My 13 month old only wants cookies and cheese puffs.. won't eat veggies or meat anymore?

Question

She has discovered the world of junk food and will not eat the stuff she needs to in her high chair. What can I do? HELP

Answer 1

wow people are really mean huh, well i have 3 kids and i say sometimes if that's all they will eat then let them eat it at least they are getting something, but i would suggest giving her many options during the day and let her choose like fruit or cheese and some hunks of meat or those gerber graduates pasta pickups etc. just put a variety in front of her and to the others like you never let your kids have junk

Answer 2

Get rid of all the junk food...it is something better to eat nothing that eat that stuff...don't think of it as "at least she is eating something" because in the long run you are doing much more harm than good....take a good look at kids these days...there are so many overweight and out of shape kids it is frightening. It may take some work, but keep on offering good foods...fruits and vegetables, try things like bananas, applesauce, apples, little bits of cheese...all cut up small due to her age. Little bits of meat for protein, low sugar yogurt etc. She WILL NOT voluntarily starve herself...don't worry about that, she will eat when she gets hungry and she will eat good food. Also stay away from juices, they are full of sugar and can make a child feel full. White milk is best for a child this age...no chocolate.

I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 3

Each of my kids have gone through phases where they would only eat a few things and my youngest was "hooked" on juice for a little while. It isn't fun but, the best way to get her off the stuff is to completely get rid of it. We actually did a "detox" off all sugar (except the sugar in fresh fruit) and enriched flour for about two weeks and now we avoid it whenever we can.
If you don't want to go that route you could try substituting. For sugar maybe starting out with fruit canned in juice and then to fresh and try the fruit roll ups that are just plain fruit, we buy FruitBu(sp?) but, i think there are even store brands. Try going to a health food store, if you have a Whole Foods in your area, there are ALOT of great substitutes for junk food but, you still have to check the labels for sugar. No one should eat anything with Transfats or Corn Syrup. Evaporated Cane Juice is used in health food products and is better than corn syrup but, it is still sugar. I have seen healthier versions of cheese puffs and lots of different kinds of cookies at Whole Foods and even in conventional grocery stores.
If she goes shopping with you and gets to pick a few things out(i know she is still a little young but, it is worth a try) she may be more likely to eat them.

Answer 4

Do not buy junk food for a long while. It can become a bad habit, but I wish I can go back in time and change what I did to my daughter.

she is a junk food adicit in her teenage years.

Start teaching good eating habits when they are that young. talk to your childcare provide and let they know that your child can't have all those sugary snacks.

Answer 5

Remember this piece of advice that my pediatrician gave me: no child has ever voluntarily starved to death. A child that young cannot go to the store and buy that stuff, it has to be given to them by an adult. If only nutritious food is available, she will eat it. Perhaps under protest but when she's sufficiently hungry, she will eat.

Answer 6

She's just over a year old? Who the hell cares what she WANTS?? You are doing your daughter a tremendous disservice by being a spineless mother. If she refuses to eat healthy food, then she's clearly not hungry enough. Don't give her anything. And once she starts crying about being hungry, give her some healthy food. She'll eat it. She's a baby. She's not going to go on some hunger strike to prove a point. When you play these games with children, you're no better than a child yourself. If this is the attitude you're going to take for years to come, your daughter's going to end up in a hole of trouble she's dug herself, looking for someone to blame. And it's going to be you. Grow up.

Answer 7

Maybe you should try another form of fruits, veggies and meats. Gerber has different sorts of snacks for toddlers maybe he/she would eat that. Plus I believe if he/she gets has no choice but what you give him/her, if they get hungary enough then they will eat what you give them. My friends son was like that and in order to fix his sweet tooth we had to just give him everything but sweets. He didn't want it but once he realized it was all he was going to get he started eating it.

Answer 8

How has she discovered this junk food? Cut her off. If she's in control at 13months, imagine 13 years.

Answer 9

make eating veggie and meat fun b/c it does taste as good as junk food to her.....play games when it comes 2 meal time or let her know that she can get junk after the real stuff

Answer 10

Who's in charge? Those things are ok every once in a while. Don't give her food unless it's good for her. She'll eat it when she's HUNGRY. Don't feed her the rest then she's never hungry.