Fussy eating tips ?

[Raynygirl]

Hayden is a little past one now and has totally given up eating any of the jarred foods (my guess is due to the texture). I am in Holland right now and am having REAL problems getting him to eat anything

I find he mainly picks at stuff and tries to spit it out thinking he's being funny and, even when I think he's eaten well, when I take him out of the chair I find that most of it has fallen beside him....

Right now we are sort of eating yogurt, toast, veggie wieners (we're vegetarians), carrots,peas, avacado, banana and a bit more..

Also, I find that even when he IS being fussy some things (like bananas) he will ALWAYS eat. But if I give them to him in these situations am I maybe forming bad eating habits in the sense that he will know he will eventually get what he wants if he keeps refusing everything else ??

[2girlsmom]

It may be to the different location, but I remember that around that age my girls went through a stage very similar. They will eat if they are hungry and keep offering them different things. Variety worked for us.

[Julie Andrews]

My advice is to go with your instincts. Maybe he wants different textures or colours? Keep trying with a variety of foods.

[kdoucette]

My little guy has not been interested in the "baby" foods in a long while. (He is 14 months old) SOme days he likes certain foods other days he refuses them. It just goes with the territory of toddlerhood. Alex loves cheese (I don't know if you eat cheese or not), and loves grilled cheese sandwhiches, also soups are a big hit (and you can sneak all sorts of good stuff in creamed soups), hamburger soup is a big hit (with celery, carrots, beans of all sorts, barley, corn etc., you could use the "fake" ground beef if available).

Good luck.

[emjay]

Unless there's something medically wrong, a child will not starve him/herself.

Based on my own experiences, unless you want bigger problems later, it's best to stick with the foods you know are best for your child and not put a lot of attention on eating (and therefore avoiding power struggles). Make meal times really pleasant, offer the food you know is best, and don't sweat it if the child isn't eating much. Kids can vary tremendously in how much they eat depending on growth spurts etc. If you cave in and offer unhealthy selections, that's all the kid will gravitate toward. If you persist in offering the right foods, there's no double message and the child will develop an appetite for the right foods.

It's much harder to break unhealthy habits than establish good ones and stick with them.

Best wishes,
Emjay

[Raynygirl]

Thanks everyone-some real good advice and reassurance ! I feel MUCH better And today I had a big success with lentil-onion veggie burgers-yay !