My 19month DS won't eat meat

[nervousmommy]

If we are out he may have a few bites of chicken quesadilla, only because mit;s hidden. If he realizes there is meat, he will stop eating it. If I make it at home, he will not eat it. When he was 11 months he ate sime turkey at thgankgiving. Now won't touch it. He's 90/90 on the height weight charts. BF on demand, eats yogurt, cheese, beans, avocado, rice, fruit like it's going out of style, carrots, tomatoes, oatmeal, jarred organic vegtable purrees with applesause. Just nothing with meat. We are going on a trip to visit friends with children all older than DS and I'm considering letting him eat what their kids eat, which isn't the healthiest of things, just to see if he'll eat meat, because they are eating it. (like chiken fingers and hot dogs....aahhhh)

[astra]

I wouldn't worry about it. It sounds like he has a healthy diet. My son is 5 and still does not eat meat at all.

[spmamma]

I think most toddlers dislike meat. DD is 3 and is just now starting to eat a little bit of meat, as in maaaaybe a slice of ham on a sandwich. No chicken. No beef. No pork. No hot dogs.

I wouldn't worry about it. He'll get there eventually.

[lmk1]

I was just worrying my ds was eating too much meat! He's about 2y8mo. I find that what he eats depends a lot on the shape of the food....like he won't eat mushy things except for applesauce and kasha and oatmeal. He won't eat a chicken drumstick, but he will eat the meat off it, if I take it off and break it up for him...and he doesn't like the skin. You could experiment with different ways of cutting meat (cubes, triangles, sticks), to see if there's something he likes better. Either way, it sounds like you've got nothing to worry about as far as nutrition, so I wouldn't push it either way...and I definitely wouldn't feed my kid something like hot dogs just to get him to eat meat. You can make pretty healthy chicken tenders yourself, if you want to try that...

[Violet2]

I think this is pretty normal or at least typical.

We resorted to chicken nuggets at our house.

I hate hot dogs too, but DH and my nephew (temporarily staying with us during an internship) love them and are on a big hot dog kick so DD gets them that way. (I keep reminding myself it's temporary.)

We 'hide' meat as much as we can, provide lots of dips and use alternative sources like cottage cheese. She eats what she eats, I try to make peace with that.

V

[Chamomile Girl]

Kids don't need to eat meat to be healthy...most vegetarians would argue that nobody does. No biggie.

[alfabetsoup]

If you're desperate for him to eat meat you could try:

spaghetti bolognese
lasagne with meat sauce
meatloaf (cut up and dipped in ketchup)
meatballs
bbq/teriaki chicken--you can make your own marinades and they are mighty tasty
roast chicken with mashed potatoes & carrots & gravy (always a huuuuge hit at my house)

Have you tried offering him fish? My kids have always loved anything from the sea, it has a nice texture for babies and if you cook it right, a very mild taste. We like cod with a creamy sauce, salmon cooked with butter or teriyaki and of course, fish fingers!

That said, his diet does sound pretty healthy and well rounded and it's not something to worry about--he probably finds the textures a bit difficult and will come to like it in time.

[BeanyMama]

It sounds like he has really healthy taste . I don't think his diet would benefit from meat in the least.

[Jamie*]

my 3 1/2 yr just recently started eating meat, mostly steak. Just offer pieces here and there, he will eventually eat it.... or just be a vegan

[scottishmommy]

We're vegetarian so dd almost never eats meat unless one of my parents give her some at a restaurant. She's big and healthy and thriving. Nobody really needs meat, especially if they eat dairy and/or eggs with B vitamins. Don't worry, he's fine!

[nervousmommy]

I wouldn't worry about it. It sounds like he has a healthy diet. My son is 5 and still does not eat meat at all.

It sounds like he has really healthy taste . I don't think his diet would benefit from meat in the least.

my 3 1/2 yr just recently started eating meat, mostly steak. Just offer pieces here and there, he will eventually eat it.... or just be a vegan

I think most toddlers dislike meat. DD is 3 and is just now starting to eat a little bit of meat, as in maaaaybe a slice of ham on a sandwich. No chicken. No beef. No pork. No hot dogs.
I wouldn't worry about it. He'll get there eventually.

Thanks so much!!! You all made me feel much better by saying he eats a really balanced diet. I try sooo hard.

[JBaxter]

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl

Kids don't need to eat meat to be healthy...most vegetarians would argue that nobody does. No biggie.

Totally agree. We are NOT vegetarians here but none of my boys have eaten meat before the age of 2 - 2 1/2.

Jack will eat bacon and sometimes meatballs if Im lucky

[AmyKT]

DD is the same way. The only meat she'll eat is turkey bacon and ... umm.... chicken mcnuggets . We don't eat a lot of meat in our house, anyway, but I do worry that she gets enough protein because she mostly prefers carbs. But she drinks about 4-5 cups of milk per day, so I figure she's doing all right.

[34me]

We are not vegetarians, in fact dh works at a meat plant. However my 14 yo ds has never really eaten meat. Cooking with his needs in mind has really opened up a lot of diferrent flavors for all of us.

[Skippy918]

My son used to like red meat, but now he doesn't. He still eats chicken though.