[Viriditas]

My little one is approaching 19 months and he's still between 85 and 95% breastfed. Until now I haven't been really worried, thinking he'll eat when he's ready. But it's occurred to me in the last few months that maybe I'm not giving him enough opportunities/options of solid food.

Things he will eat (meaning one or two bites):
brown rice
beans
steamed peas
any kind of bread/crackers/cookies
apples
bananas (but only one or two bites)
the occasional bite of broccoli
pasta

He won't eat:
anything pureed or mashed
any liquid other than water
any veggies or fruit other than those listed above

Every once in awhile he'll gorge himself on rice, beans, or crackers, but most of the time he'll eat one or two bites of whatever I offer (out of the list above) and then lose interest.

Today, for example, I peeled a banana for him and he broke off a piece, carried it around for awhile, took a bite or 2, and ended up dropping it 10 or 15 minutes later. Then a couple hours later he had 1 or 2 bites of an oatmeal cookie. It's now almost 4pm and that's all he's eaten (he's been nursing throughout the day). He'll probably eat a couple handfuls of rice and maybe a few peas for dinner.

I'm concerned that he's eating so little, and what he is eating is almost all starches. Can anyone think of other foods I could offer that I'm not thinking of? Am I doing something wrong or could I be going about this a different way? I would appreciate any experience or insight anyone has.

 

[maryeb]

Have you tried different smoothies? What about nut butters? Oatmeal? Avocado? You said no pureed foods, so no guac or hummus? I really don't think your list of foods he will eat is too big a deal, as I have a friend with a three yr. old that only eats rice, peas, and broccoli. Oh, and cashews. But rarely anything else. She literally eats steamed peas for breakfast!

How is it going today? Mary

 

[aris99]

For a 19 mos old you're doing very well

! My 18 mos old is picky too and she has bouts of reflux that doesn't help either

She won't eat purees or soft food either but occasionally she'll pasta or rice w/gusto and my trick is to make my own pasta sauce (heh heh heh!) I make pasta sauce w/broccoli, cauliflower, mixed veggies etc etc. I add some nutritional yeast, navy or black beans, miso if your child tolerates it (mine seems to have a reaction to this), cheese or fake cheese, something to make the sauce a bit creamy, and soy sauce or vegan worcestershire sauce and other spices to make it irresistable

! Then blend the whole thing up in a blender and you have rice or pasta sauce

!

Another suggestion for veggies is "just veggies" dehydrated fruits and veggies. I'm sure these things have lost some of their nutritional value in being dehydrated BUT they're better than nothing and they are fun to eat! They come in small tubs and you can find them in the produce section in just about any grocery store. Have you tried putting a small smear of hummus on a rice cake for your son? Maybe he needs the crunch factor!

Since your son is still depending largely on bm I wouldn't expect him to take more than a bite or two of solids. That's normal and perfectly ok. As long as he's gaining weight and growing I'd say go slowly on the solids as you are doing!

Also try frozen bananas cut into sticks....my dd won't eat bananas any other way (w/the exception of smoothies) !

 

[russianthistle]

I understand from where you are coming. My 15 mo old son has decided that he no longer likes many of the things he once liked...at 11 mo. he was eating kale with gusto...now I can barely get more than a few bites into him.

I was wondering the same thing about breastfeeding...There are some days when I feel that his all-throughout-the-day nursing habit may be something to work on and that I should work harder to get more food into him. Then, there are others when I'm glad and feel fine that he nurses so well, still.

I really don't worry much of the time as my son is certainly not losing weight and certainly is healthy. IMO, his health and his weight are the best gauges of what is best for him.

 

[Viriditas]

Thanks for the reassurance (and the ideas!) everyone. I'm so glad I'm CLW. I would be so much more worried if he was super picky and didn't have bm to rely on. My niece is 2 1/2 and she's sick ALL THE TIME. I can't help but think it has something to do with her diet of chicken fingers and fries and that my sister weaned her at 8 months.

Ds has had 2 mild colds and 24 hours of fever in his entire life. He's tall and heavy for his age and he's running and talking. I guess his diet is working for him for now.

I'll just keep offering, but not pushing. He'll eat when he's ready.