15 Month Old Picky Eater

J.,
We have a new product that might just work. HAPPYBITES organic finger foods for toddlers/kids with hidden veggies and vegetable-based dipping sauces. 5 different meals include mac+cheese (4 hidden veggies). They'll be in the freezer section of Whole Foods in a couple of weeks.

You can also get a free Nutrition Guide at our website, written by Dr. Sears, with serving suggestions and recipes.
www.happybabyfood.com

Regards,
H.

my girls used to eat everything, and right around your daughters age, they too got VERY picky. I give a vitamin every day.

Things my girls WILL eat are:
Chicken nuggets
mac and cheese
cheese quesadillas
Gerber Meat, chicken or turkey sticks (nasty i know but its protein)
sweet potatoes
grilled cheese
turkey cheese and mayo sandwich cut up
cheese, crackers and pepperoni on a plate
I always offer a veggie, although Mia will not even touch one..

My 19 month old is very picky but used to eat everything. He's in daycare...I continue to give him the foods he won't eat (like what we are eating) but I supplement with the foods he will. He had poor weight gain for 9 months so I couldn't just let him not eat, which is one recommendation people give. (He was 23 pounds at 9 months and stayed that way until 18 months - he's now 24 pounds). He would eat spaghetti (only spaghetti noodles) - so I put meat sauce on the noodles and he will eat meat that way. He will eat anything on noodles (pesto, parmesan cheese, etc.). Things I tried that worked:
sweet potato fries
chicken tenders (homemade from the biquick box - very easy and quick, and I freeze them)
dipping sauces (bbq sauce, ketchup, ranch)
organic mac and cheese with real cheese, and I stir in pureed vegetables (a jar of stage 2/3 baby food works well)
grated cheese (will not eat sliced cheese or cubes)
sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter - it's sweeter tasting and he loves it (also loves peanut butter)
buy frozen veges, microwave them with water until they're very tender (5-6 minutes for carrots), then stir in a little butter and a little salt (butter helps babies absorb vitamins, for carrots; it also makes veges taste better)
instant oatmeal (yes, for dinner, you can buy plain and stir in pure maple syrup, or add a little brown sugar)

My mom keeps reminding me that toddlers eat what they want and they eat when they're hungry. If he doesn't want to eat something, he can push it aside and eat the other stuff.

Over the past 2 months, I caught him eating glazed carrots (and asking for more), he actually will eat chicken now, last night I saw him put a piece of brocolli in his mouth, he will eat green beans, etc. So, over time it has gotten better. Just keep offering the rejected foods.

You can message me if you want other ideas or recipes. I read great advice in "what to expect the toddler years" about eating. The biggest lesson for me is that I was making too big a deal of his pickiness, and that I would damage him if I kept pressuring him to eat things. I offer a bite of something once but then I let it go if he turns his head.

Oh, one other thing - my little guy is a milk guzzler. I only offer 2-3 ounces in his cup at meals, so he doesn't fill up on those calories before eating actual food. After dinner he can have as much milk as he wants. I don't offer him juice at all. Good luck! It does get better.

Lots of good advice here. I agree in theory about not hiding foods they should eat as this doesn't set them up for good habits later (which are in fact established now). But sometimes you have to do what you can to get them to eat the healthy stuff. I don't have anything new beyone what's already been suggested. But there is a book that might help. It's called "Food Fights: winning the nutritional challenges of parnethood armed with insight, humor and a bottle of ketchup." It has practical advice and helps put into perspective which battles are worth fighting and which are not. It's written by 2 pediatricians (Laura Jana and J. Shu)and published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. BTW - The authors also wrote an amazing book that covers the first two months of baby's life-"Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality." This is more in-depth than the books that cover the whole first year and is a very comforting tool for first-timeers.

Good luck with your daughter.

J.-

I really dislike all the suggetions about "hiding" foods inside other foods. IMO tricking takes too much effort at the end of the day. I am a full-time working Mom too and you just need a bit of repetition. New foods need to be offered multiple times before they are accepted at this stage. For my daughter (14 months), I usually start on a Monday at lunch and offer it again at dinner for about 4 days. By the end of the week, she is usually eating "it" like a champ. I'll return her to things she likes on the weekend and offer the new food at least twice (or more) the following week.

I've also noticed that if she can pick it up and feed herself it makes a HUGE difference. At this stage they are very tactile.

For veggies we started with peas from a steammer bag. The leftovers we just nuked each time we needed a serving. We then moved on the carrots. Then green beans, califlower (although this we had to cook a little longer then I would like - she liked it best mushy) and broccoli. We have even tried white boiled potatoes and baked sweet potatoes.

For fruits, she liked blueberries, strawberry slices, banana chunks, orange slices (especially mandarian), applesauce/apples, peaches (fresh and canned in pear juice), raspberries, etc. It was the same process with the fruits.

As a general rule of thumb, I avoided the salts and sugars except for naturally occuring ones. You could even start with those fruits and veggies that are sweetest (we went with bananas and the sweet potatoes).

Sometimes I found I needed to feed her in stages too as she would eat all of the food she liked before she tried the new one. I wouldn't even let her see the rest of her meal until the new food was at least tried. Also, don't be afraid to hold your childs hands down and place a spoonful of something new inside her mouth. Generally once my daughter got past that first taste, she would realize it wasn't so bad.

Another method we found helpful was making a fruit puree in the blender and pouring it into those old fashion ice pop makers. The frozen treat felt good on her teeth and has helped introduce new flavors.

Good luck and remember a rainbow of food every day!
~C.

i think its a phase. My daughter liked certain foods for weeks at a time and i included those foods into every meal i made so she MIGHT try new things because there was always something familiar on her plate. Just want you to know, she got over it and wanted to try whatever i was eating after some time! So if she sees you eating chicken (or chicken parm) she may wnat to try it!!

your girl seems to love cheese. can you put a little ham with melted cheese on bread, or on veggies or on dr praeger's brand of spinach patty or veggioe burger? my girl loved that for a while!! Or can u make mac + cheese with cauliflower mixed in? (i think the seinfeld recipe was good)

My 15 month old is the same way - he just turned 16 months - I feel like his meals are ridiculous b/c I just keep trying to give him all different things to eat. His food intake has definitley declines and he's definitley more prone to eat carbs and cheese. He loves pasta and sauce, pasta primavera, pasta with chicken and veggies - pasta and just about anything - can you try something like that. She might not even care or notice with the sauce on it. My son eats mainly chicken and boneless pork loin (like me and my husband), but I think he would eat anything in some kind of a sauce. Blueberries are a huge favorite right now and very healthy. He loves mac and cheese so I give him that but I'll put peas or chopped brocolli in it to make it a bit healthier and balance it out and he eats it all. He was always very good with eating veggies but he has definitley gotten away from it. Corn. Mixed Veggies. Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Roasted or grilled asparagus he will eat (I give him the butter and EVOO - extra virgin olive oil and seasonings b/c thats how we eat it, a little isn't going to hurt him if its in a balanced diet and plain veggies just aren't always good). Watermelon. If he was being particularly difficult sometimes I'd just give him the veggies first - since he was hungry he'd eat them up right away. I work full time too so I'm not very good with actual recipes. Just keep trying all sorts of different things. I also think HOW he eats makes a difference - he's very into feeding himself so I offer him a fork, a spoon, little pieces, big pieces and so on,s ometimes I even have to feed him a little just to get him to realize - he I DO want this. I know it sounds tiresome but I just think he really wants to be in charge and do things his own way at times and its not even about what he's eating. I don't want to fault him for being curious or independent(I try to pick my battles!) I also don't force the issue if he doesn't want something I try a couple times but I don't make a big deal of it. I will keep trying different things until he eats though. I try to balance the idea of You'll eat what we're eating and you'll like it (like when I was growing up) with his independent wants but not so much that I am totally cooking two or three different meals - no time for that!

Try this recipe for Brocoli nugets. I got the recipe from http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com which is loaded with great recipes for kids. My daughter likes most of the things I have made from this site but these are her favorite:

Broccoli & Cheddar Cheese Nuggets (10 months+)

1 16-oz Package frozen broccoli, cooked, drained, and chopped
1 cup Seasoned bread crumbs (you could try using baby cereal if you want, we know it works well with "baby meatballs")
1 ½ cups Shredded cheddar cheese (please use real cheese and not a "processed cheese food" product. Try tomato & basil cheddar!)
3 Large eggs or 5 egg yolks - Most pediatricians say it's ok to use whole egg in a baked good when baby is over 8-9 months old without allergies. We would recommend that you substitute 5 egg yolks for the whole eggs if serving this to those under 1 yr. Ask YOUR pediatrician!
Heat oven to 375
1. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients and mix well. *Add seasonings if you like - garlic powder, pepper, extra basil & oregano for example. Add a fruit or veggie puree to substitute for the eggs if desired.
3. Shape mixture into nuggets or fun shapes such as squares or squigglies etc..and place on baking tray. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turn nuggets over after 15 minutes. Serve warm

BTW: my 13 yo and 11 yo neices can't get enough of these either and they are VERY picky eaters.

I sprinkle Parmesean Cheese on my 15 month olds Veggies. This is the only way she will even try them. I figure as time goes on I can cut back on how much I put on until she is back to eating them plain. I am going to try to "trick" her when the container is empty and still shake it over her vegetables. Give it a try! Since she seems to like cheese it's probably a good option. Don't give up keep offering her different foods.

My daughter is 23 months old, and is going through the same thing. She used to eat heartily, but has now become a picky eater. She won't even try foods that she thinks are new. I can sympathize with you on how frustrating this is!

I recently bought Deceptively Delicious. They give you recipes on how to sneak in vegetables into things they do eat like chicken fingers. Instead of using homemade purees, maybe you can use some baby food. It is basically the same thing, but a great time saver.

Did you know that when a young child is developing, taste buds develop slowly? Early introduction of salt and sugar will "set " tastebuds to only favor those flavors. Feeding a yound child "kid" foods only sets their palets to want junk.

So, first things first is to get all sugary salty foods out of your childs diet. No mac and cheese, no sugary waffles, no processed foods.

Start from scratch. Replace typical pasta with kamut, quinoa, or whole wheat types. Get back to cooking fresh veggies or at least just heating up frozen ones. Skip salty sauces and cheese mixes. Try adding fish (salmon, sea bass, sardines) or another "new" protein to her diet.

Get her involved in the cooking. Shop with her. Get excited about healthy foods for yourself and she will eventually follow suit.

On a personal note my son is 13 months and has never tasted sugar or salt. We cook from scratch and buy local organic produce. He'll eat everything and anything. Eggs and plain sheep yogurt for breakfast, salad and veggies and chicken for lunch, and sardines or salmon and more veggies or grains for dinner. He snacks on nuts, seeds, and fresh fruit. the more excited we get about food, the more excited he gets. And now he'll beg for broccoli.

BUT...we have followed through. WE don't eat cookies or candy or allow anyone to eat those foods in front of him. And we never hint that dessert is a reward for finishing a meal. It's just what comes next. And by dessert I mean fruit.

You get 5 years. I've read that countless places. 5 years to set your child's eating habits for life. so try your very best to do so with whole healthy foods.

Good luck!

Seinfeld's wife just wrote a book about how to "sneak" vegetables into the foods children like. I am sorry Idon't know the name of the book, but if yiu check on Amazon under the author's name, I am pretty sure it will come up. Or,your book store should know it....it got a lot of attention with the press just this past year.

Add veggies and meat to the mac and cheese. The same with the grilled cheese. Hide it inside. Peas and such. What about other pasta, like elbows with spaghetti sauce? My son eats no fruits or veggies. V8 makes a juice V8 Fruit Fusion, each 8 oz glass has a serving of fruits and veggies and it's really good. We make sure he gets a glass of that a day. There is a cook book at One Step Ahead that gives good ideas on how to hide stuff in their food.

I come from a family of picky eaters. Their motto is "if mother isn't here, I don't have to eat my veggies." My nephew who chose a diet similar to your daughter's is well over 6'tall and holds a very responsible management position. I ate everything I was supposed to eat and I'm the smallest member of the family including siblings, nieces and nephews.