Texture issue?

[AuntTami]

One of my littles is 19 months old and very picky. He eats a lot of what I call "junk" at home, chicken nuggets, pizza, fries etc.

He will eat bananas and that is literally the only fruit I've found that he will eat regularly. Cuties are hit and miss.

Vegetables are not even an option. I've tried every kind I can think of in all different ways, and he won't even touch them.

He loves yogurt but if I give him a bite with fruit in it he gags on the fruit and spits it back out! He'll eat the whole container if I pick out the chunks of fruit so he has to like the FLAVOR!

This morning I gave him cut up grapes. Usually he won't touch them, but this morning he ate the "insides" of the grapes but left the skin! Probably why it took him 1/2 an hour to eat breakfast!

Mom still gives him squeeze pouch food at home for dinner so she isn't worried that he doesn't eat properly here. But it bothers me that I keep making and serving stuff that he won't eat, and then he ends up going the whole day only having eaten one or two things!
The one squeeze pouch she sent last week was apples and sweet potatoes. He devoured it in 4 "****s" so again, he must like the FLAVOR of these things I would think, so is it a texture problem?

Ideas on what to do/how to get him to eat more fruits and vegetables? He doesn't drink milk either, not even chocolate. Or water. He'll **** down a cup of juice in 45 seconds though, but we have juice maybe once a week and it's 1/2 and 1/2!

[jenboo]

One of my littles is 19 months old and very picky. He eats a lot of what I call "junk" at home, chicken nuggets, pizza, fries etc.

He will eat bananas and that is literally the only fruit I've found that he will eat regularly. Cuties are hit and miss.

Vegetables are not even an option. I've tried every kind I can think of in all different ways, and he won't even touch them.

He loves yogurt but if I give him a bite with fruit in it he gags on the fruit and spits it back out! He'll eat the whole container if I pick out the chunks of fruit so he has to like the FLAVOR!

This morning I gave him cut up grapes. Usually he won't touch them, but this morning he ate the "insides" of the grapes but left the skin! Probably why it took him 1/2 an hour to eat breakfast!

Mom still gives him squeeze pouch food at home for dinner so she isn't worried that he doesn't eat properly here. But it bothers me that I keep making and serving stuff that he won't eat, and then he ends up going the whole day only having eaten one or two things!
The one squeeze pouch she sent last week was apples and sweet potatoes. He devoured it in 4 "****s" so again, he must like the FLAVOR of these things I would think, so is it a texture problem?

Ideas on what to do/how to get him to eat more fruits and vegetables? He doesn't drink milk either, not even chocolate. Or water. He'll **** down a cup of juice in 45 seconds though, but we have juice maybe once a week and it's 1/2 and 1/2!

Have you ever eaten one of those squeeze pouches? They are delicious because they are ridiculously sweet!!

My guess is that he only "likes" super sweet things and likes smooth textures since he basically drinks this fruits and veggies. The junk he eats at home is loaded with carbs..who doesn't like carbs??
I would keep doing what you are doing and no worry about him. The more exposure he has to real food the more likely he will eventually eat it.

[Unregistered]

I would keep doing what you are doing and no worry about him. The more exposure he has to real food the more likely he will eventually eat it.

Maybe try giving him smaller amounts of ALL FOODS and when he finishes offer more?

[Controlled Chaos]

Hang on, let me step up onto my soap box... ok

I truly believe those pouches are causing developmental/eating delays in children. Parents use them as a crutch and then children who are nearly 2 have zero to little experience chewing. I can't imagine only feeding my 15m dd such a huge amount of pureed food. I think it makes the kids lazy and picky eaters. It might be a texture thing in the sense that the little one isn't used to a lot of other textures but I don't think it is a sensitivity if you know what I mean.

I think the pizza, chicken nuggets and fries all have a similar soft texture and salty flavor.

Just keep offering a little of everything. Luckily he is still young enough that with your help he may become a descent eater, but it will take a lot of you offering and a lot of him choosing to go without probably for a while. I had a 3yo go 9 months here, 3 days a week, without eating anything other than crackers and fruit. If that wasn't an option on the menu he chose not to eat He got a little better towards the end, I think he he would have been full time he would have gotten better faster.

[Unregistered]

I had a similar situation with my now 16 month old dck. Dck did not know how to chew food when I transitioned to regular food when dck turned 1 yrs. old. I had told dcm about the switch in advance but they still contined to give baby food because dck wouldn't eat. I refused to give baby food here and continued to give the same food as the other kids but minced/cut in very small pieces. Within one month dck was eating certain foods here and would test other foods. As dck got better at chewing I gradually made the food pieces bigger. Because parents continue to feed baby food at home they had a hard time and still having a hard time getting dck to eat certain foods that she does eat here. Now dck eats most things I serve. Just keep offering the foods that you serve the other children.

[AuntTami]

No, I've never tried the squeezables, but I dont doubt for one minute that they're incredibly sweet and full of sugar.

I've tried just giving him 1 bite of each thing and not giving him anymore of anything until he eats everything, but he just sits there. He eats the one bite of what he likes, and will just sit in his chair for the rest of the meal, and won't even try anything else. I did that for 4 days a couple weeks ago, and he went the whole week without eating more than that one bite.

I don't make it into a battle. I give him the food, he eats what he wants, and when he's done, he's done. He doesn't EVER get seconds of whatever he liked because I don't want to encourage him.


I still cut all of his food up into very small pieces. He doesn't have all of his teeth yet, and I'm over paranoid about choking, so I cut it everything for him.

He knows HOW to chew. And when he gets something he does like, he does a great job at chewing. But, of course, I've never given him steak or anything .

Hang on, let me step up onto my soap box... ok

I truly believe those pouches are causing developmental/eating delays in children. Parents use them as a crutch and then children who are nearly 2 have zero to little experience chewing. I can't imagine only feeding my 15m dd such a huge amount of pureed food. I think it makes the kids lazy and picky eaters. It might be a texture thing in the sense that the little one isn't used to a lot of other textures but I don't think it is a sensitivity if you know what I mean.

I think the pizza, chicken nuggets and fries all have a similar soft texture and salty flavor.

Just keep offering a little of everything. Luckily he is still young enough that with your help he may become a descent eater, but it will take a lot of you offering and a lot of him choosing to go without probably for a while. I had a 3yo go 9 months here, 3 days a week, without eating anything other than crackers and fruit. If that wasn't an option on the menu he chose not to eat He got a little better towards the end, I think he he would have been full time he would have gotten better faster.

I completely agree with you. I don't use squeeze pouches here, not even for babies. Babies get jarred food. Mom sent 1 squeeze pouch last week and told me to give it to him, so I complied. But that was the only one, ever! I refuse to buy them for him, and would refuse to give them to him daily if she ever asked. Once in a while is different.

Thank you! That's what I was getting at, that he doesn't like or recognize the different textures, not that it was a sensitivity of sorts.

I have his 4 year old sister, and she is the exact same way. She eats the same way he does, except she can vocalize "I don't like that!" which drives me crazy, hearing it 4 times a day(2 meals and 2 snacks)

I did ask his mom about it tonight, and she said that SHE has the same "issue" She likes the flavor of fruit, but she can't eat most fruit because of the texture of it. If SHE still has this aversion as an adult, is this child EVER going to grow out of this!?

What do I do if he doesn't ever come around? Just let him continue to go semi-hungry!?
He doesn't even eat apple sauce or cottage cheese. She will at least eat apple sauce.

[Unregistered]

I went to a class once that was held by a local pediatrician. He said "If the child is hungry he will eat. He won't starve"

Sounds like dcm is giving in and thinking it's because she is weird about texture. I think it's just easier for her.

[Shell]

I have this child also. I find giving him a "safe" food (yogurt, applesauce, fruit smoothie) first helps him eat something else second. For example, he loves meatballs (one of the few foods I can get him to eat), but won't eat them unless he gets a yogurt first :confused:
My guy is a few months older than yours. I find he is slowly trying new things. I got him to eat a carrot the other day, but next day, nope. I saw that as progress though.
I also think it's a control thing at home-
Dcm will keep making him foods until he's happy. I just put it on his plate, and walk away.
That's all I've got- Hth!

[laundrymom]

:hug::hug::hug::hug:happyfacelovethis
I do this too.

I just put it on his plate, and walk away.
That's all I've got- Hth!

[melilley]

If he eats the foods that you mentioned, I don't think that it's a texture issue.
It sounds like at home, he gets "junk" food and will eat it. He probably won't eat the healthy food because he gets junk at home. Also, at that age, I have found that children are very picky. They say it can sometimes take time after time introducing food before they will eat it. And I've also heard that a child won't starve themselves. Here, I give them what I serve and if they don't eat it, then they don't eat, ds included.

I have a dcb who had (supposedly still has) a texture aversion issues. Dcm said that he would gag and throw up certain foods. He came to me at 18 months and never did it here, but he is very picky. She says he doesn't eat certain foods because of the texture, but I don't buy it. If he can eat cake pops, breads, bananas, etc..., he can definitely eat other things. He tries things here and has never gagged and I've had him for almost 2 years. He even will try things. I think it's a power thing with mom and dad.

As for the squeeze pouches, yes they are very sweet, who wouldn't want to eat them? I don't mind them every once in a while. We use to bring them to restaurants or give them to ds while cooking dinner. But I also think that they shouldn't replace any fruits or veggies on a regular basis.

[Unregistered]

You get the deduction on your taxes or food program money for meals so don't worry if he doesn't eat :-)

[jenboo]

I have a three year old who will hold out all day because he wants the fruit snacks he gets on the ride home.
The good thing about your guy is that he can't tell you be is hunger 20 times a day.