15 month old not eating solid

Hi

My son used to eat but now he doesnt like eating only strawberry yorghurt and milk. I recently started mixing fish n vegitable nesstle cereal in his milk bottle with milk and he takes it ,I think he believes its just milk.I tried giving it to him from a bowl and he refused. I have run out of ideas on how to make him love food again. Could anyone help me out and feeding ideas and what n when to feed?

He is now walking and lots of baby talk with few words


Worried mum

Hi


My son is also a picky eater. He started eliminating certain foods, mostly veggies, from his diet at about 9 months. But now he is 2.5 years old and he is slowly eating more. I think I made the mistake at that early age to stop offerring a variety of foods and only put what he likes in front of him. He doesn't like food he doesn't know so now I offer one new thing every day for at least a week and he usually starts putting it in his mouth then eventually takes a bite that he spits out then might start eating. Right now he is into saying "mine" so if I try to eat his food he will start eating it becuase it is his.



I also have a bit of experience with kids who don't like certain textures in theirmouths or on their faces. This is what we suggest which I did a bit of with my son as well. Start by offerring him something similar but slightly different to what he likes. Such as a different flavour of yogurt mixed in with his strawberry yogurt. Gradually change the ratio so it is more the new flavour than the old. You can then try different things that look and feel ike yogurt but taste different such as custard or maybe silky tofu etc.


Also a big thing I have realised is they feed of your anxiety. When I stressed out about what my son was eating he would not eat anything at all. Now that I am relaxed and don't worry about it he sometimes eats a lot, sometimes a littlle and sometimes still only his favourites. Try giving him his meals at set times each day, three main meals nad two snacks with nothing to eat in between. Try all meals at the table with you sitting there as well eating the same thing as him. If he only eats yogurt and milk offer the milk with a bowl of the cereal you mentioned he eats in his milk in front of him as well. If he rejects it and pushes it away just move it out of his reach but keep it on the table. You eat your cereal and drink your milk with him then offer him some yogurt. Offer the same cereal every day, once a day for a week or more. Try to encourage him to keep it in front of him but don't scold him for not eating it. Gradually use the method above to introduce new foods etc. I found the routine of regular meal times really worked for me. Also have the tv off but try to be relaxed and chat with him. I now occassionally leave the tv on and he watches it in a daze and shovels in what is in front of him if he is not cooperating at meal times, but I am trying to stop this.


I hope this works. PM me if you want to chat about more ideas.

i'm sort of experiencing the same problem with my daughter (13.5 months).


She has started to not eat her cereal when i mix it with milk (formula or cows milk). she doesnt like it soft and mushy anymore. she has boiled egg three times a week for breakfast and then the other times cereal. but i end up giving her the dry cereal now which i also give to her as snacks. i havent given her yoghurt yet as i'm trying to still wean her on cow's milk (by mixing it with her formula). she's had pancakes as well for breakfast but dry cereal just seems boring, tasteless and wont fill her up. what other alternatives can i give for breakfast?


she has also started to not like her mashed potatoes or rice/millet (softish) which i add veggies and meat. but she likes capellini pasta! i'm going to try and feed her rice and potatoes separately from the veggies and meat and see if its the texture of the rice or the taste of the other ingredients


Mrs Mwangi - i know your son wont eat from the bowl but is it ok to feed your son the cereal in a bottle?

Hi again,


My son also wen through a stage of eating dry cereal. I offered it dry and with milk and he would alternate between both. Dry cereal with a glass of milk is still filling. He still likes some dry cereal at breakfast at 2.5 years. You can serve anything for breakfast- what about toast or a sandwich.


My son also started eating rice and veggies seperately as well. It was the textures adn combination of tastes and he has not gone back to mixed textures but does try them more often. With the new baby I will try and keep offering her mixed food with a little seperate food on the side to hopefully avoid this problem. But I think it does get better with age. Great that your daughter will eat eggs. My son stays away from them.

Thanks so much for this relieving advice. I almost thought that my son could be starving hehehe. at least I can read am not alone in the struggle to feed baby to healthy food. About dried cereal which one is this for the one I give is in powder form whic is easy to mix in milk bottle... I tried a formular yesterday of giving bottled cereal in the morning, baby rice cake(from park n shop) at about 10am, milk bun with yourgut at 12pm then when he woke up fruits,at 4pm fresh orange juice and dinner rice with green gram stew with meat and he eat very well. should I continue like this or he has to eat real meal 3 times? since I have noted he enjoys dinner most and can eat and eat and eat... is this in order??


Thanks again

Remember, you can serve dinner foods for breakfast! Let your child feed himself as well. I agree that stressing about it can make it into a power game. Keep trying...

hi all and thanks for all your experience sharing its encouraging for me!


my daughter again refused mashed potato and wouldnt eat ready brek. i gave her fried rice last nite (modified from my fried rice, ie no pineapple, coriander) and she had a few spoonfuls and the she refused to have anymore. but when i started to eat my rice she wanted mine so i pretended to eat her rice and then give it to her and she ate it. i also pretended to give her some of my rice but actually gave her her rice. anyway, she finished her rice and wanted more which there was none so i gave her a few bites out of mine and then offered her bread which she ate.


this afternoon for lunch i gave pasta+chicken and then separtely served brocolli, courgette and sweet potato. i gave each separately on a fork and she ate all the veggies, the pasta was unfinished, this time i let her make a mess banging the fork on her plate and food was everywhere, but she obviously enjoyed it. so tonite i'm going to try with rice+chicken and then separately brocolli and carrots and see what happens.


probably i'll have more success in feeding if i let her feed herself (its just i dont like the mess!) and also feed ingredients separately.


mrs mwangi - hold old is your son?

Wow Flowers-daffodil


I wish my 15months old son would do the same.Am abit hesitant in giving pasta but broccoli he will only eat two branches and no more, mashed potatoes wont go past his lips, chicken will finish what you give,rice he doesnt like it nowadays probaly we gave him to much. I will try and give him one type of food at a time and see what happens.I get consolation in the cereal milk trick as this is like food though not enough for me.

Yes he has the habit of eating from my plate via my hand and I do let him feed ME using the folk thats his fun part and so we kind of make a game of it and he eats abit too.and you can imagin the mess...


will give feedback after two days of trials.. thanks all.....

flowers-daffodil, my son is EXACTLY your case. The way he refuses the food and when I pretend to eat with him and he takes it, thinking that I'm feeding him my food but in fact it's his food etc etc.


I try give him finger food or rice balls or things to hold during meals too but I cannot offer him the plate, coz every time he overturns it. I really hate the mess too!

I am enjoying reading how all the kids are doing on this thread. I think you Moms are doing a fabulous job of offering healthy food and getting them to eat it. It sounds like your kids are very normally and eating very well. I used to do the pretend feeding as well and unfortunately feeding themselve and making a mess is all part of it. They do get a bit neater, eventually. Then you get the phase at 2.5 where they want to use a knife and fork independently and it gets messy agian. Keep it low stress as you are doing and your kids will be fine. They will not starve themselves and will start to eat less in their second year.


Mrs. Mwangi - I think you meal schedule of eating small amounts every two hours is good. That is how my son still eats and actually how I eat as well. As long as he is not snacking on junk food all day and knows when he will get to eat next he will do well.


Good luck to all the hard working Moms with the daily food battle.