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Avatar universal

18 month old refuses to eat!

My 18 month old will not eat anything other than fruit, cereal, and chicken nuggets. Since he was an infant any time we gave him certain foods mostly vegetables or meats he would gag and throw it up. He refuses to even try anything! I am at a loss. I don't know what to do! I have put food in front of him and he won't eat so I just put him down. He gets a bottle of milk in the morning and a bottle at night. Nothing else during the day other than water. His iron is low and I give him a multi-vitamin daily. I would give him all the fruit he wants, but it is causing major diaper rash that we have had to get perscription cream for! Is there anything I can do to get him to eat? or could this be a medical problem?
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757137 tn?1347196453
Maybe he is manipulating you and you, unwittingly, are spoiling him.

Were he mine, I would give him the food I thought he should have, and ignore his demands. As someone above said, children are not stupid and will not starve themselves.
Helpful - 0
377493 tn?1356502149
My son is about the same age and also is a bit of a picky eater.  I am a really big believer in not forcing them to eat anything they don't want, and as long as his diet is healthy and relatively well balanced, I have learned to not really worry to much about it.  I personally think that new things can be a bit scary for them.  In introducing new foods I will usually put something new on his tray and just not say a thing about it.  I don't make a fuss whether he eats it or not.  Often he will not try it until I have introduced it several times and it becomes familiar to him.  I have found this works well, and avoids power struggles.  

I also don't give milk until after a meal or snack.  And it's important to offer 3 meals and 2 to 3 snacks a day unless your Dr. has said not to.  They need the calories.  

The other thing I do that helps is we eat almost all our meals as a family, I turn off the tv or anything else potentially distracting, and try to make it fun.  We get pretty goofy during dinner, and it takes him longer to eat, but I find he eats more and is more willing to try things (he see's his daddy and I eating them).  I also make everything a finger food and no longer attempt to feed him.  He loves the indepedence.  For non finger foods, he likes to work on cutlery himself.  He's is getting there...it's messy as anything, but he is happy and again, eats more.

Good luck!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I only ate one meal a day when I was a kid, a bowl of oatmeal and a banana. I turned out just fine, in fact I am 27 years old, and love to eat.
Kids will eat when they are hungry, they are not stupid, and will not starve themselves. Stop worrying so much and enjoy your kids.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i have a 5 year old who has always been picky and fussy even now. i was so concerned for her i took her to see a dietician, who told me she was ok and that it was normal for her to consume a pancake over a 3 day period. i disagree. margypops is right drinks fill the tummy and then they don't feel like eating. i wud set the meals down 3 a day breakfast lunch and dinner. keep setting down new foods like fish cheese mince and gravy spaghetti bolognese he will soon learn its a case of try it eat it or i dont get snacks in between. he might throw it up the walls etc at 1st that fine dont get cross just take it away and he waits to next feeding time
Helpful - 0
535822 tn?1443976780
A bottle of milk is probably taking his breakfast appetite away...so give him some milk after he has had his breakfast .Put the cereal, maybe cheerios,banana, in front of him and let him get on with it, make no issue about him eating .,he may have picked up that its getting him plenty of attention .You say you put him down ,why, its not a race so let him eat at leisure .I doubt it is a medical problem but if you are concerned its always good to run it by the doctor .How about noodles for lunch or pasta,fish sticks, and chicken nuggets are okay .Don't try feeding him let him have at it, and give him plenty of time children don't like being rushed .Good Luck a lot of children are picky eaters .
Helpful - 0
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