Picky Eaters

My son is 18 months and I'm trying to get him completely off baby food and on table food, but there are only about 5 table foods that he will even try.  This morning I gave him something new and sat him with it for an hour and he still refused to eat it.  Any thoughts?

[91004]

With both my kids I would give them whatever I decided to fix if they did't eat it then they didn't get anything else to eat until the next meal they are 2 and 4 and now eat just about everything. The doctor told me they will eat when they get hungry enough and its true

[g8r grl]

I feel your pain! My son has a couple of things going on that cause him not to eat/be a very picky eater. It's soooo frustrating!

I know that everyone will tell you just not to feed him and that he'll eat when he's hungry. This may work most of the time, but it won't on kids like my son. He has sensory issues and only eats about 10-15 different foods total (that's pushing it) at 26 months old.

What kind of things does he eat? What have you tried? Maybe I can give you some tips on the hundreds of foods that I have tried. I should open a restaurant....

[margypops]

there are some great finger foods out there place them in front of him and get on and eat your own food or be busy with whatever you were doing, sometimes if they get too much attention it works the other way,eating is one of those times, cut small fruits, blue berries,of soft cheese, fish sticks in bite size pieces,peas, little florets of broccoli (some children dont like it) spaghetti with letters or motives in it,crackers, meat balls there are baby ones out there, make Mac and cheese .place some foods in front of him then move away letting him at it, spoon or fingers.Give him yoghort tpo mess with and eat, you can place a mat under his chair.Dont say much .If he still wont eat dont say anything take him out to play he will soon get hungry.if he has plenty of running around and Fun.

[Hope2OneDay]

My son has sensory issues as well...and believe me when I say he'd starve himself before eating "whatever I decide to put down in front of him". He's already lost weight where I kept trying to "make" him eat the food I cooked. It's so hard because he only eats soft foods (he won't even eat goldfish crackers or anything that he has to really "chew"). He eats cinnamon toast Eggo waffles if I tear them into tiny pieces, but I can't give him the crispy edges...just the center. Other than that he only eats mashed potatoes (with cheese melted in it or gravy on top), chicken noodle soup with crackers that are full blown soggy, the spaghetti from spaghetti and meatballs (but not the meatballs) and other "soft" foods. The only hard foods he'll eat are the Gerbers puffs and Yogurt Melts. He will eat peas if I mush them up a little first, and he sometimes eats green beans. I'm tired of having to give him baby food, but if that's the only way he'll eat veggies, then I'm going to do it. He is also talking an Enfamil liquid vitamin in one of his cups of milk each day. Hope this gives you some ideas...I can make a better list of foods later, but I'm about to go to bed.

Good luck!

[twokids19]

I have told many people about this & has not seemed to work with any child but my own.  I have 2 children, my daughter, she's  4 1/2, will eat anything you put in front of her & has since day 1.  My son, he's 3, did not start out like that, baby food all the way.  One day I had a jar of carrots that I was feeding him, since I wanted him to try table food, I made regular carrots & put them on the plate next to him & said "same"  he ate them, left the jar food.  I tried it w/ several other things & it worked.  My son, to this day, just like my daughter will eat anything in front of him.  I have 2 kids who will eat any kind of veggie, meat, etc & I consider myself very lucky.  It couldn't hurt to try.  Best of luck!
Michelle

[twokids19]

My son was about 14 months when I did this.