[hilachu]

So I don't know who to turn to besides the doctor
I cannot get Liam to eat a balanced diet
For instance tonight tried to feed him some hamburger bits and tater tots
refused to eat more than one bite
refused to eat baby lasagna
refused to eat jar of baby meat we still had on hand
gave up to the point he had cheerios and a strawberry
he seems to hate meat and would be content to eat yobaby yougurt and cheerios
im at my wits end
help
any hints tips suggestions
should i just let him live off of cheerios? =(

[Trish36]

If it makes you feel any better, my nephew ate nothing but cheerios, chicken soup, yoghurt and drank his milk up until her was about 2 years old. At that point his menu selection expanded to bread, rice, hot dogs, macaroni with butter and watermelon. My sister didn't know what to do and had the dr do a whole bunch of blood work on him. There was nothing wrong with him. He also has a very strong gag reflex, so anaything different tasting or smelling makes him throw up. But he's a very healthy 3 1/2 year old now and he weighs almost 40lbs.
I say just keep trying and offering Liam different things, but whatever he likes just let him have extra. Maybe supplement with vitamins just in case.

[rainbow_brite19]

This is my life. You are not alone. Honestly, Jackson eats next to nothing, besides breast milk. I have been worried about it since he was about 6 months old and I am finally starting to calm down about it and trust that he will be okay.

He has never eaten baby food or baby cereals, he doesn't like the texture or being fed from a spoon, he has always wanted to be a "big boy". Basically he has eaten 0-3 bites of table foods at a sitting since he was about 9 months old, with the exception of THIS WEEK (more on that later). I have tried everything, fruits, veggies, grains, meats, cheese, yogurts, etc. The only thing I can get him to really "go to town" on is a slice of an orange or a lemon, he has weird tastes. I was hoping that he would be weaned by now (from the breast) or at least nursing less but he still LOVES breast milk and where he doesn't eat much solid food, I can't refuse his one good chance at nutrition.

Like I said, I used to worry but I know deep down that there is nothing wrong with him. When he does eat, he eats just fine and he chews well and he doesn't have any stomach problems or allergies. He is smart and physically thriving. His Dr said he would eat when he was ready. He is just the most stubborn baby I have ever met! He knows that if he sits there long enough without eating I will eventually nurse him and then after nursing he is too full to eat! I know that he will start eating when he is ready, and then I won't be able to stop him. Like I said before, the other reason I am not worried too much is because just THIS WEEK (and he is almost 14 months old, he is one of the oldest babies in this PR) he has started really eating, like more than 2 bites. 4 times this week he ate fistfuls of brown rice, last night he ate about 10 macaroni noodles, he had a bunch of pieces of apple today, and tonight for dinner he ate tons of bits of hamburger, which was the biggest breakthrough yet, because he normally won't even touch any meat.

I'm sorry this is a long post, I just want you to know that I understand how frustrated and worried you are, because I have been there every single day for months now, and it's no fun. As a parent, we NEED to see our children nourish themselves and it is mind-boggling and scary when they won't. Babies all develop at different paces and it takes some of them a while to get used to all the different tastes and textures of food. Jackson is a cautious baby in other aspects so I know that plays into it. If he normally eats well and this is new for him, he may be teething or not feeling well or just exercising his control over the situation, as toddlers will do.

Is he still on formula or breast milk? If so, I wouldn't worry much. If he is on cows milk, I would give him some vitamin supplements, like Trish suggested. I am giving J a vitamin supp with iron cause he is BFing and there isn't much iron in BM. HTH!

[mrsjl]

my kids are both snacky people. as they get older I am sure that will change but for now I just give them what they will eat. they both love any kind of fruit, noodles, sandwiches, crackers, cereal, banana bread, cheese, yogurt, meats, raisins, eggs, etc. so they don't love everything, but I just give them lots of what they DO love. their tastes will evolve as they grow.

[rachel_anne]

Holden's the same way, he only takes a couple bites of things and throws whatever's left on the floor. I wouldn't be worried unless he started dropping weight or was looking sickly.

[KMH]

I don't have any good advice, just lots of *hugs* I hope that things improve soon so you don't have to worry.

[Irish_Wristwatch]

Ross is a snacker, he doesnt often each much when sitting in his highchair at meal time, but if i allow him a plate in the living room he will snack until everything is gone, and ends up eating quite a bit, he just doesnt like the pressure of having to eat right now i guess. Luckily hes always been a good eater though, there really isnt much he wont eat

maybe pick up a vitamin or try him on a toddler formula to get the extra nutrients

[Luvgreen19]

Brendan doesn't like meat either, but he does like beans. We do black beans most of the time. It's a great source of protein like meat is, but lower fat. He doesn't eat much at a time either.. I think these kids of ours are just developing tastes etc. I trust that eventually they will eat real food/real meals.

[krislati]

I would just keep offering him different choices, He will eventually like something. I hope you can find something that works.
Tommy is sort of a "snacker" he will eat almost anything though, he mostly feeds his food to the dog.

[Celine]

You are not alone. Sophia was such a picky eater. It was always a fight when I tried to introduce a new food. I have had no success with fruit and veggies that she used to love she is now refusing. After months of being so frustrated. She literally would cry and scream when I wanted to put her in the high chair, I now accept that there are certain foods that she won't eat and I have found a few food items that she loves.

She loves her rice cereal (Earth Best rice with apple and the EB oats). The oats I blend w/ banana. She gets oats for breakfast and rice for lunch and dinner. She also loves the Yobaby yoghurts. She eats at least one of those. And whenever we eat something that she shows interest in she gets to try it. She absolutely loves bacon. Have you tried bacon yet? She likes chicken and turkey breast but only in small portions. She was loving cheese but that has stopped, too, now. She just puts her hand to the side and lets the cheese drop on the floor. She also likes cheerios in milk. I spoonfeed it to Sophia.

Like the others said, keep trying. I know how frustrating it can be. I think I have found what she likes one day and the next day she refuses it. You never know w/ babies. I hope you can find some foods that he will like.

[hilachu]

we switched from formula to milk and hes so used to just getting formula he just wants a big bottle of milk, which i know he shouldn't be getting the same amount of milk as he did formula
maybe i'll try the toddler formula stuff to supplement him when he just refuses to eat
so tonight we got him to eat a few spoonfuls of mashed potatoes but thats it
wouldnt touch the shrimp tried again with the lasagna for babies and he threw a fit
so milk and cheerios again for dinner
he seems to love fruit, eats up applesauce like its going out of style, the baby food fruit, bananas, strawberries
hes real weird with meat, he seems to gag with certain kinds of food like meat and cheese
dinner time is just turning into a dreadful time
he likes macaroni and cheese but he cant eat that every night right?
he loves the yobaby yougurt but again i feel like he cant eat dairy constantly
UGH
thanks for all your suggestions though =)