Toddler-Poor Eater-Suggestions?

[Calee]

I am spinning off my own thread :lol

My two year old is a picky eater. Normal, I know. But does any one have any, "it worked for me" tips on getting him to expand his diet?

(I asked an aquaintace about this and she said "when my son spits something out I flick him in the mouth".... Um, no.)

I have no desire to make food a battle, but was wondering if there are any good ideas to make eating/trying something new a positive experience. He gets very little protein, and sometimes I wonder if he has wonky blood sugars that affect his mood... (He eats peanut butter but no meats of any kind)

[Kiara.I]

My two year old is a picky eater. Normal, I know. But does any one have any, "it worked for me" tips on getting him to expand his diet?

Care less. :shifty Seriously. The less I care about what my kids eat, the better it works all around.

Your job is to provide the healthy foods. His job is to decide how much/whether he will eat. But, it's not critical that he eat meat. Lots of people don't. Does he eat cheese? Nut butters? Chick peas or black beans? What about dips? If he likes dips, you can do celery with hummus. You can do burritos with beans and cheese. You can do all kinds of things.

And, keep offering small portions. A little bit of chicken, some rice, some squash. Maybe eventually he'll eat the chicken. :shrug Or not. Also, how are you seasoning the meat? Many kids like stronger flavours than we give them credit for. My 8 month-old was way more fond of taco seasoned ground beef than of plain.

And just keep offering lots of options. Make sure there's something that he likely will eat at every meal, but the other things don't need to be. If he eats nothing but squash? :shrug That's fine. It's healthy.

Oh, some kids will be pickier if they are over-hungry. The best time to experiment is not when he's starving, but when it's been a couple of hours since the last meal and he might be kind of peckish, but not famished. So, if you're dealing with an over-hungry child, it's best to go with something you know is well-received, to get the blood sugar back to something you can both be happier with. :)

[AngelaVA]

My advice would be the same as Kiara's except for the fact that your other post today was about frequent and long lasting tantrums.

My DD was a very picky eater with major tantrums that started around his age and got worse and worse up until right before she turned 4 and we finally figured out her food sensitivities. The most common one that causes this is dairy products if he loves cheese and gets most of his protein from that and other sources like milk yogurt ect I would consider the possibility that he has a dairy sensitivity.

[Sparrow]

I have no desire to make food a battle, but was wondering if there are any good ideas to make eating/trying something new a positive experience. He gets very little protein, and sometimes I wonder if he has wonky blood sugars that affect his mood... (He eats peanut butter but no meats of any kind)

Aaron was picky. It drove me nuts and I constantly worried that he'd starve.

If you'd like him to eat meats this is what worked for us - put it on a stick. Seriously, we'd take bits of chicken and make little skewers on toothpicks. I'd get DH to bend little metal skewers (so A didn't get poked). I'd give it to him with a side of some sort of dipping sauce, yogurt, salad dressing, or a homemade barbecue sauce, whatever I thought he'd be into.

After awhile that got old, but if we put it in a wrap he'd eat it. Sometimes that was all our dinner and something that I'd gag on in a wrap, but he'd eat it.

Presenting it differently worked too. Making faces out of his food, making him his own little meat loaf, etc. helped.

Anabel Karmel has some really good books. I know you can get her books from the library.

Oh, and beans and cheese are good proteins too. Will he eat those? You could make him a "squishy pizza" (quesadilla). I can even chop the heck out of broccoli to hide in there.

And for what it's worth - I was a kid that ate nothing. I would sit at the table and stare at my food. There were many nights I NEVER ate. At about 8 I was getting better and by 12 ate anything. I'm the least pickiest person I know. The only thing I won't eat is seafood, I have *issues* with it :shifty

[Calee]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and the ideas! I will try chicken on a toothpick with dip. He does eat hotdogs :shifty and he eats those off toothpicks, so I will try other meats. Sometimes I am just BAD at thinking of ideas that probably seem like no-brainers to other people!!!

He does eat dairy-cheese and yogurt. He eats three veggies (peas, broccoli and green beans) and pureed fruits. So at least he likes some healthy things-it is just a VERY short list!!!! :D I'll just keep trying to make it fun and be patient!

[joyinthejourney]

We stick to the few things he will eat during he day, & introduce new foods at the evening meal. We require a "thank you" bite. He doesn't have to eat at all if he's not hungry. But, if he's hungry & asking for something different, he has to at least taste what's on he plate. He can say thanks or no thanks after that. Typically, he likes it & eats a little. Or, if he doesn't like it, I find him a quick healthy snack. Or, he realizes he's not hungry & asks to be excused.

[Sparrow]

He does eat dairy-cheese and yogurt. He eats three veggies (peas, broccoli and green beans) and pureed fruits. So at least he likes some healthy things-it is just a VERY short list!!!! :D I'll just keep trying to make it fun and be patient!

Hey, if he eats greens you have a leg up on most mamas!! :D

If he likes pureed fruit could you freeze some pureed fruit into popsicles? Then you could get a good spread of vitamins....

Oh, and fruit skewers are a hit here too!

[realfoodmom]

Ah...food. This is a subject close to my own heart! :giggle
Both my daughters, ages 3 and 5, are fabulous eaters. They each have a couple things they don't like, but otherwise eat nearly everything I put in front of them as long as...and here has been the trick for me...they have been introduced to it a number of times.
It took about 6 or 7 times over the course of a week or so before my daughter ate asparagus and now it's her favorite food.
Sometimes foods just plain feels weird on a child's tongue. Some people also have a very strong aversion to bitter tastes and most veggies are bitter. They need to get used to it.
We don't force them to eat something they don't like but they do have to take one bite (the three year old) or three bites (the five year old) to be polite. They can't spit it out. That's just plain rude and embarrassing when you're at someone's house. If they don't want to eat anymore that's fine but I don't offer them anything else because I'm not a short order cook and I don't want them to turn their noses up at healthier fare because they know they are going to get a PB&J or whatever if they do. They also don't get dessert (if we have it, which is rarely) if they don't eat a decent amount of their meal.
I do make exceptions. On the rare occasion I make something new and it turns out inedible we all get a do over. ;)
If they are sick (or constipated- my three year old is ALWAYS constipated!) I don't care what they eat as long as I can pronounce all the ingredients.
Those couple of things have worked for us fabulously.

[jandjmommy]

You didn't mention breastfeeding, so I'll assumed he's fully weaned.
Is it more an appetite issue or a picky issue? Some parents I know say their child is picky but really he's just not ever hungry because he snacks/sips all.day.long. When the child is at my house he eats whatever I give him (without any force or coercion at all). Since you mentioned blood sugar/behavior link possibility you might want to feed him something every 2-3 hours (7am breakfast/10am snack/12 pm lunch/3pm snack/5pm dinner/8pm snack) instead of 5 hours (7am breakfast/12pm lunch/5pm dinner) It will seem like you're always preparing a meal/snack but if you prep snacks once a week it really doesn't take any more time than vacuuming up goldfish crumbs if he has open access to snacks all day.
To help him find his appetite just offer him water (flavor with citrus/fruit if you want) and wean him off juice and milk.
Another thing we do is a meal/snack routine: turn off tv (if on), wash hands, sit at the table, and I sit down with them. Makes it more of an event and we regroup with a little face time--very nice break on days when I have to spend several hours on housekeeping. Also keeps the mindless snacking at bay, and keeps the house a lot cleaner (table is the only place for eating and drinking).

[Calee]

Thanks for the further ideas.

Yes, he is weaned. He breastfed for 15 months, and then I got pregnant and he weaned himself as my milk decreased etc.

He has never drunk one sip of milk or juice-he refuses every drink but water, so I know he is not getting full off of drinks. We don't keep typical "snacks" in the house for the most part, because I do want him to eat the real stuff (typical snack options are: yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, fruit)

I try to be really mindful of snacking. If he is hungry, I offer "real" food (whatever would be served at the next meal) first, even if it isn't meal time. After nap I try to not give him a snack unless he asks so that he will be hungry for dinner, and at dinner I give him whatever we are having. His typical day is:

Breakfast: Waffle with peanut butter and yogurt

Mid-morning: Fruit or a homemade zucchini muffin

Lunch: Peanut Butter sandwhich on Whole Wheat bread, cheese, fruit, and possibly yogurt. Sometimes mac and cheese (homemade) or leftovers from dinner if it is something he likes.

Dinner: I offer what we eat (usually some form of chicken, green veggie and starch) He usually eats the veggie but nothing else. He is a funny kid-doesn't like any form of potatoes-every other kid I know loves them!

If we have pasta he will eat that-he loves tomato sauce. He just doesn't get much variety, but then again, his dad eats a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch EVERY DAY, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised!

[abh5e8]

my only thought is not give them other "junk food" options. mine will usually pick gold fish or pretzles over veggies and dip with their sandwich at lunch if i would offer...so i just don't offer. and dont' worry if he won't eat...he does't need much right now and certainly won't go hungry. if just offer fruits, veggies and meats and a very few grains. that works pretty well for us.

[jandjmommy]

Thanks for the further ideas.

Yes, he is weaned. He breastfed for 15 months, and then I got pregnant and he weaned himself as my milk decreased etc.

He has never drunk one sip of milk or juice-he refuses every drink but water, so I know he is not getting full off of drinks. We don't keep typical "snacks" in the house for the most part, because I do want him to eat the real stuff (typical snack options are: yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, fruit)

I try to be really mindful of snacking. If he is hungry, I offer "real" food (whatever would be served at the next meal) first, even if it isn't meal time. After nap I try to not give him a snack unless he asks so that he will be hungry for dinner, and at dinner I give him whatever we are having. His typical day is:

Breakfast: Waffle with peanut butter and yogurt

Mid-morning: Fruit or a homemade zucchini muffin

Lunch: Peanut Butter sandwhich on Whole Wheat bread, cheese, fruit, and possibly yogurt. Sometimes mac and cheese (homemade) or leftovers from dinner if it is something he likes.

Dinner: I offer what we eat (usually some form of chicken, green veggie and starch) He usually eats the veggie but nothing else. He is a funny kid-doesn't like any form of potatoes-every other kid I know loves them!

If we have pasta he will eat that-he loves tomato sauce. He just doesn't get much variety, but then again, his dad eats a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch EVERY DAY, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised!

It sounds like he has a pretty healthy and balanced diet. You just want him to try new things without a fuss? [and FWIW my kids hate potatoes too!] Just make different stuff for dinner--1 main or side; you don't have to upend your regular routine -- and have him do the 1-bite thing.

[AngelaVA]

Thought of one more thing. My girls really enjoy the plates with the little sections so all the food is divided up clearly. Somehow it makes the new food look more appealing. Sometimes I do a little food art too, like use a fruit or veggie to make a smiley face on top of something, they get a kick out of that.

[COTK]

They can't spit it out.

We require a "thank you" bite.

HOW do these policies *not* turn into WW III???

[WingsOfTheMorning]

A couple things that help my DD...

to put very little food on her plate. Tonight at dinner, she started with a quarter-sized bite of salmon, one piece of broccoli, and two fry-sized pieces of potato. (A flyer at the ped's office said that too much food looks overwhelming to children sometimes, and if she doesn't eat it, then there's not much to throw out/save.)

Have you tried giving him the meat and fruits in different ways? For example, I usually have to cut any rind/peel off DD's food. She also eats better if it's cut into small pieces or sometimes in thin slices. Big pieces she tends to cram all in her mouth, chew a little, then spit out. I also give the food names sometimes, like at lunch I cut some turkey breast into thin strips and called them "turkey sticks."

We are dealing with some food sensitivities and a family history of obesity, so I don't require any bites or tastes. I really want her to listen to her body. We should probably work on "no, thank you" a bit more though. :shifty

[Mum2Es]

HOW do these policies *not* turn into WW III???

What she said! I can "require" a bite of my 5 year old but not a hope with my just-turned-2 yr old.

OP, what your son eats in a day sounds really quite healthy to me. Evie (my 2 yo) is a TERRIBLE eater and I'm currently working on a week long food diary so I can get a picture of where the really worrying gaps are in her diet - I suspect she's missing calcium. And probably protein too. Once I have a whole week I'll be starting my own thread on this so I don't have anything to offer, sorry! :giggle