Omg, my kid won't eat!!

[rugbywife]

Is 18m too young to give her nothing? She essentially only wants pouches. Today for lunch (which she demanded at 11:15), I offered her zoodles, ham, eggs, yogurt, carrots and clementines. She ate one clementine and refused everything else.

[mrssandro]

Is she sick?

Strep? My baby was sick and started refusing to eat certain things. 

[ssmjlm]

Teeth?

A lot of the times E wouldn't eat during teething, we would do some food and pouches. Something was better than nothing those times.

[rugbywife]

she is sick (runny nose) and probably getting her 2 year molars (early) but I feel like mostly she's stubborn. She thinks if she complains enough I will give her another pouch (she had one early this morning). But I can't because they contain too many veggies/fruits with beta carotene and the doc said we need to limit those.

[VillainV]

C is thee same age, and is acting the same way. He practically begs for food, then eats two bites and is "all done."

[simpsongal]

My DS is such a lousy eater. I think the pedi said they only need to eat a few meals per week. Just follow her lead (unless she's FTT or something).

I put out an array of food choices for him. If it ends up on the floor, whatever. I try to ensure there are 2-3 things he likes on the tray, but other than that I'm not a short order cook kid.

[mrssandro]

If she doesn't have a weight issue I think you are fine.

[justjen]

Have you tried carbs?

[namasteak]

What about carbs with a healthy fat like grass fed butter?

[rugbywife]

Oct 13, 2015 10:42:12 GMT -5 @this said:

1. What is a zoodle?!

2. Clementines are back?? Thank god! They're our winter constant that DD will eat.

DH calls them zoodles...like canned pasta in tomato sauce that is horribly high in sodium? Chef boyardee crap. Today it was a Scooby Doo can.

They are back here. She could eat them all day. Like only them. Lol.

[rugbywife]

She will eat mac and cheese. She loves Mac and cheese. Eats it every single day for dinner. Hence why I am trying to get her to eat something else. I didn't try hot dogs at lunch. Will try that at dinner.

AND OMFG, I thought I would only feed my kid healthy food?? Lol!

[mrssandro]

it's just a phase! Just feed the kid what ever they want. Mac and Cheese is fine. It has carbs and healthy fats.

[lg28]

We had that phase too.

I would basically offer 3-4 things on a plate I know they normally like, and leave it at that.

Eg for DD its Mac n cheese, cucumber, strawberries and something else.

I do a pouch at dinner when I want to fill her before bed!!

Good luck. Kids are frustrating.

[Velar Fricative]

Oct 13, 2015 11:01:30 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

She will eat mac and cheese. She loves Mac and cheese. Eats it every single day for dinner. Hence why I am trying to get her to eat something else. I didn't try hot dogs at lunch. Will try that at dinner.

AND OMFG, I thought I would only feed my kid healthy food?? Lol!

I have been humbled. I truly thought I would have a kale baby. We introduced lots of healthy foods. But, apparently it is ingrained in the DNA of children that they must only like mac and cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, goldfish, etc. NOW I understand why there is such a thing as "kid food." I stopped fighting it. She was super picky after her first birthday and I wanted her to eat SOMETHING. Luckily, she really likes fruit so we're good there.

As for the OP, you can't force-feed a kid. Just offer a variety (I wouldn't offer nothing even though it seems like a waste otherwise) and she'll eat what/when she wants to. But I have discovered that dinner just isn't a big thing for DD. She'll typically eat well at breakfast and so-so at lunch plus a snack or two so that's enough for her, apparently. 

[rugbywife]

Oct 13, 2015 11:12:19 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Oct 13, 2015 11:01:30 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

She will eat mac and cheese. She loves Mac and cheese. Eats it every single day for dinner. Hence why I am trying to get her to eat something else. I didn't try hot dogs at lunch. Will try that at dinner.

AND OMFG, I thought I would only feed my kid healthy food?? Lol!

I have been humbled. I truly thought I would have a kale baby. We introduced lots of healthy foods. But, apparently it is ingrained in the DNA of children that they must only like mac and cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, goldfish, etc. NOW I understand why there is such a thing as "kid food." I stopped fighting it. She was super picky after her first birthday and I wanted her to eat SOMETHING. Luckily, she really likes fruit so we're good there.

As for the OP, you can't force-feed a kid. Just offer a variety (I wouldn't offer nothing even though it seems like a waste otherwise) and she'll eat what/when she wants to. But I have discovered that dinner just isn't a big thing for DD. She'll typically eat well at breakfast and so-so at lunch plus a snack or two so that's enough for her, apparently. 

Omg, totally humbling...especially because from 6m - 12m she ate EVERYTHING. I was THAT person who posted on FB about how awesome it was. FML. 

[antoniamarchette]

What about peanut butter and jelly? That has been our default meal for the past few weeks.

[ktw]

Oct 13, 2015 11:12:19 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Oct 13, 2015 11:01:30 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

She will eat mac and cheese. She loves Mac and cheese. Eats it every single day for dinner. Hence why I am trying to get her to eat something else. I didn't try hot dogs at lunch. Will try that at dinner.

AND OMFG, I thought I would only feed my kid healthy food?? Lol!

I have been humbled. I truly thought I would have a kale baby. We introduced lots of healthy foods. But, apparently it is ingrained in the DNA of children that they must only like mac and cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, goldfish, etc. NOW I understand why there is such a thing as "kid food." I stopped fighting it. She was super picky after her first birthday and I wanted her to eat SOMETHING. Luckily, she really likes fruit so we're good there.

As for the OP, you can't force-feed a kid. Just offer a variety (I wouldn't offer nothing even though it seems like a waste otherwise) and she'll eat what/when she wants to. But I have discovered that dinner just isn't a big thing for DD. She'll typically eat well at breakfast and so-so at lunch plus a snack or two so that's enough for her, apparently. 

The bolded is my life, exactly.  Multiple times a week I am convinced that I am totally doing this wrong, that I can't believe that I'm the person making my kid something different from what we're eating for every meal, but the reality is that she truly will only eat kid food, and I can't be bothered trying to cajole her to do otherwise. Mine also loves pouches, and while I try to get her to eat other things, I usually just cave and give her a pouch if she wants one. In your position, where the doctor doesn't want her to have too many, I guess maybe that would give me the strength to say no? I'd just keep offering a variety and hope that one day she starts eating non-kid food. That's my plan, at least.

[gibbinator]

Oct 13, 2015 11:01:30 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

She will eat mac and cheese. She loves Mac and cheese. Eats it every single day for dinner. Hence why I am trying to get her to eat something else. I didn't try hot dogs at lunch. Will try that at dinner.

AND OMFG, I thought I would only feed my kid healthy food?? Lol!

Haha. The struggle is real. We have a fairly regular rotation of pepperoni pizza, chicken nuggets, mac n cheese and waffles. I'm sure we eat each of those once a week for supper. I'm so bored.

[rugbywife]

Oct 13, 2015 11:32:48 GMT -5 gibbinator said:

Oct 13, 2015 11:01:30 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

She will eat mac and cheese. She loves Mac and cheese. Eats it every single day for dinner. Hence why I am trying to get her to eat something else. I didn't try hot dogs at lunch. Will try that at dinner.

AND OMFG, I thought I would only feed my kid healthy food?? Lol!

Haha. The struggle is real. We have a fairly regular rotation of pepperoni pizza, chicken nuggets, mac n cheese and waffles. I'm sure we eat each of those once a week for supper. I'm so bored.

omg, she loves pizza. I am going to get frozen pizza at the store today. 

[longtimenopost]

Yeah, my 2.5yo only eats one meal a day. She snacks on and off the rest of the day. When she is sick or constipated she basically refuses all food.

[obladi]

All my 13 month old wants to ever eat is fruit. She will basically eat as much as we will give her. Sometimes she will eat scrambled eggs or maaaaaaybe broccoli. She refuses all meat though. Plus, it seems like breakfast is her good-ish meal and then as the day progresses she gets pickier and pickier until at dinner she is just throwing everything I offer her :\

[mainelyfoolish]

Absent a feeding disorder or failure to thrive, don't worry about it. Offer a variety of foods and she'll eat what she needs, even if some days it seems like she exists on air and Cheerios discovered under the couch. Eighteen months is prime time for toddler pickiness to start.

[shelbyann]

No real advice, just commiseration. I bought my kid a happy meal earlier this week and all she did was lick the ketchup off her fries.

I have had some luck with kefir/yogurt pouches lately...if she insists on a pouch they at least have a good amount of protein and probably not the veggie issue you mentioned.