Expanding Diet/Offering New Foods

[Mom to M&M]

Hey guys. Many of you know I frequent the picky toddler threads but thought I'd also start a new discussion on the topic. I'm trying really hard to expand Marisa's diet. She currently will eat small amounts of:
- Pureed fruit
- Dried fruit
- Dried peas
- Veggie booty/veggie chips
- Meatball (on rare occassion though and I usually have to feed her this one)
- Chicken nugget (baked Perdue nuggets)
- English muffin (whole grain) and Nutrigrain Ego waffles (buttered and toasted)
- Pizza
- Grilled cheese (she doesn't like it much anymore though)
- Goldfish crackers
- Hard pretzels
- Cheerios
- Mac n Cheese (on rare occasion and only few bites. not in some time)

She will not eat eggs, beans, other meats, fresh fruit, fresh veggies, french toast, pasta, etc. I have tried to offer new foods by repeatedly putting them on her tray along with what she likes but she will generally just throw or push the new food aside and only eat what she wants, if anything. And/or starting pointing at the toaster and requesting a "fafa" (her word for either English muffin or waffle). It's not a liquid issue - she has about 16 ounces milk from straw cup/day (sometimes less) and at most 4 ounces of diluted juice (not every day). Her doctor is still not concerned since she somehow does gain weight. And I keep hesitating to call an OT or other professional because I don't want to make it too much of a stressful situation for her. But I also don't want to make the problem any worse.

Should I just keep trying new foods at each meal? Should I try the same new foods in a row many times since it can take up to 20 times of offering to even try them and I want her to get used to them? Any suggestions on good foods to try that she might accept?

Thanks as always.

[binxyboo]

Hi there,

Will she not eat pureed veg either? Would she accept them as a spread of sorts on her waffles and muffins, or would this make her stop eating them too? What about veggies in a smoothie drink. I know she wouldn't actually be accepting them as such, but at least she would benefit from them.

I have started offering new foods twice in one day, instead of days apart. Sometimes I think he forgets entirely about foods if he doesn't see them for a few days inbetween! So for example, new food offered at lunch and dinner alongside a favorite.

[Mom to M&M]

Once in a while she'll eat a little pureed carrots/peas or jar of veggies chicken. She won't eat the waffle/English muffin with anything but butter and sometimes cream cheese. I may eventually have to start trying smoothies. Any luck with new foods lately for Riley?

[binxyboo]

He has definitely gotten better. Sometimes I will just offer him some off my plate when he is done with dinner and is running around playing. I think when he feeld there is no expectation on him to eat, he is more willing to try something. Even if he just spits it back out, it is an improvement that he is even willing to touch it in the first place!

Oh, and now that he has a fascination with forks, he is willing to try anything that is speared on top.

[Mom to M&M]

I've been trying the fork thing too since Marisa loves them. But if she doesn't think she wants what is speared on it she will just throw it off. And I think she's working on eye teeth now so that's not helping. She had barely any breakfast and no lunch at all.

So if I offered steamed peas at lunch, try them again at dinner? And again tomorrow? And keep trying  before trying another new food?

[Mom to M&M]

Yup - tried making chicken nuggets with carrot and apple. They taste good but she won't eat them.

When she was REALLY little she'd eat a little chicken/carrot from homemade chicken soup only if blended with jarred fruit. She hasn't ever taken soup per se - I guess because of the mixture of textures which freaks her out.

[binxyboo]

I still whizz Riley's soup in the blender, no lumps etc.

When introducing foods eg peas, I 'd do :

Day 1 :a fave food, peas for lunch and dinner
Day 2: I would offer again once or twice
Day 3: fave food, peas alongside another new food. At this stage, if not sooner, he is likely to eat some as it is more familiar to him than the food he is seeing for the first time ever.

That's more or less the approach I am using. How many days in a row he is offered it depends really on how much leftovers we have lol

[Mom to M&M]

No luck with anything so far - even regressing with some of the usuals. Argh.

[binxyboo]

Any improvement?

[Mom to M&M]

Not at all, but thanks for asking. Yesterday all day Marisa had 1/2 jar pears, 1/2 Nutrigrain waffle, few cheerios, some Just Strawberries, 1/3 of a Perdue chicken nugget and three Just Peas. Refused eggs (which she never eats), grilled cheese, meatball, steamed carrots (again which she never eats) and a few other things. Luckily at least she's still drinking 16-18 ounces milk most days. I'm actually placing a call to an OT that was recommended to me today to possibly get an evaluation.

[jubee]

Karen,

How old is your dd.  I just wanted to let you know that our ds, now 2.5 ys old eats soooooooooooooooooooo much better than he did when he was between 1 and 2 years old.  Looking at what you said she ate and that she is still getting milk it sounds like she is doing ok.  They really do get better.  We seemed to have problems especially with teeth.

Julie

[Mom to M&M]

Hi Julie, thanks. Marisa is 16 months old and I suspect may be working on eye teeth (strongly suspect but it's so hard to say for sure). I'm so glad to hear how much better your DS is doing now and that gives me hope and something to shoot for. It's just so depressing since she seems cranky/hungry but won't eat and when she does will only eat a couple of things.

[JennŠ]

I may have mentioned this before, but V8 Fusion juice does a full veggie and fruit serving in one glass.  Also, could she do lunch with another lo her age?  Charlotte has tried and liked several things because the other daycare kids were eating it.  Toddler see, toddler do.   

[Mom to M&M]

Hi Jenn! How are you and the Mouse doing? Will check out the V8 Fusion - but may be tough as Marisa already has fiberjuice (apple juice with extra fiber for constipation) most days and I don't want her to fill up on too much juice. Unfortunately, lunch with another toddler is near impossible most days - we don't have friends with kids that age in walking distance in the city and I can't drive out to the suburbs most weekdays. I have often that about that and wondered if she'd eat better if she were in daycare, but...

[JennŠ]

I found that the V8 helps in the poo department.  We are getting 3 molars at once.  Love my new job.  Weather has been nice to us so far.  Hope i did not jinx us!!!!!