my 18mth old and his eating habits, please suggest something?

Question

My 18mth old son is a very picky eater, he will only eat mashed potatoes, cheese slices, and mac-n-cheese oh and hot dogs? Can he live off these? what are somethings that i can try to feed him? im tired of making mashed potatoes everynight. he spits out everything that i try to feed him. i had to force a peanut butter sandwich down him tonight. Please help me i dont know what to try to give him next. he also like pizze but it has to be restraunt or delivery kind i cant afford take out everynight!!! please help me.

thanks for all the great answers i forgot to mention that he is allergic to most veggies and doesnt really care for sweets, i cant even get a cookie down him and as for the vitamins that are those gummy teady bears, he doesnt like chewy things like that i wounder if its a texture thing? thanks alot everyone keep them

Answer 1

hi paris,

i think at this age, a lot of children start to branch out to show their independence. i'm definitely not an expert on this matter, but i remember my teacher (for a child development course) telling us to offer choices to the kids. maybe offer him (as a snack) something like animal crackers or maybe apple slices with peanut butter, and let him choose. i think my teacher said that a lot of kids at this age just want to start making their own decisions, so giving them choices could actually convince them to eat different foods.

also, as stated before by another poster, definitely give him vitamins. have you seen those gummy vitamin bears? they taste like gummy bears (and look like gummy bears) but are vitamins, and so that might be a good way to make sure that your child takes in sufficient vitamins, especially if he's picky about certain foods.

i hope this helps!

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hi paris! i just read the additional details that you added to your question. what type of vegetables is he allergic to?

as for the vitamins, since he is 18 months, perhaps there might be a pediatric type of vitamin drop that you could add to water or juice? does he drink juices? perhaps there might be juices that are on the healthier side, as in it's not completely loaded with sugar.

i understand that as a mother, you want to make sure that your son is healthy as can be -- since he likes cheese slices, have you looked at any of those "veggie slices" that are sold in health food stores? i've never really paid much attention to those, but i think that could be a possible alternative, because then he would be increasing his consumption of vegetables (if, of course, he isn't allergic to the vegetables that are in those veggie slices).

is he allergic to sweet potatoes? do you think he is drawn more to the texture of mashed potatoes or the taste? does he like french fries? i've heard of parents slicing up a sweet potato into fry-like shapes, and then baking them with a little bit of sea salt for their kids (and for themselves). it's good if he's willing to take in some sweet potatoes, cause that has a lot of beta-carotene and so he'll be able to get his dose of Vitamin A.

if he is really drawn towards the texture of mashed potatoes and mac and cheese, have you tried feeding him something with orzo? there might be a recipe for a type of cheesy orzo that you could also just sneak in some vegetables that won't bother him.

but really, it's okay -- i think a lot of kids are picky eaters and really difficult to feed at that age -- it gets better :). if you're really worried about his nutrition, call his pediatrician to see if he/she has any extra advice for you. There might be drops or liquid supplements that you could add into his food to make sure he takes in all the appropriate vitamins and minerals and also make the feeding time go by more smoothly.

Answer 2

try everything you possibly can to see if he has any other favorite foods. get him a vitamin or pediasure to make sure hes getting enough vitamins. i work in a daycare and what you described sounds like what a lot of the toddlers will only eat. some parents sent in grapes cut in half the long way, juice boxes, spaghetti, plain pasta, watermelon, goldfish and cheezits, etc. good luck!
-M

Answer 3

You can buy pizzas that look like they have come from restaurants, look for them in your freezer section.
What does he drink? Can you make a couple of fruit smoothies for him?

My daughter at that age loved spaghetti bolognase, perhaps you can try this with your son :)