Help!!! My Son Wont Eat Anything but Fruit!

I struggled with my daughter craving sweets. I loaded up with fruit. Now, she would rather have a banana than a candy bar. We talk a lot about nutrition and diabetes.
She also isn't much of a meat eater as well. She just cant stomach eating meat. Shes pretty much gone vegetarian so we substitute her protein intake. She eats lots of vegetables. I have gotten all my vegetarian recipes online. there are veg recipes for children that are fun and nutritional. Just google it. That is what I did.
T.

I have to agree with Tara Y. My daughter is 8, and didnt start eating meat until about 3 years ago!!! For a minute there, I thought I made a vegetarian...lol. Seems like overnight she grew out of it and now she eats everything in sight. See if he'll drink V8 Splash drinks for the veggie part, if not, I wouldnt worry if I were you. As long as he eats something. Good Luck...T.

When my now 7 year old was 15 months he went on a 6 week time frame that all he would eat was cheerios, bananas, and milk. That's it - I would put all kinds of stuff in front of him but that is all he would eat. When I ask the pediatritian she said hey it is healthy and he will grow out of it. Ok so he did and b/c I didn't worry it was easy to plan his meals. To this day he hardly ever asks for a banana.

Hi J. - This sounds so familiar to me! My son, believe it or not, ate very little but CUCUMBERS at that age. It was amazing. I spent a considerable amount of time fretting and worrying that he wasn't getting enough food. I had a doctor tell me that he was healthier and a healthier weight than all of us and would probably outlive us and to let him make some eating choices (although I seriously doubted this). I'm happy to report that my son is now a very healthy and happy 16 year-old who yes, is probably healthier than all of us. In addition, he is probably my most adventurous eater, willing to try new things with no problem. He still loves salads and doesn't eat a lot of meat (I love meat and don't understand this) but he is very healthy (not to mention extremely sweet and very smart!). Hang in there - try not to make it a battle (I know it's hard) and feed him what he likes for now. It will improve!

C. H.

Kids eat when they're hungry, and they do a much better job of metering their eating satisfaction than adults give them credit for. It sounds like he's healthy. He's establishing his likes and dislikes and he's learning how awesome it is to have some control over his life.

My philosophy has always been that my kids can eat as many fruits and vegetables as they like. Along with water, they are the "unlimited" foods in our house. Keep offering him different things, even if he keeps tossing food on the floor. Eventually he will try new things, especially if he sees you or other kids eating it.

When my son was that age, he didn't like meat or cheese of any sort. He got his protein from milk, yogurt, and rice with lentils. I also tossed in peas and carrots to get his veggies in. If he's veggie-phobic, put a little of the veggies on the bottom of the spoon, covering it with the rice. He'll never know! (time saving tip: make one batch to last several days)

Be glad he likes fruit the way he does. Before long, he'll be exposed to choices you won't be too thrilled about, and he may be so used to the naturally sweet taste of the fruit that the chemically sweet taste of junk food won't appeal to him.

You know, he doesn't have to eat anything but fruit because you will offer him the fruit if he sticks to his guns and refuses the first offerings! At fifteen months, he is NOT going to starve himself. If you offered him only one choice at each mealtime, and did not resort to offering fruit, he would ultimately have to try the new offerings. He may not like every other food you offer, but he ought to be able to try tastes at least before he gets rewarded with fruit! I know it is scarey when your child doesn't eat, but with my two year old twins, if they refuse their dinner, they don't get an alternative, they miss out. It is only one meal afterall, and they will eat breakfast, and lunch tomorrow.....On the bright side, it could be worse, he might not eat fruit either!! My two don't like vegetables, and the girl isn't so keen on meat either, but we just keep offering it and expecting them to eat their meals. If you are concerned about his health and nutrition issues, you might want to talk to your doctor or a dietitian for advice. As the parent, you just have to hang in there and be tough when he needs you to be. Sounds liek he might need you to be tough soon (-:

I agree with the smoothie suggestion. You can make one with avacado, banana, and yogurt or milk that is yummy and full of healthy fats.

It is hard when you worry about your little one getting enough to eat. With my daughter, who will still hardly eat anything at almost 2, we just keep offering. If it ends up on the floor, she helps pick it up. If she plays with it, at least she touching it. We always include something we know she will eat (like fruit for you son) on her plate. We also sit her on our lap, and feed her off our plates, because she is much more apt to eat that way. If it comes of mama's plate, it must be better!

I would just keep trying, and try not make it an issue. If you are concerned, your ped will probably let you bring him in for a weight check.

Like some others replied... my ten year old son was the same way in his toddler years. We, also, gave him the nutritional drinks, too. We started that due to my mom freaking out over it. He's perfectly healthy today and loves to eat... more than he should! LOL! Our pediatrician told us not to worry about it and we didn't... my mother did, but we didn't. I'm mostly vegan and I know how much better I feel when I don't eat all that meat and dairy. I lose weight and my skin radiates. So keep doing what you're doing. I would opt for organic if you can. Also, since your little man runs small, keep up the nutrional drinks until he levels out at a higher percentile. Good work, Mom!!

Blessings,
~S.

My daughter did the same thing at that age, some days she wouldn't eat anything--my mother-in-law had hospice at the house and I asked one of her nurses about it. She told me it is "physiological anorexia". She told me that as long as she is drinking plenty of fluids, to not worry about, that when she gets hungry, she will eat. And she did, I quit fighing with her about not eating, and just let her sit at the table at dinner time. Around age 2-2 1/2, she finally started eating like everyone else.

for J. s and whoever else sees this. your little man is controlling you and your kitchen. from what you have said you are giving in to his demands too soon. my oldest son would not eat anything but weiners for 3 years and apple juice for 2. i took a drs advice and when the weiners and apple juice ran out i bought no more. the dr said she was positive that he would not starve. and you know what? he didnt. three days later, and 3yrs old he was standing in front of the fridge screaming. but with neither of the foods he liked in the house for the third day, the only thing he could get from fridge or anybody was grape and other juices and sliced veggies and some grilled chicken..he did scream and cry alot for those three days and it was rough for all of us but he definitly did not go hungry and finally tasted the other foods. it was months before we brought weiners and apple juice back in the house. it wont be easy but the denial of fruits for a few days may help.. dont give in. let us know how things work out. and a good thing to know is that at his age fruits arent all bad.. just serve him stuff with no added sugars and additives. good luck

my son is 22 months and i have also had a problem with him eating since he was a year old. he has been in the 5% in weight and even below. i saw that you given the pediasure shake to him once a day. we have been giving our son those shakes for a while now since he was one and they have helped soo much. i was worried about being on a liquid diet but if you read the label it is made to be used as a 3 meal supplement too. it has a great amount of fat and protein. my son drank those soo much that now he only drinks about one a day. we really pushed them because he will not drink milk at all either so we had a child that wouldnt eat or drink milk. i tried buying fish sticks and tyson makes these things called chicken fries where its chicken that looks like fishstick shape. he will only eat those. and he loves rice. i buy the ones that are in the cups and all you have to do is heat it up. i add butter and soy sauce to the rice and my son chows down. those are the only things he will eat. oh and the drinkable baby yogurts. but some days its a fight to get him to eat but then again our dr said if hes hungry he will eat. have you tried giving him food and have his fruit in a seperate bowl next to the other food. another way we have gotten our son to eat is that we will make like 3 different things adn put them all in front of him on different plates and he picks the one he wants. i read an article that kids dont like being forced to eat. they want to do it on their terms. i totally agree because sometimes when my son doesnt want to be put in his booster at the table we will set his plate on the couch or somewhere where its not at the table and he will go grab a bite or two every once in a while during his playing time. maybe that will work. i know that it helps us a lot at times. well goodluck and maybe some of my ideas will help you and your little one out.

I agree with some of the other mothers that he has trained you to give him fruit by throwing the other food. Your son is old enough to comprehend a time-out, which is what I did with my son any time he threw food, regardless of why he did it. This does take patience because you will have to constantly put him in the time-out spot everytime he throws food. I understand that he is throwing it because he does not want to eat it, but he is old enough to learn that throwing food is unacceptable.

Kudos for offering the pediasure, and don't worry about him only being in the 25% for his weight. My little guy didn't even hit the 25% until his 3 year check-up, and he is an excellent eater. My pediatrician told me that it was okay, saying that he has his whole life to put on weight, and that more studies are showing that the heavier a child is as an infant or toddler, the more likely they are to struggle with weight as an adult.

I have an almost 2 year old daughter who has never been much of a meat eater. I give her scrambled eggs with lot's of cheese and a little cream cheese and sometimes some chunks of ham in it. She likes that. I also give her beans, pinto, kidney and so forth. One of her favorite things to eat is soy beans. They are called edamame in the frozen section at the store. I feel much better giving her these. They are delicious and very high in protein and fiber. They are also green and have all the wonderful values of your typical green veggie. Let me know how it works out.
K.

Make sure he is not drinking too much fruit juice and eating snacks between meals...otherwise, i wouldn't worry too much. Ask the doctor about the pediasure.

The doc always said"They will eat when they get hungry so don't worry. He's probably eating the best thing for him anyway.. I know it's hard not to worry.Your doing good though, pediasure

Dear J.,

I have gone on sustained fruit diets many times. Fruit is the best food on Earth for humans. Your son seems to know this. Be sure to give him organic fruit to insure no chemicals are on or in the fruit.

Most doctors would say he get too little protien. I offer you to consider the starving children in the world. They get less protien than your son and they live, at least the ones who get a little something (God bless them and help them). The need for protien is way over rated.

I have had no form of meat for over 37 years. I am doing better than anyone else my age. The diet of Americans is killing them and causing uncountable sickness and disease. Old age is a horror for them and death is too quick to come. Diet is the main reason.

Let your son eat all the fruit he wants. Do not let him eat more than a single kind at a time. Make sure they are ripe. You could check him out with nuts. He may like some of them. If so, he will get good protien. Try tofu, another excelent source of protien. Try flax oil and other nutritional oils. I think you would be helped by going to Whole Foods or some other place, like the internet, and get some books about vegetarian diet and natural foods. My favorite book is Back To Eden by Kethro Kloss. I have lived by it for a long time. I collect old versions of the book. He was a country boy who grew up naturally and learned about healing and health. His information is invaluable.

Please, do not compare your son to others. He is unique and his Spirit is strong. He knows what he wants. If he grows up like other kids he will be more like them and his life will parallel theirs. Frankly, I am not content to have a life like everyone else. I know there is a higher and better way. You have a wonderful opportunity for yourself. You son has come into your life to help you. Listen to him

If you want to discuss this matter more, my address is ____@____.com

Sincerely,
N.

Hi J. -

Are you feeding him prepared/jarred fruits or only fresh? I would certainly talk with your Pediatrian and maybe even as for a referral to a Dietician.

It is always so scary when you have a small child and they have eating issues. I don't want to tell you that you have nothing to worry about, however I will say that how we, as parents, react goes a long way with how our child acts about food. My sister found a great book on developing good eating habits in our children (he 9 yr old eats almost nothing and is still tiny). I will try to find the title/author and send it to you.

Good luck and hang in there! I know how hard it is dealing with food issues. My 3 1/2 year old is still a struggle at times!

we went through the same thing about this age, and my son has always been on the big side-- he was even off the growth charts for a while! Our Pedi told us that as long as he is eating something, not to worry.

Now we're trying to get him to eat what we eat for lunch/dinner, etc and that can be a bit of a struggle. We make "deals" with our son- he has to do something we want to get what he wants, ie: he has to clean his toys up before he can go play, etc. Our deal with eating is he has to at least try a bite of whatever it is we're eating. If he doesn't like it, he can try something else. At least this way he is trying something new. Many times he surprises himself and actually likes it. We started this idea back when he was about a year old- we would offer him something other than fruit, and he had to at least try it before we would give him fruit to eat.

everything i've read and been told that when they go through the picky eater phase, feed them whatever they will eat. i would talk to the doctor about it, but i think that he'll be ok from what i've read (baby 411, and toddler 411).

J.,
I think all kids go through this stage. My son is now 2 1/2 and still picks one food to eat for a while without eating anything else. I would always put other food on the plate with the fruit. Gerber graduates worked for me because they come in a jar and are all cut up into cubes so the fruit and veggies look alike. I also give my some applesauce on his toast instead of sugary jelly. Don't give up...if you keep putting other foods in front of him, eventually he will try them and like them. I heard it takes 7 times of putting the food in front of them before they actually try it. Good luck...
From one military wife and SAHM to another, thanks for the sacrifices you and your family make!

J.,
My opinion is that so long as all of your offerings are healthy, he'll be fine! My dd and some of my friends' kids seemed to go through phases of liking/not liking various foods. Maybe mix some pureed banana & diced pear or whatever in with a little bit of oatmeal or rice. It would still have the flavor that he likes, but have some of the benefits of grains. If he accepts that, you could try various grains to increase/change textures. After that, you could slowly add any number of veggies - many don't have strong flavors...or are sweet (yams).
IMO, don't sweat it - it's fairly common and nothing that you necessarily need to try to 'fix' :-)

HTH
K. H, mama to
Catherine, 4yrs
Samuel, 14mos

I had the same problem with my son. I had to stop asking him what he wanted because he would say no to everything. just make him something that he can eat with his fingers like chicken nugets and mixed vegies or grild cheese sandwitch. also try giving him a little bit of fat free ranch to dip his food in. put it on a table that he can reach without climbing and let him eat between playing. also make sure you give him small portions to much food can be overwhelming. if this dosen't work just make sure you are giving him fresh fruit. strawberrys are very good for little ones. i hope this helps!

Mine was a picky eater too--the first kid. ;-)
The first kid gets away with picking and choosing so that is part of it and kids are born with certain tastes. No matter what I did the kid never liked green beans from the time he was little and first tasted them.

So some of your son's preference is his own tastes and some of it is you catering to it. If mine threw food on the floor I put a stop to that. No throwing food at all at any age. They throw it, then they must not be hungry or they are doing their own version of telling what for. ;-)

So I gave them another piece of the same thing to try again. Second time I swatted their hand and told them no if they tried to throw it down--I caught their hand in the act. Then I showed them to just sit it on the side of the tray--rather than in front of them. They soon learned they may not want to eat it, but they cannot throw it.

After getting that down I trained them about how and what to eat. When my picky eater started out he was only given meat and veggies--no fruit or bread at the meal. After he ate that, he could have some of the other things. Otherwise he knew he would always be able to manipulate his way to eating what he chose at all meals.

His day went like this--
oatmeal and possibly bananas or cheerios
pb&J or cheese sandwich cut into small pieces, 1/2 apple/grapes/whatever fruit we had, and about 12 chips. The sandwich came first. After he ate that I put his fruit and chips on his plate. He did not have to eat those but he could choose how much and if he ate them.
Supper - a tablespoon of what we were eating (spaghetti or other soft food even if I had to do it a little different for him) and 1 Tbsp of veggies. After that was gone he could have yogurt, bread, fruit, whatever.

If I were you I would try getting some very fruity yogurt and other things that can be blended with fruit. I think yours may possibly have gotten hooked on the sugar of the fruit. Veggies are not sweet and if they are not buttered/salted some they are just not appetizing. Serve it similar to how you would eat it....with flavor! LOL

okay I read down further. Don't ignore the need for protein as someone suggested. I taught preschool and did some training on what small children need. In the first five years your child's brain is going to be developing at a tremendous rate. That protein is the source of that brain power. Ignore that and you are not providing his brain all it needs to function and grow. You can get some protien through things such as beans and some greens. Research that, but don't dismiss the need for protein for a smal growing child. Just like we don't dismiss the need for whole milk for children under the age of 2 years.

Good luck,

I agree with the other moms about giving in to fruit. My son is allergic to beef and bananas, so sometimes I feel like I don't have a lot of choices to offer and wonder if he gets bored because he will do the same thing. I don't give fruit or yogurt until after he eats something, though. If I give him say chicken and he doesn't want it, then I'll try some other food like grilled cheese or cheese ravioli (I keep some Graduates foods on hand just in case he doesn't like what we are eating). He has turned away from food before, and I also found that if I let him eat it himself, with his hands, he is more apt to eat it. Sometimes it gets really messy, but I'd rather him be messy with a full tummy. I realized that if I fed it to him, he didn't want it, but if I put it in front of him he would eat it. Just a thought.

Good luck with everything.

Hi J.! You got a lot of advice already, but it is funny because this is exactly how my son is. He eats a very, very limited things but luckily they are healthy. He eats breakfast good, but he doesn't eat much if anything for lunch or dinner. Sometimes i give him small snacks throughout the day and he LOVES his milk. The funny thing is he had his 18th month check up yesterday and he actaully moved up in those weight percentile charts. So his docter said don't worry, he is eating normal for a toddler and grwoing fine. Just try to give him new foods and don't stress or fight with him, that makes it worse b/c they feed of your stress. So don't worry! I think it is so hard b/c feeding your baby is so basic and when they don't eat it feels like we are doing something wrong! Hopefully they will grow out of it. I suppose we will look back and laugh when they are teenagers and we can't keep enough food in the house!

I have 4 kiddos and understand what you are going thru. This might sound harsh ....but it WILL WORK. When mealtime comes around offer your child a sensible lunch. No fruit or sweets of ANY kind. He probably will not eat it at first...maybe even throw it down, etc.. Eventually he will learn that you (the parent) will NOT give-in. When he learns this, along with getting very hungry, he WILL eat what is offered to him. Children will only do what they are allowed to get away with. Sounds like he has already learned that if he says "no" to real food you will eventually give him what he wants...fruit (which is like a treat/dessert to a small child)

Good luck with your dilema.

All children go through 'favorite food' stages. One of my grandsons went through extensive testing because he wasn't growing according to the charts, but doctors decided his statue and weight were genetic to most males in our families! He ate a very strict Atkins diet by instict - throwing away the bread on a burger, drinking lots of fresh juices, eating fresh fruit and meats as well as salads and vegetables. Perhaps you can prepare such dishes as carrot and raisin slaw with grapes or baked poultry with pineapple slices (the juice will cook into the meat). Nut are a good source of protien and can be used in jello (with fruit, of course). Use your imagination and he may enjoy a wider variety without realizing it!

My son eats just about anything you put in front of him, except when he is sick. At those times, Applesauce and Yo Baby yogurt are our two best friends. If my son won't eat his meat or veggies, which is rare but it does happen, we just put applesauce or yogurt on top of it or hide the meat and veggies in it, and he eats it right up. It is a sure fire way for us. As time goes on, just put less and less of the applesauce or yogurt on it, and eventually, he will learn to love the meat and veggies. Try it and let me know how it goes.

hey J.,
try mixing the fruit with greens or other veggies. for example, a friend of mine mixed avocado with banana and her girls loved it! you could mix a little honey with cooked carrots and see if he likes that. slowly use less fruit and more veggie and it may work. you could also try mixing a little butter (organic) or coconut oil (unrefined) with veggies and adding a dash of sea salt (not regular salt!) and see if that helps his palate.
make sure all the fat he is getting is good quality and whole, not low fat! if you can and are willing, i'd do raw milk with him. we use it ourselves and it's all my daughter has had since she turned 1 and she loves it. adding cinnamon is another way to get kids to dring their milk too.
let me know if i can help in any way! good luck.

Dear J., Do not worry he will grow out of this it is his way of showing his independence. Offer him other food but do not force it. My oldest son is now 31 and when he was that age all he would eat was cheese or peanut butter sandwiches and the doctors told me not to worry his food choices will change in time and they did. Offer finger foods such as sandwiches and crackers that he can eat without your help.
M.

I would say that you should give him what you're serving and if he doesn't eat it, then you let him down and try again later with the same food. This was recommended by my pediatrician and it totally worked for us. My daughter went through a phase where she was kind of picky, but now she eats just about anything. Don't give in and give him fruit every meal just because that's all he will eat. We sometimes have to let my daughter eat everything else first and then give her the fruit or she would do the same thing. Fruit is definitely her favorite, but he probably needs more than that. He'll learn pretty quickly that he has to eat what's in front of him or not eat at all...you just have to be consistent.

Best of luck!

Have you talked to the doctor about your situation ? Your child could be a vegitarian !!

First, I agree that this is a problem to talk to your doctor about. I also agree that he has you trained. If he throws food on the floor he gets fruit. If a child is really hungry, they will learn to eat many different foods. If you feed a child only what they WANT then they don't learn about other foods. I have a son-in-law who has VERY limited food likes because his mother fed him and his siblings like that. The others who say they fed their children only what they wanted for months and now they like many foods are lucky because it doesn't always turn out that way. Good luck! Your a good mom because your looking for answers!

We don't eat many animal products. So, we make a lot of smoothies. Fruit, silken tofu and flax seeds for protein. Your child can help you do this...and will be more apt to try it! That's still 'liquid diet' stuff, but at least there will be more protein in the diet. Also, my kids will eat just about anything in whole grain pita bread or tortillas: scrambled eggs & veggie cheese. You can steam and puree cauliflower and add it to the eggs. You can add carrot juice to the smoothies. Try to find some creative cookbooks like 'Deceptively Delicious'. They'll give you some ideas on how to get kids to eat their veggies. I bought that one and wasn't real happy about all the sugar the author used in her recipes...or the meat. But there should be other ones out there! Good luck.

In my experience, my children ate what their body was craving. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Afer a while he'll get enough of the fruit and crave something else. If this doesn't help your concerns, talk to your pediatrician.

Kids are pretty resilient. Mine went through stages where they hardly ate anything and then they would eat a bunch. Don't worry. When they are hungry, they will eat. Above all, don't make meal time a power struggle, but an enjoyable experience. Just keep offering healthy choices.
God bless you in the raising of your children.

My Son Is a HUGE fan of fruit too!

I would suggest you try to give him some nuts with it.
You may be suprised that he will eat those too and
fruits and nuts are a great combination for good health!!

I'm telling you , I didn't think my son would like them , but he does.
hopefully , he's craving fruit because his body needs it right now. He will go through many more eating phases as the years go on.-A.

I sympathize because I have two picky eaters. I'm concerned that your son isn't getting enough nutrition with his all- fruit diet. You don't want to end up in the emergency room with a serious medical condition. This is what I did with my youngest: I offered her lunch, which she refused. I said "Okay, but dinner is a long way off." I left the food on the table for awhile. (Kids will not starve themselves to death!) At first, she balked. Crying, whining, you know the scenario. I stood firm and did not offer any other food until snack time two hours later. (Difficult, but changing a habit takes time.) She ate dinner because she was so hungry. She actually tried the food! Another thing is that I try to make food look fun, especially when I'm afraid she won't eat it. I arrange the vegetables and meat into silly faces or animals. I also found that she will eat something that she helped to prepare. Even if it is something simple, like shaking some seasoning into a bowl or stirring. You are a good mom. But, expect a little "noise" until this habit is changed. You are doing the right thing for him. You are helping him develop healthy eating patterns. The Pediasure is a good thing every once in a while, but it's no substitute for a healthy diet. Good luck!

He is eating fruit because you are allowing it. He won't starve. Offer a balanced meal and if he won't eat that's fine. He will eat what is offered when he is really hungry. As long as you keep giving in to his demands, he will keep it up. You are teaching him that if he refuses enough food, you will eventually give in and let him have the fruit. It's a bad precedent in a lot of ways. Try offering him a variety of veggies but no fruit. He will eventually eat and you can break the chain. Remember that you are the parent here and at this age you are in control.

My son 22 months has a love of sweet things as well. I offer at every meal one helping of bread, meat or protein, fruit, and veggie. My son wouldn't eat anything but fruit, but I would not give him more than a helping. He eventually when hungry would eat his bread or meat, but never veggies. I did get him to drink V8 fusion which has a serving of veggie in it. I only allow 1 cup of juice a day in my house otherwise he chooses between milk or water. As a treat he gets choco milk or decaf tea. Anyway, by a freak of nature I figured out how to get him to eat veggies and love them. I was eating a salad one night and he wanted a bite I told him it was veggies and he wouldn't like it and I didn't give him any. He started whining etc... I just kept saying, baby, mommy is eating lettuce and carrots, you don't want that do you? No of course not! You won't like it, it is for big people like mommy. He went nuts trying to prove to me he would like it and he did want some. I laughed and told his dad to look he was actually begging me to give him some of my salad. So I picked up a match stick carrot that had a little ranch dressing on it and started to put it into his mouth then yanked it back and said you don't like carrots remember? He told me I was wrong and that he loved carrots while he was laughing. i placed the carrot on his little tongue just knowing he was going to spit it back out, but nope, He ate it and about a handful more. So now I give him carrots like always, but I put a small dab of ranch on his plate and he dips them and eats them everytime. I have done the same with other stuff, but I just wait for him to ask me for them when I am eating them and then once he trys them, then he usually will eat them off his plate. He now eats carrots, cucumbers, brocoli(AKA trees), peas(AKA squisky green balls), beans, potatoes, he actually likes black olives on his own!!, he loves guacamole now (AKA Mole E). So try reverse child phsycology, it worked for me.

I would say to just keep trying and if he just eats fruit, then let him eat fruit, but keep trying to give him other stuff. I think kids go thru phases. My daughter, who is is 2, does the same thing. Some times she hardly eats, and she is on the petite side, but that is her. You get to know your kids. Also, what helps is if you can get another kid around the same age around, if they see them eat, they will eat. It's amazing! Also, try yogurt and tell him it's 'ice cream.' The down side is that he might ALWAYS want 'ice cream.' :( But it can be fun and they are getting some calcium and other nutrients. Maybe the yogurt with fruit in it...Hope this helps.

oh my goodness. i have read some of your responses. dont listen to them. if the kid wants friut let him eat fruit!!! they go in spurts. my oldest ate nothing but macaroni and cheese for atleast 6 months. he is a happy and healthy 8 yr old now who eats lots of different things and still loves mac and cheese.

i am not a mom who makes her kids eat anything. i put some of whatever we are eating on thier plates, just to introduce. they eat it or they don't. for a week last month all my 2 yr old daughter would eat was cheese.

it is so not a big deal. make sure he is drinking milk, and he will be fine!!!!

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My daughter was a picky eater, too, and what worked for us was to stop offering her different things. Give him whatever you've made for lunch or dinner and that's it. Don't let him throw food on the floor--teach him that is not allowed by removing him from the table if he does it. He will learn that he doesn't get to sit at the table and eat if he throws food. If he doesn't want to eat what you've made, tell him 'That's what I made for dinner. If you don't want to eat it, that's ok. But if you get hungry later, that's what you get to eat.' It may take a little bit of screaming (his) and patience (yours), but it worked for us. Good luck!

I think that he might have you a little trained to give him the fruit that he wants. It sounds like he's learned that if he throws the food on the ground than he gets fruit eventually. I would stop giving into that. What we did in a similar situation that worked was to give them a little bit of their lunch and if they threw it than lunch was over, we didn't offer more. We didn't want them to go around hungry though so in a little bit we would put them back in the highchair and offer the same exact food. If the didn't eat it we would let them down and try again later. Then give it to them for snack and eventually for dinner. Eventually he'll be hungry and probably try the food. If he does, after he eats enough you can reward him with fruit. This worked to get my daughter eating regular foods within a day or two. Now she's almost three and eats everything.

I didn't have too similar a situation but after reading the responses I wanted to just offer a tip we used with my son, who is now 6 and is a big protein eater. We always treated fruit as the dessert so it was never offered with his meals except with cereals BUT we used it as a "dip". We got our son to eat meat by offering a condiment, such as sweet & sour sauce, which I learned to make myself using crushed pineapple as a base, veg puree and some no sugar spreads and some addins, like BBQ sauce, and don't underestimate applesauce!! And yes, at times I used storebought. My son enjoys all sorts of dips with his meats and other proteins but equally without now too. I still "hide" veggies in meatloafs and other dishes too, so even if he eats the salad (he "dips" in a dressing) or veggie on his plate, he gets twice as much.
Just don't be afraid to try something new, keep it flavorful and sweet :-)

He may just be spoiled. He is probably learning that he doesn't have to eat anything else because you will give in, and let him have fruit. This was really hard for me too, I used to worry about mine because he would be "picky". It took a couple of days, but luckily he turned around. I only gave him fruit if he ate veggies first. Treat it as a dessert.

My son went through this stage, and the Pediatrician told me to stop giving in, and eventually he will eat better. If he doesn't eat peas, give him carrots, then sweet potatoes or corn caserole(my son's fave!)Not fruit. The Pediasure is a good idea because he needs more vitamins. There are also vitamins for babys that you may consider. Talk to the Pharmacist to see which are best.

sounds to me like you are doing the right thing with the pediasure . i would make sure he gets a vitamin daily - and i agree - maybe dont push the pediasure- just offer it ever so often to make sure he gets all the nutrients he needs.
up until about that same age, my daughter ate everything. Then she suddenly quit eating a lot of stuff - we never could figure out why. So - dinnertime with her did become a battle for a while. We finally decided it wasnt worth it. We made sure she had the foods she liked (peanut butter, bananas, hotdogs) and quit worrying about it. I taught her how to prepare these things early in life - around age 4 - so i wouldnt be cooking two meals all the time - and she was fine with it. As she grew older - she complained of stomach aches frequently - but never actually became ill - and it never seemed to stop her from playing or doing fun things - so we often thought it might be "attention getting" behavior. But - many years later - at age 18, while in the ARMY, she had just returned from several days in "the field" and went straight to the mess hall to get ice cream. About 20 minutes later she doubled over in pain - but managed to call me and relay that she finally figured out that those stomach aches were probably Lactose intolerance!!! She is now age 23 and has many other digestive issues. so i guess what i am saying is - unless your child is exhibiting any other "behavior" problems - then it might be a physical issue why he does not like these things - or it might be just a phase. So - as long as he is gaining weight enough to be healthy - I wouldnt worry about it - just remain observant, and just roll with it.

My son did this for a while. He refused baby food and wouldn't eat any other veggies. He does LOVE applesauce, so one day I just mixed in the veggies with the applesauce. He ate it. He won't eat it plan, but I think maybe because of the consistency? He like sweet potatoes (But more cut up like fries, than mashed potatoes) He will also eat the gerber graduates. Your little guy might be to old for these ideas, but I just thought I'd let you know what we're doing!