My Son Is Refusing Almost All Foods!

A lot of times it is due to their sudden need for independence/control. Let him eat as much as he can on his own. My pediatrician always told me, "When they are hungry, they'll eat. Just keep offering.". I found that sometimes how you approach the food and how you describe or present the food can make the difference. If you beg him to eat something, he'll see it as a way he can control the situation and refuse it, even if he is hungry. If you give it to him and don't make a big deal about it, then he'll be less likely to jump to "control" mode. One thing that worked for us was all in the description-calling broccoli trees, calling anything small "baby" (baby carrots, baby corn for the corn in stir-fry), making something look like something else, would make my daughter interested in it. She's almost 5 and it still works today! I've offered something to her and she'll say no, and then I say something like, "Oh, I thought you'd like the BABY carrots.", and all of a sudden she changes her mind! She also liked dipping things into sauces.

I don't think he is teething, but even at 18 months he can get his molars in. My daughter had all her teeth, including molars by 15 1/2 months.

I had to eat things for several meals until we ate them when I grew up, too. I decided not to do that for my kids, but instead to just not ever make anything special for my kids, and make her eat a couple of bites. If she's hungry enough, she'll eat it. If not, I guess she'll have to wait until the next meal. Funny, though, I think that's only happened a few times. My secret weapon? We don't have dessert that often. So, when I pull out the dessert and she can't have any unless she eats enough dinner, all of a sudden she starts eating! Positive experience, and she learns to eat those foods that she otherwise wouldn't have touched. Hope this helps!

I suppose every kid that does this picky eating thing has different reasons.
My son also stopped with many foods at that age.... limiting things to mac-n-cheese , grilled cheese and chicken nuggets. Now at 3, I don't know how he's going to get any proper nuntrition.
Meanwhile when he did eat, he even liked liver sausage, shrimp, salmon..... whatever we gave him.
so to skip all of my whining on this battle.... here's an example of how I get him into new things.
1) shapes of the food..... recently put whole grain pancakes in the pan and add two dots on top of the roundpancake ..to make 'em look like mickey mouse.... Ialso sneak wheat germ into the batter.
It worked once... and now I don't ask ... I just make them.
If the ears break off the pancacke, he doesn't eat them... so that tells me to focus on shapes of food.
2) one day I got take-out chinese.. and was inspired to buy 'shrimp toast' appetizer because I remembered they are shaped like a triangle.
Funny, he ate 4 of them that night.....
3) Same thing happened with eating the white rice out of the chinese food box.... he is apparently thinks that was worth eating too.
4) remember that shrimp toast in #2.. well he wanted it one day when I was not about to go out of the house... so I used some frozen shrimp at home..... he helped me blend it with some egg ,, breadcrumbs... and whatever else I could think of.... and then pan fried the home-made triangle
He requests this dinner often now.... and again I add wheat germ.
I have plans to start sneaking in some finely chopped veggies too .... he'll never know.
5) high fiber, low sugar cereal.... frosted wheats have always been and still are a hit......
6) Kashi granola bars .... high protein, high fiber and low sugar too.

although, he eats these things, I think this is ridiculous.. and wish I had the motivation to go tough love.
Maybe your son is not too young.
You don't want to be in my shoes next year.

- good luck

Are you letting him feed himself?
That can make a huge difference.
You say that even if you catch him off guard and get it in his mouth, he spits it out. Let him put things in his own mouth.
Put him in a high chair, let him have a little bowl or plate with his own spoon and baby fork and let him go for it.
Also, keep in mind that little kids do go on what we might perceive as "hunger strikes", but it usually preceeds a growth spurt and they pick up right where they left off.

Offer him food, but let him feed himself. Get a dollar store tablecloth to put under his high chair and let him use his fingers or get used to his spoon.

Ha!
"However, I think my son is pretty young for such tough love. He is hardly verbal and becomes so upset when I try to feed him something he doesn't want. Is this a common phase? Advice on how to handle it?" ~ What age do you think tough love is going to work? It is hard to know.. I am not making fun, but we have all been there with you.

Remember a childs senses change all of the time. They become more aware of odors, taste, colors and textures.

At one point they like certain foods and the next they cannot stand them.
Do serve him what you make for your meal. Give him very small portions. do not beg, prod, or reward. Just leave it there. If he eats something, without a word, give him a tiny bit more. Continue, till he is not eating.

Also they go through times, they are just not very hungry and other times, they will act like you cannot give them enough. You need to follow his lead.

Sometimes children like things to be served without the sauce. So you may want to give him rice, peas, meat, separate, even though you stirred it all together for yourself..

Do not give him his milk (liquid) till the end of the meal so he does not fill up on it.

As moms we feel like a failure if we cannot get our children to eat, but they will not starve. If they are hungry they will eat.

I promise it is totally normal. This is one of the only things he can control right now.
I am sending you strength.

I remember my oldest son living on nothing but Kix cereal for a week at around age 2. He got over it. My younger one tries to live on nothing but bars. Have him checked at the doctor. Could be strep or and ear infection or some other infection that is causing him discomfort eating. Otherwise, try to find a food from each food group he will eat and ride it out. Certainly can't last forever.

Are you sure he's not teething? My son had all his 20 baby teeth long before his second birthday. My daughter is 16 months, has 14 teeth and is teething now.
As long as he eats something, he will not be starving. Try to serve at least some of the food he will eat with each meal. And then, after the meal (not before), be generous with milk (or even rich toddler formula) to give him more nutrients, calories, proteins...
At this age, tastes and preferences change often. Toddlers also discover the power of no. Keep consistent, it's most likely just a phase.

Actually, he could be teething. If hasn't pushed his 2 year molars yet, they could be working their way up. My 15 month old is already working on his.
Could he have eaten something that didn't agree with him, or does he have any food allergies? Something might have upset his stomach and now he doesn't want to eat. Also, it could just be your son testing you. They really get a mind of their own at 18 months. It could be a control thing. If he is hungry, he will eventually have to eat!!! I'm sorry I don't have more advice, but good luck!

All of my children have gone through stages of eating like pigs for days and weeks at a time and then going for days and weeks at a time without hardly eating anything. This goes along with growth spurts usually. The fatten up, grow a few inches and then back off on eating sometimes nearly entirely.

My 2 1/2 year old is currently in the starvation mode. She asks for food specifically and then hardly touches it at all. My husbands cousin is married to a pediatric doctor. He said that a 2 year old averages one good meal every 3 days. Our doctor told us not to worry about it. She will eat if she is hungry and not if she is not. Also, toddlers tend to want the same food for days and then go to something else for days. The usually manage to get all they need nutritionally, they just get it in spurts of this nutrient and that nutrient, but it balances out.

I also agree, with the post about letting them feed themselves. At 18 months, they are wanting their independence. They want to choose for them selves and feed themselves. Put some finger type foods on a non breakable plate or directly on his tray and let him at it. If he doesn't eat it and just plays with it don't worry about. He will eat when he is ready.

I have thrown out plates and plates of food of my toddlers plates or eaten myself (like I need the extra calories). Since my daughter is growing normally (tall in fact) and gaining normally, I am not going to worry, I won't force feed because if she is not hungry, I don't want to encourage overeating that can lead to obesity.

First, he's a little young for the "eat it now or you'll see it again later" rule. you aren't teaching him anything, he just doesn't get it. He's 18 months. Of course he doesn't understand when you explain it to him! He doesn't get to control much in his life, but what he puts in his mouth is ONE thing he gets a say in. He won't totally starve himself to death, but he can hold out and not get nutrition he needs for quite a while.
I'd give him small amounts of what he wants and then offer him what you think he should be eating. At least you'll be giving him SOME nutrition instead of letting him starve himself.