help on getting one to eat food?

Discussion in 'The Toddler Years(1-3)' started by attebow, Feb 24, 2007.

  1. attebow

    attebow Active Member

    So I need help!! I'm looking for any ideas/ foods/ advice or what I can feed one of my girls that refuses to eat table food. Abby is more adventurous and will at least try things - she is still a little picky though. But, Kate - I think she may be on stage 2 baby food until she goes to college. Anything with texture - and she'll gag or give you the dirtiest looks. And if I try to sneak some I thing in, it can sabbotage to rest of the meal. THe other question - while on the subject of meals, is how much milk you feed and how often. I don't want to cut back (we do about 4 - 7 oz bottles a day) on the milk since I know she isn't getting enough table food - or is that part of the problem?? Thank you for any help you can give me!!
     
  2. p31heather

    p31heather Well-Known Member

    If it's any consolation, I fed stage 2-3 baby food until they were 13.5 months but we were also feeding some table foods mixed in. A bite of baby green beans, One REAL green bean, etc. Just keep trying on that one.

    ON the milk question: by the time they are one year you should be doing an average of 16 oz of milk. Double check this with your Pedi. So I usually offered Milk at the meals and diluted juice or plain water at snacks. I was doing 3 meals and 2 snacks at that age. Too much milk can not only spoil their appetite but also cause problems with iron absorption.
     
  3. summerfun

    summerfun Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    I also have a picky eater. Trevor will put things in his mouth, but spit them back out. He will eat puff, cheerios, toast, grilled chesse, chicken nuggets, pizza, and a few other things really well. If I give him something else it goes into his mouth, but comes back out. I am hoping he will eventually outgrow this and see that I am not giving in and will keep giving him things to eat and eventually he will eat them, that is my hope.

    I was also told that they should get no more than 16 oz. of milk a day. They both still get a 6 oz. bottle before bed at night, but that is the only bottle they get. They both get milk at meals. Plus I always give yogurt at lunch and offer cheese too. So I know they are getting other sources of calcium. If they are drinking too much milk then they will be full and won't want to eat. So if you are giving them four 7 oz. bottle that is filling them up, that is 28oz. of milk a day. Try cutting back and see what happens.

    I do still offer some of the jarred food at each meal since we are still in transition. I don't feel there is anything wrong with it right now. I do try and offer enough table food though, but will give the jarred food, one jar each, if I don't think they've had enough.

    Keep trying, hopefully she will eventually get it and start eating more of a variety of food.
     
  4. MichelleS

    MichelleS Well-Known Member

    I would suggest feeding her the baby food but putting finger foods on her tray. Eventually she'll pick it up and, hopefully, it will make its way to her mouth. Maybe she would eat ziti noodles that are slightly over cooked so they are mushy for her. Or try putting a tablespoon of peas on her tray and see if she plays with them. Even if she mashes them some may wind up eaten and the next time she might try eating without mushing.Have you tried serving her mashed potatoes? This is one of the first things that we gave our girls. You can add cheese or even 1/2 potato and 1/2 cauliflower. Another option is to offer her a cooled baked apple that might appeal to her because it's sweet.

    As far as the milk goes, I also remember the recommendation of no more than 2-8 oz. bottles of milk per day. Our pedi told us that too much dairy could cause constipation. I don't think that the milk would stop her from eating food with texture. She is eating a good amount of the baby food, right? If you think that the milk is making her full, try serving water with her meals.
     
  5. TwinxesMom

    TwinxesMom Well-Known Member

    You might try feeding her something both of you will eat such as english peas(or another small veggies) and you eat one and then offer her one. My girls didn't like baby food and would much rather have what I was eating than the baby food.
     
  6. attebow

    attebow Active Member

    Thank you!! I think the consensus is that they are getting too much milk - which is why their little tummies are full, and they don't want the other stuff! I'll talk to our pedi this week, and just keep trying!! Thanks again!!
     
  7. greatexpectations

    greatexpectations Well-Known Member

    I saw a feeding specialist thinking that one of my girls was never going to eat table foods without throwing up! But, truthfully, she was just slower to come into it than other babies (including her sister). Now, she tries anything! Her twin, however, is now the pickier eater! [​IMG]

    Anyway, here is my advice and what the specialist recommended for us. Start out by giving her graham crackers (one cracker) to hold and nibble on. Basically, she needs to learn to "chew" before she can handle foods with textures. The graham cracker trick worked wonders for us ... once she mastered that, move on to cheerios or puffs. Then, keep experimenting.

    Another thing: I never did give Stage 3 baby foods, and still don't. There is a common thing among some babies that those foods "confuse" their mouth because they want to swallow instead of chew and that makes them gag.

    Take baby steps with her and she'll come around.
     
  8. Minette

    Minette Well-Known Member

    She really won't be eating baby food at college. Many kids (including one of mine) are just cautious eaters. I knew that Sarah could bite and chew, because she would eat bread & crackers, but that was about it until about 13 months. I just kept offering the finger foods (while filling her up on baby food, yogurt, and bread), and eventually she did start to pick at them. It helped that we hit on a couple of things she really likes (mini-quiches from Costco! fish sticks!) -- once she was used to self-feeding those, she was more willing to try other things.

    I also found that trying to coax or "sneak" things into her backfired. The only way to do it was to put stuff on her tray and pay no attention to whether she ate it or not. Also, keep in mind that if something goes into the mouth and gets spit out again, that's still progress -- it shows that she's considering eating it, at least.

    Hang in there and keep the faith!
     
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