What to Do About Baby Who Only Eats Crackers and Cereal

Research has shown that it takes an average of 17 tries before a child will try a new food. Keep presenting it on her plate. Sooner or later, she'll try it. Most parents give up too soon. My child loves crackers and cereal but I kept trying and she eventually tried everything, even brussels sprouts and LOVED it! Yes, I had to waste food sometimes. But I won't put a lot of it, (e.g. one piece of veggie) at every meal. Don't give up. It's worth the effort.

It is hard to know what to do when kids start to become fussy , because you just want them to eat something. 12-18 months is a common age for kids to start being picky with what they will eat (happened with my son at 15 months). I made the mistake of making him something else if he didn't eat what I gave him and it snow balled into having a child that would not eat any fruit/veggies , pasta , meat (The list goes on). My advice would be give a small amount of 1 food item that you know she likes , along with 1 or 2 other items and take it slowly , if she doesn't eat then take it away and don't make her something else , limit snacking to healthy things such as fruit (don't let her snack in the PM) and also limit juice intake , if she is thirsty offer water as juice can fill them up so they don't want to eat. No child will actually starve themselves and if you write down everything that passes her lips throughout the day you will be surprised at what she is having (remember there stomachs are tiny). She will give in eventually once she realises that you are not going to give in , this is just a new stage for her where she is trying to push boundairies. It could also be that she is a little bored with what she is eating , so why not try something completely different , at 11 months she can have a variety of foods now (most things that you eat). My youngest is a big lasagne fan , I cut it up into small squares that she can pick up , yes it is messy but it's all part of learning , pasta and meat sauce is another favourite , home made pizza with a selection of veggies on may interest her aswell.

Hope this helps

K.

I am going through the same thing with my 10 month old. I've started taking canned veggies/fruits and pureeing them or chopping very finely and mixing it with cereal and crushed up crackers. She gets her starch but starts acquiring the taste back for fruit and veggies. A big thing for her was she was tired of baby foods and wanted 'real human food'. lol The canned fruits and veggies that I get are the no salt added or sugar free kinds so they aren't so bad. I use a pampered chef chopper because it turns every time you hit it so the food gets chopped really finely, and evenly (and it is quick!). Good luck! A. - mother of a 3 year old and 10 month old

Z., I wanted to say that Kate's advice is terrific! I would add just one thing and it's not about food, it's about behavior--yours and hers: Don't let her see your concern about her eating and don't follow every bite she takes with a worried stare. Make meals matter-of-fact and don't let them drag on and on while you wait for her to eat, or worse, try to persuade her to eat just one more bite. Eating becomes a power struggle if that starts to happen; she will realize, even at her young age, that this is a kind of game--Mom wants me to do it and I don't want to do it so I won't do it...and let's see what happens! When she seems to be done, like Kate said, remove the food. I would add that you then can swiftly get her down from the high chair, and move on with the next thing in your day, praising her briefly if she ate a good meal and saying nothing if she didn't--don't scold her for not eating. Let us know what happens!

I had one son that would only eat spinach, one that would only eat chicken wings and one that would only eat hot dogs.
They are in their 40ties now and are healthy. They outgrew their little food quirks. It took a little time, but they survived. I made sure they had enough milk and other liquids and supplemented their diets with approved vitamins.
By the way, those items are still on their favorites menu. LOL

In addition to the other comments I would start giving her a multivitamin, if she is not already taking one, she will certainly need them if only eating starches.

Firstly don't beat yourself up for her "pickiness"...it, just a host of other things to come, are phases. As long as you haven't attributed her behavior or food choice decline to anything regarding a health issue, then she is probably being just that - picky.

Giving her choices will help her to know that there are so many things to choose from and that she's not always going to get her way. Sometimes you may offer her a choice of two things that she doesn't care for...but let her know that at next meal time or snack time she can have "x" (something she likes).

Be careful of giving in to only the things she's "into" because then you'll have an ever harder time of getting her to grow the variety in her diet.

My son is now 3 yrs-old and he's had some of those picky times when he doesn't want to eat what I have given him. I really thought he'd never eat table food or anything besides snack foods - but I continued to offer him a variety as well as told him that this is what there is to eat. So he could eat it & then get a treat or not.

Although I'm not so into making deals, we sometimes have to use what we can to get the children to do what we know is best for them.

It may take time...but she should come out of this. Also ask your pediatrician if she's lacking any particular nutrients and if she may need some supplementing from other vitamins, minerals, etc.

I wish you the best!

Kate hit the nail on the head. Our pediatrician gave us a heads up at 9 months to expect that very reaction from our son and she specifically instructed us to not give in. Continue offering a variety of foods.

Does she drink formula? If so, you could continue giving that to her, or go on to the stage 2 formulas or pediasure for the added nutrition/calories.

Our rule with our son (19 months) is that he sits in the high chair until we are finished eating, regardless of whether he actually eats his food or not. We don't scold him for not eating, but do scold him if he throws his food to the dog (or on the floor if we're somewhere other than home). Also, I do not allow him to have any snacks or drinks 30 mins before a meal.

As for the weight, I wouldn't worry about it. My son had issues with gaining weight - he wasn't even on the growth chart until he was 9 months, and even then it was only in the 5th percentile. Weight gain naturally slows when they become more active, but as L. as they are developing appropriately, there is no need to worry.

My own children go through what my grandmother calls eating jags, where they only want certain foods. Children naturally won't starve themselves. Offer her the same food that you have been, as long as it's healthy choices, but offer them to her before you bring out the other stuff. Also, my oldest son craves food that gives him a "buzz". He is autistic and certain foods give him sensations that he describes as making him feel good, they also make him hyper. That being said, my other son and daughter, who are not autistic, have gone on eating jags, only honey nut cheerios, only mac and cheese, etc. You could also try adding a protein shake for kids, or pediasure to make sure that she gets the vitamins and minerals that she needs. Also a good multi-vitamin, my kids take Koala Pals.

I agree with what others have told you but have one thing to add. Does your baby drink juice? If so, Apple & Eve makes vegetable/juice blends for children. My grand-daughter refuses vegetables (and we still do offer them to her) but at least she is getting some vegetables into her with these vegetable/juice blends.

You might want to look at a gluten intollerance. Unfortunately with a gluten intollerance when it breaks down it actually causes an opiate like response in the brain thus making it addictive while at the same time destroying the gut and causing leaky gut issues.

My favorite place to go to talk to other moms about all the food issues doctors just aren't aware of is http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/foodlab/ good luck

from a mom who has btdt