[talltom]

Hope someone can give me some ideas on how to get my little boy of 13 months to eat anything but fruit and breakfast. On a good day he'll eat everything given, but most days he will turn his head away and keep his mouth jammed shut. I can sometimes coax him by giving him small pieces of bread, but it's hard work. He's extremely energetic and I worry that he's not getting enough good stuff to keep him healthy. Any ideas gratefully received!

[J_9]

Just give him time. Forcing food will cause more of a problem that you already have.

When my 12 year old was 3 she would only eat yogurt. Doc said that there were worse things she could eat.

Give him time, he will come around.

[talltom]

Thank you. I guess it's difficult not to worry. Was good to read your personal details

[J_9]

It is never too good to worry, all babies do things on their own timelines. You should feel happy that yours wants fruit. That is good.

You can introduce other foods slowly, but do not act as if they are important. He will be less defiant if you act as though they are just nothing, if you get my drift.

Look at it this way, he is stuck on fruits, at least it is not candy!!

He will get through this. All 4 of mine did.

[aqua@home]

Yup, I agree with the be patient thing. I would also suggest leaving dry cheerios, dry puffed wheat, toast, etc. out for him as he eats his breakfast. He might enjoy grazing with no pressure attatched.

One thing my grandma says is, kids will not starve themselves (especially when they are little). They will eat when they are ready. It's just a matter of it being available to him.

Grazing is good.

[Jen8446]

Hope someone can give me some ideas on how to get my little boy of 13 months to eat anything but fruit and breakfast. On a good day he'll eat everything given, but most days he will turn his head away and keep his mouth jammed shut. I can sometimes coax him by giving him small pieces of bread, but it's hard work. He's extremely energetic and I worry that he's not getting enough good stuff to keep him healthy. Any ideas gratefully received!

You just have to wait it out. Baby's have those stages where they'll hardly eat and then a few months later they can't eat enough. When my son was younger, he would only eat applesauce and carrots, no other fruits, veggies, no cereal, nothing. But a few weeks later, he got over it and now he eats everything. Don't worry, he'll be fine, if a baby gets hungry enough they'll eat.

[ashleysb]

All of these suggestions are great, though I would also like to add that you need to keep trying to give him new things to eat. It will take quite a few different tries to get babies and toddlers to eat some things. But if you keep offering it to them and maybe even show them how much you like it, they will eventually eat it. For instance, a toddler in my class didn't seem to want to eat grapes. And during the summer we had grapes at least once a week as a part of lunch. So of course they were always offered to her, and then one day she saw another teacher eating the grapes and all of a sudden she wanted some! Also maybe check with your doctor and try something like Pediasure, to make sure your little one is getting some extra nutrition.

[LadyJane]

I agree with the suggestion to wait it out. When I was a child, I would eat only cheesy scrambled eggs and hot dogs and I grew normally. Forcing will only cause frustration for you both.

Also, try giving his two choices to pick between, even if he is young. You'll have ultimate control, but he still gets a say and it may make him feel more important by having a choice. My son loved doing this and ate everything put in front of him when he got to choose his breakfast and lunch (dinner was not an opiton, however, and this was clear to him). He wasn't quite able to speak, of course, but he would pick up the one he wanted after I told him what was what.

Good luck!