still frustrated?

Question

well I have still had no success with different foods or getting her off the bottle. I try and offer her milk in a sippy everyday and everyday she throws a tantrum. She will chug water out of it but no milk. She is still taking 3 bottles a day. One in the morning, one before naptime and one before bed, otherwise she drinks water. I am going to try to stop worrying about what she is eating.I have been trying hot dogs, chicken nuggets and a few other things everyday and she spits everything out except the few things she likes. I guess she will survive on pancakes and mac and cheese, oh and of course she is still eating baby food. I guess it will happen in time. Debbie

Answer 1

The thing about babies that age is that when they're hungry, they will eat. Stop stressing yourself and forcing her to eat foods she don't want. This is also a sign of the little one showing her own independence. For right now all she eats is pancakes, well that's fine. Children at that age go through many MANY changes with their appetite. Don't be surprised when you find out in a couple of weeks she's beganing to hate pancakes and loving chicken nuggets. You should make it a positive thing that your daughter drinks water - most kids don't like it at all. My suggestion on the milk, well my daughter didn't care for milk either but then I purchased Nestle quick chocolate and strawberry flavored mixes and that got her liking milk more. Hang in there, I know what you're going through! Good luck!

Answer 2

Hey Deb
How old is this bottle drinking child? Please say she is not 10 or something like that.
It's weird to think that a baby knows what they want to eat and drink, but they do.
Feed her the foods she will eat for now.. and water is a great thing for to be drinking, far better than say Pepsi.
If you are simply tired of giving her bottles and you feel she is old enough to be off of them, then stop giving them to her. It will be a major adjustment, but with a lot of patience everyone will pull through.
If she throws a fit... ignore her.. don't buy into it..
My daughter threw a tantrum once while in a department store. I simply told her if she didn't get up and behave herself I was going to leave her there. Well she did not stop, so I gathered my things and walked away.. I hid where she could not see me.. she finally got up, stopped crying and came to find me...
That was her last tantrum, she was 2, she's 24 now.
You are the Mom, she is the baby.. You make the rules, she lives by them.
I'd start now, or the teenage years are going to be hell.
Good Luck

Answer 3

Some children especially at this age will start noticing the different textures they are eating. Now that it's winter they don't get to run around outside to burn off energy. I noticed that with my 3 little girls that they aren't eating as much now that they cant run off their energy. With the bottle issue, you need to BE PERSISTENT and keep her cup out at all times, remember the older they get the harder it is to take the bottle away, I found that out the hard way when I tried getting my 2 year old off the binky.... They will throw fits, stay strong, be persistent and of course show praise when she does drink out of the cup!! =) And if you are that worried about her getting her intake on protein try making sure she is reallllly hungry and offer that to her first, avoid the sweets until she's eaten an adequate amount of protein (meats)... I hope this helps!!

Answer 4

Weiners? Chicken nuggets? Pancakes?? Mac & Cheese??
These are not the foods to feed a toddler. How about fruit - veggies - real meat - cheerios. The diet you are providing right now will cause obesity in a very short number of years. Change it asap.

Hint on the bottle. Depending on how old she is - 2 ?? In order to get my daughter off the bottle I found out about a baby that was born in the neighbourhood & "we" decided to give all our bottles to the new baby because he really needed them. Worked a charm.

Answer 5

Have you tried soy milk ? Maybe she doesn't like cow's milk. As for food, my youngest was like that. The only thing she would eat was ham, chicken and cheese. I wouldn't keep trying with the hot dogs because if she starts to like them, it won't really be a healthy thing for her to eat all the time. Just keep trying, everything and anything, eventually she will decide to try something and may end up liking it. Have you tried simply not giving her the morning bottle, she will be hungrier and may want to try more things.

Answer 6

hi there...each child is different when growing up. My daughter has this thing about straws so she had no problem with going to the cup. Let her feel like a big girl purchase a cup with the straw attached and try her on some juice something that grasps lher attention. They also have cups where the tops are made like the bottle nipple. And as far as food goes she is at the point where she know what she wants and when she want it. So don't force her just let her eat whatever is pleasing to her.

Answer 7

i didn't read your first question, but just from this one it reminded me of how i got one of my kids off the bottle. i cut the tip of the nipple off of a bottle (not in front of her of course..and hid all the others) and when my daughter wanted a bottle i poured her some stuff in it and then put the nipple on and gave it to her. she gave me a funny look like...something's wrong. she finally gave it to me and said, it's broke. i said, oh yep ... it sure is. we'll have to throw it away. i poured the stuff in a sippy cup and threw the bottle away in front of her and that was it. she did ask a few times for a bottle but i said, your bottle broke, remember? we have to use the sippy cup now. she never made the connection that we had more than 1 bottle in the house. as far as her eating.....good luck! just keep trying. have you tried putting her on a schedule and offering a few things at a time on the plate and letting her choose. she will reject certain things but eventually when she's real hungry she might try it.

Answer 8

It sounds like your daughter is very sesitive to new tastes and textures in her mouth.

It is something to keep in mind that she may be very sensitive to other sensory things as well.

What that means is she may be very aware of hot-cold, bright light/darkness, her sense of touch may be very accute (Things will feel very rough to her when it would feel regular to you)

The best thing is to work on her "sensory diet." Even if she is not overly sensitive to such things a good sensory diet is important for developement in all children.

It would be best to try one type of food she likes (It sounds like she is on the bland, white diet that children sometimes prefer) Mac and cheese is an example. Try adding just a very small amount of something to it and stirring it in. I would try perhaps some cooked shredded carrot for the first try. (Shred the carrot and put it in the water you cook the pasta in - make rest of it as usual.)

Only add one thing at a time that is new and only add one thing a week. Take it slow.

The other thing that is very important to teach your daughter now -- Always take a "no-thank-you taste." That means the child must take a small taste of each thing you prepare.

It's okay to not like it. and If you use a napkin, it's even okay to spit it back out. But they have to try it and then say "no thank you" if they do not care for it.

This is important because sensory issues only get better through exposure. Also your child will grow up very limited if she does not learn to try new things.

I know several children and adults who refuse to eat more than just five or six certain foods -- Its not healthy, but they were never taught how to try new things and the older they get - the more resistent they get.

https://mmm1106.verio-web.com/sensor/faq.html

This article is about oral defensiveness in preemies, but will be very useful for your young daughter
http://www.comeunity.com/disability/sensory_integration/activities-oral.html

I know it seems as though I am giving you something to worry about over a small thing -- but these techniques do work and will help her, even if she is perfectly normal and healthy.

All children need to be given a rich sensory diet - it helps them develop better.

Bright blessings and hugs - Ginger

Answer 9

I saw this on Super Nanny last night, they took the little boy to the beach, and he threw away his bottles and then the dad brought him a new sippy cup 'out of the sea'. It worked really well for them!

Answer 10

Probably you should try to vary the few things she likes............fruit pancakes, add little bits of meat to your mac and cheese recipies (chicken bits, bacon bits, sausages), try recipies like mashed potatoes with corn and spagetti and meatsauce but just make it look realy exciting. Good Luck!