Help me feed my texturally challenged toddler

[dfunk98]

DS has a very limited diet, due to texture issues. His ped. told me he is borderline anemic and has us giving him an iron suplement. I would really like to work on his nutrition, but he is so hard to feed. Here is a list of the foods he will eat:
Apples
Bananas
Yogurt
Cheese
Crackers
Toasted O's Cereal
Macaroni and Cheese-but no other pasta
Pizza

That's it. I've tried making him smoothies, but he won't drink them. I've done bananas/coconut milk/cocoa powder/yogurt/spinach, banana/pineapple/berries/yogurt, etc. He won't touch them. I decided to get him some Spirutein today being as it has lots of vitamins, minerals, protein, and iron and tastes kinda like a milkshake. But after all I've been reading on here, now I'm not so sure. I want to make him a really benign flavored shake. Using whole foods is just not working for us and I'm really at a loss. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

TIA!!

[kjbrown92]

It's interesting because for texture he seems to like creamy (yogurt), crunchy (apple, cereal), and what I think of as slimey (macaroni & cheese, banana). So what doesn't he eat? Smoothies are liquid and he won't eat those. Is anything due to hot or cold? Like a smoothie is colder than just plain yogurt so is that why he doesn't like it? I guess I'd keep offering him everything and see what he'll eat (of the same things you're making).

Sometimes anemia is due to celiac. Just something to keep in mind.

Is there any way to get meat into him for the iron? Maybe meatballs? Have you tried vegetables different ways? Like spinach boiled or spinach sauteed or spinach in soup? Or broccoli raw, broccoli steamed, broccoli in soup, broccoli dipped in gravy? A lot of kids like to dip things, and that's how I got my kids to eat a lot of vegetables (everything tastes better in gravy).

Does he like his foods separated?

[chattyprincess]

Try cooking all of his food in a cast iron skillet! Thats the best advice I have for all kids with iron probs! you can bake his pizza in it, make his mac and cheese in it, everything.

~Katie

[dfunk98]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

It's interesting because for texture he seems to like creamy (yogurt), crunchy (apple, cereal), and what I think of as slimey (macaroni & cheese, banana). So what doesn't he eat? Smoothies are liquid and he won't eat those. Is anything due to hot or cold? Like a smoothie is colder than just plain yogurt so is that why he doesn't like it? I guess I'd keep offering him everything and see what he'll eat (of the same things you're making).

He doesn't care much about temperature-i've considered that. I always offer him whatever we are eating, or a variation of that. I'd say 90% of the time, he won't eat it. But he is still breastfeeding, so I feel like when it comes to filling his belly, he would rather nurse than eat most things.

Is there any way to get meat into him for the iron? Maybe meatballs? Have you tried vegetables different ways? Like spinach boiled or spinach sauteed or spinach in soup? Or broccoli raw, broccoli steamed, broccoli in soup, broccoli dipped in gravy? A lot of kids like to dip things, and that's how I got my kids to eat a lot of vegetables (everything tastes better in gravy).

He doesn't like the texture of meat and he's not a dipper. My DD will dip anything, so I know what you mean. Most times, he doesn't like the texture of the dip. Again, I keep offering different foods, in a variety of ways, cooked, raw, etc., but still no dice. They say that kids need to be offered something, like, 15 times. So, we're still going at it.

Does he like his foods separated?

Nope, he doesn't care.

chattyprincess

Try cooking all of his food in a cast iron skillet! Thats the best advice I have for all kids with iron probs! you can bake his pizza in it, make his mac and cheese in it, everything.

Great idea!! Need to start doing this!!

[gardenmommy]

Will he eat eggs in any form? Baked goods of any kind? Will he eat any meat, or is it every type of meat that he doesn't like? Will he eat salads? Beans? Fish? Tortillas? Soup? Chips and cheese?

[dfunk98]

Originally Posted by gardenmommy

Will he eat eggs in any form? Baked goods of any kind? Will he eat any meat, or is it every type of meat that he doesn't like? Will he eat salads? Beans? Fish? Tortillas? Soup? Chips and cheese?

Eggs-Sometimes, yes. Rarely. He has eaten a few times like an omelet with cheese.
Baked goods-YES!! Anything bread-like. I've been making him muffins with bluberries and other good things in them, like carrots, zucchini, etc. I also found some cookie recipes using tahini and blackstrap molasses (both high in iron) Just need to make them, now!!
Meat-None. He has eaten a veggie hot dog once or twice, but that's it. No real meat. Doesn't like the way it feels on his hands/tongue.
Salads-No
Beans-Not really. he will only eat the pinto beans from Green Cactus Fesh Mexican-a local Mexican place near us. Other than those, no.
Fish-No
Tortillas-If it's in quesadilla form
Soup-No
Chips-Like what kind? He will eat tortillas chips, but those are more of treat, and not necessarily something I feel provided alot of nutrition. He will eat anything crunchy and salty. Not a carrot stick, though : !!

Basically, he shuns most protein/vegetable sources. He did eat nut butters for a while, but not anymore. He really has me baffled. I'm really concerned for his health. I have to thank God for the breastfeeding or he's be all skin and bones. Luckily, he's a nice chubby little guy.

Anyone know if boosting my own iron would help? I heard not, but just thought I'd ask anyway.

[Aubergine68]

Will he eat frozen things, like popsicles?

My son (3) won't drink smoothies but gobbles them down when they are frozen in a popsicle mold. It helps when I add berries or cherries or blueberries or mango because then they are a brighter, more appealing color when frozen.

He won't eat most veggies, but will eat a little cup of frozen mixed veggies or peas as a snack.

He won't eat meat, but loves broth.

My son is actually very sensitive to the temperature of his food. He needs things to be hot enough or cold enough. Now he is old enough to communicate this to me, but until recently, I just didn't get why he would eat things sometimes and not others.

He loves pancakes. I sneak lots of good things into the pancakes, and like that they use a lot of eggs and milk to make

[dfunk98]

DS isn't really a popsicle eater, but he loves ice cream. Temperature isn't really a problem for him.

[dfunk98]

Do you think I should be more structured with meal and snack times, as well as nursing? Right now I feel as though if he doesn't fill his belly with food, he'll make up for it by nursing. Should I be setting more clear-cut times for nursing, in an effort to get him to eat more foods?

[chattyprincess]

I don't know if I would say a complete structure but at that age I was still nursing dd and she would nurse in bed on and off from 5am untill 8am and then eat nothing really for breakfast and then want to nurse an hour later. It drove me batty. she was at that age naturally cutting down on nursing and was eventually weaned at 2yrs 2mths (or so). I am pretty new to these boards and im sure some people nurse on demand all the time but I wanted her to stop depending on nursing for a main food source and try to get it other places. So when she would come try to get a nursing I would take her to the kitchen and let her pick a healthy snack to eat and then she could nurse after she ate (I was not mean about it and it never seemed to bug her that I was redirecting her to food). So maybe doing something like that? I also would always have a bowl of fresh fruit or veggies or a few kashi crackers with cheese or something sitting on the table for her to snack on if she just wanted to grab something (we still do this, its a small amount prob her fist size amount of food but she loved having that option)
~Kate

[gardenmommy]

If he will eat quesadillas, can you put cheese in them? Would he eat refried beans in a quesadilla? What about if you ran meat through the blender and mixed it with cheese in the quesadilla, would he eat that?

I was thinking about chips, because sometimes my kids will eat chips topped with beans, guacamole, black olives, sour cream, cheese, salsa, etc., esp. if I run it under the broiler for a second to melt the cheese. Basically, the chips are a carrier for the toppings.

No soup. That is tough, because you can get lots of stuff into soup.

If he eats baked stuff, you could add extra eggs, kefir/yogurt for protein, shredded carrots or zucchini, fruit, etc. You can add in flax, molasses, etc. for extra ummphhh.

I'm sorry I don't have better ideas! That is a tough situation!

Have you had him evaluated for some sort of therapy to deal with the textural issues? I wonder if that might help him open up to more food choices. Good luck mama! Your son is fortunate to have such a considerate and persistent mama.

[dfunk98]

he's actually being evaluated this week for his texture issues, but i don't think he will qualify. he doesn't have any delays/trouble with speech, fine motor, etc., but we'll see.

he will eat a cheese quesadilla, and refried beans if it's a *really thin* layer. i kind of think, "what's the point of that", but i guess i shouldn't, bc i could keep increasing the amount so he gets used to it.
chips topped with something would be a no-go. in fact, just tonight i spread some crackers with pb (which he has enjoyed in the past), he saw the crackers, smiled, but then touched the pb and it was all over. wouldn't touch them.

i just put a bunch of books on reserve at my library, so let's see if any of them help.

[jilly]

We've had a less extreme case of this with my ds1 for a few years now. It is really frustrating. He has got better over time, but has also mysteriously stopped eating things he used to eat just because he's decided he doesn't like them.

For him part of it was hidden allergies and texture issues. He got really cautious about food because he wasn't sure what was hurting him. I also discovered he had cavities (texture issues equalled difficult to get a toothbrush in his mouth and brush those molars) which made it hard for him to chew meat and hard vegetables.

Have you tried mashed potatoes? If he likes them you could sneak some white beans in.
One of my favorite sneaky protein things is French Toast with lots of eggs and a tiny bit of milk. They have a nice soft texture.

I would definitely offer food before nursing. I had to do this with ds2 because he was hardly eating anything and was wearing me out by nursing so much. I would only nurse him once before breakfast, and then not again until a few hours after he had eaten. It really helped him understand that he was hungry and that food would fill his tummy up nicely.

Is it Sensory Processing Disorder you are getting him evaluated for? If not, definitely look into it (http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/index.html). If it is SPD, a few months with a good OT can make a world of difference.

Good luck.

[mumkimum]

I second the cast iron. We also sometimes add molasses to yogurt, esp. for dd. You could try that - it's a good source of iron.

If he likes yogurt - does he also like custards/puddings? Those can be made pretty high protein (with tofu, or more eggs, etc), you could have molasses in them too. Pumpkin or banana (or vanilla or chocolate) tend to work pretty well. It's also something you can sneak a lot into, like a smoothie, if he likes them.

With mac & cheese - you can make it homemade with more of a creamy, custard base of eggs & milk. That might be something else that's more easily accepted.