Eating Challenges with 1 Yr Old

I don't have any answers for you, but one suggestion: Go to a registered dietician, perhaps one affiliated with a pediatric unit of a hospital, and get an evaluation and a treatment plan. This is something to get a handle on. Good luck.

Maybe he is still hypersensitive or can't digest dairy products well and that is why he doesn't eat sometimes. Try a week without any dairy products and see if he starts to eat better. It may be the casein (the milk protein also) and you might need to avoid it also.

I'd have him checked for Chiari Malformation, that can be an issue with swallowing. I have a friend who could sometimes eat without any issues, and other times feel like she was unable to swallow. As a child she could not articulate this, but as an adult it worsened. She had the surgery and has NO swallowing issues now.

Good luck!

why dont you try putting him in the middle of the kitchen floor in a high cahir and let him feed himself I know it sounds bad cause of the mess but i bet if he was feeding himself he might eat more of it

Are you sure you aren't writing about my son???? HA! I was nodding the entire time I read your post!!

I make veggie fritters - (crunchy, like tater tots) - I got the recipe off of Wholesome Toddler Food website (http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/weeklytoddlerrecipes_... toward bottom of page "carrot and zuchinni fritter') I modified mine, taking out certain ingredients and adding in more.... I will be glad to send it to you if you're interested - just let me know.

Also - I give him Kagome fruit/veg. juice - it counts as 2 servings of veg/fruit on most of their products... http://www.kagome.us/ProductDetails.aspx?navIndex=340 - I've also bought V8-V-fusion for him. Yogurt smoothies (loves Yo'Baby brand) and such... those things are expensive, and I'm frugal - so I write the companies and request product trial coupons every 3 months and they send me TONS! There's also Bolthouse Farms juices that are usually avail. in the produce section - a carrot blend is avail. there too.

PolyViSol supplement is liquid and can be added to his juice daily for addn'l vitamins, just run that by your ped's office. My son is still picky, we have a certain few thigns he'll eat and we just go with it. I make my own zuchinni or sweet potato "fries" and he loves those... I grate veggies and put them under the cheese on my own whole wheat pizzas.

Good luck :)

My mom is a dietician. She suggested that we do this with our son who didn't eat enough. Serve him 3 healthy meals a day. Feed him the same food you are feeding the rest of the family. Then feed him healthy snacks between meals--3 snacks a day. Try to make sure that you are feeding him at least one thing at meals and snacks that you know he will eat. Relax. It will get better as he gets older.

When I became a diabetic my doctor told me to start eating 6 small meals a day like a child does. She told me that children eat the healthiest way. They eat as much as they want. They don't tend to over eat. And they eat when they are hungry. She said that we would have less diabetics in our country if people would all go back to eating like children naturally do.

Dear C.,
-I'm sorry you're having such a rough time with feeding your son.
-Dysphagia does not only mean difficulty swallowing as we imagine the food leaving the mouth to go down the throat. Dysphagia can also describe trouble with the food traveling down the esophagus, like when you swallow and it feels like it's stuck or going down slowly, or you feel a lump in your chest from the chunk you ate. Sometimes acid reflux can cause scarring and narrowing of the esophagus.
-Another thing that doctors look for when they are testing for dysphagia, is to see if a little of the food or gastric juices accidentally might be going down the wrong pipe and into the lungs. This could also cause a child to be very uncomfortable while eating. The child might cough it up or the child could develop pneumonia.
-My daughter had reflux as a newborn, but outgrew it. By the time she was eating solids, she was off meds.
-If the doctor is concerned that your son isn't gaining weight like he should, a possible diagnosis is "failure to thrive". It's a diagnosis that needs to be respected and taken seriously. In other words, the body is starving.
-You mention that you believe he may have outgrown the dairy allergy, is this your assessment or the pediatrician's? If I were you, with the problems that your little one has been having, I'd make sure that the pediatric gastroenterologist who does the swallow studies agrees with this assessment before you progress him with his dairy items. I'm sure that you've heard the "cow's milk is for calves", "goat's milk is for baby goat's" discussion.
-Then, I'd work with a pediatric dietician.
-I was hospitalized for most of my first two years because of milk allergies (many, many, many years ago). During my first pregnancy, my ob pulled my baby charts for me so I could gain a better understanding of my babyhood. I had even received blood transfusions!!
-I know an 8 year old boy whose severe asthma was recently identified as a milk allergy!
-I would not add Carnation Instant, Pediasure, Ensure, or yogurt to your son's diet until I had the doctor's firm OK to add dairy products.
-I agree with the other posters about making sure he's on vitamins and mixing his vegetables into foods that you anticipate he'll eat.
-You don't mention whether he's bottle or breast-fed. What formula is he on? How is he doing with his liquids?
-Having said all that, I was working full-time when my kids were that age. I made all their baby food. I put their high chairs on top of an old shower curtain spread out on the floor. I plopped scoops of food onto the highchair tray and sat down to eat next to them. The pediatrician commented that they were able to explore textures and I used to joke about the food being absorbed through their skin by osmosis. Three times a day, after each meal, we hosed them down in the sink or the bathtub. (The dog helped us with the shower curtains.)
-I had no way of ever knowing how much they ate, except for when they were weighed at the pediatrician's office.
-All considered, I would avoid white flour, white sugar, white rice, all juices, and all processed foods; at least until this resolves.
Good luck!

Have you tried smoothies? My son is a big "drinker" and loves smoothies made of ice, yogurt, juice and whatever fruit we have. Rubbermaid makes a great little cup with straw- better than a sippy cup.

Good luck!

I have a 13 month old going through the same thing. We have tried everything, even hiding vegetables in the food he will eat (mainly bread). My daughter went through the same thing but eventually grew out of it. BUT both of my kid have always been a good "size." Right now, we are just waiting for him to grow out of this stage.

Have you tried to get him to drink Ensure or that Carnation Instant Breakfast? Both have lots of calories and come in different flavors.

Also, my son is not a big eater. This week, he is tearing up the food but last week he was eating like a bird. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I think kids know when they are hungry and what they want (or don't want)to eat.

Since my son was 1 he has not eaten well. Mealtime has always been an emotional struggle and he was getting so skinny! I would almost start crying when I saw his ribs poking out because I felt like I was doing something wrong. He is now 2 and the doctors have all told me that I should not force him to eat but I would get upset because it seemed like he lived on crackers and nothing else. I tried pediasure and he does like chocolate..but you don't want him to get too used to it all the time cause he won't eat. He got sick and started not eating at all. We started his medicine and he started asking for food. He ate better than a couple of days later when I put his food in front of him he said "all done mom" and pushed it away. I did what they told me to do and said "ok. Food is gone." I would then put it out of his sight on the counter. He started yelling "no! Eat!" I then asked him if he wanted to eat now and he said "yes mom. Eat." sometimes he doesnt say "eat" so i take him away from the table and put his food in the fridge. When he asks for drink, i tell him no, he needs to eat. He screams and cries and i act like his screaming isnt a big deal, and then he asks to eat. I do this everytime and he has a nice weight now. There are certain guidelines to this:
-only water with meals. You can give milk or juice AFTER meals (they are both appetite suppressants because milk fills him up and juice has sugar which is an appetite suppressant).
-no milk or juice at least 1 1/2 hours before meals (and just one cup at a time)
-no dry cereal or crackers for snacks. Snacks should be food with some nutrition, like cut up apples. The nurse advised me to only give him a mid-morning snack
-if he eats, give him something like yogurt for a treat

This is really hard I know...it took me a year to understand and emotionally be able to take food away from my son when I knew he needed to eat. But it's better now in the long run. I have been told over and over "kids won't let themselves starve..and it's true. The best ideas that helped me was the rule, only water at meals and no milk or juice 1 1/2 before meals. I would give you calorie booster ideas but my son wouldn't even try them...I quote "yuck!" he does (now) like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but I'm not sure I would recommend peanut butter to a 1 year old with allergies already. Good luck! I hope this helps and I hope the doctor apointment go well.

My youngest has acid reflux. His main problem was asthma when he was younger so we went to a ped. pulmonologist who discovered the AR. I was surprised but the dr. said his description of symptoms were text book for AR.My son would shy away from food sometimes which was one of the things the ped. pulm. dr. said is a childs way when he does not know why that food made him feel bad last time. Could he still be suffering with the dairy allergy. Maybe if you stop the dairy and continue with the meds he would be more willing to eat regular food. Will he eat veggies raw or cooked. We used to make our own trail mix with an assortment of dry cereals and dried fruits. If you can find a cereal that has higher protein that he would eat that would be better. Hope this helps. Good Luck

Hi C., I had the same exact problem with my daughter, who is now 18 months. She had reflux and a mild milk protien allergy, so she was never a big eater either, although her weight was always okay. When she got big enough for finger foods, there were days where she would only eat cheerios for every table meal, and then wouldn't touch them for a week. I got very frustrated because I worried about her health/weight, but then remembered that kids that age eat what they want and stop when they're full. With my daughter, we didn't realize she had a problem with milk until she started whole milk at 12 mlonths, and even now too much dairy hurts her stomach. It may be that your son is still not tolerating the milk - sometimes it's hard to tell since they don't really get fussy or anything. Check into the milk allergy (or other food allergies) but don't worry too much. Pretty soon he'll be able to feed himself and will probably be more interested in food. My daughter began to refuse the veggies because they were something I had to feed her. Now that she can feed herself she'll eat much more variety. Don't stress, kids know how to eat when they're hungry and soon he'll probably outgrow it.

My son is the same way and the only thing he east fairly well is breakfast. I usually put vitamins in his cereal so I know he is getting the vitamins he needs. My son weighs almost 26 lbs The Dr hasn't mentioned anything about his weight so I guess for my son his pickiness is not a big issue as far as that goes. I would just keep trying to introduce different things. My son will only eat green beans. I make a chicken and rice dish that has carrots.......I can usually sneek a carrot or 2 into his mouth with the chicken and rice. Just keep trying and good luck.

Boy oh boy... your son sounds like a carbon copy of mine! Mine is still a picky eater (I think it's a texture thing), but it is VERY slowly getting better. One thing I do is add 1/2 carnation instant breakfast packet to his milk twice a day. It gives the milk a caloric boost, and has lots of vitamins, protein, and nutrition. He likes the variety pack (strawberry,vanilla, and chocolate) and we switch it up so he doesn't get tired of the same flavor. As for the foods, just keep offering them. Recently, we had success with hotdogs, but only after we had offered them to him 100 times. This is the ONLY meat he will eat. Like I said, it's all about the baby steps. You never know when he will try something new out of the blue. Sorry I don't have any better advice on that (I haven't found the solution to this problem myself!) We just have to do the best we can!

With your son's history, and the recommendation of his doctor to see a specialist, what exactly do you want to hear?
I'm not trying to be nasty, but why not take him to the specialist just to make sure there isn't a physical problem? I would be running not walking if it were my baby. Why are you reluctant to do so, or at least you seem to be from your inquiry??
If he's not gaining weight, and seems so reluctant with most foods, it makes perfect sense to cancel out ANY problems so that you and the doctor can work out some kind of plan for the little fellow.
Be patient, and do what is best for HIM. If you don't follow up and the problem continues, he could suffer unnecessarily, and my develop problems later on due to malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies, etc.
That's all I can tell you, I pray that you'll take the doctor's advice.

Hi C.,

You've gotten great advice already covering the basics here, so thought I'd just offer my support. My daughter stayed under the 25% (she was 6.5 lbs when born) until she was around 8 yrs old. She didn't have reflux or other medical problems, but her eating habits were much like your son's. With her, it turned out to be sensory issues at play (Disorder of Sensory Integration, or whatever it's called now). After lots of OT and work at home when she was a toddler, she overcame her food sensitivities and broadened what she would eat.

Texture and taste cravings (like the "salty" you mentioned) can be indicative of sensory issues at play, and can also be used to your advantage to shape behavior (food choices or otherwise). If you have noticed other symptoms of SPD, you can read about it in "The Out of Sync Child" or I'm sure, all over the internet. There is a specific "oral protocol" you can use if indeed this turns out to be an issue.

Also, I'd like to point out what Dawn B wrote because most of what your son will eat sounds like starch. I also had a friend with a son like she described, and all the starch (=sugars) led to health problems (including severe dental decay) in her son. Just something to keep your eye on.

Hopefully, all of this will be for naught, and your son's diet will become more varied as he grows. Always pays to be informed, though, doesn't it?

Best wishes to you and yours....

are you still feeding baby food or are you feeding him what you are eating? If you are still feeding him baby food, I suggest you stop as that stuff really tastes horrible except for a few of the deserts.

I was told by my ped that its okay not to have the child eat a wide variety of food at this age. If you son prefers mashed potatos and such, then ensure he has some for every meal along with other foods. You can also hide veggies in other ways such as bread or muffins as well as soups. Also, some of this may be caused by the acid reflux. My daughter was on the acid reflux meds until she was 3 years old. Good luck!

Good luck.

Does he get the crunchy stuff while he's roaming free and the messy stuff confined to a high chair? Does he get to self feed the messy stuff too or just the crunchy stuff. For my 11 mth old these are the important factors for how much he'll eat. He recently started walking and he'd much rather be on the move than in the chair. So of course he's more willing to eat the dry stuff because I'll give him that at the coffee table. He eats more mushy stuff when I feed him at the couch, especially if nobody else is eating. I control the spoon but he can move around like this. When we are all eating, usually dinner, He is in the high chair and if it's messy foods I let him self feed. This allows me to eat too and keeps him happy.