My toddler is a picky eater...any suggestions? (ideas, milk, baby)

[luv80s]

Hi everyone!
I know alot of you have been through this so maybe yall can help me out some. My son is almost 2 and has never been much of an eater. He's growing well and right where he should be so I'm not concerned about him being underweight. He'll eat waffles, scrambled eggs, toast, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, fish/fishsticks, etc. But I can't get him to eat veggies or fruit. He likes applesauce or toddler fruit and veggies.

Any suggestions or recipes that your little ones like? THanks for your suggestions!

[jtla]

It might be a texture issue. Try some softer fruits and veggies like sweet potatoes, grapes and bananas.

You could also try using dips. My kids loved having something to dip or dunk. I used ranch dressing on veggies - carrots, raw spinach or lettuce - and peanut butter or yogurt on fruits - apple slices, pears, strawberries.

Hope that helps!

[Lorann]

Humus is also good for dipping. Try baked potatoes w/ a little cheese and ranch dressing. My daughter has always loved bell peppers and cucumbers w/ a little dip. Also, jicama is so yummy and sweet, most kids like it. Also, snow peas or snap peas are always a big hit.

I feel lucky my daughter was always a good eater, but I have lots of friends w/ kids that are picky. It's hard, so I wish you luck!!!

[luv80s]

Oohhh, I love hummus! I never thought about that one. I will try that. He likes potatoes too. You know what my son likes that his German grandpa makes? Chicken curry and red cabbage. Can you believe that? I don't like either one but I guess I should learn how to make it sometime.

I know in good time my son will eat us out of the house like all boys, LOL.

[dncngrl1964]

Originally Posted by luv80s

Hi everyone!
I know alot of you have been through this so maybe yall can help me out some. My son is almost 2 and has never been much of an eater. He's growing well and right where he should be so I'm not concerned about him being underweight. He'll eat waffles, scrambled eggs, toast, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, fish/fishsticks, etc. But I can't get him to eat veggies or fruit. He likes applesauce or toddler fruit and veggies.

Any suggestions or recipes that your little ones like? THanks for your suggestions!

Why are you concerned??? he seems to be eating a fair share of food for a 2 yr old.
All I can tell you is what many have told me (I have picky eaters also)
you have never seen a child commit suicide from starving themselves. Parents starve their children by making them eat "appropriate foods" and not letting them up from the table til its gone.

Don't put the food on his plate put it on yours and just "mmmmmmm" while you are eating they will ask what it is? Is it good? and will THEY like it? tell them they won't know unless they try it.
Or say something like "MMMMM, yes I love it,but if I give you some you will like it too then i will have to share it ALL the time That usually gets them

[dawn4261]

Have you tried disguising or hiding his food? My two girls are both skinny little tooth picks, but love to eat everything. But since they both have turned one, I couldn't get them to drink milk even if it was flavored. A nutritionists told me to add dairy products to foods they already enjoy. Such as yogurt, cheese or ice cream. I melted american cheese slices in their mashed potatoes and they devoured it. I couldn't taste the difference. You can puree carrots and hide them in anything. Chicken or beef soup, pasta sauce, mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes, banana bread would be good too. I think you can add a little applesauce to banana bread. Does he like carrot cake? Buy fresh melon and berries and let him make Kabobs, maybe to dip in yogurt. How about fresh fruit smoothies or milkshakes? My 3 year old loves apples but would never eat applesauce until I decided to add sprinkles. She also likes to dip cinnamon graham cracker sticks in the applesauce to scoop it up. How about fresh blueberry or strawberry pancakes? Would he like dried cherries or raisins? Some kids enjoy cherry tomatoes. You can take him to the produce department and let him pick a new or exotic fruit to try like star fruit, kiwi, mango or even something new to you. Kids are more likely to try new foods if they helped to prepare them. Does he eat brocolli? I'll give you a recipe that is my kids favorite and the only way they eat brocolli. Cook about 3 boxes of frozen brocolli as directed or to your liking(my kids like it a bit soft) & 1-2 lbs of skinless boneless chicken breast. Get a cassarole dish and layer the bottom with the brocolli and then the cooked cut up chicken( I cut mine to bite size so I dont have to do it at the dinner table). Mix 2-3 Cans of Cream of chicken soup with 1/4 cup of mayo. Every once in a while I subsitute one can with cream of brocolli. Spread the mixture evenly over the chicken and then sprinkle the top with shredded cheddar cheese and plain bread crumbs. Put it in a 350 degree oven for 45 mins to an hour or check it after 30 mins. I usually pull back some of the cheese and when the cream mixture looks melted and blended I know it's done. I guess you could mix it all first but I have never done that. Another recipe my mom made when we were little, was rice a roni and chop meat. Yummy. Brown 1 lb of ground beef or whatever your family likes, pour out the beef and almost all of the grease in a strainer and then in the same pan add a box of beef rice a roni. When the rice is browned add the flavor packet and water according the directions also put in a half can of baby peas and then put the meat back in and cook until done. My 3 year old HATES peas and loves this recipes. I dont even think she realizes that they are peas. My 7 year old loves it also. And we just found out that my 3 year old loves that spinach and artichoke dip that they serve as appetizers in restuarants. Another trick I did when my 7 year old was little. I would buy the cans of Del Monte whole green beans and put them in the pot on the stove while cooking. If my daughter came by to see what I was cooking or to complain that she was hungry, we would play the "who will get to eat the longest green bean?" game. We would each pull one out of the pot and if she got the longest I would say you better eat that before I do and if I got the longest, we'd each put an end in our mouths and eat it like on Lady and the Tramp. Before I knew it, half the can would be gone, so it was ok if she didn't eat the few I put on her plate at dinner time. It made for great fun and laughs and she still sometimes comes around to play the green bean game. Well, I hope this helps if I think of more tricks I'll let you know. Try the recipes, I hope you like them. And dont worry about your son, he'll probably out grow this. Meanwhile, find the fruits and veggies that he does like and stick with them for a while. Some is better than none. His taste buds will change as he grows. Every few months, add a bit of new veggies or fruits to his plate. He might try it and not even remember not liking it once. He might even suprise you or himself!!! Good Luck.

[carolinajack]

dont start them on eating processed foods like chicken nuggets, french fries or fish sticks, REAL food only and small portions

[kaykay]

I was always kinda laid-back as a mom... so bearing that in mind... I asked my son's pediatrician what to do about the fact that he was such a "picky eater" and wouldn't eat most fruits (would eat bananas ) and no veggies. The dr. said just to give him a multi-vitamin and not worry about it. So... I did and he continued to be verrry picky until he was about 15 and then he started eating "relatively" normally.

[luv80s]

Thanks for the great ideas everyone. It can be a little frustrating sometimes to get him to eat. The pediatrician said not to worry that he is fine. I'll give him what we have for our meals and sometimes he'll eat it sometimes he wont. It just depends on what it is. I'm not the best or most creative cook so maybe thats the problem, haha. Have yall read any good kid recipe cookbooks that I should check out?

[dawn4261]

Ask your pediatrician before you give your child a multi vitamin. I asked mine because of the whole milk situation and she said not too, because it might do harm instead of good. Something about getting too much of something is not good, but I forgot what, this was years ago. Just ask first to be on the safe side and if your doctor recammends it, have them specify which kind. He might also suggest pediasure or carnation instant breakfast drinks. Both have been recammended to me. My kids did not like most of the several flavors of pediasure. My girls have always been underweight and the doctor said they were just fine like your pediatrician tells you. However, the nutritionists at WIC was very concered. I was only concered about them not drinking milk. Visit after visit, she would lecture me on how they needed to gain weight. Very fustrating. I just listened and reminded myself that the doctor said not to worry. Finally after years of being lectured I finally asked why I had to "fatten them up", by feeding them not so healthy foods and she said the stupidest thing I have ever heard. She told me to fatten them up so if they ever got hospitalized or needed to have an IV put in them it would be easier for the doctors to find a vein. I couldn't believe my ears. What are the chances that my healthy children would ever be admitted to a hospital? I told the Pediatrician and she assured me that my girls were just fine and to get the nutritionist to stop hounding me, she wrote me a presciption saying that my child has "failure to thrive" So I could take it to WIC and get Pediasure on my WIC checks. Saved a ton of money and even though my daughter wasn't crazy about most flavors at first, she did drink some of it. She liked orange the best. Go online under family fun, or search kids recipes on Google, I'm sure you'll find lots of fun stuff. Good Luck!