my daughter is 16 months old and will barely eat anything. the only things she wants is cheese and fruit, sometimes she doesn't even eat the fruit. she is getting constipated from eating so much cheese though so i try not give it to her everyday. her eating habits are getting worse. things she loved before she throws at me now and she will not try anything new. i need ideas for meals and ideas on how to remain patient. it is so frustrating to have your child tell you she wants to eat but throws everything at you. she once had good table manners but they are gone now and we are both very upset. she also only 20 lbs at 16 months. help me!!
Maybe you could try letting somebody else keep her at mealtime and see of she will eat and gain some weight.Maybe she is using food as her weapon in a power-struggle because she knows you want her to eat, and if she eats then you 'win'.
Dont be emotional - the upset atmosphere will stop her from eating.
It is not easy to be a mom! Do not feel alone. Many moms experience your frustration of feeding an unwilling child. I sure did and so has my daughter, my unwilling child, with one of her sons. The answer lies in persistance without making a big deal out of it. Dr. Greene, a great pediatrician you can find online, says you simply put that pea on your child's plate every day for ten plus days. When your child throws it on the ground or plays with it until it is not eatable, simply pick it up and throw it away without saying anything. Every day, put another pea back on the plate without a comment. Somewhere between 10 and 15 days, your child will eat it and want more. Hopefully your child is not the exception but you won't know until you have tried this method.
Water, water, and lots of water. This will help constipation. Stay away from process foods. You may want to stop offering cheese, or less of it. Yogurt would be a better alternative. Yogurt with some real fruit will give her some fiber. (Yo Baby brand) As long as your daughter gets her cheese, she has not reason to change her behavior.
Lots of quick and easy solutions can be found through our website, www.familyfoodexperts.com. Our CD Cookbook: Mom, I'm Hungry ... What's for Dinner? that is bound in the back of our book: Are Your Kids Running on Empty? is full of answers for you. Take a look.
Let me know how this works for you!
E. (____@____.com)
Am living this life right now, try to put the cheese on something, meat, veggies, or bread. Or use up the cheese and show her it's all gone. Then offer her something else. My daughter usually excepts that. Also check with the doctor, you might need to with the weight issue. Good luck, Jen
TEETHING, DOES SHE HAVE ALL HER MOLARS THAT IS PROBABLY WHAT IT IS!!--C.
I guess you just have to keep trying! I dont have advice on how to get her to eat, but the weight shouldnt be an issue, my daughter is almost 26 months and she's only 23 pounds!I try to give my kids a big variety of fruits and vegetables, and noodles, they love noodles. Ramen noodles mainly! But blueberries and whole, big carrots, things like that, kids seem to love to chew on them. Oh and dip! My kids love to dip anything into "dip"! Usually the dip I give them is yogurt for fruit, or syrup for pancakes and french toast, sometimes ketchup if they get french fries, and BBQ sauce for meats. Hope that helps!
I have heard of mothers with picky eaters juicing. You can juice just about any fruit or veggie. The only problem I can see is that juicers can be expensive. But if this is something you are truly worried about, investing in a juicer might be worth it. Also, my son is 25 months and only weighs 27 lbs. I don't think you have to worry about her weight. Look more at her health. If she is healthy, not getting sick a lot, than don’t worry. Good luck.
R. mother of 3
Hi, don't worry about her weight. And I think this is a phase that all children go through. My daughter is 24.5 lbs at just over 2. There are some good suggestions from other moms. I would make sure not to make food and her not eating an issue. You don't want her having problems later. She'll eat when she's hungry enough. We found that letting my daughter sit in a booster chair every now and then made her want to eat more. Just like a big girl ;-) Hang in there. She'll eat and then go through this phase again.
that's a good weight for her age.
but kids go through these stages, I know you've heard about growth spurts nonetheless when they don't eat we make ourselves sick of worrying.
instead of trying to feed her so often, spread out the meals, and for snacktime don't give anything filling but more just fun, healthy stuff, like yoghurt. my kids at that age loved yo baby yoghurt. i'd put a straw and hold it for them or let them hold it and they'd drink that. string cheese, pieces of banana, sweet potaties, well cooked pasta with some sort of cheese sauce. also mine LOVED scrambled eggs, whether they ate them using fingers or a spoon.
so when enough time passes between main meals, these healthy snacks will be nutritious but not filling. eventually she will feel hungry enough to eat. but she needs to experience hunger to know food 'cures' hunger.
good luck
V.
keep trying to get her taste things, one day she will eat it all up. My daughter goes thru phases, some weeks she hates pizza, do you believe that? But i reward her and go on and on about her "trying" things. She doenst have to eat everything on her plate, but i want her to bite everything once. Gets her used to differnet things. Even mashed potatoes, some days she wants it, other she doesnt. but i want her to try it every time we have it.
I think it may be the age. My 16 month old is going through a picky stage too. When I put her in her high chair she turns her head away and says "no no no". I usually offer small amounts of a couple of different choices and if she doesn't eat, or doesn't eat much after a while, I take her down. I have noticed though that if I let her eat of mine or my husband's plate out of the high chair she is more likely to eat something when she is being picky. Have you tried meatballs? Frozen ravioli? Grilled Cheese? Then maybe she'll get a little more than just the cheese. I feel your pain! I know it is frustrating but hang in there, hopefully it will get better soon.
