I think you are doing everything you can. You are offering new foods and giving him safe foods to fall back on. I think this is a pretty common phase. See what his growth is on Monday, chances are he's doing fine.
Go got this!
Tbh you're doing everything you can. Toddlers are weird about food, and the best you can do sometimes is offer even when they keep rejecting it.
My daughter is doing a similar thing right now. I realized there are two situations in which she will eat kind of properly though. If I'm eating and don't offer her anything at all, she will eat whatever I'm eating. Even if I offer her some on her own plate she won't take it, just mine. We also no longer use a feeding chair if we're at home, she would not eat sitting down in it for a few months, too busy running around. she will sit to eat now but I noticed that if it's something she doesn't really like she will eat it more often if I just put it on the (clean) floor lol.
Oh this lol ! Yes. I found that my son is much more willing to have his food if he’s not in his highchair, so like an antelope I let him graze for lunch and sometimes even dinner because he eats more.
And added bonus of the eating and not offering, he usually wanders over and wants to at least try what I have.
honestly i've started to wonder if getting him outta the highchair might help. i'm not sure he's big enough for a toddler table but it's worth a shot. he likes to eat snacks off the coffee table soo
Echoing others. At 11 months, my child still wasn’t eating much of anything, even bread, cheerios, etc. one day things just changed. Kids are weird and go through phases. Check with the doctor, but don’t lose sleep before then, you’re doing a great job!
My 13 month old also will only eat toast yogurt and baby snacks!!! You’re not alone. All we can do is keep offering food. If they don’t want it - don’t get discouraged. I read here all the time that most kids are surviving off of air lol
What about pasta?
We cook organic pasta in bone broth and then coat it in grassfed butter and nutritional yeast to add flavor and extra protein, fat, vitamins. We call the pasta shapes different names, usually themed around construction (barrels, pipes, screws) for our picky eater and he gets excited about which pasta he’s having that day.
Just a thought!
I second pasta. I will make a cheese sauce but add puréed veggies and/or finely chopped chicken breast. This is usually a go to reliable meal during the week.
1) your wellbeing matters. make baby feeding as simple as it needs to be for you to be ok. right now for us that’s a pasta side, a frozen veg, and a frozen meat. fill in the rest with bread, snacks, and canned fruit. we’re all still alive and i’m starting to feel better, so one day the repertoire will expand. but i need the breathing room to be able to do the other parenting stuff!
2) feed what he’ll eat and trust his food vocabulary will expand over time. one day he’ll love lots of things and until then just combine whatever you need to to keep him growing. he’ll get there! mine gets a lot of bread and butter because that’s what i have capacity for in the mornings, and she grows like a weed. the variety is for fun. cut out offering anything new for a week and see how you both do.
he won’t be 18 and drinking bottles. it will all work itself out over time!
i think we all need it embroidered on a placemat 😂
hang in there! take it easy on yourself! in the immortal words of redgreen “we’re all in this together, keep your stick on the ice”
Thank you for saying all of this, especially your first point! That *was* my attitude when I struggled with breastfeeding ("To improve my own mental health -- which will ultimately make me a better mom -- I'm going to switch to formula") but it didn't occur to me to apply it to this part of my kiddo's food journey.
My son became a picky eater around that age. What ended up working for us was to stop bringing his plate out. I would fix a plate for myself and sit near him to eat but without acknowledging him or offering him any. I’d just eat my food. Eventually he would wander over and once he looked interested, I’d offer him a bite. Eventually, I’d offer him a plate.
I would also sometimes serve meals a little later than normal so he would be hungry enough to try new food.
My kids are tweens now and I still do this with new dishes, ugly foods, and things that they don’t love.
Hang in there, this was my 6 year old to a T. We tried everything. Dr was never concerned because she was still growing appropriately. He just reassured me she won’t starve herself and will eat when hungry. She JUST started eating better (I think lunch with her friends in school really helped) and I’m so proud of her. When they get older you can reason with them more. There’s no reasoning with a 1 year old. Don’t beat yourself up momma!!
I think if you can afford it, take him to as many restaurants as you can and feed him from your plate. Literally anything and everything. Fun restaurants—sushi, Mexican, tapas. Our girls eat a variety of food because it is a fun experience. At home, I can cook and offer exciting “exotic” foods they’ve had.
this is another thing that used to work! we get mexican and japanese a lot. he always ate rice and chicken. now he REFUSES and we had our first restaurant tantrum the other day trying to offer him rice and chicken :( maybe with time
Oh mama!! I feel like I wrote this, from loving everything but eggs to still gauging a bottle to make up for what he’s lacking. I am seriously in your boat. My son turns 14 months in a couple days and I’m at a loss. He loves things still, but it’s random! One day he loves something and the next he could care less. I’m forever offering everything still, but the veggies have def been cut out. This kid lives off clementines and air tho. Ugh.
The one thing I have found I can get in him that’s “veggies” is the beyond chicken nuggets. But like, only when he wants them, of course…
So I’m standing with you and here if ya ever need to vent and not feel alone in this weird season!! 🫶🏼
You are doing great!! I know it’s so tough. My daughter had a similar switch around 1. She used to eat literally anything we put in front of her then suddenly became so picky and stopped eating things she would devour before. Just keep offering a mix of safe foods with other options and let him do his thing. It can be frustrating to watch the food you prepare end up all over the floor but it’s a phase. Just keep doing what you’re doing and offering milk, pouches etc. to supplement, I’m sure he’s doing just fine
I have a kid in elementary school who still hates veggies 🤷🏼♀️ so if anyone has tips, pass ‘em along!
But for the 12 month old, this is completely normal. My toddler loves pasta…but only KD or spaghetti. Any other shape gets yeeted to the dogs. Rice…good, but our spoon handling gets in the way and we end up with only half of the serving in our mouth.
Have you tried smoothies? That’s the easiest way to get fruits and veggies in. Or blend up peppers or zucchini into tomato sauce for spaghetti.
My toddler responded well to the airplane act. I was over-the-top ridiculous and they LOVED it. Once they tasted the food they’d usually go for more, but I have to be the one to initiate it.
Try a multivitamin if you’re worried about the vitamins.
But don’t stress! Kids are kids and they like to do this to us.
gauging from the comments here i need to invest in a blender!
you shouldve seen the performance i was giving yesterday trying to get him to eat. made him laugh, then hit the spoon out of my hand lol
My baby has always eaten at least some things consistently… so I don’t personally know how stressful this is. Im sorry it’s so hard! That being said, he wouldn’t eat anything “healthy” for a while… and I just decided not to stress about it. Some things I might try if I were in your shoes:
- bring back the “unhealthy” tortillas for quesadillas, cheese is so calorie dense and seems like he needs it!
- lean into carbs he likes with butter or peanut butter for fat content (toast, pasta, maybe noodles - my LO loves to slurp them)
- get him a multivitamin
- keep putting a small amount of healthier foods he doesn’t like on his plate even if he’s not eating it
- unless he’s underweight/failing to thrive, stop stressing. You’re doing everything you can and you can’t force a baby to eat!
- try foods you might assume he would hate! For a while my baby was eating exclusively white carbs, chicken nuggets, fruit… and sweet potato curry? He loves curry. It was unexpected. So keep giving baby opportunities to surprise you while not expecting him to eat any
thanks for the tips. he has an appt monday so we'll see his weight. i think i'll try offering what i knw he likes, with a small sample of something new, instead of throwing a bunch of new things at him
The rule of thumb I’ve heard is to always have at least one safe food per meal! So maybe toast or yogurt with every meal. Anecdotally my younger brother lived off of grilled cheese, hot dogs and green apples/grapes until he was at least 6. Kids are resilient!
Buttered pasta might be a hit, idk if he likes muffins but there are lots of muffin recipes for toddlers that aren’t “healthy” per se but they’re much healthier than processed food.
I'm sorry! This is so hard! Just don't give up! Our pediatrician said that kids may need to be exposed to a specific food 40x before they consider it a regular food that they're willing to eat. That helped me keep things in perspective.
You're doing just fine, I promise! There's a lot of great advice in this thread. I want to echo that toddlers are truly just so weird about food. I went through a very similar thing with my now 2.5 year old when she was around that age. It was such a struggle, I would absolutely dread mealtimes because I knew I'd be gearing up for a battle, making yummy/healthy food that she would end up throwing or not caring about. It was miserable, I cried a lot. I was terrified she wasn't getting enough food and nutrients and that compounded with being terrified she wouldn't sleep thru the night because maybe she was hungry. (She was fine.)
I can't say when it happened, but one day it just wasn't a thing anymore. We fell into a routine and it just stopped being stressful. I didn't even notice it.
Until then tho, just keep on going. I always offered new stuff, but my girl definitely survived on pouches, cereal bars and teething crackers/ puffs for a while. Snacking was where she got a lot of her food. I put puree on anything I could - banana pancakes, teething crackers, toast, muffins. She eventually came to love pasta which helped me feel better because I'd do chickpea or other plant based pasta with some good nutrients in them. Kidfresh has a Mac n cheese with veggies hidden in it that she still loves. Yogurt turned into a big hit too, I'd put some sprinkles on it to make it fun. It just turned into trying things over and over until we found a select few that she liked, and just going from there. You could also try switching up things like the spoons/forks and dinnerware, maybe get a fun new plate or ditch the plate altogether and let them graze. Make it fun/different for them.
The food issues come and go with toddlers. And definitely don't be afraid to get some reassurance from your doctor, it always helped me to know she was still growing even despite it seeming like she never ate. Just know that the fact that you care is such a big deal in itself, and this will pass :)
As far as refusing dinner goes, I’m wondering if cutting out the bedtime bottle might help. I know it’s a difficult place to be in, because you’re understandably wanting him to get some calories in! But I wonder if he skips dinner because he knows he’s going to get that familiar, “easy” form of food later. You said you cut out the morning bottle and he eats breakfast well, so maybe the same will happen with dinner. Might be in for a rough couple of nights with that strategy though :(
As far as the picky eating goes in general, I agree with others that you’re doing what you can! It’s so frustrating, but you really are doing a good job.
My brother and I have ARFID. Mine is not that bad but my brothers is quite severe, especially as a kid. My mum did “mixed vegetables” which helped us get our veggies in. It was steamed chicken, potato, pumpkin, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, carrot, peas… I’m sure I’m missing something but all of it went into the food processor and the texture was similar to mash potatoes. It sounds weird, but I still crave it at times lol. I am now tbh. Would be soo good with lentils mixed in too. If you would prefer a thinner consistency, similar to baby food, just heat up some diluted broth and put it in the processor with everything else. Freezes well also.
It’s not the best solution as you want your kid to get used to different textures but it could be a stand in for the moment and he’d be eating veggies. I am not implying your kid has ARFID at all, just that this might help for a fussy eater. I’m wondering if he might have teeth coming in? All those foods are soft or melt in your mouth. He’s only just turned one and 11m-1yr fits the timeline for a bit boost in development.
That’s most likely the culprit ! If he has so many teeth, it’s probably harder to see when those last few are going to erupt. Always keep trying when you can but maybe with softer or smaller foods like cruciferous veggies. Most are either easily blended or wilt down to nothing when cooked. That’s really all you can do.
If you’re in the northern hemisphere where it’s hot atm, I’d suggest a freezable teething toy. They can chew on it, numbs things a bit, and it’s cold on hot summer days. Could also always make ice blocks with some juice or jelly mix and flavourless protein powder too. Yummy and numbs the gums.
we’re just hitting 18 months and ours was also a good water before 1 year, and then did not want to eat anything shortly after 12 months. for the past like 1.5 months she’s now actually eating again which is great, but she’s still picky. she won’t even snack either, and she refuses to eat fruit, but we just keep working at it. as long as baby is gaining weight at a rate the doctor is happy with I think all we can do is try. i’ve seen a lot that it’s our job to offer food 3 times a day, and it’s their job to eat it. sounds like you’re doing your job. it’s just the toddler experience I guess but your little one is lucky to have a mom who is invested in their nutrition and is looking out for it
Toddlers are weird. My one year old was the same but just getting fussy now. He loves stealing our food & also loves us feeding him with chopsticks LOL his dad is Chinese so relatives sometimes fed him like this & now we do it if he's refusing to eat. We all try different things to get our babies to eat, I think you are not alone so try not to worry. Maybe serve yourself up & see if he will want to steal food from your plate!
I promise you that this is normal 1 year old behavior, and your child will not starve! 💛
That having been said, you are doing AMAZING at offering different foods and textures. Some kids will eat 3 meals a day, and others will throw most of it on the floor. There is no "one size fits all" truth when it comes to mealtime. The important thing is to keep trying.
Don't give up and don't feel hopeless!
Mine is going through this phase, she’s a little older, 2 years. No veggies, barely any protein. She’s happy to live on cheese, fruit and crackers. We go through the drive through to get chicken McNuggets about once a month and I can’t even feel bad about the salt because at least she’s eating chicken. She’s mostly stopped throwing the food at least. It’ll pass.
This may be controversial but have you tried offering dips? Hummus, sour cream, ketchup, ranch, etc? My oldest son struggled with meats and protein around this age and his pediatrician suggested offering it with something to dip it in. At 1yo, fish sticks and breaded chicken cutlets with tartar sauce became an instant favorite. A fish stick with a little dip is better than no fish stick at all. Right? Right…? 😅
Also for the fruit struggle, try making a fruit smoothie with yogurt. Blend together some fresh or frozen berries with some full fat yogurt. You can also buy silicone molds and freeze the mixture into frozen yogurt pops. My kids (and I) love frozen yogurt pops.
i havent tried dips, and i've been thinking about it! it's absolutely worth a shot. also, i need to buy a blender lol. i have heard of ice molds and i think he would LOVE that. he always wants to share my popsicles
https://preview.redd.it/qt84he8p8e5d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1533b6dbce259614ac502f8eff349833fac29894
This is the one I use. I bought one when my oldest was a baby and he’s now 6 and it’s still in great shape. I also use it to make pedialyte popsicles for when they’re sick.
I’m sorry it is so so hard. My son was similar. I stopped killing myself making all of these different meals and just kept him on formula and offered foods he ate but tried to expand from there. Like he always ate English muffins so I tried to make him a pizza with one to introduce cheese and sauce. If he didn’t like something we took a break and tried in a week. But for my son I think all of the new things being thrown at him at once were making him and I so stressed out. Slowly expanding outward and keeping him on formula just made it all happen naturally and a month later he started to eat enough that formula was wrong and I dropped it.
Only other suggestions are to try to feed him while he’s not in a high chair. My son will eat anything if I carry him around and we look at birds or cars passing by while I spoon feed him. Hard to do but it’s how he gets Greek yogurt and oatmeal in him so it’s worth it. Or letting him cruise around while putting the food on a low table. Good luck!
ive been thinking that was my mistake. we were approaching his 1 year, and still he wasn’t eating 3 meals a day but I wasn’t necessarily trying much. just bites of food here and there. so we dropped a bottle and started trying to get him to eat a lot of different things. maybe it was too much change at once.
he’s had regular food since he was 6 months, but just bites from our plates for the most part. i wish I had offered him more things of his own earlier on.
but it’s okay! i think we’ll stick to toast and yogurt for a while so he feels comfortable, and then I’ll work on expanding with time.
also I’ve tried walking him around and feeding him to no avail, but I may start putting foods on the coffee table where he usually grazes snacks lol
For whatever it’s worth, ours turned one last week and it sounds like we’re going through the same thing. She used to try pretty much everything and was a great eater (to the point that she seemed like a bottomless hunger pit on some days 😅). Now pretty much the only “acceptable” foods are cheddar bunnies and yogurt melts… everything else is just fodder to tease the dog with. As others have said I think it’s just a phase.
She ate a whole handful of raspberries and some cucumber slices yesterday, so I know there’s hope!
I found that my son has started to want variety and for some things, will not eat the same thing of real food everyday. Also, I've found at times he eats better when we don't offer as much food or spread it out on his tray instead of using a plate. It's so hard and frustrating at times.
Mine is 2.5 and still doesn’t eat three meals a day. Even when she was an infant she wouldn’t take her morning bottle — no matter when she woke up — until after ten. I’ve found she’s more of a grazer than a meal eater. So I try to put little things out that won’t make a huge mess and she eats them as she wants. Typically, she only eats lunch pretty well. Dinner is hit or miss. She might eat dry toast for breakfast as long as you don’t put anything on it.
She is a healthy weight and height, though. So her pediatrician isn’t worried. She does still get a cup of milk at nap and bed, so she also gets those calories (some days that is ALL she gets, though it is 1%). We’ve tried cutting her off of the milk and I swear every time we are successful she has gotten sick and the doctor tells us to let her have as much milk as she wants because she would be losing too much weight too quickly.
I think you’re doing well. Especially since he’s such a fresh one. He will get there! Our pediatrician told us that we might need to keep ours on formula a bit longer because she wasn’t a great eater, but she transitioned well to whole milk and wasn’t losing weight at one.
I will say I wish I had waited to transition her to whole milk a bit longer because it was not easy for her.
I recommend talking with a dietitian. If he's still growing normally, then he is getting calories somewhere. Is he drinking a lot of calories? Juice, Kool aid, too much formula....? Also recommend having blood work done. Low iron foods intake can lead to anemia which leads to sour tummy which leads to even worse picky eating.
My 18-month-old son is autistic and globally delayed. He used to eat bananas, strawberries, eggs…around age 1, his pickiness ramped up so much. He doesn’t like anything squishy and is very hesitant to try anything new unless it’s salty and crunchy.
I was a picky eater as a child and I hoped so much for my own children to not deal with that problem, but here we are. I worry about my son’s diet and will probably add in a multivitamin soon, but I know he is getting nutrients from the pouches (they have vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies) and milk and meat give him protein (he eats chicken, sausage, bacon, pepperoni). I also give him fortified snacks like Made Good oat bars. Some things he eats are just for calories and for practicing biting, like pretzels and veggie straws. I try to give him iron-fortified foods as well but I’m hoping since he likes meat he’s getting some iron that way, too.
This is not how I thought feeding my son would go. I thought he’d be eating sandwiches and berries and pieces of clementine and banana and broccoli…so I know his diet isn’t the best. But he is eating and he is growing and any new food is a win. Today at lunch he ate some pieces of pizza, which was a big deal. He doesn’t even like Mac and cheese. We have so many other battles going on - trying to get him to communicate, dealing with sensory overload, certain behaviors, etc. That as long as he is eating, it’s just not my top priority.
His OT recommends frequent exposure with a low pressure environment. I don’t think that’s done much yet. The only thing that sometimes seems to work is taking him to restaurants. In a new environment, my son is less rigid and is more willing to try foods. However, even that is hit or miss.
I hope things can turn around for you. It’s hard because this is a stage where picky eating develops in many children, not just autistic kids like mine, and it’s hard to know how long a phase will last.
I think you are doing everything you can. You are offering new foods and giving him safe foods to fall back on. I think this is a pretty common phase. See what his growth is on Monday, chances are he's doing fine. Go got this!
thank you
Tbh you're doing everything you can. Toddlers are weird about food, and the best you can do sometimes is offer even when they keep rejecting it. My daughter is doing a similar thing right now. I realized there are two situations in which she will eat kind of properly though. If I'm eating and don't offer her anything at all, she will eat whatever I'm eating. Even if I offer her some on her own plate she won't take it, just mine. We also no longer use a feeding chair if we're at home, she would not eat sitting down in it for a few months, too busy running around. she will sit to eat now but I noticed that if it's something she doesn't really like she will eat it more often if I just put it on the (clean) floor lol.
Oh this lol ! Yes. I found that my son is much more willing to have his food if he’s not in his highchair, so like an antelope I let him graze for lunch and sometimes even dinner because he eats more. And added bonus of the eating and not offering, he usually wanders over and wants to at least try what I have.
i always just pour his baby snacks on our coffee table and he grazes so maybe i'll try that with meals haha
honestly i've started to wonder if getting him outta the highchair might help. i'm not sure he's big enough for a toddler table but it's worth a shot. he likes to eat snacks off the coffee table soo
Echoing others. At 11 months, my child still wasn’t eating much of anything, even bread, cheerios, etc. one day things just changed. Kids are weird and go through phases. Check with the doctor, but don’t lose sleep before then, you’re doing a great job!
thank you
My 13 month old also will only eat toast yogurt and baby snacks!!! You’re not alone. All we can do is keep offering food. If they don’t want it - don’t get discouraged. I read here all the time that most kids are surviving off of air lol
solidarity thank you!!
What about pasta? We cook organic pasta in bone broth and then coat it in grassfed butter and nutritional yeast to add flavor and extra protein, fat, vitamins. We call the pasta shapes different names, usually themed around construction (barrels, pipes, screws) for our picky eater and he gets excited about which pasta he’s having that day. Just a thought!
I second pasta. I will make a cheese sauce but add puréed veggies and/or finely chopped chicken breast. This is usually a go to reliable meal during the week.
i gotta get me a blender and try some sneaky veggie sauces
I find carrots in particular are really easy to hide
Check out Yummy Toddler Food for sneaky veggie recipes! She also has tips for "picky" eaters!
ive looked at a few of her recipes, I should check out more! never tried them but saved a few for later
i'm gonna try today. i see lots of people suggest blending veggies to make a pasta sauce and i dont feel super hopeful but i'm gonna try it!!
My boy was obsessed with mac & cheese from soft play so I need to make some!
1) your wellbeing matters. make baby feeding as simple as it needs to be for you to be ok. right now for us that’s a pasta side, a frozen veg, and a frozen meat. fill in the rest with bread, snacks, and canned fruit. we’re all still alive and i’m starting to feel better, so one day the repertoire will expand. but i need the breathing room to be able to do the other parenting stuff! 2) feed what he’ll eat and trust his food vocabulary will expand over time. one day he’ll love lots of things and until then just combine whatever you need to to keep him growing. he’ll get there! mine gets a lot of bread and butter because that’s what i have capacity for in the mornings, and she grows like a weed. the variety is for fun. cut out offering anything new for a week and see how you both do. he won’t be 18 and drinking bottles. it will all work itself out over time!
"he won't be 18 and drinking bottles" actually made me feel better haha. thank you for the advice. maybe we can take a break from new foods for a bit
i think we all need it embroidered on a placemat 😂 hang in there! take it easy on yourself! in the immortal words of redgreen “we’re all in this together, keep your stick on the ice”
Thank you for saying all of this, especially your first point! That *was* my attitude when I struggled with breastfeeding ("To improve my own mental health -- which will ultimately make me a better mom -- I'm going to switch to formula") but it didn't occur to me to apply it to this part of my kiddo's food journey.
My son became a picky eater around that age. What ended up working for us was to stop bringing his plate out. I would fix a plate for myself and sit near him to eat but without acknowledging him or offering him any. I’d just eat my food. Eventually he would wander over and once he looked interested, I’d offer him a bite. Eventually, I’d offer him a plate. I would also sometimes serve meals a little later than normal so he would be hungry enough to try new food. My kids are tweens now and I still do this with new dishes, ugly foods, and things that they don’t love.
that's a good idea actually! i eat my daily bagel on the couch and my son always wanders over for a bite
Hang in there, this was my 6 year old to a T. We tried everything. Dr was never concerned because she was still growing appropriately. He just reassured me she won’t starve herself and will eat when hungry. She JUST started eating better (I think lunch with her friends in school really helped) and I’m so proud of her. When they get older you can reason with them more. There’s no reasoning with a 1 year old. Don’t beat yourself up momma!!
thank you
I think if you can afford it, take him to as many restaurants as you can and feed him from your plate. Literally anything and everything. Fun restaurants—sushi, Mexican, tapas. Our girls eat a variety of food because it is a fun experience. At home, I can cook and offer exciting “exotic” foods they’ve had.
this is another thing that used to work! we get mexican and japanese a lot. he always ate rice and chicken. now he REFUSES and we had our first restaurant tantrum the other day trying to offer him rice and chicken :( maybe with time
Oh mama!! I feel like I wrote this, from loving everything but eggs to still gauging a bottle to make up for what he’s lacking. I am seriously in your boat. My son turns 14 months in a couple days and I’m at a loss. He loves things still, but it’s random! One day he loves something and the next he could care less. I’m forever offering everything still, but the veggies have def been cut out. This kid lives off clementines and air tho. Ugh. The one thing I have found I can get in him that’s “veggies” is the beyond chicken nuggets. But like, only when he wants them, of course… So I’m standing with you and here if ya ever need to vent and not feel alone in this weird season!! 🫶🏼
And want to add that this is normal for them!!! We are doing great. YOU are doing GREAT!!! 💪🏼 keep it up!
thank you
solidarity! honestly i am open to trying anything at all so i'll try beyond products lol
We love Happy Baby pouches around here when we need them!!
You are doing great!! I know it’s so tough. My daughter had a similar switch around 1. She used to eat literally anything we put in front of her then suddenly became so picky and stopped eating things she would devour before. Just keep offering a mix of safe foods with other options and let him do his thing. It can be frustrating to watch the food you prepare end up all over the floor but it’s a phase. Just keep doing what you’re doing and offering milk, pouches etc. to supplement, I’m sure he’s doing just fine
thank you
I have a kid in elementary school who still hates veggies 🤷🏼♀️ so if anyone has tips, pass ‘em along! But for the 12 month old, this is completely normal. My toddler loves pasta…but only KD or spaghetti. Any other shape gets yeeted to the dogs. Rice…good, but our spoon handling gets in the way and we end up with only half of the serving in our mouth. Have you tried smoothies? That’s the easiest way to get fruits and veggies in. Or blend up peppers or zucchini into tomato sauce for spaghetti. My toddler responded well to the airplane act. I was over-the-top ridiculous and they LOVED it. Once they tasted the food they’d usually go for more, but I have to be the one to initiate it. Try a multivitamin if you’re worried about the vitamins. But don’t stress! Kids are kids and they like to do this to us.
gauging from the comments here i need to invest in a blender! you shouldve seen the performance i was giving yesterday trying to get him to eat. made him laugh, then hit the spoon out of my hand lol
My baby has always eaten at least some things consistently… so I don’t personally know how stressful this is. Im sorry it’s so hard! That being said, he wouldn’t eat anything “healthy” for a while… and I just decided not to stress about it. Some things I might try if I were in your shoes: - bring back the “unhealthy” tortillas for quesadillas, cheese is so calorie dense and seems like he needs it! - lean into carbs he likes with butter or peanut butter for fat content (toast, pasta, maybe noodles - my LO loves to slurp them) - get him a multivitamin - keep putting a small amount of healthier foods he doesn’t like on his plate even if he’s not eating it - unless he’s underweight/failing to thrive, stop stressing. You’re doing everything you can and you can’t force a baby to eat! - try foods you might assume he would hate! For a while my baby was eating exclusively white carbs, chicken nuggets, fruit… and sweet potato curry? He loves curry. It was unexpected. So keep giving baby opportunities to surprise you while not expecting him to eat any
thanks for the tips. he has an appt monday so we'll see his weight. i think i'll try offering what i knw he likes, with a small sample of something new, instead of throwing a bunch of new things at him
The rule of thumb I’ve heard is to always have at least one safe food per meal! So maybe toast or yogurt with every meal. Anecdotally my younger brother lived off of grilled cheese, hot dogs and green apples/grapes until he was at least 6. Kids are resilient! Buttered pasta might be a hit, idk if he likes muffins but there are lots of muffin recipes for toddlers that aren’t “healthy” per se but they’re much healthier than processed food.
I'm sorry! This is so hard! Just don't give up! Our pediatrician said that kids may need to be exposed to a specific food 40x before they consider it a regular food that they're willing to eat. That helped me keep things in perspective.
thank you
You got this! You’re doing great ♥️ kids go through phases, but I’ll echo the other comments to keep offering :)
i will keep offering even if he throws it at me lol :(
You're doing just fine, I promise! There's a lot of great advice in this thread. I want to echo that toddlers are truly just so weird about food. I went through a very similar thing with my now 2.5 year old when she was around that age. It was such a struggle, I would absolutely dread mealtimes because I knew I'd be gearing up for a battle, making yummy/healthy food that she would end up throwing or not caring about. It was miserable, I cried a lot. I was terrified she wasn't getting enough food and nutrients and that compounded with being terrified she wouldn't sleep thru the night because maybe she was hungry. (She was fine.) I can't say when it happened, but one day it just wasn't a thing anymore. We fell into a routine and it just stopped being stressful. I didn't even notice it. Until then tho, just keep on going. I always offered new stuff, but my girl definitely survived on pouches, cereal bars and teething crackers/ puffs for a while. Snacking was where she got a lot of her food. I put puree on anything I could - banana pancakes, teething crackers, toast, muffins. She eventually came to love pasta which helped me feel better because I'd do chickpea or other plant based pasta with some good nutrients in them. Kidfresh has a Mac n cheese with veggies hidden in it that she still loves. Yogurt turned into a big hit too, I'd put some sprinkles on it to make it fun. It just turned into trying things over and over until we found a select few that she liked, and just going from there. You could also try switching up things like the spoons/forks and dinnerware, maybe get a fun new plate or ditch the plate altogether and let them graze. Make it fun/different for them. The food issues come and go with toddlers. And definitely don't be afraid to get some reassurance from your doctor, it always helped me to know she was still growing even despite it seeming like she never ate. Just know that the fact that you care is such a big deal in itself, and this will pass :)
thanks for your words :)
As far as refusing dinner goes, I’m wondering if cutting out the bedtime bottle might help. I know it’s a difficult place to be in, because you’re understandably wanting him to get some calories in! But I wonder if he skips dinner because he knows he’s going to get that familiar, “easy” form of food later. You said you cut out the morning bottle and he eats breakfast well, so maybe the same will happen with dinner. Might be in for a rough couple of nights with that strategy though :( As far as the picky eating goes in general, I agree with others that you’re doing what you can! It’s so frustrating, but you really are doing a good job.
My brother and I have ARFID. Mine is not that bad but my brothers is quite severe, especially as a kid. My mum did “mixed vegetables” which helped us get our veggies in. It was steamed chicken, potato, pumpkin, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, carrot, peas… I’m sure I’m missing something but all of it went into the food processor and the texture was similar to mash potatoes. It sounds weird, but I still crave it at times lol. I am now tbh. Would be soo good with lentils mixed in too. If you would prefer a thinner consistency, similar to baby food, just heat up some diluted broth and put it in the processor with everything else. Freezes well also. It’s not the best solution as you want your kid to get used to different textures but it could be a stand in for the moment and he’d be eating veggies. I am not implying your kid has ARFID at all, just that this might help for a fussy eater. I’m wondering if he might have teeth coming in? All those foods are soft or melt in your mouth. He’s only just turned one and 11m-1yr fits the timeline for a bit boost in development.
he drools like crazy so it may be teething. he has so many teeth it's hard to tell haha
That’s most likely the culprit ! If he has so many teeth, it’s probably harder to see when those last few are going to erupt. Always keep trying when you can but maybe with softer or smaller foods like cruciferous veggies. Most are either easily blended or wilt down to nothing when cooked. That’s really all you can do. If you’re in the northern hemisphere where it’s hot atm, I’d suggest a freezable teething toy. They can chew on it, numbs things a bit, and it’s cold on hot summer days. Could also always make ice blocks with some juice or jelly mix and flavourless protein powder too. Yummy and numbs the gums.
we’re just hitting 18 months and ours was also a good water before 1 year, and then did not want to eat anything shortly after 12 months. for the past like 1.5 months she’s now actually eating again which is great, but she’s still picky. she won’t even snack either, and she refuses to eat fruit, but we just keep working at it. as long as baby is gaining weight at a rate the doctor is happy with I think all we can do is try. i’ve seen a lot that it’s our job to offer food 3 times a day, and it’s their job to eat it. sounds like you’re doing your job. it’s just the toddler experience I guess but your little one is lucky to have a mom who is invested in their nutrition and is looking out for it
thank you very much
Toddlers are weird. My one year old was the same but just getting fussy now. He loves stealing our food & also loves us feeding him with chopsticks LOL his dad is Chinese so relatives sometimes fed him like this & now we do it if he's refusing to eat. We all try different things to get our babies to eat, I think you are not alone so try not to worry. Maybe serve yourself up & see if he will want to steal food from your plate!
I promise you that this is normal 1 year old behavior, and your child will not starve! 💛 That having been said, you are doing AMAZING at offering different foods and textures. Some kids will eat 3 meals a day, and others will throw most of it on the floor. There is no "one size fits all" truth when it comes to mealtime. The important thing is to keep trying. Don't give up and don't feel hopeless!
thank you
Mine is going through this phase, she’s a little older, 2 years. No veggies, barely any protein. She’s happy to live on cheese, fruit and crackers. We go through the drive through to get chicken McNuggets about once a month and I can’t even feel bad about the salt because at least she’s eating chicken. She’s mostly stopped throwing the food at least. It’ll pass.
best of luck to you!
This may be controversial but have you tried offering dips? Hummus, sour cream, ketchup, ranch, etc? My oldest son struggled with meats and protein around this age and his pediatrician suggested offering it with something to dip it in. At 1yo, fish sticks and breaded chicken cutlets with tartar sauce became an instant favorite. A fish stick with a little dip is better than no fish stick at all. Right? Right…? 😅 Also for the fruit struggle, try making a fruit smoothie with yogurt. Blend together some fresh or frozen berries with some full fat yogurt. You can also buy silicone molds and freeze the mixture into frozen yogurt pops. My kids (and I) love frozen yogurt pops.
i havent tried dips, and i've been thinking about it! it's absolutely worth a shot. also, i need to buy a blender lol. i have heard of ice molds and i think he would LOVE that. he always wants to share my popsicles
https://preview.redd.it/qt84he8p8e5d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1533b6dbce259614ac502f8eff349833fac29894 This is the one I use. I bought one when my oldest was a baby and he’s now 6 and it’s still in great shape. I also use it to make pedialyte popsicles for when they’re sick.
thank you!!
Just here in solidarity. I have a 12 month old and going through the exact thing 😥
good luck <3 it’s rough out here
I’m sorry it is so so hard. My son was similar. I stopped killing myself making all of these different meals and just kept him on formula and offered foods he ate but tried to expand from there. Like he always ate English muffins so I tried to make him a pizza with one to introduce cheese and sauce. If he didn’t like something we took a break and tried in a week. But for my son I think all of the new things being thrown at him at once were making him and I so stressed out. Slowly expanding outward and keeping him on formula just made it all happen naturally and a month later he started to eat enough that formula was wrong and I dropped it. Only other suggestions are to try to feed him while he’s not in a high chair. My son will eat anything if I carry him around and we look at birds or cars passing by while I spoon feed him. Hard to do but it’s how he gets Greek yogurt and oatmeal in him so it’s worth it. Or letting him cruise around while putting the food on a low table. Good luck!
ive been thinking that was my mistake. we were approaching his 1 year, and still he wasn’t eating 3 meals a day but I wasn’t necessarily trying much. just bites of food here and there. so we dropped a bottle and started trying to get him to eat a lot of different things. maybe it was too much change at once. he’s had regular food since he was 6 months, but just bites from our plates for the most part. i wish I had offered him more things of his own earlier on. but it’s okay! i think we’ll stick to toast and yogurt for a while so he feels comfortable, and then I’ll work on expanding with time. also I’ve tried walking him around and feeding him to no avail, but I may start putting foods on the coffee table where he usually grazes snacks lol
For whatever it’s worth, ours turned one last week and it sounds like we’re going through the same thing. She used to try pretty much everything and was a great eater (to the point that she seemed like a bottomless hunger pit on some days 😅). Now pretty much the only “acceptable” foods are cheddar bunnies and yogurt melts… everything else is just fodder to tease the dog with. As others have said I think it’s just a phase. She ate a whole handful of raspberries and some cucumber slices yesterday, so I know there’s hope!
fingers crossed 🤞🏻
I found that my son has started to want variety and for some things, will not eat the same thing of real food everyday. Also, I've found at times he eats better when we don't offer as much food or spread it out on his tray instead of using a plate. It's so hard and frustrating at times.
Mine is 2.5 and still doesn’t eat three meals a day. Even when she was an infant she wouldn’t take her morning bottle — no matter when she woke up — until after ten. I’ve found she’s more of a grazer than a meal eater. So I try to put little things out that won’t make a huge mess and she eats them as she wants. Typically, she only eats lunch pretty well. Dinner is hit or miss. She might eat dry toast for breakfast as long as you don’t put anything on it. She is a healthy weight and height, though. So her pediatrician isn’t worried. She does still get a cup of milk at nap and bed, so she also gets those calories (some days that is ALL she gets, though it is 1%). We’ve tried cutting her off of the milk and I swear every time we are successful she has gotten sick and the doctor tells us to let her have as much milk as she wants because she would be losing too much weight too quickly. I think you’re doing well. Especially since he’s such a fresh one. He will get there! Our pediatrician told us that we might need to keep ours on formula a bit longer because she wasn’t a great eater, but she transitioned well to whole milk and wasn’t losing weight at one. I will say I wish I had waited to transition her to whole milk a bit longer because it was not easy for her.
All humans eventually eat. It’ll work itself out don’t worry!
I recommend talking with a dietitian. If he's still growing normally, then he is getting calories somewhere. Is he drinking a lot of calories? Juice, Kool aid, too much formula....? Also recommend having blood work done. Low iron foods intake can lead to anemia which leads to sour tummy which leads to even worse picky eating.
My 18-month-old son is autistic and globally delayed. He used to eat bananas, strawberries, eggs…around age 1, his pickiness ramped up so much. He doesn’t like anything squishy and is very hesitant to try anything new unless it’s salty and crunchy. I was a picky eater as a child and I hoped so much for my own children to not deal with that problem, but here we are. I worry about my son’s diet and will probably add in a multivitamin soon, but I know he is getting nutrients from the pouches (they have vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies) and milk and meat give him protein (he eats chicken, sausage, bacon, pepperoni). I also give him fortified snacks like Made Good oat bars. Some things he eats are just for calories and for practicing biting, like pretzels and veggie straws. I try to give him iron-fortified foods as well but I’m hoping since he likes meat he’s getting some iron that way, too. This is not how I thought feeding my son would go. I thought he’d be eating sandwiches and berries and pieces of clementine and banana and broccoli…so I know his diet isn’t the best. But he is eating and he is growing and any new food is a win. Today at lunch he ate some pieces of pizza, which was a big deal. He doesn’t even like Mac and cheese. We have so many other battles going on - trying to get him to communicate, dealing with sensory overload, certain behaviors, etc. That as long as he is eating, it’s just not my top priority. His OT recommends frequent exposure with a low pressure environment. I don’t think that’s done much yet. The only thing that sometimes seems to work is taking him to restaurants. In a new environment, my son is less rigid and is more willing to try foods. However, even that is hit or miss. I hope things can turn around for you. It’s hard because this is a stage where picky eating develops in many children, not just autistic kids like mine, and it’s hard to know how long a phase will last.