PLEASE HELP. Desperate Mother Trying to Find Things Her 13 Month Old Will Eat

did you ever introduce yams, peas, summer squash, avocado, etc? You didn't list any fruits or veggies that he likes. When did you start him on solid foods? Most kids love banana, carrots, yams. Thats' why you need to introduce the good foods first. Try mashing bananas with avocado. Babies love it.

Sounds to me like he eats quite a variety for 13 mos. Are you still breastfeeding? If so, he's getting good nutrition there. I'm no expert, but my approach would be to offer other foods one at a time, but not to push and make a battle out of it. Kids change so quickly all the time - what he doesn't like this week he may want next week or next month.

First, you can't make anyone try something new or be good at trying new things, so stop putting stress into the feeding time. That will only make it worse as it becomes a battle. "New" is possibly the key. Put the foods on the tray over & over, whether he eats them or not, and soon they won't look "new" anymore. Good luck! He'll be fine.

I totally understand. My son has gotten quite picky as he has become a toddler. When he was younger, he ate and loved everything I made. Now that he is nearly 22 months old, he is super-picky! Some days he eats a certain food, other days he spits it out. It drives me crazy! I can never force him to eat (my husband tried that). That just makes it worse. The best time to get him to eat veggies is when he is really hungry - just before dinner. So, if he is watching Sesame Street while I am making dinner, I cook some green beans, peas, broccoli or cauliflower first and give it to him in a little bowl and sprinkle it with a little Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt or Seasoned Salt. That is his appetizer while waiting for dinner. He eats it while waiting for dinner. He actually came back into the kitchen with his empty bowl the other day and said, "Mo Gree Bea". Yes, he wanted more green beans! Yeah! I also make a fruit smoothie for Will every morning (he helps me). This consists of 1/2 banana, 3/4 bag of frozen strawberries, 3 lacinato kale leaves (no stems), 1 frozen wheatgrass shot, 1 tablespoon hemp or flax oil (for omega 3 fatty acids) and about 3/4- 1 cup almond milk. Sometimes I use orange juice instead of almond milk. I use all organic ingredients. Blend everything until smooth. Sometimes we add some blueberries, raspberries, carrots, etc. I always include kale. Lacinato kale is more tender and blends better than regular green kale. It is full of vitamins and minerals. He loves smoothies (who doesn't?). Tofu cubes are great to try, as is tempeh. Extra firm tofu is super easy to cook. buy the kind packed in water (in the refrigerated section). Wrap in a clean, dry kitchen towel to drain, and slice into 8 pieces. Fry in a non-stick skillet over high heat in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon low-sodium tamari soy sauce and a sprinkle of dry basil on each side and cook until golden brown. Homemade baked potato fries or sweet potato fries are great, too. Preheat oven to 450 degree. Slice russet potatoes or sweet potatoes into fry shapes and toss with a little bit of canola oil (works better than olive oil). Place on cookie sheet and bake for 15 min. Flip. Bake another 15 minutes. Flip again. Takes about 30-45 minutes total. Spread on paper towels, sprinkle with sea salt and serve. Serve with ketchup or ranch dipping sauce (look for organic ranch dressing). Bagged frozen fries are worse than fast food fries! Making your own is pretty easy and kids love them! They are pretty healthy and low in fat. Best wishes! Either way, I'm sure they'll grow out of it. I'm sure my son can't live on crackers and raisins forever!

Hi N.,

I raised five children...and used to make a lot of pasta dishes...I would cook the meat of choice with a ton of vegatables, then when the meat was cooked, pull it from the pan to cube or ??? and use one of the hand blenders to puree the veggies in the broth...I would then return the cubed meat and serve over pasta, potato, rice...I found puree to be my best friend...if they can't find it they can't spit it out...fruits can be pureed and blended with his yogurt...

Good luck - T.

I'm in the same situation, only my daughter is almost three. I can't get that child to eat her veggies to save my life! I've decided to give the book "Deceptively Delicious" a try. You might want to check it out. It's got a bunch of recipes for adding veggie puree's to various foods (ex - your son likes bread, you can give him banana bread with another veggie puree added). Other than that, my mom keeps telling me to just not give her anything except what I want her to eat and if she is really hungry she will eat it eventually.

N., I do know that kids are all different in the eating department. I have 3 kids and my last child we tried to feed him and he wasn't liking a lot of food. We found out we were feeding him too bland of food. He likes peppers and onions and all the foods adults like at only one years old! We couldn't believe it. He didn't like chicken nuggets and prefered regular dinners to hot dogs.

I did have my first born who wouldn't eat baby food out of the jar....... she liked smashed bananas and everything fresh.......that might taste better then the jar foods.
She would only eat the plums. Not the dinners, oh those are so weird tasting. Have you tried the jar food? LOL I like the peaches! But other than that the food is okay and expensive.

At their doctors apointments the doctor tells you what percentile they are in. If they are within the normal range then this is a good sign. I have heard you have to introduce foods up to 15 times before the kids like it. Some kids eat everything, and others are a little more finicky. You could play a game with them when eating. Or try a grandparent or different person to feed them. Eating is very social. Is your child around other kids? As the first born they are usually sheltered from all the sugary foods which is great. My first born didn't like soda until she was over 5! Hope this helps. I know raising kids can be stressful, but oh lots of fun. Hope this helps... C.

Hi N.-
That's really tough. Veggies and fruits are super important, but getting a kid to eat them is a whole other story. Is it cooked veggies or fresh? I know that I did not appreciate cooked veggies until the last few years of my life and I still prefer my fruits and veggies fresh. If you have not tried it, carrots with peanut butter are awesome- apples with peanut butter- apples with a softer cheddar or cream cheese. To keep on the low end of sugar, use Trader Joe's peanut butter- no sugar, no salt- just ground up peanuts, and it's fairly cheap. If you are used to Jiff, it's kind of a shocker to the system (like it was for me) but I absolutely love it now, and for $1.70 a jar, you can't beat it. For cheeses, I love brie, carmelized onion english cheddar, and cream cheese. A harder cheese, if he likes it, is just as good- try dubliner irish cheese (white cheddar), or other cheddar, monterey jack.
About the tantrums, I would say let him throw them and walk away. If his tantrum gets no attention, he will have no other choice but to stop. It's hard to do it, I know, but it's worth it.
As far as him wanting to try it for himself, maybe get him into the preparation process. If he is excited about it (he can have his own apron- masculine of course) and wants to present the food in an artistic way, it may help him eat it. Try ants on a log- celery with peanut butter and raisins or dried cranberries on top. Pair them with some cheese and maybe a yo baby yogurt (only 7 grams of sugar). I say alot of low sugar stuff because my hubby got adult onset diabetes and we are so worried about the diabetic epidemic. Plus, in one of our classes, the doc told us that the diabetic diet is what the entire world should be eating anyway- not sugar free chemically altered stuff, but fruits and veggies, and smaller servings; less bread, water, not juice or soda, etc. Just one of those soap boxes I feel inclined to support =).
One last thought is this: my mother used to give us graham crackers and lemon yogurt (I also loved the berry and the lime) as dessert AFTER eating our dinner. Applesauce was seen the same way- a nice dollop with a dash of cinnamon on top. Fruit was treated as a prize and therefore we wanted it more and were willing to eat whatever to get it. And I sat through more plates of cold green beans than I would care to admit.
Make small goals and just build upon them. You and your husband should have a sit down before you go out to feed him and agree on what he will eat and how much and how the 2 of you as a TEAM will react to his temper. The 2 of you must be solid- firm and together. This way you create a unified front and are in agreement on how to handle him before the situation occurs.
I hope this helps. Good luck with the healthy stuff. =)

That's a lot more than my son ate at that age. Get the book "Child of Mine" by Ellyn Satter for info about introducing new foods and about how to make sure your child develops a healthy relationship with food. Personally, I would have been thrilled if my son ate all of those things at 13 months. He's five and a half years now and eats lots of different foods. You can talk to your pediatrician about vitamin drops if you really think your son isn't getting all the nutrients he needs. Give your son time. Being suspicious about new foods is completely normal and actually comes from survival instincts. Get the book I mentioned (and that our son's doc recommended to us), read it, and have your husband read it. Then you'll all be on the same page. If you react too strongly to your son's behavior, he will learn that behaving that way is a good way to get your attention.

In my experience, the harder I fight to have my daughter eat something she has decided not to eat, the harder she resists. She is 19 months old and she eats fairly well. I've read it takes b/n 20-30 tries for a toddler to try a new food, so when I put a new food in front of her, I never expect her to eat it the first few times. Generally, she will not try it for the first few times, then she will put it in her mouth and spit it out (getting used to taste and texture), then if she likes it, she will eat it. Of course a few things she takes to right away, but most foods follow this pattern. I never want to making eating a battle, so I just make sure I fix a variety of foods~most she knows, at least one newbie, and let her eat what she wants. I never let her demand what she wants for dinner (one time she threw her eggs on the floor and demanded cheerios for dinner, I don't THINK so) b/c I don't want to have the kid that needs a special dinner every night.

The other thing that I have found works really well recently is just putting food on my plate. If I'm eating it, she will generally try it (esp if she thinks it's a food for me and not for her) and usually eat it.

Good luck!

Hi N.
When trying something new DON'T ever announce it's something new, be nonchalant. I never tell my son, oh this is new, or try this. I just casually serve it.. :) also, his eating habits will probably change, but you could try FRESH fruit and vegetable juices, I 'm NOT talking about those pasteurized juices that call themselves nutritious (juicy juice, v8, etc etc) I am talking about fresh pure juice. once something is pasteurized, you can pretty much kiss all the nutritional value goodbye.. keep it as raw and close to nature as possible. if you can't or don't want to do juices, then you could do fun things like cut out apple, pear slices using cookie cutter shapes.. Also, it may not be the food that doesn't taste so good to him in as much as the NEW TEXTURES.. for example, my husband's little cousin NEVER liked mashed potatoes, the texture was just too weird for him.
just keep trying new things and eventually something will stick.
also, it's important that he see you eating the same specific food you are trying to feed him.

Since my son was born, we always made it a point to have a FEW different vegetables and or fruit with dinner. we just added the produce to our plates like we did the main course , this way it looked "natural" that we ate this kind of food. It never seemed like we were trying to force feed my son anything..

good luck

Hi! It sounds like you have a very strong-willed child. If you've tried most strategies and failed, you should consider taking him to an occupational therapist for feeding therapy, although probably not for a few more months. Not many pediatricians will support this so you may have to really convince yours. I took my son to the Oakland Children's Hospital and the OTs there were great. My son was, and still is, so stuboorn that he would rather starve himself for days then to eat food he doesn't want. It's a long process so I do a combination of food that he will eat and that he doesn't like and alternate between spoonfuls even if it's cake and steak. I was like my son and my mom did not cater to me. As a result, I am extremely small built even though I have some tall genes in the family. I do not want to see my son ending up like me, so I feel your pain. Good luck!

Like many of the previous posters have said - try to take a deep breath, relax, remind yourself that your child will not starve himself. Kids at this stage are *notorious* for wanting to assert their growing independence at meal times.

The book "Child of Mine, Feeding with Love and Good Sense" by nutritionist Ellyn Satter has a lot of helpful info - I wish I had read it when my twins first started getting pickier about food as it would've made me less stressed to realize this was a NORMAL thing. She offers not only useful information but also does a good job of setting our normal parental worries to rest. Remember your little guy *is* a little guy and the amount of food he needs to stay healthy and grow is in all likelihood quite a bit less than we worried parents think.

One of Satter's observations is that toddlers will reject new things quite readily but, given the opportunity, will usually try the item whenever THEY decide they're ready. I think she said it'll often take about 10 tries (meaning, offered once or twice at a meal and then not until the next meal, not 10 times in a singe mealtime) before a typical child will allow the new item to be left on his/her plate and maybe another 10 tries before the child will take a bite.

Hope that helps! Hang in there, keep offering healthy options, and your child should eventually come around. Also it's good if you and your husband have a habit of eating healthy things, because at some point your child will probably want to sample whatever he sees you eating/drinking - I've seen far too many toddlers and young children 'sampling' their parents' sodas and junk food and then developing a fondness for it. Our kids are now 7YO and actually prefer things like crackers, milk, real fruit juice, and homemade stuff over sodas, really artificially flavored/sweetened drinks, and fast food. I'm not sure how much of that is nature, nurture, or just plain good luck, but I'm pretty sure it's at least partly b/c my husband and I aren't fond of that kind of stuff and don't eat/drink it so they never really developed a taste for it.

I feel you pain. I have picky eaters, too. I tried everything. I consulted with the pediatrician and nutritionist. They ended up saying the same things. Don't be a short order cook. Offer your child what you make for dinner and maybe one other thing you know they will like so they eat something and that's it. Offer healthy foods at meals and snacks and set the example for healthy eating. Supplement with a multivitamin I guarantee you child will feed (pardon the pun) off your frustration. So do your best to relax. At this point I think it's more important to teach your child that having tantrums over dinner is completely unacceptable behavior! Teach that if they choose not to eat something that they need to do it politely. Just leave it on the plate and say no thank you. But don't give up. And don't give in to feeding junk food all the time. My oldest son is now 4.5 years and finally eating veggies on his own accord!

He's eating a lot of good food. A friend of mine told me all her kids wanted to eat was applesauce, yogurt and avocados--but they survived! and are trying other foods. My kid loves beans but only when we buy them somewhere, not if I make them (I swear mine are just as yummy). I found he would eat a soup of split peas and veggies, well-pureed, so I keep tons of that on hand an in the freezer. Adding a little salt (just a pinch) to some foods helped too. People don't need a huge variety of foods, really, just a good range of colors --sounds like you just need to find a few green, orange/red, and maybe blue things (most kids adore blueberries) he'll eat to get a better range of nutrients. One day my kid shocked the heck out of me by grabbing salad off my plate and really going for it (at 15 mos), so remember things change fast with these little ones. Good luck!

hi N., our daughter is picky too but the best way we found to get her to eat is off of our plates. if dad takes a big bite and is excited and all yummy yummy about it, she wants a bite and sometimes it works into her eating all of the new item. it doesn't work all of the time but some. also, we let her try with her plastic spoon which is really messy but she feels like a big girl and actually does get food in her mouth. i shovel in bites in-between her trying. good luck!

On the show, the DOCTORS, Dr. Sears went to a family's home where there little boy would hardly eat at all and his suggestion was to just ignore him because the mom and dad were all stressed out trying to make him eat. Don't put any food on his plate, just everyone else's plate and start eating. Lo and behold, he got curious and hungry and started pulling food off his mom's plate and eating and he ate quite a bit. So if you want him to eat veggies or fruit or whatever, try this method and see if it works. If everyone else is loving it, and he doesn't have it, he might just get jealous enough to try it and hopefully like it. I haven't had to use this because my daughter isn't a picky eater but good luck and let us all know what worked.
GA

Hi N.,

Bananas, broccoli, corn on the cob, frozen peas/blueberries and presentation.

For my kids, so much of trying new things was presentation. I also never emphasized the new item. It was on the plate with other foods they recognized.

My kids liked regular bananas, not cut or mashed and the peel must still be on or somehow the banana tastes different. Your son may like ripe bananas because they seem somewhere between cheese and oatmeal in terms of texture. Mine will eat corn on the cob but are still not convinced that corn in a can was once on the cob. My mom swears by frozen peas and blueberries (not necessarily at the same time). My daughter wouldn't eat any meat at all and I was concerned about protein intake. I finally got her to eat hot dogs because I cut them into little circles and then put them on her plate in a smiley face.

The only thing little kids can control with absolute certainty is what they put in their mouths. My daughter will be six soon and has only recently began to seek out new foods and try new foods without a fuss.

As long as you model good eating and have fruits and veggies around, your son will eventually discover which ones he likes.

Good luck!

My son is usually a very good eater, but once in a while (perhaps a power struggle?) he becomes incredibly picky. I tried putting frozen veggies (peas, corn, carrots) in a food processor and simply sneaking them in to his food. It didn't always work, but often, I was able to get him to eat veggies without realizing it. If your son likes pasta, it's a terriffic food to slip crushed veggies into. :)
To be sure he doesn't have a food allergy or extreme sensitivity to something, only "sneak" one new food in at a time. I've known toddlers who refused certain foods, and later found out they had an allergy to that food.
Best wishes!

sounds like u might be stressing out too much over this. There are so many other things to worry about to add this to your list. Of Course u want him to eat well (which sounds like hes not eating all the bad) my daughter survived on cheese and crackers. They eat what they need when they need it. Keep offering him different things and dont offer the new things by themselves, if u put a pile of meat and cheese on his high chair tray just put a small amount of something u want him to eat next to it, maybe he accidently pick it up and eat it ;) Also if he likes cheese over veggies with melted cheese. Also, my daughter is a picky eater and is 18 months now. I have started doing the deceptively delicious book. I give it a thumbs up. maybe u can check it out. U have to put a bigger effort but its worth it. Your son will be just fine. If ur worried about him not getting the vitamins and minerals they have vitamin supplements (talk to your doctor) if he's healthy and looks good just enjoy him. :) good luck

P.S.
He may also going through a phase of independence. My daughter eats way more if i give her her own little fork or spoon. Yes it will be messy but he has to learn and he wants to be like everyone else.
Hang in there.
This is only but a small moment

Work on a bite for bite technique. For each bite he eats of something new or something he really needs, reward him with a bite of something healthy he REALLY wants. It's going to be a little ugly at first, but if you stay firm and REALLY stick with it (every meal for as long as it takes), pretty soon he'll get the idea and that you're really going to follow through with it. Then you can start working on two bites of new stuff=one bit of preferred stuff, three bites, etc. Or he may just discover a whole bunch of new foods that he really does like! Good luck, and just remember that rule #2 of parenting is BE CONSISTENT! (Rule #1 is PAY ATTENTION!)

At your son's age there is so little he has control over. Food is the one thing he does have control over. First, I'll say, don't stress over it. I know, easier said than done! But if you make a big deal outa him needing to eat, chances are he's gonna dig in his heels & not eat what's offered. I also suggest you don't get in the habit of making him plate after plate of food until he decides to eat somehting. Don't give him too many choices/options....just 2 cuz he could get overwhelmed by too many choices. At dinner, give him basically what you're eating & if he doesn't eat it, then that's that. Don't make him 'take one more bite' or stay til he eats his dinner, that will just turn this into a battle of the wills and toddlers can be very stubborn! He will not starve. Kids are smart...they eat know when they're hungry & let us know. As others have said, you could try those V8 juices that have veggies in them. Juicey Juice makes some of them as well. Try giving him smoothies or Ensure-like products. If your ped. isn't concerned about his weight, then don't worry about it. There will be so many more battels to come & if you choose food as that battle, it could be a life-long issue. Most important, stay consistent. Best of luck & Merry Christmas!

Hi N.,
Don't worry. I don't think that is really picky. I bet the temper tantrums are the most frustrating for you, but it does not mean you are doing anything wrong.

I have found with Thatcher (12mo) that he likes adult food. He likes spiced food and stuff from my plate. He likes to eat chili, and eggs with salsa...I figured this out one day when he wouldn't eat his mashed up food I gave him, but he chowed down on my food like he was starving. I guess he was just hungry for more sophisticated things.
I also found he is picky about his veggies. He doesn't like sweet potatoes when they are boiled or steamed, only when they are roasted in the oven. Funny huh? So I roast all his veggies now, and it's actually easier. I roast them all together and the whip them up in the food processor.
I think it is a process. The one mom who said to let your son play with the food is on to something there. My son does better when he can pick it up, and other times he wants us to give it to him. By giving them more control over their eating can let off some steam for him.
Oh, the biggest thing is now my son is spitting out food more often, but his teeth are coming in. He has 8 already, but the pointy ones are breaking through. He has become very finicky with certain things and I think it is the teeth. He loves eggs, but he has been spitting them out.

So try giving him food off your plate, and he is never too old for the enthusiastic Yummy face when he tries something. I find that Thatcher is looking for my cues still, as if he wondering if it is good.
He is beginning to figure out that he can choose what he likes and doesn't, and since he can't talk or sign yet - we as mom's have to guess what they want.
Don't force him, it will just become a battle of wills. You could try when you and your husband are eating something new for him, that you both act very enthusiastic about it making yummy faces and see if he tries it. Then cheering when he does...kids like positive reinforcement much better. hee hee!
Best of Luck!

My son went through this from about 12-24 months. I'm sure a more patient mommy would have just kept offering the good foods until the child caved in and tried some but I made my son smoothies.

My son would drink juice so he liked smoothies. This is what I put in a blender:

V8 or some form of pure juice
Any kind of fruit I had like bananas, strawberries etc
I also grated zuchinni and blended in green beans
Nancy's vanila yogurt.

I knew if he even drank 8 ox of this a day, he'd be getting his required fruit and vegies.

You can also freeze the fruit or add ice.

If your son is as picky as mine was, you might want to be sneaky. If he saw me putting foods that he had decided not to like in the blender, then he wouldn't drink it.

You can still try the method of continue to offer the foods.

I also had my son on Juice Plus which is a vitamin that has all of the fruits and vegies in it. They have a gummy, chewables and capsules which I dumped in the smoothie. You can look online to find a distributer near you if you are interested.

This is what kids do. My son who is almost 3 still is a picky eater. We just keep introducing the same new food over and over until he eats it. My cousin's daughter ate only mac n cheese for a few months. It is so normal. Have you tried pureeing vegetables and sneaking them into his oatmeal or as a sauce for his carbs? It works. I even make a home made pizza using a carrot puree as the sauce. My son does not know the difference. Good luck

Hello N.,

I'm right there with you!! My first son was and still is so picky. My pediatritian said the biggest mistake parents make when feeding their child new food is to make a big deal about it. He said to take a few items he likes and mix them up with one item that is new and give it to them without making a big deal about it. So... cut up some chicken and cheese and add some frozen peas to the tray and turn away, don't stare at him to see if he likes it or not. Don't seperate the food just scatter them all around the tray and don't be too discouraged if he still doesn't eat them. It can take a child 10 - 20 times trying a new food item to determine if they like it or not.

Also you may try adding some fruit to his oatmeal. Make the oatmeal and add in a little pear or applesauce. Just add a very little amount the first time and continue to add more and more until you eventually give 1/2 a bit of applesauce and 1/2 a bit of oatmeal. I've even added veggies to oatmeal. Doesn't sound appealing to me but he ate it.

Good Luck and don't stress about it!! Just give him his vitamins and the rest will come. You can also try diluting V8 VFusion in a sippy cup if you really want to get some fruit/veggies in him. Just don't get too carried away with juice it has LOTS of sugar in it.

i have 3 kids, the older two are girls and my youngest is a boy. my girls eat a variety of food, my son is super picky.
i was always told with infants/toddlers that can feed themselves, offer a variety of things, and see that they eat. keep offering it sooner or later they start to pick at it. it is a waste. when he gets older and is eating food like you eat, it'll be easier to disquise the veggies and stuff that he doesn't like. at this point I think the docs are happy that they are gaining weight (not too much of course).
I fed my son whatever he would eat, but I would always put a veggie down there too. He wouldn't eat green ones, so I would make sure there were carrots, or corn. a corn on the cob is fun too, because they have fun eating it, and they just suck the life out of it. and it feels good if they are teething. My son was underweight in comparison to his height. HE is a tall boy. But he was allergic to dairy, which posed a bit of a problem. but he is fine now (at 3) he is still picky. But food doesn't rule his life. He is more interested in playing and being a boy. he consistantly gains weight at every doctors appointment so the doctors are not concerned.

don't stress. things will change. he's just showing his independence. eventually you will be able to reason with him. but for now... its his game.

Hang in there, and be firm. Don't even buy grahm crackers and then you wont be tempted to serve them. Don't give him milk or juices of any kind, with meals, or in between. Some toddlers use both of these substances as meals. You can serve it after his meal. milk fills the belly, and fruit juice, which is all sugar, supresses the appetite. Sugar of all kinds, including processed carbs like crackers and such, will modify that craving for good food, change the kids taste buds, and reduce his natural hunger. Veggies and fruit taste MUCH better when you are hungry.

Ever heard of chia seed? it says its better than flax. 64% omega 3 oil (the good oil found in fish),more calcium than 2% milk, more antioxidants than blueberries, easily digestible protien, more fiber than bran, and gluten free.The oil in it helps absorb vit A,D,E, and k. It turns gelatinous in liquid, so you can add it to pancakes, smoothies, oatmeal, pb and J, puddings,cakes,etc. I get mine from nutsonline.com. There are a ton of distributors online and you can probably find it in the health food store.

Not enough vitamin A, magnesium, and zinc can all cause a lack of appetite. So if you can someohow increase these nutrients you might see a better eater. Also, if there is carb prefrences give more Chromium in diet and it will reduce the cravings. The best way to get these vits is in food because the foods already have the co-vitamins in them that help you absorb them.

foods:
Chromium=tomatoe,romaine,oysters,liver,raw nuts,green bean.
Magnesium=raw pumkin seed,chinook salmon,halibut,broccoli
zinc=peas,shrimp,lowfat yogurt,beef tenderloin

if you dont have fresh foods, try feeding frozen. (canned veggies are just yuk,yuk,yuk.) how about frozen peas. if you freeze quartered grapes, and serve them like that, those are yummy. I put a tablespoon or two of soy sauce in my steaming water when I make brocoli. It turns brocoli haters into brocoli eaters. (toddlers have more sensitive tastebuds and may need much less) Try using coconut oil to stir fry veggies, and add very small amount of soy at the end and stir it up. To get the best bang of nutrients for your buck when buying fresh, buy organic.
Lastly, you could try to give him Cod Liver Oil. Walmart has an orange flavored one. It is the highest source of vit A you can get and good supply of vit D. It's an excellent superfood. Vitamin A specifically helps the thymus gland (immune system) mucosal tissues(reduce the colds, ear problems, etc) bones, skin,eyes and growth.

I have the same situation with my now 3.5 yr old son. My advise to you is what another mother told me, find the one thing your child will always eat. For many it is spaghetti (you can hide tons of nutrition in spaghetti). Unfortuantely, my son can't stand pasta. However, my son loves white rice. So, I chop (to the size of rice kernels) veggies that are similar in color, like yellow squash, or the white part of the broccoli. I dump the fine chopped veggies on the same pot as the rice, so it steams on the top as the rice cooks. Once the rice is cooked, I mix it in. I also found a chicken sausage (Trader Joe's and Costco sell them) that has spinach and fontina cheese in it. He likes that too.
Also, don't stress if your son doesn't eat too many veggies. My father reminded me that fruits have just as much nutrition. Blue berries, bananas, strawberries and apples are a big hit with most children. Keep trying to introduce them.

I will be honest, that I have been struggling with my little man and food since he was 14 months old. (Luckily, my 15 mnth old eats well). The few things my son will eat, I simply rotate through out the week. When we go out to dinner, I always pack a small container of peanut butter, apple sauce and string cheese, just in case there isn't anything he will eat on the menu.

I trust he will grow out of it, and patience is hard to have all the time. I was told that when he is hungry enough, he will eat. However, my son has proven to me that he can hold out till breakfast (that is his favorite meal of the day).

My pediatrician suggested serving food family style and letting my boy select what he will eat from what is offered, and always have 1 or 2 things on the table I know he likes. Perhaps that could work for you.

Finally, at 13 months, the idea of introducing a new food 10 times until they will take it still works. Keep trying. My motivator is (and I constantly tell myself this), he will not be ordering chicken nuggets and mac & cheese on a date. So, he will grow out of it at some point.

Best wishes to you and your son.

I'm sorry, but I don't have time to read all your responses, so this may be a duplicate. My daughter did the same thing, but I kept offering her fruit and/or veggies with every meal and she will now (at 18 months) eat fruit again. I still have a hard time with veggies, but she will eat them sometimes. The key is to keep offering them to him with every meal, then sneak it into his other food. Spread smashed fruits or veggies (or even baby food) onto graham cracker, I always hide extra veggies in the spaghetti sauce. Just take a deep breath and let him figure it out for himself (which I know is really hard to do), you don't want to make it a fight at dinner. Also, pay attention to what he's eating all week, not just each day. If he's eating some fruits and veggies throughout the week, he's probably fine. One last thought is smoothies. I give my daughter a smoothie every morning, 8 oz yogurt and 1/2 cup fruit, that way I know she has more then 1/2 of her milk for her day and 1/2 her fruit (the dr said 12 oz milk/yogurt and 1 cup fruit/veggie at her 15 month check up).
I hope this is some help, and I can't wait to read the other responses you got!
Happy Holidays!

I have 11 month old girls. We are also working on finger foods and non-baby food. Some things they like:

* Cottage cheese. You need to feed it to them but you can mix it w/veggie or fruit puree and it provides some protein along with the texture of non-baby food.

* Egg yolk scrambled with a little formula (or milk / breast milk) and cheese. They like this much better than plain egg yolk scramble and they can feed it to themselves.

* Cheese panini. I found this recipe in the back of "What to expect the first year". Soak 2 pieces of wheat bread in a mix of egg yolk and formula (or milk / breast milk) like you are making french toast. Put some cheese in the middle and then either toast in a frying pan or in a panini maker if you have one. Cut off the crusts and cut into bite-sized pieces.

* Organic frozen mixed veggies. A mix of carrots, peas, corn, etc. To get them to try it, I mix in little pieces of string cheese or cheerios which they like. That way, they get comfortable trying the veggies too.

We are only eating egg yolks and formula vs. egg whites and regular milk bc they aren't 1 year old yet, but you can substitute whatever your son is eating.

Take what he likes, Chicken, and sneak other foods in there.

For example, my toddler eats anything with Trader Jo's Soyaki sauce on it.

You could mix fruit into yogurt or oatmeal, for example Trader Jo's frozen blackberries.

Try not to make a big deal. If he does not eat it, fine. But keep offering. Cheese and Chicken and Oatmeal are good foods! It is not like potato chips and cheese doodles. Unless your doctor says there is a nutrition problem, it is not an emergency.

Sweet potatoes and butternut squash are huge hits, too.

The book "super baby food" has many excellent food suggestions, particularly for veggies.

Good Luck!

Try dips of ranch dressing, ketchup, etc. My little sister (now full grown and a mom herself), was a bit of a controller as a child and would refuse to eat. Finally my mom took away her utensils and gave her a variety of healthy foods finger food style with dips of ketchup, ranch dressing, etc. It worked. She had some bizarre combinations, but she ate!

You can try fruit smoothies (taste like a milkshake) that might help to get your fruit intake. I normally put in frozen fruit, yogurt, some orange juice and milk to thicken it up..my kids love it. For vegetables, my kids are picky in that they will only eat carrots and cucumbers, but you can mix them up in the food that he does eat. There is a book out called Deceptively Delicious, where there are recipes on how to include vegetables in foods without the child knowing...there were some really good recipes in there..

Good luck,
J.

I also had a very picky eater, although perhaps not quite as picky as your boy. My daughter is EXTREMELY sensitive to textures. I realized that for her, even putting a bite of food in her mouth was 'trying,' it, even if she didn't swallow it. She often spit things out at the beginning. Just putting something in your mouth, at the beginning, is a form of trying it. As my daughter got a bit older and we could communicate better, I told her that if she was going to spit something out, it was okay but she needed to put it on a little plate that I gave her. That way I established that spitting food out is not a game, but instead made it an acceptable option that she and I had some control over. This approach worked very well for me. I still applaud her if she takes even one bite of something new or that she doesn't like, even if she takes it out of her mouth.

I would also encourage you to let your son play with his food as much as you are comfortable with. The process of playing with food is a way to expose kids to foods and help them take some ownership of the process in a nonthreatening way. So even though it's driving you crazy, don't pressure your son. My daughter also went through phases where her pickiness was even more intense. Those periods had me worried, but they passed. I also kept my daughter on formula/breastmilk for a quite a while after the 12 month mark, so I didn't feel so pressured to have her getting all of her nutrition from food. Finally, I put powered vitamins in her yogurt so that I feel like she's getting some supplementation. Foodie expert-types say that it can take 10-25 exposures for new foods. I'd also pay attention to if there are general categories of things your kid can't handle. For example, my daughter simply will not eat things that are mixed together. Just won't. So I generally give her food that is separated and stay entirely away from things like mixed up casseroles. I'll give her mixed-up foods, but more for exposure-purposes (i.e. practice) than expecting her to eat them. Also--check out Ellen Satter's "Child of Mine--Feeding with Love and Good Sense." Great book. Also the Sneaky Chef by Missy Lapine. Best of luck. I know this is hard.