Food Question

At what age did you stop trying to find things DC wanted to eat?

Suddenly, DS has become very picky (he's nearly a year old). I think part of the problem is that he wants to handle his food, but he gags on most foods with texture, so he's still eating purees, cereals, and mashed foods. We also can't give him wheat products for awhile, so there isn't all that much he can eat. He suddenly hates all meat, so fine, I'll skip the meat. But today I tried giving him yogurt which he used to love, and he refused it. This was after two other things. So it's all going in the trash and he ate very little for lunch.

So I was wondering, when do you stop turning backflips trying to find something they want to eat?

I'm feeling just a tad annoyed with him today--had the worst time getting him to nap also, and then he only napped for half an hour. And everytime I am not paying attention to him, he gets upset. Hence, I can get nothing done.

Re: Food Question

I am going through the same thing with my DD who's 17 months old. She's extremely picky now and it got to the point where she was only eating cheerios, chicken nuggets, and french fries. We recently saw a pediatric dietitian who recommended a very specific meal plan and told me to be strict with her eating. If she doesn't want whats offered to her, she doesn't eat. I try not to give her too many choices and I have to happy if she were to only eat two bites. Be prepared to throw out the food that he doesnt want to eat and try not too get too upset if he doesnt eat...cause he may not be hungry. Hope this helps...and good luck!!!

Re: Food Question

Thanks for the advice and the sympathy! I'll ask his doctor too if I should keep offering other dishes, or just not feed him if he won't eat. He's pretty young, I guess I was thinking I didn't want to turn him off food completely.

On the one hand, I feel silly getting annoyed because he won't eat some things. On the other, I do make a lot of his food, so it's kind of annoying, eventhough he is a baby. Maybe I should just buy jarred food exclusively for now--I'll save some time!

It's also part of a pattern I think of definance in general, which is pretty new to me as a parent. Sometimes he has a fit when I change him, often it's because we won't let him do or have something that could be harmful (or could break). Sometimes he refuses to nap. Guess I should get used to it.

Re: Food Question

The one thing that I keep in mind is that toddlers will eat when they need to eat and won't starve themselves. Be patient, and keep offering different types of food; that was my mistake. I kept feeding her the same foods over and over again and never gave her a variety. I basically limited her diet and made her extremely picky. Its not easy when they are screaming and all you want to do is shove the food down their throats. But I've learned to step back, and try again for the next meal. Also, try to limit snacks and juice intake so that he'll be hungry at mealtime. Be firm and stay strict...

Re: Food Question

Thank you for all the suggestions--they are helpful. His diet is pretty limited lately come to think of it--he has gagging problems so I haven't moved on to many table foods since he often gags and vomits them up. Bread worked for him, but he may have a wheat allergy and his doctor suggested we wait awhile before giving him wheat products again. So maybe I need to think a bit about foods he can manage that he hasn't tried yet. He may just be getting bored.

I did offer him some mashed banana after the lunch fiasco today, and he ate a small amount which was good. Then he ate dinner pretty well. I will watch juice though and formula--he's been drinking more of both lately.

Re: Food Question

Re: Food Question