15 Month Old Still Getting Baby Food

My daughter will be 2 in 2 weeks from today, and she still won't touch most meats. I can get her to eat a hot dog though. I dont' skin them at all just cut it add a small piece of cheese to each one add ketchup to the plate and that's lunch. But about anything else she won't touch. I know my mom said none of us kids ate meat until we were at least 3, so I am not concerned at all. My daughter gets peanut butter, and milk, and string cheese and other things that give her the protein she needs.

To break the baby food, I would jsut stop it. Give what you are eating, and tell him that's dinner. kids are fascinating, that they won't go hungry. If they are hungry they will eat what they are given. They may resist at first, but they eat it.

My daughter tells me just about every meal she doesn't like it, and put the plate on the table off of her highchair tray. we tell her that's fine, she doesn't need to eat it, but that's dinner. We ignore her then, and about minute or two later she is eating. So they will eat if you ignore it.

It may take a day or so for him to realize he isn't getting the baby food but he will eat. My sister would take what they were eating, and mash up to almost the consistency of baby food. and then feed to her kids when they were 8-9 months, so they started getting the tastes of adult food. So you can mash up food a touch more so it's more of what he's used to but not baby food. Then over a week or so, mash it up less and less than he will hopefully eat better.

I wouldn't worry about it AT ALL. There are plenty of other ways to get enough protein without eating meat. Here are some ideas to help you get away from having to use baby food.

Beans and legumes (baked beans, peas, lentils, navy beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, any of them)
Hummus
Whole grains (bread, brown rice, crackers, etc)
Ground nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, filberts, etc)
Ground seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, etc)
Tofu
Other soy products
Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Yogurt
Even vegetables and fruits have a small amount of protein

He doesn't need meat to survive. There are plenty of other options. Hope you find some that work.

A.

YOur child is normal. alot of kids dont like meat. he doesnt need to eat meat.. he gets plenty of protein from his milk. but if he drinks too much milk he wont eat much food.

It is totally normal for toddlers to be picky if he eats fruits vegs and bread.. he will be fine.. you can probably try peanut better... that is a good protein.

it is also normal to have a bottle.. my duaghter got her last bottle at 2 years and 2 months.. I didnt off er bottles but if she asked I gave her one..she drank less and less milk from the bottle...

he will get the nutritiion taht he needs from his food.. he is not growing that fast anymore and it is normalf or his appetite to diminish..

My kids loved beans at that age - you can take them right out of the can, rinse them in water to remove most of the sodium, and warm them up a bit, and they make a great finger food. We also used a lot of natural deli meat without nitrates, sliced into small pieces or rolled up in a tube. The other thing you could do to introduce some protein is Carnation Instant Breakfast, which my pediatrician recommended when my toddler wouldn't eat breakfast. Good luck! He will get through it!

It may be that he doesn't like meat , my sister never did and she has been a vegetarian since she was 16 (she's now 37). Kids that are brought up vegetarian are ok , you just need to think of other ways to give him protein.

I'd focus on some vegetables that are high in protein. Broccoli and Cauliflower are GREAT. Also any of the beans (and soy beans are complete protein, you can get them frozen, they cook like peas and have a good flavor) or try tofu, many kids like the texture, similar to eggs. Tofu can be given plain or marinated to add flavor. A PB and Jelly sandwich has complete protein, as do rice and beans and many other combinations of vegetables with nuts or beans. So I wouldn't worry about him not getting enough. Also, don't worry about combinations of proteins in one meal, as long as you're getting a variety of foods your body is able to complete the proteins gathered during the day.

Also eggs and cheese have protein, but try to keep these low in his diet due to the high fat and cholesterol, plus the hormones that are given to these animals. You certainly don't need to eat meat to get plenty of protein. I've grown up eating it and now am a vegan vegetarian. I've been amazed to learn about all the protein found in vegetables and whole grains!

The thing to be aware of is how many processed carbs he's getting, if that's the majority of what he's eating you'll have a problem. Otherwise you're going to be fine!

Best wishes!

There is nothing wrong with giving him some baby food at this age. Always remember to worry about whats best for your child, and not what others kids are doing. I also have a 15 month old and she still gets quite a bit of baby food. Its giving her more nutrients than what she would eat in whole form, so oh well. In 5 yrs from now will it matter? lol I did the same thing with my 5 1/2 year old and eventually she ate more table food. However with her she use to eat whole veggies and she stopped, well I started giving her baby food veggies (just plain veggies, not the dinners!) again at around 2 1/2 or so.. I was firm with her and said she needed veggies and she could either eat them like a big girl or eat the baby ones. Well to this day she still does not like the texture of eating whole veggies, so she still eats them in puree form. And seriously, who cares :) There are a whole lot of 5 yr olds that won't eat veggies at all, at least she IS getting her veggies one way or another and the taste is familiar to her so when she gets older she'll like the taste and work into eating the whole form... Everything else she eats is and has been whole form, she loves EVERY meat known (unlike mommy, lol) Do what works for you and your son :)

I wouldn't worry about it either. If he is eating other solids, the baby food meats surely won't hurt him. Just keep offering him other things, and he will come around to some of them.........eventually.

Hi J.---Don't worry about him rejecting animal protein. Americans put WAY too much emphasis on the need for protein...our needs are actually quite small. We should eat no more than a playing deck card size of animal protein each day. An optimal diet is one that is 90% plant based. I urge you to do a little research on the topic by visiting this website, www.pcrm.org. Within that, you can find info on a number of topics, from cancer prevention/care as related to diet, why not milk, and a pamphlet called the Vegetarian Starter Kit. There is also a link to diets for kids, a booklet that can be downloaded to your computer or call and order a hard copy. A great source of vegetarian based recipes can be found at www.vegetariantimes.com as well as www.cancerproject.org. Eatingwell.com has a huge section on kid friendly meals.

There is a LOT of protein in plants. Other great sources are beans/legumes, nuts and seeds, as well as whole grains. Eating a wide variety of foods from these groups will take care of protein, as well as all nutrienet needs. We use animal protein more like a condiment or side-dish at our house, sort of like flavorings for soups or stews. I had a friend who fed her 1 year old daughter tofu cubes and seaweed from her miso soup, as well as edemame (immature soybeans, yummy) when we ate at a sushi restauranat for lunch. She gobbled those things right up.

I am taking a series of wellness classes, taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in nutrition. I am a Wellness Educator, helping to empower others to take control of their health through their diet and lifestyle habits. I would be happy to share additional suggestions with you at any time. In fact, I have sheets that offer recommeded servings and sizes of foods for all age groups. You are probably doing just fine in feeding your son as you are. I look forward to your call. In health, D.

why is it so bad he doesn't eat meat? I don't plan on ever giving my baby meat, and we have all stopped eating it at our house. I agree with Marta W.....meat is not a healthy source of protein. If he's growing, which I sense he is, then you are doing the right thing. And not only that, a lot of people just don't like meat to begin with. Do some research, maybe google "vegetarian babies or kids" and you will get a ton of websites and recommendations. Meat (and dairy) have so many bad things in them anyway, so why would you want your child to eat that?

I think it's fine to give him the babyfood as long as you continue to offer real meat occasionally. Have you tried a hotdog, skinned and very finely chopped? What about sausage?

My husband and I are both vegetarian. Although we decided not to raise our children vegetarian, I refuse to cook meat, so my son's access to meat has been limited to baby food, eating out, and whenever my mother cooks for him. Otherwise, we rely on vegetarian protein sources, which might work for you as well. Some of my son's favorites are Agadashi Tofu (you could find the recipe in any Japanese cookbook, or consider looking up your location Japanese restaurant), Quorn chicken substitutes (a meat substitute usually carried in the Natural/Organic section of your supermarket), or Morningstar meat substitutes (usually in the breakfast section of the supermarket). Also, make sure that he's getting plenty of beans, and accept that this is probably just a phase he'll eventually grow out of. Good luck.

nothing wrong with baby food at his age, but it might be costly buying all those jars.
Here are some table food ideas-- cottage cheese or string cheese (in small pieces) for protein, chop up cooked chicken into itty-bitty pieces and sprinkle in pasta sauce or cheese sauce or butter...it sticks to the pasta when he picks up the pasta pieces so it's not so noticeable. my 12 month old is okay with the really tender chicken pieces (like the ones at Costco) but it's too tough to chew the stuff I cook at home. Hot dogs are soft meats too.

If he doesn't eat much, try giving him the milk sippy after eating. He may also be plateauing on weight for a while and if so, doesn't need to eat as much. For example, my 12 month old sometimes eats more than my 2yr old at dinner!

Has he expressed interest in holding the spoon himself? Let him hold one spoon (while you hold another one) to keep him interested in his meal... yogurt, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes... and a bowl is easier for them than the single serve cups that yogurt come in.
...hope this helps.

May sound harsh, but why would he choose to eat something else if you give him the baby food that he likes? Be firm, be wise. Maybe meat isn't the answer, but I've never seen anyone feeding a kinder-gardener from a jar. :) Keep trying. It's not always (hardly ever) easy to be the mom!

Good luck.

S.