My Picky Toddler

[amc80]

B is really picky with food. I know most toddlers are, to some extent, but he's ridiculous. Spaghetti, mac n cheese, quesadillas, shredded chicken breast, any veggies, bread, grilled cheese, etc.- he won't try any of it. He just shakes his head and says no. I always offer him whatever we are having. The only "entrees" he will eat for lunch and dinner are chicken nuggets, lunch meat, and Greek yogurt. He loves fruit and will eat a ton of that as well, but veggies are a no go (I will give him a squeezy food that has veggies in it every 2-3 days).

I talked to his day care teacher yesterday. They said that if they don't give him one of those three things he will just sit there while all the other kids eat. He doesn't cry or anything, he just sits. I asked what they've done in the past with picky kids, and they said that they've never had a kid this picky. Super.

I know it's my fault for always offering him one of those things he likes. I'm not worried about him starving, but I am concerned about it impacting his sleep. Last night I gave him some chicken breast and quesadilla and he wouldn't eat it. I ended up giving him some fruit, which he ate, but I didn't offer anything else. So one little fruit cup was all he ate, and he still slept all night. But man, he woke up starving.

His pediatrician just said that toddlers are picky and to be sure he gets a multivitamin.

How do I fix this? Do I just flat out stop giving him those three foods? Will he eventually try stuff when he's hungry? I'd be less annoyed if he tried things and didn't like them, but he won't even do that.

 

[Harpertoo]

My experience is different, but my daughter definitely went through a picky stage and still, at age 8, eats around certain foods or smothers them in parmesian.
We didn't really alter our meals much for our daughter and sort of forced her to eat what we were eating. (Sometimes making a sauce milder, or seasoning things less.) When she really started avoiding the vegetables I bought the Missy Chase Lapine book and puréed a lot of things that blend into bolognese and smoothies. We tell her she has to at least try everything we serve. She has eaten some light dinners, but then will eat a big breakfast. And I always allow her all the fruit and raw veggies she wants for snacks.

I'm not sure my strategies will help here, but I feel for you. It's tough! Good luck!
(I have about 7 other more highbrow books on children & nutrition and oddly the Sneaky Chef was most helpful!)

 

[amc80]

My experience is different, but my daughter definitely went through a picky stage and still, at age 8, eats around certain foods or smothers them in parmesian.
We didn't really alter our meals much for our daughter and sort of forced her to eat what we were eating. (Sometimes making a sauce milder, or seasoning things less.) When she really started avoiding the vegetables I bought the Missy Chase Lapine book and puréed a lot of things that blend into bolognese and smoothies. We tell her she has to at least try everything we serve. She has eaten some light dinners, but then will eat a big breakfast. And I always allow her all the fruit and raw veggies she wants for snacks.

I'm not sure my strategies will help here, but I feel for you. It's tough! Good luck!
(I have about 7 other more highbrow books on children & nutrition and oddly the Sneaky Chef was most helpful!)

I will check out that book, thank you. I want to get to the stage where he eats (mainly) what we eat. Or, you know, we can go to the restaurant and he can eat something off the kid's menu. The only thing he will eat when we go out is french fries. So healthy.

He's been like this from the beginning...so it's not like he used to eat a ton of food and has since decided to be picky.

 

[JGator]

AMC, I am in the same boat. K wil eat purees when she's in the mood, and she has eaten deli ham a few times. In the past, she ate avocado, but she refuses it now. She wil eat yogurt (sometimes), mangoes, strawberries, pears, tomatoes, crackers, bbq pop chips, granola bars, white beans, and veggie sausage. That's pretty much her diet. I can't think of anything else - she has never eaten meat that wasn't pureed in a pouch other than the sliced ham - I keep trying ground turkey. Last night, she had 1/2 a small tomato, 1/2 chicken puree pouch, 1/2 beef puree pouch, and a few crackers for dinner. Today for breakfast, over 12 hours later, she had 1/3 of a veggie sausage and 1/2 a fruit/veggie puree baby food and a few bites of toast. She also eats puffs and other baby snacks from Plum Organics. I guess at least B eats chicken nuggets - but K eats veggie sausage so I guess that's equivalent! I tried adding cream cheese and peanut butter to her crackers, but she just wiped them on her pants. Also, our nanny finds that K eats more when she leaves her alone - like doesn't sit next to her at the table - if she steps back, she will pick up things and put them in her mouth if it's her idea rather than ours. Of course, this is still within our relatively limited menu. She also keeps asking for cheese from the refrigerator, but refuses to eat it after we get it for her. It would be great if she could eat off our plates at home or in a restaurant too!

 

[amc80]

AMC, I am in the same boat. K wil eat purees when she's in the mood, and she has eaten deli ham a few times. In the past, she ate avocado, but she refuses it now. She wil eat yogurt (sometimes), mangoes, strawberries, pears, tomatoes, crackers, bbq pop chips, granola bars, white beans, and veggie sausage. That's pretty much her diet. I can't think of anything else - she has never eaten meat that wasn't pureed in a pouch other than the sliced ham - I keep trying ground turkey. Last night, she had 1/2 a small tomato, 1/2 chicken puree pouch, 1/2 beef puree pouch, and a few crackers for dinner. Today for breakfast, over 12 hours later, she had 1/3 of a veggie sausage and 1/2 a fruit/veggie puree baby food and a few bites of toast. She also eats puffs and other baby snacks from Plum Organics. I guess at least B eats chicken nuggets - but K eats veggie sausage so I guess that's equivalent! I tried adding cream cheese and peanut butter to her crackers, but she just wiped them on her pants. Also, our nanny finds that K eats more when she leaves her alone - like doesn't sit next to her at the table - if she steps back, she will pick up things and put them in her mouth if it's her idea rather than ours. Of course, this is still within our relatively limited menu. She also keeps asking for cheese from the refrigerator, but refuses to eat it after we get it for her. It would be great if she could eat off our plates at home or in a restaurant too!

You really are in the same boat! B will also eat crackers, chips, cookies (so healthy, ugh), and cereal (he LOVES frosted mini wheats). So that, nuggets, lunch meat, fruit, eggos, pancakes (on occasion), yogurt....I think that's it. He won't eat bread or bread products (he used to eat bread from this one sandwich place we go to, but now he just picks out the meat). I gave him a taste of jam and then put the jam on some bread, but he wouldn't eat it. I've noticed the same thing about leaving him alone- he does tend to do better when we do that.

We are moving in a few weeks and his high chair is going into storage. We have a booster seat we will use in a normal chair, so maybe him really being at the table with us will help.

 

[JGator]

AMC, I thought of one other thing which sometimes works as a reset button when she won't eat anything. I'll pull out frozen peas, and it seems to rev up her appetite! Does B like frozen peas? K won't eat pancakes or waffles - I should probably try again. We went to music class last Saturday and the instructor asked what everyone had for breakfast to incorporate into a song and the other toddlers had scrambled eggs and pancakes. I was so jealous!

 

[Laila619]

You ladies are all ahead of the game with your toddlers--mine won't eat ANY fruits or veggies, so it could be worse. I definitely sympathize. My son only eats bread, rolls, crackers, muffins, waffles, pancakes, cheese, and yogurt. Occasionally he will eat a bite of lasagna or spaghetti. And that's about it.

 

[amc80]

AMC, I thought of one other thing which sometimes works as a reset button when she won't eat anything. I'll pull out frozen peas, and it seems to rev up her appetite! Does B like frozen peas? K won't eat pancakes or waffles - I should probably try again. We went to music class last Saturday and the instructor asked what everyone had for breakfast to incorporate into a song and the other toddlers had scrambled eggs and pancakes. I was so jealous!

Oh that's something worth trying! I've given him cooked peas (which he wouldn't try), but never frozen. Oh, and when I say "waffles," I mean eggos. He won't eat homemade ones.

 

[amc80]

You ladies are all ahead of the game with your toddlers--mine won't eat ANY fruits or veggies, so it could be worse. I definitely sympathize. My son only eats bread, rolls, crackers, muffins, waffles, pancakes, cheese, and yogurt. Occasionally he will eat a bite of lasagna or spaghetti. And that's about it.

We joke that B is a fruitarian. He will eat like 5 cuties at a time. Or two giant bananas. I'll give him an apple and he will work on it for an hour, carrying it around the house with him. I am lucky he loves fruit, but I really wish he'd try veggies!

 

[mlk]

I too have an extremely prickly toddler whose favorite and only guaranteed food he will eat is soy yoghurt! We are very much still on purees, however I have been told by his dietitian to not give him any more pouches as she feels they have little nutritional benefit and they can become detrimental to the practice of eating. Before that his diet was predominately 2 pouches three times a day as he would vomit or spit out anything else.

As L only weighs 8.5kg at 16 months the dietitian is not concerned about giving him unhealthy food, so basically anything he will eat is ok. The best foods I have any success with is Nutella on untasted whole meal bread, cheese and spinach FILO pastries, spring rolls, crumbed fish fillets and biscuits. I found. Great recipe for nut butter and chickpea biscuits which is how desperate I have got!

In saying all this, he only has a nibble at the finger food and then throws it on the ground and refuses to eat any more.

Purée wise he will eat puréed apricot chicken and shepherds pie as long as they have apple purée ,iced through them. Spy yoghurt and baby oats with sy milk and apple purée are his go to foods. He refuses all types of dairy yoghurt even though he has been given the ok to try dairy and so far has had no reactions.

He has 200mls of neocate formula of a morning too, some soy milk and water throughout the day.

AMC, another thing to consider is B's iron levels. Our dietitian was concerned that L's iron was low because that is usually a cause of a child not having an appetite. I also agree with your theory about the booster seat. L had a big high chair with its own tray and he hated it, so did I as trying to clean the thing with a fussy toddler was a disaster. So I sold it an brought him a Stokke Tripp Trapp which just pulls into the table so he feels like a big boy. The harness also connects to the high hair at a very low point so he has much more movement and doesn't feel restrained. He now doesn't fight me going into his high hair and our meals get off it a better start.

Good luck to all the mummas with fussy toddlers, it is so very stressful and I have found its extremely hard for others to understand.

 

[amc80]

AMC, another thing to consider is B's iron levels. Our dietitian was concerned that L's iron was low because that is usually a cause of a child not having an appetite.

I just checked and his multivitamin does contain iron, so he should be okay.

B is around 33 pounds so it seems silly to say that he has an eating problem. But, surely, it can't be good for chicken nuggets to make up the majority of his caloric intake, right? Even if they are all natural and breaded with whole grains?

 

[mlk]

B is around 33 pounds so it seems silly to say that he has an eating problem. But, surely, it can't be good for chicken nuggets to make up the majority of his caloric intake, right? Even if they are all natural and breaded with whole grains?[/quote]

How do you usually cook them? If they are oven baked I can't see much of a problem. Have you thought about trying to make your own or chicken schnitzels?

 

[amc80]

B is around 33 pounds so it seems silly to say that he has an eating problem. But, surely, it can't be good for chicken nuggets to make up the majority of his caloric intake, right? Even if they are all natural and breaded with whole grains?

How do you usually cook them? If they are oven baked I can't see much of a problem. Have you thought about trying to make your own or chicken schnitzels?[/quote]

Ha, I microwave them.

I haven't tried making my own. I did buy some organic veggie ones (veggies that were combined to look like a nugget...they were breaded as well) and was able to fool him. But then he realized they weren't "his" nuggets and spit them out. I should try doing my own.

 

[dani13]

Amc, I wouldn't stress about this too much. I think he is eating like a toddler...it's pretty normal. He will not live on these 3 foods forever.
Just keep trying new foods intermittently, and one day, he may eventually take to them. I try to hide L's veggies in his food.....he loves pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese, so I steam fresh broccoli and mix it in with that. He LOVES fruit. I think he has a little bit more variety with what he likes than B, but not much. I don't stress over it, and I wouldn't be withholding foods he likes thinking its going to make him try other things just because he's hungry.Toddlers are stubborn!!

 

[amc80]

Amc, I wouldn't stress about this too much. I think he is eating like a toddler...it's pretty normal. He will not live on these 3 foods forever.
Just keep trying new foods intermittently, and one day, he may eventually take to them. I try to hide L's veggies in his food.....he loves pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese, so I steam fresh broccoli and mix it in with that. He LOVES fruit. I think he has a little bit more variety with what he likes than B, but not much. I don't stress over it, and I wouldn't be withholding foods he likes thinking its going to make him try other things just because he's hungry.Toddlers are stubborn!!

Isn't that the truth! I think I would be more sympathetic if he would try new stuff and legitimately not like it. But the refusing to try thing drives me nuts. That, and his use of his favorite word- "no."

 

[JGator]

AMC, I read this a few months ago and will re-read it now https://mobile.tribecapediatrics.com/toddler-wont-eat-anything-dr-maja-castillo/.. K does not drink a lot of milk but probably is getting too many calories from the baby food pouches. Does B drink a lot of milk?

 

[amc80]

AMC, I read this a few months ago and will re-read it now https://mobile.tribecapediatrics.com/toddler-wont-eat-anything-dr-maja-castillo/... K does not drink a lot of milk but probably is getting too many calories from the baby food pouches. Does B drink a lot of milk?

Barely any. He drinks coconut milk, but maybe 4oz a day, max (half of which is at bedtime).

off to read that link.

 

[Puppmom]

Laila, our kids are on the same carb diet. N1 will eat any carbs except pasta. Very few veggies in his diet and no meat except chicken nuggets sometimes.

AMC, you're totally not alone. I don't think B is pickier than the average toddler but maybe stronger willed!

Our issue with N1 is he's always been heavy. He's was born under 7lbs but chunked up fast. He'll be 4 in a few months and is still in the 90th percentile for weight. That wouldn't be a big deal if not for the fact that he's only in the 25th percentile for height!

 

[baby monster]

amc, how old is your toddler?

Mine has always been a good eater but certain foods can be a challenge. I've read somewhere that involving kids in cooking the meals makes them more likely to try new foods because they like to involved in the process and take pride in the final result. I've been giving small cooking tasks to my child ever since. It can be as simple as starting with giving veggies or fruit to wash. Then we moved up to assembling food like throwing veggies into a salad bowl. I also always offer new foods to smell first before asking him to taste. With supervision, DS now cuts soft veggies using a plastic knife and puts food into a pan, salts and spices foods. We also bake together. He thinks cooking is tremendous fun and is more likely to eat the finished product. Obviously, you know best which tasks your LO is ready for and can move to more difficult ones at your pace. HTH.

 

[amc80]

amc, how old is your toddler? Mine has always been a good eater but certain foods can be a challenge. I've read somewhere that involving kids in cooking the meals makes them more likely to try new foods because they like to involved in the process and take pride in the final result. I've been giving small cooking tasks to my child ever since. It can be as simple as starting with giving veggies or fruit to wash. Then we moved up to assembling food like throwing veggies into a salad bowl. I also always offer new foods to smell first before asking him to taste. With supervision, DS now cuts soft veggies using a plastic knife and puts food into a pan, salts and spices foods. We also bake together. He thinks cooking is tremendous fun and is more likely to eat the finished product. Obviously, you know best which tasks your LO is ready for and can move to more difficult ones at your pace. HTH.

He is 20 months. I'll have to think about it to see if there's any way he can help.

 

[pancake]

My approach would be hardline and I would persist with it indefinitely.

Basically I would offer what I wanted to offer, let B decide how much he will eat of which bits, and then take the food away. Except in very rare cases of severe food allergy/protein intolerances, pandering to a kid's preferences only reinforces the behaviour.

B is clearly not malnourished in any way, shape, or form. He clearly gets enough calories (he's huge!), and it's incredibly difficult to get micronutrient deficiency in the absence of any organic underlying disease. The way he learns to eat now will influence his eating behaviours for the rest of his life, so even if he's the pickiest eater you or daycare or your doctor has ever seen, I would stick with the hardline approach.

You pick the food, put it in front of him, set a timeline (maybe 20 or 30 minutes). At the end of that time, take it away. Don't offer extra snacks or milk to fill him up - he is old enough to work it out. He might lose some weight in the short term but in the long term it will be to everyone's benefit.

 

[mlk]

My approach would be hardline and I would persist with it indefinitely.

Basically I would offer what I wanted to offer, let B decide how much he will eat of which bits, and then take the food away. Except in very rare cases of severe food allergy/protein intolerances, pandering to a kid's preferences only reinforces the behaviour.

B is clearly not malnourished in any way, shape, or form. He clearly gets enough calories (he's huge!), and it's incredibly difficult to get micronutrient deficiency in the absence of any organic underlying disease. The way he learns to eat now will influence his eating behaviours for the rest of his life, so even if he's the pickiest eater you or daycare or your doctor has ever seen, I would stick with the hardline approach.

You pick the food, put it in front of him, set a timeline (maybe 20 or 30 minutes). At the end of that time, take it away. Don't offer extra snacks or milk to fill him up - he is old enough to work it out. He might lose some weight in the short term but in the long term it will be to everyone's benefit.

Hi Pamcale, I hope you don't mind me asking but would you also take this approach with a toddler who is underweight but has bad food habits already at 16 months?

 

[pancake]

That depends - partly on the reason why he's underweight and how significant that problem is. Are you guys seeing a general paediatrician still, and a dietician?

 

[mlk]

That depends - partly on the reason why he's underweight and how significant that problem is. Are you guys seeing a general paediatrician still, and a dietician?

He has always been in the lower percentiles for weight being 2 months premature and then he had reflux and milk protein intolerance which led to formula refusal for many months. He also seems to be really hard done by with teething and whenever he was teething in the early days he would end up projectile vomiting all his food so has never been a good eater. He then survived on pouches as that is all he would eat and being so very active he has now fallen off the charts since earlier this year.

Yes we are seeing a general paed who we see again in July and a dietitian as part of the allergy clinic at the local hospital. The dietitian is focussing on reintroducing foods which he has reacted to previously and has not focused on why he is not eating. I see her again next week but was curious to get your view given if he was of a good weight you would say to persevere. I actually think his issue is behavioral in that he has bad food associations given his reflux, projectile vomiting etc but also have SPD in the back of my mind so not sure how hard to push him. He just seems to have no appetite

 

[mayerling]

As a very picky eater myself, I can't condone any kind of behaviour which involves not giving him any food if he won't eat what you've offered. I would just keep trying various foods/combinations until I find what he'll go for.

 

[amc80]

My approach would be hardline and I would persist with it indefinitely.

Basically I would offer what I wanted to offer, let B decide how much he will eat of which bits, and then take the food away. Except in very rare cases of severe food allergy/protein intolerances, pandering to a kid's preferences only reinforces the behaviour.

B is clearly not malnourished in any way, shape, or form. He clearly gets enough calories (he's huge!), and it's incredibly difficult to get micronutrient deficiency in the absence of any organic underlying disease. The way he learns to eat now will influence his eating behaviours for the rest of his life, so even if he's the pickiest eater you or daycare or your doctor has ever seen, I would stick with the hardline approach.

You pick the food, put it in front of him, set a timeline (maybe 20 or 30 minutes). At the end of that time, take it away. Don't offer extra snacks or milk to fill him up - he is old enough to work it out. He might lose some weight in the short term but in the long term it will be to everyone's benefit.

Thanks, Pancake. I agree with this approach and this is what we will end up doing. He will not starve.

 

[MuffDog]

I think *most* toddlers are picky - they are developing their tastes and are also dipping their toes into the idea of control...or loss of it.

I tend to fall more towards what Pancake said - we offer what we are eating and if he doesn't eat it, that's it. Granted, I've changed our eating habits a little to include things that I know he'll like (i.e. pasta with sauce, curries, etc). Luca tends to prefer soupy/stewy type foods. Chicken curry is fine, but cut up chicken pieces? Heck no.

So at least a few times a week we will have Luca friendly foods but if I make a dinner he doesn't like (say...like fajitas), I will offer all the parts to him and hope for the best. I will still give him 'dessert' (plain yogurt, unsweetened apple sauce, fruit, etc) though. So I don't withhold foods he likes, but I also won't make a special meal just for him.

That said, if I'm making something I know he will hate or isn't appropriate (something super spicy or if we order takeout), I will make him scrambled eggs. What I won't do is offer him a nice, homemade meal, have him reject it, and then make him a second meal. I refuse to have him think that if he turns it down I will get back into the kitchen and make another meal.

My friend is a nutritionist and of course has a fantastic eater (which she attributes mostly to luck) and she said that I shouldn't worry about that one particular meal...think about the nutrition over the whole day or a span of a couple days. So what if he had a fruit cup for dinner if the rest of the day (or over a few days) it was generally balanced.

She also said to remember that most toddlers don't like veggies.

 

[FrekeChild]

I thought A was picky, but now I've spent so much time with her, trying to get her to eat, that I feel like she actually eats a mostly balanced diet some days. I don't know if anyone remembers, because A is older than just about everyone here at almost 2.5 years, but she had an eating specialist with Early Intervention. We had a really hard time getting her to eat solid foods when she was a baby, so she had purees and formula almost exclusively until she was about 8 months old. Thinking back to that, man, we are light years from where we were!

Her diet now mostly consists of:
chicken nuggets, bacon, scrambled eggs, corn dogs, hot dogs, salmon, shrimp, pepperoni, lunch meat, string cheese, smoked gouda, yogurt, cashews, almonds, peanuts, peanut butter
Pureed fruit and veggie pouches
cucumbers, carrots, sprouts, green beans, red bell pepper, Romaine and green leaf lettuce
grapes, apples, tangerines, any kind of berry, banana, pears, mango, melons
crackers of all varieties, waffles, cereal, sometimes mac n cheese, french fries, spaghetti, steamed rice, pizza, sandwiches
ice cream, chocolate, cookies, couple kinds of candies

I have a friend that I complain to about her lack of eating a lot, and she said that I should really try to evaluate it on a weekly basis, like, it's ok that she ate a ton of protein today, and only carbs yesterday, that means tomorrow will be a fruit and veg day. She has three kiddos, all older than A, so she's my parenting guru.

A few tricks/tips I've learned along the way, mostly recently:
1. Have stuff for them to pick from in an area that they know is their's. I tend to put things like freeze dried fruit, pureed pouches, oatmeal/apple or oatmeal/strawberry/banana Gerber cereal bars, bags of roasted almonds/peanuts, cashews, crackers, etc in a couple of bowls on the bottom shelf of our pantry. So when she gets hungry, she'll go in there and pick out her own snack, bringing it to me to open. I've found that this has helped a lot with the control thing - she's in charge of picking from those snacks. I just make sure that I'm ok with the stuff that goes into the bowls.

2. She's more likely to eat something when she chooses it. I always have a variety of fruits and veggies in the fridge. So when we go to get lunch ready, she can see the options she has. She tells me what she wants, and I put it on a plate for her to eat.

3. Letting her help cook. She's been really interested in helping with cooking lately, so I've let her help, and let her watch me do stuff. She never tried eggs before, but then I showed her the carton, and she watched as I broke it, scrambled it, added seasonings, and then I would show her the pan as it was cooking. It was a huge breakthrough for us, because she was seriously anti-egg before. Then we decided to make pizza for lunch one weekend, and she was thrilled when I had her help sprinkle cheese on it, and then I turned on the oven light so she could watch as it baked. She is always interested when I cook now.

4. Try to not pressure them. I have given her a plate of all new foods, and turned on the TV in our bedroom to a cartoon, and left the room, only to go back in there 20 minutes later to discover she'd eaten everything. I find that sometimes encouragement is overwhelming for them, and it's better for them to do it on their own without someone watching. I think she likes to explore it without someone keeping an eye on her. Less pressure I guess.

5. Enjoy what you eat, and talk about how great it is. We really like to eat Vietnamese food. We always order a few spring rolls, and my husband always talks about how great they are. They were within her arm's reach, and one time she just reached out and grabbed the third one that was sitting there and went to town on it. So now when we go, we order spring rolls, allowing for her to have one too. If they know you like it, they might try and steal it from you. Lol.

6. If they show interest in it, and it's edible, let them eat it. Sometimes she just walks up and sticks her hand on my plate and grabs something. She looks to me to make sure that's ok, and I'll tell her to go ahead. Or she'll reach into the fridge and grab something if it's open.

I feel like we've finally gotten to a point where I don't have to pack food for her in my purse, although I usually have something in there anyway, just in case we go somewhere and she gets hungry when there isn't food available (stores, typically).

It's so hard guys. I think A has only gotten as good as she has been because I work with her on it all day long, every day. I used to be a picky eater when I was younger, because my mom was, and as an adult, when I went to culinary school, I had a chef tell me to try everything, because I don't know what I'm missing out on. I eat so much stuff now that my younger self would have never touched because of that woman! I will try to teach her that as she grows, but for now I just want her to eat a balanced-ish diet!

 

[DNB]

Sometimes it is what it is. Both my boys ate everything put in front of them til they were about 3. My 30 year old DS eats no fruit and hasn't since he was 3, but he does drink V8 fusion. It's a texture thing with fruit. He's nowhere near as picky as he was at age 3, but he definitely has his likes/dislikes. My youngest DS (2 eats everything even though he didn't as a toddler. He and his wife take turns cooking and eat a great variety. My friend's pediatrician told her when her son was about 2 that if he all he wanted for lunch was a graham cracker and a slice of cheese, then he was good to go. They both were eating table food by 7 months so pureed was never an issue.

My point is, in the grand scheme of things, being picky as a toddler doesn't mean all that much. Our boys knew that what we had for dinner was it. They had to eat at least one bite of everything. They gradually ate more and more variety of things.

I think parents worry too much about toddlers. Almost all are picky and it has very little if anything to do with how they will be as adults. A 3 year old is also exerting their independence and it's not always about the food, but about being able to have control.

 

[Puppmom]

Freke, great point about the over encouraging. I can sometimes tell N is overwhelmed by our song and dance. We had to cut it out and start playing it cool.