If LO doesn't eat what you serve

Samiantha101 · July 2013

If LO doesn't eat what you serve, do you give them an option they'll be more prone to eat? Anja has started to dislike anything healthy. I made chicken stir fry for lunch, and she refuses to eat even a bite. When this happens, what do you do?

drbethc · July 2013

I usually give DS what we are eating ...he always tries it, if for some reason, he refuses to eat it, I will usually offer something else that I know he likes. If he still refuses, it's usually because he's not hungry. I then leave it alone, and offer again later, starting with what we are eating.

khill86 · July 2013

I don't offer anything else. Well, okay, what I mean is say I made a chicken stirfry. I wouldn't give him JUST the stirfry anyway. I'd probably offer him some fruit, too. There have definitely been times where she doesn't want the stirfry or maybe just has a bite or two but gobbles up the fruit. I'd probably give him some more fruit. But I don't offer a whole new meal.

I'm of the mind that babies will eat what they need when they need it. This is partly why I offer usually 3 food groups at every meal. If he refuses food, he's usually just not hungry. I don't really concern myself with it, honestly.

We also don't do snacks. Not because I'm some mean mama, but he's just never been interested in anything I've offered him between meals so I stopped offering. If I'm nibbling on something midmorning and he wants some, I give it to him. But even when I offer he usually squishes it up and throws it on the ground. So by meal time he usually is hungry enough to eat whatever is in front of him. Well what he wants out of whatever is in front of him.

Samiantha101 · July 2013

I'm very concerned about creating a picky eater. Anja will always eat, if it's something she likes. She'll eat grapes and oranges until she's blue in the face. If she even sees a vegetable on her tray, she refuses to touch her food. Normally, she loves rice and chicken, but because there were carrots, broccoli, and corn visible, she refused a bite. I know she isn't going to starve if she misses a meal, but she's already stubborn enough that if she doesn't like her options for her meals all day, she just won't eat at all. I've resorted to making smoothies with vegetables to get her to consume them.

Samiantha101 · July 2013

khill86:
I don't offer anything else. Well, okay, what I mean is say I made a chicken stirfry. I wouldn't give him JUST the stirfry anyway. I'd probably offer him some fruit, too. There have definitely been times where she doesn't want the stirfry or maybe just has a bite or two but gobbles up the fruit. I'd probably give him some more fruit. But I don't offer a whole new meal.

I'm of the mind that babies will eat what they need when they need it. This is partly why I offer usually 3 food groups at every meal. If he refuses food, he's usually just not hungry. I don't really concern myself with it, honestly.

We also don't do snacks. Not because I'm some mean mama, but he's just never been interested in anything I've offered him between meals so I stopped offering. If I'm nibbling on something midmorning and he wants some, I give it to him. But even when I offer he usually squishes it up and throws it on the ground. So by meal time he usually is hungry enough to eat whatever is in front of him. Well what he wants out of whatever is in front of him.

She gets fruit with lunch and breakfast daily. I know she'll eat the fruit fine. My husband is insisting that I save her lunch and dinner when she doesn't eat it, and try again later on if she appears hungry. I know this is a waste of energy. She just won't eat it. She'll live off of fruit and whatever she gets for breakfast. I usually don't sere veggies at bfast, except if I'm making eggs. I sneak in spinach then.

khill86 · July 2013

I might try not serving fruit for a couple meals and see what happens. If she'll be hungry enough to eat something else or be stubborn enough to wait it out. I honestly don't know if that's good or bad advice, though! Just what I would try.

thatoneredhead · July 2013

Im sneaky. I add veggies to alot of things in miniature form. Cheesy bread has tiny bits of broc. Alfredo has spinach, etc.

Some things are understandable like salmon and I know he doesnt like melon. Other things, nope. If you like salsa, you can eat spaghetti.

henrytviii · July 2013

What veggies are you trying? Asparagus and peas are the two I've found the DS will consume as much as fruit. I do the same as khill and try to offer around 3 options each meal so DS has some choice but if he doesn't want anything from those options I just take him out his high chair (this is rare). I'm trying to be consistent with this and not offer the typically toddler food that I worry will get him stuck in a rut (crackers, cheese cubes etc). DS loves fruit and will eat a ton of it. After he ate himself sick a few times, I decided to offer a certain amount and I don't give him more in the same meal. He seems to have gotten used to that and he doesn't fuss for more. I do serve veggies with every meal, including breakfast. I figure its good for me as well and its helped with getting DS to eat them at other meals. I try do do some fresh but we do eat a lot of frozen veggies from Trader Joe's. We are also trying not do snacks (which I think helps with meals) but we offer 4 meals a day usually 7:30,11, 2ish, and 6ish so either 11 or 2 is really a "snack." DS has also figured out how to open the fridge and crisper drawer and help himself to a nectarine or peach so that's his other snack.

I have to admit meals are the only thing going well for us. Not STTN, screams at me like a banshee if I try to offer milk in a sippy rather than a bottle. So don't feel bad if meals are a struggle. We've all got our issues!

acbfreire · July 2013

DD isn't picky but will go through some picky days. I try to offer the same meal later, but I also give her fruit. She would get it as dessert anyways. Sometimes putting the fruit along with the other stuff helps, but I try not to make it a battle.

And ditto on the veggies on sauces!

Samiantha101 · July 2013

I'm trying a variety of vegetables: spinach, carrots, green beans, peppers, squash to name a few.

She just won't touch them. I prepare them all different ways too. I have to trick her to eat any sort of vegetable. She use to love mash potatoes. Well, I mixed some green beans, which I cut up reaaaallly tiny. She felt the different texture in the potatoes, and she wouldn't even eat her starch. It's really frustrating. I am a picky eater myself. I grew up hating vegetables. I choke them down almost every meal to try and set an example. It sucks being a picky/unhealthy eater.

acbfreire · July 2013

Samiantha101:
I'm trying a variety of vegetables: spinach, carrots, green beans, peppers, squash to name a few. She just won't touch them. I prepare them all different ways too. I have to trick her to eat any sort of vegetable. She use to love mash potatoes. Well, I mixed some green beans, which I cut up reaaaallly tiny. She felt the different texture in the potatoes, and she wouldn't even eat her starch. It's really frustrating. I am a picky eater myself. I grew up hating vegetables. I choke them down almost every meal to try and set an example. It sucks being a picky/unhealthy eater.

DD likes to see me eat the same thing as her... Do you eat with your DD and is it the same food for you and her?

Samiantha101 · July 2013

acbfreire:
Samiantha101:
I'm trying a variety of vegetables: spinach, carrots, green beans, peppers, squash to name a few.

She just won't touch them. I prepare them all different ways too. I have to trick her to eat any sort of vegetable. She use to love mash potatoes. Well, I mixed some green beans, which I cut up reaaaallly tiny. She felt the different texture in the potatoes, and she wouldn't even eat her starch. It's really frustrating. I am a picky eater myself. I grew up hating vegetables. I choke them down almost every meal to try and set an example. It sucks being a picky/unhealthy eater.
DD likes to see me eat the same thing as her... Do you eat with your DD and is it the same food for you and her?

Yup, I sure do!

snicksnack · July 2013

Neither one of my kids are picky at this age. In my opinion it is kind of young to go really picky but is a great age to reinforce good eating habits and u are not a short order cook. What you start now will become habit so you don't want to start a babd one. My three-year old is now starting to be picky. I do offer her same food later when she is hungry and she usually eats it. Also she will eat peas out of a bag like other kids eat goldfish she loves eating anything out of a bag lol. With that being said if it is sudden could be one-year molars. When dd got them we had to go back to pur?es. She all the sudden refused to eat anything not soft so I tried making pur?es again and she ate once they came through she was fine.

acbfreire · July 2013

DisneyPeanut:
Samiantha101:
I'm trying a variety of vegetables: spinach, carrots, green beans, peppers, squash to name a few. She just won't touch them. I prepare them all different ways too. I have to trick her to eat any sort of vegetable. She use to love mash potatoes. Well, I mixed some green beans, which I cut up reaaaallly tiny. She felt the different texture in the potatoes, and she wouldn't even eat her starch. It's really frustrating. I am a picky eater myself. I grew up hating vegetables. I choke them down almost every meal to try and set an example. It sucks being a picky/unhealthy eater.

I admire you. I'm a very picky eater and I have not been able to change my habits for my child yet. Often times we eat two different things. At least when we're all together I let DH sit closest to her so she sees him what she eats, but when it's just the two of us, it's hard. It doesn't help that on top of being picky I am also the worse cook and have no idea how to even hide food in other foods.

tomato sauce is the easiest place to hide veggies. Yams, zucchini, carrots (grated). I had to hide a lot of stuff because DH did not eat veggies when we started dating and I had to eat them somehow.

Try the book from Jessica Seinfeld - Deceptively delicious. She teaches how to hide veggies in everything!

MiracleK · July 2013

My DD loves turkey meatballs, I pulse a few times in my food processor broccoli, red peppers, carrots, and add them to the meatballs. It's a great way to sneak in some veggies! This might work if your DD is picky.

SweetHurricane · July 2013

I take it away for a few minutes then offer it again. If she still won't eat it, then she comes out of her high chair and has to wait until the next meal.

giggles0918 · July 2013

She usually will eat something new if it's not a veggie. I will give her something she'll like to eat b/c I don't want her to wake up hungry in the middle of the night. IMO she's too young to know that what's in front of her she has to eat.

lizzybean · August 2013

SweetHurricane said:

I take it away for a few minutes then offer it again. If she still won't eat it, then she comes out of her high chair and has to wait until the next meal.

Yup, this. Mealtime has gotten so frustrating since she started teething. (late teether here, her first just broke through this week) I have also been giving her veggie puree pouches from Earths Best every couple of days, and she tolerates those, so I feel like she is getting her veggies in there.

Gismo123 · August 2013

DS use to be a good eater and now he is super picky. He only likes to eat carby stuff like bread. I started tricking him by taking what I want him to eat and spreading it on bread and smashing it down super thin then cutting it into little squares. I do this where he can't see so he thinks he's only eating bread lol

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