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Offline *Kara*

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #15 on: January 16, 2012, 04:48:12 am »
Don't stress hun!  I feel like I failed feeding for toddlers on a regular basis!  They are such finicky little creatures at times!

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Offline Lemonthyme

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #16 on: January 16, 2012, 07:53:53 am »
I think the issue is you need to find an alternative way to calm him down and cheer him up and try to get the food into him before the meltdown?  I'm sure that's easier to say than do though.
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Offline Shiv52

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #17 on: January 16, 2012, 16:13:26 pm »
You in no way have failed.  It will take at least a week I imagine for the hunger to shift to actual food.  I agree with you that the best way to do it is probably to cut way back on the milk. Maybe just am and bedtime.  So offer 3oz after breakfast and then bedtime do more but during the day just offer your meals  and snacks and make sure to have a cup with water available at any time.   I imagine he won't be happy initially but keep the goal in mind and it will help you stick to it. 

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Offline We Three

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #18 on: January 16, 2012, 16:25:23 pm »
Great advice ladies.   :)
 I'm wondering what kinds of foods you're offering? Have you found that there is a particular food he likes, and eats willingly every time?  If so, you can try to "alter" that food a bit too add more nutrients. In other words, if he likes pancakes, add some ground flaxseed and blueberries too.   If he likes toast, try spreading some hummus or give him a "dipping pond"  ;) of tomato sauce or apple sauce.  If he likes pasta, switch to whole grain for more fiber. Dry cereal was always a big hit with dd at that age...still is in fact! This morning she had a yogurt with some dry wheat-chex!
 If he likes fruit, offer some variety, cut up grapes, melon, apple slices.

 What does he enjoy?
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Offline lizzib45

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #19 on: January 16, 2012, 20:16:00 pm »
Thanks ladies. We had his 18 month pedi appointment this morning. He is 21.4 lbs. so the 3rd percentile. Good thing he had a growth spurt so he is at 31.25 inches- 25%. So he is growing.
Food yeah we seem to be stuck on what he will eat- and not the healthiest either. He eats whole grain blueberry waffles, french toast, eggs, toast, mac n cheese, pasta with any sauce, grilled cheese, quesadilla, apples, yogurt, cherrios- we do the multi grain ones, gold fish, cheese, bologna, hot dogs, pizza, ritz crackers, blueberries, will suck the juice on oranges, peas. Umm I think thats about it. He isnt a fan of meat. So my plan so to speak right now is I am going to write out a meal,snack, milk schedule. I think doing like 4oz with breakfast and lunch, then around 3 oz with each snack, then around 6 oz for dinner/bedtime. That will lower him to 20 oz a day. Pedi agrees that if we reduce the milk he will eat more. But he had no problems with the amount he is currently drinking. DS also cut another tooth, so we have 1 more to cut and we are done until his 2 year molars, so hoping that will help food too.
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Offline Mashi

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #20 on: January 16, 2012, 20:23:44 pm »
My DS was always 50th percentile for height and 2nd for weight - it means nothing. It is not a case of the lower the weight percentile the worse he is doing...percentiles are abotu averages and SOMEONE has to be the lower percentiles or it is not average!!!!!  If everyone was on the 50th percentile or above then the 50th woudl become the 2nd and everyone else would be bigger!!   Two better indications are 1) how big he is in relation to how big he has always been (meaning if he was always a 75th percentile baby and toddler and he started slipping to 25th then that is a problem. But if he was somewhere in the 2-10th and is making a good growth line along the second then there is no problem) and 2) his activity level - if he is happy and active and developing and growing in height and "brain power" then he is fine! I had an 11 month old on the 2nd percentile who was walking and 2 weeks later running and never stopped running...he dropped to 0.5th percentile and his paed said he was the healthiest toddler she'd seen, despite the fact that he had the appetite of a bird!  His activity level means more than any scale or growth chart  -  don't beat yourself up over his eating. I am sure he is fine!
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Offline Lemonthyme

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #21 on: January 16, 2012, 20:31:30 pm »
Well quesadillas give you huge scope for putting in different flavours as do pizza!  And he eats blueberries, oranges and peas.  Some kids eat nothing healthy!

What does he do if you offer other things alongside?  No pressure just "it's there if you want to give it a go"?
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Offline Shiv52

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #22 on: January 16, 2012, 20:36:36 pm »
Quote from: lizzib45 on January 16, 2012, 20:16:00 pm
so the 3rd percentile
My 15 month old is on the 3rd centile.  But always has followed that curve so thats totally fine.  

I think that is a good list of food.  At that age I added fruit puree to porridge to get more fruit into my DD1.  Thats great he eats pasta with sauce.  There are some great hidden veggies pasta sauces so you could certainly try those and that would help up the veggies he is getting.   My DD1 was never ever a fan of fruit.  Just didn't like it.  But would eat puree or smoothies so rather than push it I just tried very so often and at 3.5 she now eats a  fair amount of fruit and is at the stage where I can ask her to try a new fruit and she will.  So just because he isn't eating lots now doesn't mean he won't ever IYKWIM?

I'd just kept trying. Decreasing teh milk will help.  And then just gradually expose him to new foods and if he eats great, if not thats also fine.

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Offline *Kara*

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #23 on: January 16, 2012, 21:46:49 pm »
Just a random question:  how are his bowel movements?  that much milk can cause constipation and that could certainly make him less interested in eating...
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Offline Lemonthyme

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #24 on: January 16, 2012, 21:47:23 pm »
Yeah I agree with the pp. It's easy to think that's restrictive but it's not all that bad!  I'd just keep offering.
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Offline lizzib45

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #25 on: January 17, 2012, 04:52:42 am »
again thank u all so much! I feel better just at meals times i get super frustrated. Its getting better though.
Yeah he decided not to let me feed him the last 2-3 days. I was going to add some fruit puree to his yogurt and or try the oatmeal again- which we always added fruit to. And surprisingly his bowel movements are normal 1-2 times a day.  I think the mentality that he has consistantly been in the 3rd-5th percentile makes me feel better. And he is soooo active. he doesnt stop from the moment he wakes up until the moment he goes down.
So... tomorrow he goes to my parents while we work. I am going to tell my mom to cut his milk to 14 total while he is there. Thinking milk with meals, water with snacks. Ohhh I do have a question- with cutting his milk, should I not offer anything when he wakes in the AM? He isnt someone who likes to eat right away so if he wakes at 6 he wont eat until almost 8 at my parents. offer water? or maybe like 2 oz of milk with 1oz water? that just increases his milk though.
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Offline *Kara*

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #26 on: January 17, 2012, 05:19:55 am »
I would give him half an hour to really wake up (no one likes to sit down and eat the moment they open their eyes :) ) and then offer some finger foods... I usually do Cheerios, grapes/blueberries/orange segments, and then once I get the coffee made, I sit down with her and offer her some yogurt as well.  She generally eats fairly well but by no means is it a huge breakfast!  She tends to need a mid-morning snack a couple of hours later...
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Offline ZacsMumme

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #27 on: January 17, 2012, 07:05:59 am »
Same as Kara here, though sometimes Z wakes starving for his toast ::)
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Offline Lemonthyme

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #28 on: January 17, 2012, 08:44:29 am »
To be honest, I still give milk at wake up time and bedtime.  He's been without food for a long time so if you are going to cut back on milk, I'd cut back on it during the day when you can replace it with food.
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Offline Mashi

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Re: 18 month old- hates food
« Reply #29 on: January 17, 2012, 10:08:00 am »
We always did milk and breakfast immediately upon waking. From 13 months onwards DS would be at the kitchen cupboard banging for his breakfast while I still stumbled around wiping sleep from my eyes.  At 3.5yo now he is up and sitting at his little table in the living room shouting for his breakfast within about 30 seconds of opening his eyes ::)

I would offer him a sippy cup with 3-4 oz of milk and if he asks for more I would just hand him a piece of toast or a small bowl of dry cereal, a piece of fruit or something and say casually "there's no more milk but if you're hungry you can eat this" and leave it at that. If he says no, then just leave it at that and reiterate that there is not any more milk.  I don't think it is at all wrong or bad for a toddler or child to have a few ounces of milk upon waking, but there is no need for it to be huge, you know? We did this with DS and slowly it became that he wanted his sippy and dry cheerios at the same time and would sit and drink/eat them together as more of a breakfast rather than milk+food if that makes sense.
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