How Do I Get My Son to Eat Solid Foods?

Why worry?
Do you have nutritional concerns?
Is it the cost of jarred food?

For nutrition, a good range of jarred food should be fine. (I'd use organics, myself.) You could add fiber with snack-y fiber treats for kids and a toddler vitamin.

The cost, I can sympathize with. Maybe a Costco run to last him through this stage?

I would not deprive him of jarred food in an attempt to get him to eat potatoes or spaghetti. In this crucial time in his brain development, your son needs enough protein, fat and calories to fuel all taht growth and development.

I'd keep offering other foods, along with his jarred food, and my guess is that within a couple of months, he'll be eating a greater variety. In particular, a 2 year old is likely to rebel against something you try to enforce arbitrarily.

I feel for you. It can be so hard when you are in this situation, and sincerely wanting to avoid forcing and negativity at mealtimes. Sometimes my daughter gets picky. The more I push the food, the more she refuses. So I learned not to stress out or make it into this big deal. It is a gradual process, because toddlers are going through so much developmentally.

Here is a book I just heard of that is recommended by pediatricians: "How to get your kid to eat...but not too much" by Ellen Satyr.

Here is a page with tips you might find useful: http://askdrsears.com/html/3/T030800.asp

Start by trying to mix chunkier foods into the Gerber foods he likes. Try to switch it so that he's getting more and more of YOUR cooked foods. Also, even when you give him the Gerber's, put little bits on his tray he can touch/ taste/ feel. Some kids are just SUPER sensitive to textures. So perhaps you could also start making your own baby food. Just throw a bit of your dinner in the blender or food processer, and zap it till it's smooth. If he still freaks because "it's not Gerber" then put some in a left over jar and try to trick him into eatting it. This will also help intorduce him to your style of cooking.

One last thing to keep in mind: is there anything you tend to cook with A LOT? My son won't eat things made with olive oil because "it makes it taste funny". My nephew was thought to be an over picky eater, but right at about 2 they found out he has a TON of allergies. My ex-sister-in-law says that when looking back on what he "hated", they relized it was mostly the things he was allergic to.

Hope it helped~ J.

S.,

Assuming you are in Las Vegas I'd recommend that you contact Nevada Early Intervention Svc ###-###-####. If you aren't in Las Vegas, there should be a similar service where you are located and you can get the info from your pediatrician or your local school district. Not wanting to eat solid foods can be a sign that he's got sensory issues. Do some research on Sensory Integration Disorder and you'll see what I mean. My older son is autistic and he's very self limiting on food choices because he's got sensory issues. I'm not saying your child is autistic (because how the heck would I know anyway? LOL) but you can have sensory issues and not be autistic. If your son does have sensory issues, an occupational therapist or a feeding specialist can be TREMENDOUSLY helpful. The evaluation from early intervention is free and if you qualify for services, those are free too. In my experience, "little" things like a kid not wanting to eat normal food is really not normal. The fact that you are worried about it shows that you have a gut feeling that it isn't normal. A developmental specialist can help you figure it out for sure. There is absolutely NO HARM in doing an evaluation and you are not obligated to do anything by having one. If your son does have sensory issues, occupational therapy can make him a much happier, calmer, more comfortable child. I know a lot of folks think that kids this age do things to manipulate their parents and at some levels that can be true. But for the most part, most behaviors come from some sort of a "need" and if you can identify the "need" or the reason behind the behavior it is easier to deal with. Not everything can be solved by punishing a child. And not everything can necessarily be solved by Mom, no matter how badly she wants to solve it.

T.

/Dear S.,

No more sitting for so long, that is counter productive. But you could let him help you 'cook', make jello, for sure, and smash peas for himself for dinner and mash potatoes, then tell him that the cook always gets to taste what they cook, and give him a little spoon for fun and see if he 'thinks' that it is o.k. for dinner. I stood there and helped my gr grand daughter cut things for dinner with a dinner knife, while we were cooking together. It won't take long before he is into real food. I think that they do not like the feel of the different type of food in their mouths. My gr grandson would not eat meat for a long time, he would let it just fall out of his mouth. But now he eats everything.

Good Luck, C. N.

Hi S.,
First off, stop thinking that your going to cause your child emotional damage. Children are very smart and know how to manipulate at an early age. Change is sometimes hard on children but none the less it is our duty to help our children make progress. He should have been eating some solid foods months ago. If your son sees that he does not have to eat the solid food by simple crying than thats what he will do. Slowly start giving him bites of your food. If there are no Gerber jars around he will eventually eat. Unless he just totally refuses to eat for days dont cave in to him. Make sure he gets lots of fluid. When he pitches a fit he has learned that he gets his way, which is a learned behavior. Time to take control back and do whats best for him instead of what he wants. The first week will be horrible and I am sure his tantrums will escalate. Ignore the negative behaviors and when he does eat (even if it's just a bite) Praise! Praise! Praise.
Before mealtime prepare him for what is going to happen. Maybe even have him pick out what he wants( get rid of all baby foods).Give him choices such as , do you want spagetti-o's or hot dogs , or do you want a banana or orange slices. If he says neither calmly repeat his choices. I promise you children will not stave themselves. Yes he will not touch it for 30-45 minutes. Tell him that he doesnt have to eat it.Keep it for the next meal, or snacktime, because at some point during the day he will get hungry and ask to eat. Cut out the snacks until he eats his regular meals. Let him know that if he choices not to eat at mealtime than he will not get the snacks he wants. This is a simple control issue with you, and so far he has won. Nip this behavior in the bud now. If you follow through and tough it out for a week the battle should end which will be a win win for both of you. Good luck... Hope this helps!
N.

S.,

Gerber has solid foods also. Or you can make regular food and stick them in a Gerber jar. Or--you can put a portion of food on your plate and feed him. I think it is not so much as solid vs baby food but that if he starts feeding himself full time, that is more time that he is spending away from you. It is not like you stay at home with him all day. (no guilt trip here. I had to work with four kids as a single mother) Think about it. May be the answer. He seems to be more upset that you leave him to eat then what kind of food (dinner) he is eating. R.

Hi S.,
I have a 2year old and sometimes he gets so busy playing that he doesn't want to eat. You could try feeding him a bite so he knows what it tastes like. Also, make sure to cut it up in tiny pieces. My son loves ranch dressing and yogurt, so sometimes I serve his food with the dip and he will eat whatever I give him.
Do you and your husband sit down and eat with your son? I've found that eating with him makes a huge difference. when he sees us eating, he will start to eat.
Hope this helps.
S. Pothuraju

Try not to worry! I run a family daycare and presently have a 2 1/2 year old who will not eat table food. He has an absolute fit if it is placed on his table. Previously all he would eat was yogurt and cheese, baby oatmeal and applesauce. His mom asked me to skip all the dairy products and he still will not eat anything. Again she worries that he doesn't get enough nutrients and therefore gives him vitamins. He is a very bright little boy and is in the 90 percentile in height and weight. All I can advise is to keep on serving him different varieties of foods, especially easy to pick up pasta, and just see how he does. Eventually he'll get it! DOn't give up! Also limit the amount of milk that he drinks, as that can easily fill a child up.