17 Month Old Getting Very Picky About Food!

Ha ha.. I had to laugh reading this one... good luck...that's when mine started doing it too and I don't htink he's had a vegetable in over a year now...

OK, I take that back, he actually likes to eat the tops off of raw broccoli??? I can't get the kid to eat a green bean to save his life but he'll chow down on some broccoli!

My doctor told me there are 3 options -- 1) feed only what YOU want them to eat... if they don't eat it... either serve it to them again at the next meal or just hold your ground 2) mix up what you want them to eat inside what they WILL eat... hide it or 3) let them eat what they will and make sure they get "x" amount of milk per day and take 1/2 a multivitamin

When they get old enough to understand it... you can do the "this is your dinner" or "you have to at least try it"...

I just don't see that happening though. :(

My son is the same age. Right now his favorite food is baked beans. I often get a can of peas and carrots and mix some in with his beans. I know it sounds gross, but he loves it and it is simple to make. Now he gets this mixture 3 or 4 times a week. He also likes whole grain Tortillas, ham (he won't touch other lunch meats), and berries. He loves blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. They are a little more expensive that the traditional apples and bananas but I like to give him the berries for variety. Have you tried Gerber's Pasta Pick-Ups or the Gerber Graduate Entrees? Those are always a big hit in my house.

I'm right there with you. My DD is 19 months old and the stuggle has been going on for a while. My pedi has said a couple of key things: look over the course of an entire week not just a day or two and make sure to give a multi-vitamin. She even gave me a handout on picky eaters that said at this age, fruits & veggies are interchangable. The idea being that most toddlers do not like veggies and as long as they get fruit instead, that's ok.

I also was sent this article yesterday in one of my weekly/monthly updates. What I found most interesting about this is when it talks about young children are more likely to eat 1.5 - 2 meals a day - NOT 3. For us, that explains why our kiddo never wants to eat dinner!

http://www.healthykids.com/hk/story.jhtml?storyid=/templa...

This is very, very normal. My pediatrician told me to expect my big eater to slow way down at 18 months. I was fortunate and she didn't, but I know most kids do. Just keep offering whatever you're eating, as well as one or two things you know she'll eat (if she has a favorite fruit). It can take many, many tries for a child to decide they like a food.

And make sure she gets two big cups of milk a day and a multivitamin. That's really about all she actually "needs" right now!