Need Advice for My 19 Month Old Baby

I'd say this is more common than not. Our kids did the same thing as they became more adventurous and had better chewing abilities, etc.

The best thing you can do is offer healthy foods and not cave in when he won't eat. Children do not go hungry. But, they will manipulate us until they get what they want.

Out of curiosity, is there a particular reason you still have him on formula? With both of our kids, the pediatrician said to skip the next step formulas and go straight to Vitamin D milk. Just wondering based upon our experience.

My nephew the same way, a carb-o-holic, won't eat anything but cereal bars and cheese. The pediatrician is not concerned as long as he is healthy, gaining weight, and hitting all his milestones, sometimes they just go through phases. If your worried about nutrition, just continue to give him formula. And, to ease your mind, just call your pediatric office and talk to one of the nurses, I am sure they will reassure you that it's normal.

Was he gradually introduced to food in the early months? You probably gave in to him when he was younger and did not continue to offer the other foods to keep him happy, and now this is all he knows; but it's fixable. How much formula is he still taking at this age? Does he eat baby food? If he is geting full off the milk this will take some of his appetite. Have you tried holding him on your lap and feeding him from your plate as you eat? Not really a good habit but it is a start. Do you put fruit in the oatmeal, give him a chicken leg to chew on? Is he eating cookies and snacks; if so cut him down. Tell him he can have it after he eats just a little bit of his meal.Exchange the meal for a snack until he is eating healthy. Have you discussed this with your pediatrician? I ask all these questions hoping to prompt your thinking to help solve yor dilemma. You can email me if you like at ____@____.com consider ordering my book An Essential Practical Guide to Family Living at www.destroyingyokes.com

hi
if he eats a food that has texture does he gag/throw up? yes being a picky eater is normal however since he is not chewing any foods he is not exercising his gums, jaw, teeth. if you are concerned you may want to consider asking the pediatrician for a Feeding evaluation by a speech or occupational therapist. they will be able to provide you tips and support to help advance his diet

good luck!

He may be full from the formula and juice , there is no reason to have kids on next step formula , I would stop that and move him to whole milk , limit the amount of juice he has and give water instead and then offer foods and see how he does , milk is good for them but acts like a food and makes them feel full so I would not let him have milk before you want him to eat , for example don't let him have milk if you want him to eat breakfast , lunch or dinner an hour or less away.

Good luck

Cut back on juice and dilute the juice you do give him with water to make it 50/50. There is way too much natural sugar in juice that kids don't need. Giving him Next step formula is a waste of money. Kids from ages 12 months to 2yrs of age should be drinking whole milk because the high fat content is good for brain development. 2 % is probably ok but whole is better for that first year. Make sure all drinks are in a sippy cup!! If it is in a bottle, he'll more than likely suck it down fast and fill up on the liquid and not wholesome foods.
Mashed potatoes (also a starchy carb that is high in natural sugar) and oatmeal are very filling foods, you might want to cut back on the servings and offer other things as well like fresh cut up soft fruits, soft veggies and cooked meats. It's not uncommon for kids to go on eating roller coasters at this age where they eat and eat for days and days where they hardly eat at all. A child will NOT starve themselves, so try not to worry about it when he is on a jag where he isn't eating much. Just step back and let him take the pace.

Good luck
S.

Is he in any childcare or kids groups to see other children eating? That would really get him interested -- kids like to mimic each other, and just seeing adults eat isn't as interesting:)

Take it slowly, but maybe a bite of soft carrots, or a bite of salsbury steak -- just a little beside his normal and perhaps a few meals later he'll try and like.

Definately get started to get his development moving forward and congratulations in taking these first tough steps!! You can wish me luck too -- I have to get the courage to allow my 2 year old to sleep alone:)

If you have a blender, mashed potatoes and oatmeal are great foods to blend pureed veggies and fruit into. My son was picky too and for months and months, I blended fruit and yogurt into oatmeal. Bananas are easy to blend into oatmeal. Choose things that are a similar color so its less obvious. Try blending the yobaby yogurt that has fruit and veggies into it into the oatmeal and see if he will eat that. Hopefully he will grow out of his pickiness but if not, this might help get more natural vitamins and minerals into him in the meantime. You also might want to have an ear, nost throat doctor check him out to make sure there isn't another reason he wont eat solid foods, like inflamed tonsils or something like that. My niece had that issue - it turned out she wouldn't eat b/c it hurt to eat. Good luck!

Is he around other children his age??? Some times kids will try new things if they see other kids doing it. Try a playgroup once a week and see if he tries something new, and if he seems to like it try it at home during the week. :)