Picky Eater... Need ideas!

[kalyrra]

Hi all,

My son is 14 months old and is turning into a picky eater. (he's still breastfed once in the morning, we're working on completely weaning him)

I'm running out of food/meal ideas because he refuses to eat most of what I try. The following is what I can get him to eat 9 times out of 10... but it's such a short list!

Bananas and applesauce (LOTS of applesauce)
Peanut Butter (loves it)
Pancakes
Peanut Butter/Jelly Sandwiches
Sweet Potatoes or Squash, regular potatoes (on rare occasion)
Carrots & Green Beans (sometimes)
Oatmeal
Turkey sausage (sometimes)
Yogurt

If I can get it cut/shredded in small enough pieces, sometimes I can sneak chicken or turkey into his sweet potatoes... but he almost always pulls any kind of meat back out of his mouth and puts it on his tray. The same with pasta... he'll suck whatever sauce or seasoning off it, and put the noodle back on his tray.

Some days he'll eat carrots, some days he refuses and spits them out. Veggies are hit and miss... and he does better with them if I puree them... but I don't want to be spoon feeding him too long, I want him to feed himself.

He seems to be refusing anything that isn't a starch anymore. He loves pancakes, oatmeal, and sandwiches... but I don't want him eating so many starches per day! Plus his snacks are usually a cracker of some kind and some fruit.

Any ideas?

 

[missk1989]

wraps are a great alternative to sandwiches. My lo loves them made into pizza and quisadillas, you can sneak anything into these and then sprinkle cheese over to hide it! butternut squash you can mash it up like sweet potato. My lo is terrible for veg but i have found this recipe https://www.superhealthykids.com/healthy-kids-recipes/personal-veggie-frittatas-gluten-free.php
This whole site is great for ideas but these inparticular are great for sneaking veg into them and a variety of foods.
You will probably have to copy and paste the link as i dont know how to get it to work.

 

[Rachel_C]

What kind of meals do you eat yourself? At that age, I'd definitely just be giving him a normal meal and leaving him to it and I wouldn't be giving any 'baby foods' like apple sauce unless you're eating it yourself as part of your normal balanced diet. I wouldn't worry too much about starch or any other particular thing - kids are very good at getting what they need if you just let them get on with it.

 

[MindUtopia]

Yep, what the PP said, I'd just give him normal things you're eating and don't necessarily try to limit the foods to just ones he'll eat. They do go through picky stages, but the more variety you offer, the more likely they are to just one day eat something new. I've found things like lasagna are great (make it for the family, just with less salt, then cut up into bite size pieces and let him dig in). I've also found soups are great, like broccoli cheddar or carrot and coriander, served with bread or crackers, which he likes, are a great way to get veg in. Will he eat potatoes. My daughter loves twice baked potatoes and you can hide almost anything in the mash before you bake it again (broccoli, spinach, etc. topped with cheese). Also what about strips of meat to suck on. Chicken is usually easy and doesn't break apart too much. Will he eat eggs? Scrambled eggs are great protein and quiche is lovely as well.