and offer him a small piece, but tell him that he has to eat something else first to get it. So I may have a tiny piece (one bite) of bread in my hand, and a spoon of his meal (say a bite of meat or pasta) and show him the bread, and then say "Ah ah, you have to eat this one first!" and he opens his mouth wide and takes it and then grabs that piece of bread as fast as he can.  After a few bites he just opens his mouth for the meal part and takes it without being told, but still grabs his bread. Tonight, he saw a piece of bread on the table within reach, picked it up, went to put it in his mouth but stopped and turned to me with his mouth open for his pasta before he ate the bread!  We have done many meals this way!  I'm not sure if it's "right" or not, but we never force him, never make him eat, the choice is always his and I justify it as an early start at teaching him a balanced meal - you can't just eat all bread all day every day, you gotta eat some other stuff too!

[mmom]

Thanks Mashi!  You gave me so great ideas. 

[Mashi]

A word of warning though - this only happened once, but!
A few days ago he was so proud of himself using his spoon, putting his dinner in his own mouth (me helping hold the spoon and guide him) and then clapping after every bite, that he just kept taking bite after bite after bite. Clapping, cheering, oh so proud of himself.  Then stopped, looked very serious, looked at me, then at DH, then at me, and reached into his mouth and pulled it aaaaaaaaallllllllll out!  Had been stocking it up in there the whole time!  Hahah!! Little stinker!!!

[franchick]

I'm not sure if it's "right" or not

I just saw this very same thing on a TV programme recently - granted the kids on the program had severely restricted diets through AP etc and they were a little upset about this change for them (which did upset me a bit), but it worked really well and, after a while, the kiddies were enjoying and trying all sorts of new things, so I think if it works for you (esp if LO not upset), then go for it!

Then stopped, looked very serious, looked at me, then at DH, then at me, and reached into his mouth and pulled it aaaaaaaaallllllllll out!  Had been stocking it up in there the whole time!  Hahah!! Little stinker!!!

ROFL!!!

[mmom]

Lol Mashi!