13 month old won't eat.?

Question

He refuses almost everything, for the past 6 months. He will only eat a few things, junk like pizza, mac & cheese, hot dogs. I don't like to give him these foods, so he just starves and screams and begs to be nursed, so I nurse him because it's the only thing he'll take besides crap food. Help!

Answer 1

At about 1 1/2 my daughter wanted only those gerber lil' entrees to eat, which is made for babies so i wasn't that concerned but they all go through this because their taste buds are coming in better, and they realize that the green stuff in the lil' jar taste like crap.LOL But for real my daughter is now 2 1/2 and loves hotdogs, sandwich meat, Mac and cheese and so on,But she also just loves cooked carrots, green beans and mashed potatos. So she isn't over weight and it pleases her. I mean it's better then cookies, chips and candy isn't it? Luckily my daughter doesn't like "junk" food that much, maybe 2 times a week she'll want some chips. Just limit the actual "junk" food and don't worry about hotdogs and stuff like that, it want hurt him/her.

Answer 2

My understanding is that a child that age will not allow themselves to starve and will eventually eat when they get hungry enough. However, I have some suggestions for what you already have to work with to make them a little healthier.

Carrot baby food mixed in with macaroni and cheese tastes surprisingly good. In fact, you can barely tell it's there at all. I have also mixed in carrot baby food with any kind of tomato sauce and you can't taste it at all. I don't know if he'll eat them, but they DO make veggie hot dogs (made by BOCA).

A new suggestion might be low fat fruit shakes/smoothies. I don't know the recipe right off hand, but there are several that use low fat yogurt as one of their main ingredients rather than the higher fat ice cream.

On the breastfeeding issue: Have you considered weening him? He obviously likes to breastfeed and is using it as a reason to not eat any food he doesn't like. Why should he when you are willing to breastfeed him any time he wants? At 13 months, both my girls were weened and drinking regular milk instead.

Answer 3

It is completely normal. However, what we did was went out a bought predisure. On the days our daughter refused everything we gave her predisure in a sippy cup that way she was at least getting something.

It is a waiting game on both ends frankly. Both of you are waiting for each other to give in. And it appears as if you have been more willing to bend. (I know, its so hard! I literally would have to take showers so I couldn't hear our daughter cry for me). But after she realized that I wasn't going to give in, then she started eating.

It is totally up to you how long you want to nurse your baby don't let anyone tell you differently.

Answer 4

try putting some veggies in a blender(carrots,peas,brocolli,caulifour, peppers) and get them to a very smooth consistancy, freeze in little batches, and when he has pizza, add some of the mixture under the cheese, same with spagetti(i don't know any children that don't like spagetti) and use whole wheat pasta, so its healthier.
if you keep nursing him when he doesn't eat, he'll learn this behavior(if he hasn't already) and he'll KNOW that he'll get what he wants in the end, so he'll continue not to eat good foods....be firm with him, he will not starve himself and WILL eat when he gets really hungry

Answer 5

Try adding broccoli to the mac and cheese, or peas or mixed veggies, that's a little young to be eating pizza. What about spaghetti and cut up the veggies really small so he can't see them and put cheese on top??? Keep trying, maybe he's teething. Just say this is what you we are eating and he will eventually eat.

Answer 6

All toddlers go through this picky stage, and it can be a real power struggle. Offer him the healthy foods and if he doesn't eat don't say anything about it. Just say "Oh you're all done?" and then take him out of is highschair. He'll get hungry and he'll eat.

Answer 7

well, my daughter is picky too, so on her pizza, i put fresh veggies, her mac n cheese, i put tuna and carrots..and for hot dogs, all beef.
nursing is just a sign of insecurity...distract him with something else to suck on like a sippy cup. If you give in, you wont give up for a while.

Answer 8

Try giving him things that are healthier and he will get used to it. Your the one that gave him the junk food so he knows no different. Try NO junk food for awhile and you will be in charge not him. When he gets hungry enough he will eat.

Answer 9

He will eat when he is hungry. I would tell him that he has to eat good foods and keep trying to give him the good foods. Eventually he will eat it.

Answer 10

he's seems to be just out of luck. sorry