19month old not eating meat

[J & J's Mum]

Hi,

Our DD is 19 months and used to eat everything.  She's really picky now.  She loves fruit still though and egg, baked beans, she even ate some hot chips last night which was a bit of a shock!!  I've noticed that she will not eat meat.  She'll eat chicken if it's in breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes, same as fish and fish fingers.  Would you persevere with the meat, or try non-meat alternatives to boost her protein intake?

Thanks
Rachel x

[~inbalance~]

I would keep trying when you can, but also look for other things to try.  I've done soy hotdogs with DS which are a hit, plus milk, cheese and cottage cheese are good sources of protein as well.  What about peanut butter, nuts and seeds, can she have those?  But keep trying meat, you never know when she'll have a change of heart.  It's good that she'll still eat breaded chicken and fish sticks.  Actually, DS didn't do too well with meat when he was teething, maybe because it was tough and made his teeth hurt?  But he has been doing much better with it now that the teething is over.  Is your DD teething?  That could be a factor.  And if she still likes eggs and beans, those are good sources of protein too. 

[J & J's Mum]

Ok, I'll keep trying.  Thanks for your advice.  She has 4 more teeth to come through and she has been a little miserable lately, so they may be erupting!!!

I never thought of cottage cheese.  How do you use it?

[~inbalance~]

It's kinda bland on it's own, but really you can add just about anything to it!  I mix it with yogurt and DS loves it that way.  You could also mix it with fruit or cereal or museli.   I'm sure there are other ways too, that's just how we eat it around here. 

[brenda2]

my dd has never been a real meat fan - she still has trouble chewing things even though she is 2.5 yrs she still likes carrots cooked instead of raw so espeically meat is hard.  but she devoured an entire mini meatloaf yesterday so that was a shock. shepard's pie with ketchup is also a fave, as are hotdogs, usually i can get her to eat anything with ketchup!  i would continue to offer meat but she certainly doesn't need it to have a balanced diet.  chicken, fish,  beans, soy (edemame, tofu mixed in with things), eggs, nuts and dairy are good alternatives and really probably more healthy anyway!

[mmom]

My LO isn't a fan of meat either.  The only way he will eat it is in casseroles.  He would never touch a piece of plan meat on his tray.  But he has never really liked it.

[~*Sugar*~]

My 2.5 yr old wont eat meat anymore either. I put it, cooked, in the blender and liquify it and mix it into things like hamburger in plain spaghetti sauce, fish in cream sauce over potatoes and chicken with a little milk poured onto pasta and veggies. I can get him to eat more with ketchup on things as well but not meat. I truly believe with my lo it is a texture issue more then a taste issue.