20 month old not eating most foods

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Toddlers

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amother

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 5:52 pm

He used to eat decently , he was picky but there was a large variety of food he would try. Now he basically only eats eggs and yogurt. He’s super suspicious of foods he doesn’t recognize and will not try new things or even previously safe foods. Even when he’s starving, he’ll refuse to eat if it’s not the few things he’s willing to eat.

Any tips to broaden his horizon? And does anyone know if a diet consisting on eggs and yogurt is okay?

(He’ll happily eat snacks, even new ones.)

amother

Cerise

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 7:34 pm

what do you do when you try to give him a food and he refuses?

amother

Fuchsia

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 7:54 pm

Op I have the same problem and have been wanting to post! My baby is 2.5, but ONLY eats junk.
No protiem veggies or fruit. He is also allergic to many foods, so dairy, fish and eggs are out.
He eats Pringles for breakfast, corn chips for lunch and cookies for dinner ...
I am beyond frustrated. I make him special food and he won't touch it. Crying

amother

Mintgreen

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 8:42 pm

Omg I literally have the same thing with my 18 month old. He's super super picky!! It's super annoying to cook and then have him throw everything on the floor without even tasting. My baby is also super sensory so he likes to touch all the foods I place in front of him and turn everything into mush pie! When I'm really desperate and he won't eat, I give him bamba. I like to think I fed him protein ... it's a tough stage

amother

Mustard

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 9:02 pm

Maybe put out the same food every day for a few days in a row. Don't point it out, don't say anything about it. Just calmly put it on his tray. The first few days he will toss it, then he will ignore it, then he may just decide to try it...
The key is to not pressure him - he's the one choosing it after a while not you

BrisketBoss

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 9:07 pm

amother Mustard wrote:

No. Serve new things. Balanced meals, and include one safe food every time. The kid will learn to eat. Picky phases are normal, and apparently have a biological basis: Toddlers straying from their mothers would avoid dangerous plants by feeling compelled to stick to familiar, safe foods.

Kids are sensitive to our anxiety over their eating so try to relax. Eating is a normal function of life and it's theirs to manage. All we can do is provide a variety of food.

amother

Snowdrop

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 9:09 pm

amother Mustard wrote:

Doesn't work for me.
My 2 year old is also like this. Used to be a great eater. She would eat everything I put on her tray. Broccoli, avocado, eggs, yogurt everything. I was so happy she's not like my other picky eaters. And now.... nothing. She'll gladly eat snacks (only the ones she likes) but regular food is such a struggle. She only likes Oatmeal and rice. As of now. It can change any day though. Even in her picky stage already she used to devour avocado like it was candy. Lately she hates it. Doesn't touch it anymore. So frustrating.
I don't pressure her to eat. I read her stories or try to get in some food while she plays. It still doesn't help.

BrisketBoss

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 9:13 pm

amother Snowdrop wrote:

I wouldn't try to get in food while she played either, just serve different foods during meal times. Sometimes a child will stick to only one or two foods and stay like that for multiple weeks! Rarely more than a couple of months, though. They go through these phases. Most kids will grow up to eat a variety.

And even if they don't, well, there are some picky adults in my family and they seem very healthy. Smile

amother

Snowdrop

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 9:13 pm

BrisketBoss wrote:

But I feel like there's no safe foods. She used to love bread with melted cheese on it. Won't look at it these days. I think rice so far is the only food she's been liking consistently.
And if I don't try to feed her normal foods she'll eventually find a cookie or snack and fill up on that.
I can only hope she'll outgrow this picky stage.

I was a terrible picky eater myself and gave my parents h*ll so I feel like I'm getting what I deserve LOL

amother

Snowdrop

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 9:17 pm

BrisketBoss wrote:

I have to because she can sometimes eat NOTHING at mealtimes. Everything just lands on the floor. So after a while when she goes to play I try to get some nutrition into her.
It's ok she's not my 1st. But my others are way older than her (teens) and can't remember them being this picky. But maybe I just don't remember.

BrisketBoss

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 9:21 pm

amother Snowdrop wrote:

Hmmm well, I wouldn't advise that, the whole distracted eating thing, and I don't think any nutritionist would either.

If you try NOT doing that, say for a week, what will happen? Will your child starve herself? I would certainly seek medical guidance in that case; something's not right.

jd1212

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 9:33 pm

If someone offered you your least favorite food, and if you kvetched enough, they gave you bamba instead, what would you learn from that? Give a nutritious variety of foods you’re already making, if baby doesn’t eat any, toss it. Assuming growth curves are fine, a healthy child won’t starve herself. America is like the only place where parents play this stupid game of special kids food. Everyone else just feeds their kids off their plates.

MommyPhD

Thu, Sep 08 2022, 9:44 pm

No matter what happens, be sure your babies are getting all their vitamins! If they're eating a bland diet of starches for long periods of time with no variety, be sure they get a multi-vitamin. Crush it, mix it with water, and syringe it in their mouths if they won't just eat the vitamin, but they must have it somehow.

amother

Maple

Fri, Sep 09 2022, 12:38 am

Don't have junk available- only foods you want them to eat. Your baby shouldn't be "finding" cookies, put them in an inaccessible location.

amother

Candycane

Fri, Sep 09 2022, 1:57 am

My baby is 20 month old and literally eats nothing.

I still nurse him frequently.

Some days he eats a few bamba, few spoons of yogurt, few bites of pizza bread, few carrots from the chicken soup but never more than 1 or 2 on the same day. It's pretty worrying.

amother

Pearl

Fri, Sep 09 2022, 2:07 am

amother Candycane wrote:

That's because he's filling up on milk. There is no need for daytime nursing passed age 1. My paediatrician is adamant by 1 maximum morning evening and once during day if necessary. They get used to filling up on milk and don't bother eating

amother

Seagreen

Fri, Sep 09 2022, 3:06 am

Pediatric nutritionist specializing in babies and toddlers told me I must sit down and eat with my child (or someone should, preferably rhe whole family). Apparently modeling normal eating habits and the level of social interaction can help. Sometimes you see immediate effects of this and sometimes it can take weeks. But it made a real.difference.

Also, she said do not talk about food or eating during meal times. The more you comment on what or how they are eating or not wating, the more they will focus on it the wrong way. So make normal conversation, sing songs, tell stories, interact with your child to make mealtime enjoyable. If we are stressed about their meal or make them stressed about their meal, they will be more uptight about what they choose to eat. If we make eating time a fun relaxed social bonding experience every time, they will gain mroe confidence in trying new rhings during that time. Again, you may see relatively immediate effects or it could take a few weeks. This made a huge difference.

Also, at this age, small chance your child is teething and therefore will only eat specific consistencies and limit themselves to foods they know don't bother them. My daughter had major food choice regressions every time she got teeth and she never whined or cried or kvetched, we could only guess she was getting teeth by the fact that she would only eat like 3 foods for a week or two.

One important note is thay if your child has allergies, it is very normal around this age (among others) to suddenly or not so suddenly avoid most foods. They start connecting food to feeling sick but aren't old enough to connect the correct foods logically. So they just avoid many many foods even ones they ate before or wven ones rhey are not allergic to. If this is the case, talk to your allergist and see if they can give you help or recommend another professional to help (nutritionist, feeding therapist, etc.).

Also, if your child is missing several food groups for more than a week or two, ask your dr about multi vitamins in the meantime. If you think your child won't eat them, they make them in the form of gummies (check if safe for your child's age) or chocolate, or other candy like items. Just make sure to lock them up high up to prevent accidental overdose.

Lastly, if this goes on for more than a few weeks, I highly recommend a child nutritionist speacilizing in ages 0-2, it did wonders for my picky, sensory, underweight baby/toddler behind in her motor development (she is in elementary school now and totally fine, though still a bit picky but not unreasonably so).

BrisketBoss

Fri, Sep 09 2022, 6:18 am

amother Pearl wrote:

Wow, hard disagree on that. Never go to a pediatrician for breastfeeding advice.

amother

Dustypink

Fri, Sep 09 2022, 7:54 am

Remove the snacks and yogurt. Snacks and dairy are addictive In the sense that they literally give you a dopamine or opiate fix, and some children tend to restrict themselves to those foods that give them a fix because it makes other foods seem blah. This isn’t a conscious process, it’s a neurological one.

Check for oral ties, these can make chewing and swallowing very very hard.

Any allergies, reflux, pain associated with eating? Low oral tone?

Other than that, look into DOR. Serve 3 meals a day, 2 snacks, no eating or drinking in between. Appetite is such an important piece in feeding! Offer lots of options during meals and let her explore.
Experiment and be creative.

amother

Maple

Fri, Sep 09 2022, 8:37 am

I wouldn't remove dairy. My daughter has dairy every morning with breakfast (yogurt or cottage cheese mostly), and it doesn't make her avoid other foods.
It's an important food group as well.

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