Does anyone have any tips/advice on how to get my 8 month old to eat meat?

Question

I feel like I have tried everything but she will not eat meat - chicken, beef, turkey, lamb...it doesn't matter what she throws everything back out.

I've tried making my own food, using the commercial food. I've tried mixing it with vegetables and fruit. No matter what I try, she picks up on the taste and won't eat it.

I was going to try giving her fish, but my doctor told me no : (

Thankfully now that she can eat egg yolk, I've been able to mix a cooked egg yolk in with her cereal in the morning. But come lunch or dinner she won't eat the meat and I'm extremely concerned that she isn't getting enough protein.

Does anyone have any recipes or suggestions on how I can get her to eat some meat? She's still eating mashed foods - some lumps & texture but mostly smooth.

Please help!

The reason I'm stressing is cause my doctor got upset with me at her last check up because I haven't been forcing her to eat meat. She went on and on about how my baby's going to be deprived of protein and I should force her to eat it...

Answer 1

Babies often go through stages where they don't want to eat anything or certain things. My daughter was like that she wouldn't eat any kind of meat. As soon as she would feel it on her lips she would just spit it out and not even try to eat or taste it. As long as she is eating everything else then she should be fine. Now are you actually giving her the real meat maybe you can try to give her the gerber meats such as chicken noodle or chicken with rice. They also have lamb, veal, pork and different kinds of meat. But I wouldn't worry too much. My daughter is now 18 months and now she only eats meat. If I put a plate of spaghetti in front of her she just picks out the little balls of meat and leaves the pasta. If I give her a burger she just eats the patty and not the bread. Now let me leave you with this last thing that my doctor told me at my daughters 18 month check-up, she said that sometimes babies only want to eat meat, sometimes just french fries and sometimes just the ketchup. And she also said that it was fine. When she gets hungry she will eat. Babies are very picky. So don't worry. Nobody knows your baby better than you. Not even your doctor!

Answer 2

First of all doctors do not have all the answers for your specific child. All infants and children are different. My first daughter couldnt stand meat until she was 2 years old. So she got plenty of protein in beans (I would make pintos or any other kind and mix it with sweet cornbread) but 8 months old is still young to eat meat. 8 month old babies have a hard enough time trying to digest foods, and meat is the hardest to digest. I wouldnt worry with it. Try getting the baby to eat a chicken finger. Or McDonalds Nuggets. My other 2 children only eat chicken and that is by their choice and they are fine. Use your own instinct.

Answer 3

Try a web search on raising vegetarian kids for protein ideas (or check a book out from the library on the topic.) I'm not suggesting that you actually raise her veg if that's not your thing, but people do it successfully all the time, so you should be able to find dozens of good ideas for making sure she's getting enough protein. If she doesn't like meat right now, maybe she'll pick up the taste later, but I don't see any purpose in forcing her to eat something she doesn't like when there are other sources of protein.

Answer 4

If she's ready for finger food, try those little franks that come in a babyfood jar. I wouldn't worry too much about it just yet. You can make sure she's getting enough protein by giving her the egg yolk, and cheese. My grandson doesn't like meat either, he's five. We feed him a lot of scrambled eggs with melted cheese for the protein.

Answer 5

Don't force it..why make eating a negative experience ? If you taste the meat in the jar, you wouldn't eat it either. She is still getting most of her nutrients from formula/breast milk, so don't stress too much ! I started with jarred meat and he didn't want anything to do with it, so I went straight to the meat dinner combo's in the jar and he loves it. If you really want her to eat it, you could also try diluting it with formula/breastmilk first and gradually decrease the dilution. It's a new taste for them, so maybe just put it aside for a while then try again. Good Luck, and please listen to your doctor in this case.

Answer 6

There's lots of different sources of protein. Try refried beans, peanut butter, tofu, etc. She may just not like the texture of meat just yet. She's only 8 months. Give her some more time and in the meantime, try the refried beans. I've never met a baby who wouldn't eat frioles!

Good luck!

Answer 7

Find a new doctor. You cannot force a child to eat meat.
Pick up a vegatarian cook book at the library and get cooking without meat.
Good Luck!

Answer 8

You can try blending the meat with the potato or vegetables you are feeding her. She may not be accustom to the taste or the texture of the meat. Also make sure it is not too spicy or seasoned, babies prefer food that is a bit bland.

Answer 9

Your doctor is a weirdo. Babies under age 1 get plenty of protein from breast milk or formula.

My sister is a vegetarian and her kids have never had meat in their lives and they are fine.

Does your daughter like cheese? If so, then give her some shredded cheese and look for a new doctor!

Answer 10

My son (12 months) prefers to eat deli-sliced meat. I got the turkey sliced VERY thin and he loves it!

Not sure if you've tried that or not, but it's much easier than trying to get him to eat ground beef or chicken pulled from the bone.