She is the pickiest eater I know

[scucci1979]

Sometimes this girl's eating brings tears to my eyes.  I can't get her to try new foods.  She is off veggies and meat. The only fruit she will eat now is strawberries. Mealtimes have become such a battle with her. She will put something in her mouth, chew it and spit it out.  The majority of the time, she will push her plate away or throw it on the floor.

I really hate mealtimes now!

The only thing that she really enjoys ATM is the Danino liquid yogurts and some fruit smoothies.  I have tried a few of the recipes from Deceptively Delicious but that was a no go.  I really hope her selection of foods increases after two because I don't know how much more I can take. I don't know what to offer her anymore.  I made a squash soup yesterday so I am hoping she will at least take a tbpsn of it.  

ATM she will eat pizza(can sneak a little veggies there), french bread stick(no toast), sweet potato, french fries and pasta.  That is it.  Surprisingly I got her to eat one whole grape yesterday.  

I always offer her something I now she will eat and something new.

[anna*]

((((hugs)))) I know, it is really frustrating.

Do you eat together as a family? Does she eat better when she sees other kids eating? Stan eats WAY better at nursery, he will eat things at nursery that he won't even look at at home! I would give her TONS of praise for putting something new in her mouth - that is so good! When we have a new food on the plate, we go through some steps together (me and Stan both) which seem to help
1) touch the food (we talk about what colour it is, if it is hot or cold etc - anything I can think of to say about it! and name it)
2) kiss the food - just bring a tiny bit to our lips
3) put the food on our tongue and then take it off again
4) put the food in our mouth and then out again
5) chew the food.
If he does all those things and doesn't like it, that's fine - he doesn't have to like everything, but I do want him to taste it. If it's something he doesn't like, it will still come out again and again.

Is she filling up on foods she likes/milk? Are you (or the Dr) worried about her weight? How old is she now?

[scucci1979]

Thanks!

She is a little underweight but her doctor is not concerned. 
She drinks about 7oz of milk in the morning and 8oz of milk before bed.

We eat as a family for dinner. Breakfast, I normally eat with her. Lately, I have been taking her with me for a jog and she has been eating cereal and a biscuit in the jogging stroller for breakfast. 

I like those ideas you listed below. I will try them.

I just can't wrap my brain on what to offer her anymore.  I have tried everything!!!!   Mind you, she can stuff herself with McDonald's french fries. 

[anna*]

You have to keep offering the same things, even if she spits them out every time - don't try to come up with endless new things! Especially if they are staples in your home. Keep offering, keep offering - praise her if she lets it touch her lips, then serve it up again soon afterwards, and next time give the praise if she lets it go in her mouth. It can take 20 exposures OR MORE to a new food before they will accept it. For me, it is key to put something into heavy rotation as soon as Stan has tasted it once - if time elapses, it's like introducing a new food all over again.

The gradual exposure steps to new foods work well for us, I think because Stan knows he isn't expected to just go right ahead and eat a new food. By the time he bites it, he is very familiar with its smell, taste, texture, temperature etc.

[Mashi]

Sabs at this age I started the idea of offering and if he did not eat, then that's fine. But that's it. There is nothing else.  So you made her some soup and whatever else you are giving her with it (crackers, bread, whatever) is her lunch. If she chooses not to eat it then there is nothing until her next scheduled eating time - so for us that would haev been a piece of fruit and some biscuits mid afternoon for snack. And then he gets offered his dinner and if he does not want it then fine, nothing else.  I always made sure there was at least something he would like (bread usually) but only let him have a certain amount, an amount I felt was reasonable. So one piece of bread with dinner - if he ate diner he could have more but if not, then no.  It took a while - maybe a week or two - and he started at least trying things again.  I did try Anna's way of touching it, kissing it etc and some times it worked but other times it upset him (he was about 20 months so much younger than Stan) but he was often willing to at least give it a kiss (with the angriest growl on his face!) and then sometimes decide it was not so bad.  But we did just persevere...she will not starve herself. 

[anna*]

Yeh, the gradual exposure steps don't work every time - and definitely don't work if LO has decided to make this particular food/mealtime a battle ground!

[Dree]

Alot of kids go through this very annoying phase. Sofia went through that and still does. Sometimes, I think this kid is going to starve. I am now wondering if I should introduce vitamins. Everyday, it is hit or miss. Then she will sometimes surprise me and inhale her plate.

So, I end up making all of her favorite dishes over and over again. Or I make sure she can dip her food in something. I noticed she loves to dip her food.

Dree 

[scucci1979]

Thanks for the great advice.  The thing that frustrates me is that I don't know what to make anymore. 
I wish she would eat more bread, but doesn't.  Maybe I should buy more french sticks and offer her that with lunch or dinner.
She is not interested in dips ATM. She will poke it and spread it on her high chair. 

[Dree]

Here is a list of some of Sofia's favorite meals:

- Toast with cheese. I first introduced this by toasting her bread, removing the crusts (cause 90% of children detest it). Then adding a piece of cheese and cutting her bread into squares. 3 stripes across both ways. ...she is a big fan of cheese (most children are)

- mac and cheese. I actually make a home-made version but she won't eat that one anymore. So, now I buy the kraft with the cauliflower. Its the SMART one. (at least there is a veggie in there somewhere)

- French toast made with sweet potato in the mix, cut up in squares. (at least I know she is getting protein and veggies) I make a pancake version too.  ohhhh and grill cheese version of this as well.

- cheese sticks and yoghurt as a snack.

- Bear paw cookies if she eats lunch or dinner as a kind of reward but not all the time....loves the brownie kind

- I tried introducing smoothies. She hated them. but it is worth it for you. She still hates them. I can try it another time.

- all kinds of pasta minus any sauce but seems to like pesto. tortellini, ravioli, so that there is meat in there too.

- frittata (omelette) with cheese, bacon asparagus etc....rachel ray rec.

- and of course when all fails give her a banana. 

HTH
Dree 

[scucci1979]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I tried a frittata yesterday. She tried it but didn't want anything to do with it.

[Shiv52]

Hey hun

Eating can be so frustrating!!  I totally agree with Mashi and Anna though.  Don't be altering what you offer and trying to come up with new things.  At this age they can come to realise that food is something they can create an issue out of.  When DD was being a pain, I made a meal planner at the start of the week and stuck to it.  If she didn't eat, fine, we just moved on.  The worst thing you can do is let your LO realise this is something she can pick a battle over.  Throughout the day I had things I knew she would eat (yogurts, toast and apple sauce to mention a few) so I knew she'd have something.  Rest of the time I just gave her meals and didn't make a big fuss either way. 

It took about 3-4 weeks to see a big difference but it did work!   I have a lot of experience with eating issues through work and the best thing you can do is let on like it doesn't bother you one bit if she doesn't eat and to not be running round trying to get her something she will eat if she refuses her meal that you have prepared!

{{{hugs}}} 

[Mom to M&M]

Hey hun

Eating can be so frustrating!!  I totally agree with Mashi and Anna though.  Don't be altering what you offer and trying to come up with new things.  At this age they can come to realise that food is something they can create an issue out of.  When DD was being a pain, I made a meal planner at the start of the week and stuck to it.  If she didn't eat, fine, we just moved on.  The worst thing you can do is let your LO realise this is something she can pick a battle over.  Throughout the day I had things I knew she would eat (yogurts, toast and apple sauce to mention a few) so I knew she'd have something.  Rest of the time I just gave her meals and didn't make a big fuss either way. 

It took about 3-4 weeks to see a big difference but it did work!   I have a lot of experience with eating issues through work and the best thing you can do is let on like it doesn't bother you one bit if she doesn't eat and to not be running round trying to get her something she will eat if she refuses her meal that you have prepared!

{{{hugs}}} 

So you would offer the meal and if refused take her out of her chair and wait until a reasonable snack time for something like the yogurt, etc?

[Shiv52]

Made it sound like I stopped offering new things but i didn't.  I just planned meals and they included foods she liked, foods she always has eaten but was refusing and some new things!

So you would offer the meal and if refused take her out of her chair and wait until a reasonable snack time for something like the yogurt, etc?

Yes...so the day would have been:

Breakfast:  Cereal with milk, toast
Snack:  Cheese cubes, crackers
Lunch:  Tomato soup with roll, yogurts
Snack:  Fruit
Dinner:  Chicken, potato and corn,  smoothie


And I'd have stuck to that for the day.   So if she didn't eat breakfast, I wouldn't have been offering pancakes or a banana instead.  I'd just wait until snack and then offer the cheese and crackers. 

[Mom to M&M]

Thanks again - sort of what I do to a degree - but where I struggle is certain times for dinner - if we are having something I know he won't like/eat... Tonight I'm making garlic-lime chicken, pasta and a tomato/cucumber/feta salad. He'll likely let me feed him bites of the chicken (not sure why but he usually doesn't self feed that) IF he has something to feed himself same time. But he's never really liked pasta - so do I make him a small side he does like since the chicken and the tomato/cucumber salad are new? Like homemade fries or a broccoli potato pancake or something? And does it matter that certain foods he won't self feed (which for him at this point is only by hand/fingers) but will happily allow me to feed him (like omelets, chicken, etc)?

[Mom to M&M]

And sorry to hijack Sabs!