15 Month Old Is Becoming Picky at Meal Time - Need Some Good Meal Ideas

Hi A.,
If you start making him his own food, he will become accustomed to that and will expect you to make food especially for him at every meal. Honestly, when he gets older that could be a trend that starts wearing you out.

We just kept feeding our kids the same foods as we ate. (and not offering a whole bunch of other stuff.) Both our kids, at 6 and 3, eat the same things we do, and don't complain about it at all. But that's because we never catered to them when they went through the "picky" stage. They don't even like a lot of "kid" food and prefer to eat salmon, salad, etc, along with us.

Anyway I hope this helps!
Love
M

A.,
I apologize because I know you want recipes and I don't have any. That's because it's totally normal for kids' tastes to change for months at a time and then change back. My son loved broccoli when he was around your son's age, then decided he hated it around two, and then started eating it again around three. He went from adoring yogurt to refusing to eat it as a four year-old, and then happily started eating it again around five. I know you don't have time to run out to get a book, but if you have time to order one online, "Child of Mine," by Ellyn Satter, is one of the most helpful books I read while my son was younger. Our son's doctor recommended it, saying that she thought it should be required reading for all med students planning to go into pediatrics. It does not advocate making special meals for your child. It give tons of advice about kids' development around eating and how to ensure that your child does not end up with an unhealthy relationship with food or a picky eater. The author also gives excellent information about introducing foods to kids, how long you need to expect to persist with a new food, etc. I hope you'll order it because I think it could save you a lot of time and hassle in the long run. I know it did for me!

A.,

I couldn't agree more with the other comments. Kids can and will be very picky if you allow them to be. Continue to feed him the same meals you and your husband eat and don't worry whether he eats it or not. So long as he does not begin to loose weight or become ill he'll be fine. It's not in our nature, as human beings, to starve ourselves and he won't either. When he's hungry enough he will eat whatever you place before him. If you allow him to dictate his meals, as stated by one of the other responders, you not only set a precedent he is sure to pick up on very quickly, but you're also setting yourself up for disaster.

What you may want to consider while preparing meals is perhaps some of the seasonings and/or sauces you are using do not agree with his pallet, kids taste buds are very different than adults and have yet to mature, and so you may try omitting them when preparing his portion of the meal. As he gets older gradually reintroduce them to his diet and he too may begin to enjoy the meals you have prepared.

Good Luck!!!
CM

My daughter is 17 months old and has always eaten the same foods that I prepare for my husband and I (with some modifications like no condiments, and less salt and fats if it's easy to separate a portion for her from the main meal).

On occasion she will turn up her nose at something that she previously devoured so I know she likes it. I've found that if I just change how I serve it can make the difference in whether or not she eats it.

For example, if she doesn't want to eat something I put on a plate, like veggie stir fry with whole wheat rotini noodles which is usually a favorite, sometimes I can switch it over to her Snack Trap brand snack cup. These are great because the lid lets her stick her hand through to get the food but minimizes spills. I don't know why the bowl makes a difference when it's the same food, but sometimes it does.

If it's not a food that's finger friendly, like soup or casserole, I have found that on those occasions I can entice her to eat by using a slice of bread (luckily she likes whole grain, natural bread) or cheese as a "spoon" to scoop up bites of the unfavored food. So far it has worked every time and she has eaten everything that she wouldn't eat off a regular spoon.

You could also try using fruit slices as "spoons". Some of the combos my daughter likes are apples dipped in peanut butter or banannas dipped in yogurt.

I've also wrapped avocado slices with lettuce and lunchmeat, and veggies in cheese.

One other tip that's worked for me...If my daughter doesn't dig in I'll sit with her and let her feed me. She thinks it's great fun because I really hype up how much I love every bite. It doesn't take long before she thinks she's missing out, and when I tell her no thank you and that she should eat it she usually mimics my enthusiasm and suddenly desides its something she loves too.

Good Luck, and continue to offer the same foods that you and your husband are eating.

Hi A.,
I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but... with both of my girls, they did go through this at one time or another. You should realize that it is totally normal behavior for toddlers to sometimes eat what you put in front of them, and sometimes not. I think you are on the right track by giving him what you and your husband eat. Don't get caught in the trap of catering to his every whim or you're setting yourself up for a crazy couple of years! Simply cut the food into small pieces, give him a spoon, and let him eat it, or not. Don't get stressed out about it, beg him to eat, or make a fuss - then he will wonder what antics he can do to make even more of a fuss over mealtime. If he is hungry, he'll eat!

I hope that helps! Enjoy your little boy!

In addition to the foods your son likes, my daughter does well with whole wheat toast (buttered, spread with almond butter, or with melted cheese), pasta (with or without sauce, especially longer noodles she can slurp), just about any kind of soup, she loves steamed broccoli florets and steamed frozen peas, canned (no salt added) green beans, sweet potato french fries, white meat chicken nuggets, kiwi, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, canned (no salt) kidney beans...the common denomenator here is that almost all of these are finger foods. If she can pick it up, she'll take at least one bite! Is he maybe looking for more independence? I thought my daughter was getting picky once, but she just wanted to feed herself!