My Daughter (15 Mo) Won't Eat Meat

Hi B., I also have a picky little one she is know 28 months, and eat's more meat,and actually trys diffrent foods know then what she did a couple months ago. If she is not under weight and iron level is good I would not worry about it. eventually she will. My daughter started going to Day care and I guess seeing her classmates eat, that is why she stop being a bit picky. before day care I will boil eggs with no yolk.. with white rice, for snacks I will mix Penuts with raisin. Hope this helps

That's great! Vegetarian diets are much healthier. Feed her whole grains, beans, and tofu (or eggs and dairy) for protein. If you are worried about her nutrition (which you shouldn't be), you can give her protein drinks and vitamin supplements. Ask her pediatrition about it...she doesn't need meat.

Have you tried vienna sausages or cheese hotdogs? Also, try macaroni noodles with a little butter. That's what my picky eater started out on - it got better as he got older (4).

My son wouldnt eat meat either, in fact he did'nt until he was 2. He started eating hotdogs and we tried offering him other meats and he wouldnt touch them,but he's coming around slowly and will eat nuggets now too I just had to keep offering them to him I would also cut them up extremly small and put them with his other foods maybe just a tiny piece with a bite of whatever she will eat but put it where she cant see it on the fork or spoon like under the food thats what I did hope it helps

Hi B.,

I wouldn't worry about this. There are lots of other foods that cover the nutrients meat would provide, some do a better job nutrient-wise too. Lentils & leafy greens for iron, cottage cheese is great for protein, beans too.

HTH!

Hi B.,

If your daughter doesn't want meat, don't force her to eat it. Most children pick and choose what the like and don't like. I always ask them to try one small bite and if they don't like it, I find an alternative. You can find protein in other foods. My grandson would only chew the meat and spit it out. He says it is gross, lol, so I don't make him eat it. He likes beans and peanut butter, both a good source. Your daughter might change her mind later, but, for now, don't force her. Good luck!

My son is the same way, but he will eat frozen vegs and chicken if I mix them with shells n' cheese (not the powder mix). I also melt cheddar cheese on top and mix it all up with a sharp knife to blend it all together....He loves it. Give it a try.

She really does not need to eat meat. She does need a certain amount of a complete protein but there are other ways for her to get it. A cookbook on vegetarian recipes would probably help nut before you buy it make sure that it talks about complete proteins.
Some ways that she can get it:
combine beans & cornbread or brown rice
(u can buy a in=mitation pork seasoning)

Soy products

there are imitation meats sold in ur groocery store

As to the simple carbs that she loves & will eat little else. Have her blood sugar checked and be sure that they do the 5 hour GTT.
Remove all or almost all simple carbs from the house while replacing with complex carb products.
But not too much!! Limit her. If she doesn't have those to eat she will have to eat what is in the house when she gets hungry.

S.

My 2 year old son is also pretty picky. What I have learned is to make it fun. You can try offering chicken and help her dip it into ketchup or even yogurt or applesauce. My son doesn't like beef, but will eat chicken, so that is what we give him and he has his lil "dippers" on the side. Just keep offering it to her and she will eventually pick it up. BTW you are not alone. I can't get my son to eat pasta, steak, broccli, etc. I think they will just get it sooner or later. Good luck!!

B.,

Don't worry she will eat meat one day. maybe not? just supplement protein and talk to your pediatrician. Don't force the issue, keep trying. I have the opposite problem my 19 month only wants meat and it is a struggle to give him veggies Good luck

Sounds familar. My son refused meat for the longest. He finally started eating ckn nuggets, then hot dogs, then surprisinlgy fish. Still no red meat at 22 months. Just keep introducing it. Sometimes it takes up to 10 times for a kid to decide they like a food. For protein, try cheese and eggs. For iron, if he needs it, they sell liquid iron for kids. Poly-vi-sol. Make sure you mix it in a drink. Hope this helps

This is quite common. Other foods, besides meat, have the protein that your child needs. My son ate YoBaby yogurt every day with lunch for a year. Talk to your pediatrician and get some more ideas of where to find vegetarian forms of protein.

Good luck.

Hi,

My ad is listed here. I am a Natural Health Consultant. I never advocate a one shot solution,but one thing to consider is that your child is having a natural response to not tolerating meat well. If you know her blood type, it could be revealing as some types do not have the stomach acid to eat meat and digest it. She needs protein, but can get it through
grains, nuts, seeds and soy products. If you want to pursue this, call me at ###-###-####

Taking time with a child will bring about an interest in something. Try having a time of preparing the food together, maybe if she feels a part of the meal ,she will want to enjoy the whole experience and eat too! Its just a thought.

I wouldn't stress about it. My son absolutely hated meat in the beginning. Threw up meat baby food and refused most real food meats. Eventually his taste buds developed...first chicken, then hot dogs. He loves the hamburger helpers especially now. In the meantime you can give her 2 hard boiled eggs a week instead for protein. At least that's what my pediatrician had me do.

Does she like Peanut butter? That is a good source of protein. Do not stress about the meat. Get her to eat other healthy fruits and veggies and she will get the vitamins she needs. Also if she is drinking her milk that will give her the protein she needs too. Try again after about a week. Try offering sauces with the meat to dip her meat into and make a little game with it. My daughter at that age who is also a very picky eater would eat A1 sauce with her steak. Never would I think to give that to a little one but she saw Daddy do it so she tried and loved it. My son does the same thing but he prefers blue cheese dressing. Try getting the animal shaped chicken tenders in the frozen food section. They are actually pretty good. Also try eggs. That is another good source of protein. Really that is all the meat is providing for her so try to get it another way until she comes around.

B.,

Have you tried smoothies? Fruit, some kind of juice or yogurt in a blender? I use frozen fruit so it's cold (like an icee)
Kids usually like them.

L.

Hi B.,
As a vegetarian myself, I have to first say that I agree with her taste! :-) If she likes broccoli and spinach and other foods with iron, etc. it might not be such a problem if she rejects meat. But have you asked your pediatrician? Maybe you can grind up meat and sneak it in her other food?
good luck,
L.

My daughter's 18.5 months old and won't eat any meat either. She only eats fruit, cheese, peas, bread and the occasional (meatless) pasta dish. Every once in a whle, we'll sneak a piece of meat in her mouth - but usually once it's in there, she makes a nasty face and out it comes. I don't know if it's the texture or what. Sometimes she'll eat a piece of lunch meat if someone else is eating one but that's only been in the past couple of weeks.

I talked to her pediatrician but he just reminded me that toddlers are extremely picky eaters. It's normal and they'll outgrow it. He said not to worry.

She wouldn't drink cow's milk either until she was 17 months old and now she asks for it every day so go figure. I'm just going to keep offering the meat but not make a big deal of it and wait out this phase. Good Luck. You are not alone!

I have heard that as long as you give her a multiple vitamin or even the ensure for kids, she can eat what she wants and still be healthy. Have you tried tuna and chiken? You probably have. I would not worry too much. I had a picky eater and she is just fine. I wish you well.

Blessings

Keep giving her the veggies, offer her the meat, and move on. the more you puch the issue, the less she will respond. Does she like eggs? how about beans? they are high in protein as well. You might want to consult a vegetarian cookbook, and get some ideas. It will probably pass, and when you both have forgotten all aboutit, she'll eat meat one day, LOL. good luck. ~kim :)

She probably doesn't like the taste and texture. My daughter had a potato problem with 2 of her kids who didn't like them no matter what you did to them. They have now outgrown that but it lasted for years. Have you tried just some gravy on her potatoes jsut to give her the tast with out the txture and a little protein? If she likes mashed potatoes, you could try pureeing alittle meat and mixing it into the potatoes to hide it. Other wise you may have a veggitarian on your hands for a good while and if you can get her to eat a litle peanut butter, she will then get some protein.

Two ideas.
1. Look up Sharon Ytema and other authors of guides to vegetarianim.

2. Keep offering what everyone else eats, make sure the bread is whole grain and contains egg or milk, and offer lots of bread and starchy vegetables at meals. And leave her alone. She'll eat it when she wants/needs it.

my son is 2 years old and won't eat anything except meat with the occasional mac-n-cheese or chef boyrdee. i talked to my dr. about it and he said as long as i give him his vitamins, he drinks his milk and juice everyday, and just keep trying with everything else, veggiess, starchess, etc. he will eventually grow out of it. i still put it on his plate evey night hoping that he will take the bite or eat it all but he doesn't. it's just a phase that she will grow out of and if you try to push it on her then she will not take to it. my 8 year daughter used to never eat meat when she was little. i kept puting it on her plate anyway and now she loves almost any type of meat or chicken or pork that i make because i let her decide when she started wanting to eat it but still giving it to her every night and not yelling or making her sit till it was all gone.. just keep putting it in front of her and don't make a big deal over eating it and sooner or later she will take to it.. i have 4 kids and did the same with all 4 and it worked for me...

My Granddaughter is 16 mo. old and she's the same way. I guess alot of babies don't like the texture of meat. The only reason they need meat is for the protein so just feed her cheese and yogurt. I can get my Granddaughter to eat Gerber Graduate Meatsticks sometimes but don't cut it up if you just break it in half I think they think it's BIG people food.

My 17 month old doesn't eat a whole lot of meat either but her fav protein is cottege cheese...she loves it!! An idea if yours wont eat it is to stick some fruit in with it like pineapple in its own juice or unsweetened apple sauce.
Good luck,
A.

Well, rest assured yours is not the first picky eater. Have you talked to her doctor? That was the first thing I did when my now 28 month old worried me with her picky eating. Any time I get worried about what she is not eating I remember what he told me. He said that "we" have an idea in our heads about well balanced nutrition; we think our babies need a vegetable, a protein, a fruit, etc. if not at every meal, at least every day. But that a baby will get her balanced nutrition over the course of a week - sometimes two weeks! He assured me that my job was to keep offering my daughter nutritious choices at every meal and to let the baby take what she needs. I never try to force her to eat anything she does not want to. And I never try to make her take "one more bite" when she tells me she is finished. I might ask her twice if she is done, but that is just so I don't rush her through and take the food away while she still wants it. My best suggestion would be to talk to your pediatritian to see if he feels there might be a true health issue to be concerned about. More than likely, you will get some peace of mind. Good luck!

Have you tried fish sticks, chicken fingers, etc. Let her open them and put them on the baking sheet. Let her put her own ketchup or dip on her plate. That might help. Lots of times when kids won't eat if you let them help prepare it theirselves. Give her vitamins to replace what she is losing by not eating meat until you get her eating it. If you have sweets available that could be part of the problem. I never had candy, cookies, cakes and soda's in my home unless it was a special holiday or birthday. Lot's of kids choose snacks over food. Hope this helps.

I wouldn't worry about it. I use to worry that my som won't eat veggies. He used to eat anything and then he wouldn't eat meat and now he won't eat veggies. I tried sneaking things in but then he would just spit it out anyway. My family told me to stop obsessing about it and just keep giving things to him. He actually sucks ranch dressing off a carrot and leaves the carrot. But once in a while I get lucky and he eats whatever is in front of him. Do try to limit the snacks and make sure she is really hungry at meal time. If she is hungry she will eat something.

Don't worry about it. My son, now 2 1/2 is the same way. Between cheese, milk, eggs and peanut butter she's getting enough protein. Does the Dr say she's underweight? If not don't sweat it, their little bodies know what they need and when it's time for her body to want more protein she'll eat it. It took some time but my son does finally eat chicken nuggets but no other kind of meat, he won't touch eggs either. I always put a tiny piece on his plate whatever it is we're eating just in case he'll try it. Cheese and peanut butter is never a problem in our house. Good luck!

Hi B.. I don't think this is something you should worry that much about. I have three kids and for the first 2 to 3 years, none of them would eat meat. I think it has something to do with the texture of it.
As long as she is eating something, like breads and veggies, I wouldn't worry that much. But keep introducing her to new foods. Like pancakes, mac n cheese, spaghetti, soup.
Now my 5 year old lives on chicken noodle soup, but she really doesn't eat the chicken, just the noodles, veggies and broth.
You'll be happily surprised over the years to watch her tastebuds change.
Also you can get her the pediasure to make sure she is getting her vitamins and such.