At Finn’s one year well-child visit this week I shared with our pediatrician that Finn doesn’t seem super into food.
He said…”if in a day one meal is good, one is so-so and one you wonder why you even prepared…you’re doing great.”
PRAISE GOD! At one year old, food is so hit and miss but I’m trying to not stress about it. Finn is tracking perfectly on his growth curve, healthy and happy. I truly believe that he will eat when he’s hungry.
Here are some of the things that I’ve been preparing for him lately. Whether he’s actually eaten them is the wild card. 🙂
Ravioli, green beans, mandarin oranges. Finn had ZERO interest in this. (And this ravioli is SO good)
Same thing, add chicken, watermelon and pineapple. NOPE.
Grilled cheese with a side of a lentil/ground beef mix. He ate a little of all of this.
Quesadilla with spinach and cheese, cooked butter. Was like, “no thank you.”
Scrambled eggs, mandarin oranges, banana pumpkin muffins. Ate some of the eggs and muffins.
Burger patty, macaroni and cheese, peas with butter. Ate some of the burger and mac.
French toast, bananas and watermelon. Not one bite of this went into Finn’s mouth. It all went onto the floor. If he’s not into what’s on his tray, he drops it on the floor.
Fried egg, banana pumpkin mini muffins, watermelon. He ate some of all of this.
Chicken tossed in salsa, black beans and corn. Ate none of it. Ugh.
What my little guy loves the most is carbs. Crackers, toast, graham crackers… you name it. From what I understand this is completely normal and my philosophy is to continue to offer him EVERYTHING even if he’s declined it 20 times before. I count it as a win if he interacts and plays with a food. If he brings it to his mouth…YAY! I’m not stressed about his pickiness right now. He’ll find his way and the less I push it, the more it will flow.
Oh and I’m also planning to take the Feeding Littles Toddler Course as soon as I have a minute to do it!
Was your one year old/toddler a carb lover?
How did you continue to introduce fruits/veggies if your little wasn’t a fan at first?
For more on feeding Finn, also check out Finn’s Recent Eats at Nine Months and Our Journey Into Solids.
My daughter is about a week older than Finn. She isn’t yet as picky as you are describing with Finn, but we’ve noticed that some foods she will gobble up one day, and the next day she won’t touch them. She ate 3 fried eggs at lunch yesterday (really!) but a week ago, wouldn’t even touch an egg at a diner. She was all about blueberries last week, but this week it’s strawberries or nothing. Meat is very hit or miss and completely unpredictable. One thing I try to do is offer one food that is likely to be a hit at every meal (she loves toast too!) and then round out the plate with the rest. I find that if she starts eating because there’s something on the plate that is familiar and that she likes, she’s more likely to try other stuff as well. If the plate is all new or full of her less preferred foods, she sometimes won’t even start to eat. I also have noticed she’s more likely to eat something unfamiliar if it’s on my plate and I’m eating it. Just a few ideas! You’re doing great!
Yes! Isn’t it crazy how rapidly their tastes can seem to shift!? 3 eggs!? That is amazing! Finn will eat meat but he does NOT like fruit and will barely eat it. I have also found that if I serve something he likes that he will try other things on his plate once he gets going. 🙂
I have a five year old that couldn’t care less about food. He goes to a daycare where they prepare healthy meals and he just doesn’t eat all day. He loves donuts and chips and bread. It’s frustrating and he’s a little string bean but he’s growing and even a little tall.
I used to battle with him and sit at the table for a long time begging him to take one more bite of veggies but honestly, it made dinner time miserable. So I give him something he likes along with some of what everyone else is having and sometimes he just eats carbs for dinner.
Oh gosh, I feel for you here. I love your comment though about finally surrendering to it and not making yourself (and the family) miserable over it. I hope this improves for him over time. <3
My little one pelted me with beans at dinner last night so I can certainly relate to this post. It’s a challenge to keep serving food that is often rejected, but, like you, I am persevering. One thing that does seem to help with success for my son is introducing things that he is “learning to like” in the middle of the day. He seems to be more carb focussed at breakfast and sometimes less hungry by dinner (although this can vary dramatically).
Haha, Finn wouldn’t even touch his black beans last night! Ahhhh. Interesting on mid-day introducing! Makes sense.
Introducing new foods in the middle of the day works for my 13 month old too! He was barely eating anything at dinner most nights, and then I finally realized that I was always trying new things at dinner, while breakfast and lunch were mainly “safe” foods I knew he would eat. It also didn’t help that he was usually tired at dinnertime!
Our son eats everything at daycare (hello, peer pressure) but is SO picky at home. I talked about it with his doctor at his 15-month appointment and she also reassured that it’s typical and that they tend to eat well at 1-2 meals and barely eat any at the rest of the meals. He loves his milk so he always gets calories from that (he’s been off breast milk since 13 months). He jumped from 4th to 26th percentile between 12-15 months so clearly he’s eating enough! It just bothers me that he will eat everything at daycare but I offer the same things at home and he throws them on the floor. *shrugs shoulders* One thing he does not like at all is fruit. That’s the one thing they usually can’t get him to eat at daycare. I thought all kids loved fruit but not our son! He does love bananas but we don’t give them often as he has trouble with constipation. One veggie we’ve found that he loves is veggie tots made by Green Giant. I always thought that our child would only eat unprocessed vegetables but I’ve decided that a processed veggie is better than none at all. He really likes the broccoli and cauliflower tots and I think we will try the sweet potato ones next.
Oh and our son LOVES carbs, mostly in the form of crackers. Cracker was one of his first words. He said it before mama! He doesn’t seem to be a fan of bread but he loves club and graham crackers!
Someone else said this same thing about daycare! Are you doing whole milk? I’m trying to figure out a plan for weaning and milk.
And oh I hear you on the processed veggies. One of those things you say you’d never do and then you’ll do anything to get them to eat some form of a veggie. Haha. 🙂
I wouldn’t be surprised if Finn says cracker before mama. Just like he’s going to say Zoey before mama.
We are doing organic whole milk. His doctor said he could have 2% but since he’s smaller than average it’s a good idea to give him whole milk. He loves it sooo much! Good luck with the weaning process! Paul did so well with it. He always drank breast milk cold so I think that helped with the transition!
Thank you for writing this! I have no advice, just solidarity. My 13m daughter seems to give daycare no trouble at mealtimes but at home she only wants puffs and blueberries. It’s so encouraging to see other moms/bloggers who are honest about what their kids are actually eating (oh today you only wanted 3 cheerios? ok cool), rather than just showing a perfect plate of protein/veg/carb. Really appreciate your candor!
Thank you! We are all in this together!!! It’s a quite perplexing journey…this motherhood thing. 😉
I feel this on a deep level – my oldest (now 5) girl ate nearly everything as a baby, but got pickier as time went on – also a major carb lover (I’m not sure she had a single vegetable from 2015-2018 until I found a decent cauliflower crust pizza to hide it). I realize now what mistakes I made with her – I always served as her short order cook and she started to learn how to manipulate that. Also, I used to give her way too many options – I’d serve her the main meal that I knew she’d probably reject, but I’d also add a couple things I knew she’d eat (in her case, apples and yogurt). Of course she’d immediately eat the yogurt and apples, and then would feel satisfied enough and would never touch the main course. I also learned that with her, positive reinforcement is key – rather than punishing her for not eating her dinner, we make a HUGE DEAL when she tries something new – this has been key. I’m doing it differently now with our youngest (2yo), and so far she seems to be far less picky. She eats what we eat for the most part. Ahh, those first kids when we have no clue what we’re doing!!! Hang in there mama!
I’ve heard it’s really normal for them to be adventurous as babies and picky as toddlers. 🙁 Laughing (in the kindest way) over your vegetable comment. Thanks for sharing what you think didn’t work. It’s helpful. And I definitely do that sometimes too in desperation to get him to eat SOMETHING!
My daughter is 13.5 months old and is pretty similiar to Finn. It’s very unpredictable from day to day at meal times. Although, in the last month she’s been ingesting a lot more food which is really exciting! We just keep offering her meals that we’re eating, using positive reinforcement, getting REALLY excited when she tries new foods, and repeat. I used to stress over it but now I know she’ll eat when/if she’s hungry! She does love hummus, guacamole, cheese, and plain whole milk yogurt. Who knew feeding littles could be such a labour of love 🙂
Yes, I never knew I could cheer and clap so enthusiastically over the smallest things until I had a baby! 🙂 Glad to hear this!
My 20-month-old is the same! He was such a “good” eater when we first introduced real foods before 12 months, too 🙁 Our pediatrician said the same thing yours did, and I follow Feeding Littles on IG and it’s been super encouraging and comforting to know that the lack of interest in anything aside from those CARBS is totally normal. Patience is the name of the game at this stage – with food and everything else!
Love seeing what you offer Finn – regardless of how he feels about it 😉
Thank you Tanya! Hope this is something we will laugh about in the future! 🙂
You are doing awesome with all that variety!! I struggle for ideas for things to feed Reese (and myself these days). She’s a really great eater some days and some days it all ends up on the floor. Or she feeds it to the dog, who happily encourages this bad habit. I started following Veggies and Virtue on instagram and she has some great suggestions on giving them something they love, like and “learning to like” at every meal. I have the same problem as another commenter though with rapidly changing taste…for a week she’ll love something, then one day she won’t try a single bite! So frustrating, but keep up the great work!
Thanks Lauren. I struggle too and I feel like I feed him a lot of the same stuff over and over again. And haha, Finn also thinks it’s hysterical to feed the dogs. I have to put Zoey outside because she will eat the food straight off of his tray! And OMG, I deal with the changing taste too. Seems like it can swing overnight!
I think all kids go through stages of being good eaters and then not wanting to eat anything. My kids are 3 and 7 and they still do it – just the other night my son had had a full day of playing and we were busy so we missed snack time so I figured he’d be starving for supper but he only ate 1 chicken nugget and that was because I told him he had to eat something. Also, after 7 years of offering fruits and veggies every day he still doesn’t like them but my 3 year old loves them.
I’m impressed with all the meals you have offered him – a good variety of textures, colors and of course all the nutrients.
Thank you for sharing this input. It’s helpful!
Keep at it! My son was not interested in food at all when he was this age. I stressed so much about it. But we persevered- I just kept serving those damn meals even if he ate nothing- and at 2.5 yo he is a really good eater. He will try anything but does have his favourites. Obviously this could all change but we are really enjoying it right now. One thing that really helped was him going to daycare. He is at a Montessori daycare and the communal eating of healthy food increased his interest in food so much. Now that he is older, he gets to help out with food prep which he loves- and jeans he almost always tries whatever he helps prepare. Anyway, as a mother of a formerly apathetic eater, I am sure Finn will get there (particularly with all the yummy stuff you are serving him)!
Ahhh thank you for this encouragement. It’s great to hear. And I really hope that one day Finn finds it fun to help mom in the kitchen! 🙂
Thank you for posting! Sawyer is the same age as Finn and isn’t interested in food. It’s hard not to stress about it especially since we are officially done with formula. Please keep us posted!
I think it’s pretty common! I will keep you guys posted for sure.
I also have a Finn (he’s 2) and he is a super fussy eater. He always has been. He loves carbs and hates most other things, especially vegetables. Seems like you’re doing a great job continuing to offer lots of different foods- I find it really hard when most of it ends up on the floor. Have decided just not to stress about it though as long as he seems healthy and happy!
I’m happy to hear about your Finn but I’m sorry to hear that you’re dealing with pickiness. Here’s hoping that these will be things that we’ll laugh about at some point in the future. 🙂
I totally understand the frustration of putting so much effort into giving your baby meal after meal and having them rejected. My daughter didn’t actually even put a piece of food up to her mouth until she was 15 months old! That was a long time of her rejecting everything except breastfeeding. We ended up having to do feeding therapy and she’s finally eating okay now at 19 months. She still refuses a lot of things, and she would live off of Belvita biscuits and Clif bars if I let her. I’m really trying to use the Division of Responsibility with her, but it’s so hard when I just want her eat healthy meals. Good luck with your little guy, and I’m sure he’ll figure it all out. You’re doing a great job.
Ahh thank you for sharing. Have you weaned or are you still breastfeeding? I am struggling with when to do this.
My son is 18 months old and we are still in the process of weaning. He doesn’t want to give up his morning and bedtime feeds yet and I haven’t pushed it. After a slow start to drinking milk, he is now enthusiastic about whole milk. (Big thumbs up for Munchkin 360 Cups.) I think the breastfeeding is only about comfort now and my supply seems to be well on the way down. By the time he is two, I expect our breastfeeding days will be over, which feels about right for us. I know for every mom and babe, this is a very personal journey. But that’s my experience at this point.
If it makes you feel better, I think Finns meals look delicious and I’d totally eat them! ?
My little girl is a week and a half younger than Finn. She has been picky since day 2. Day one she did great and we thought it would be so easy… yeah that didn’t last long! She’s gotten SO much better within the past month and a half though. We struggle with vegetables and she’s hit or miss with everything else. We do have some favorites that she’ll always eat (not necessarily finish but will take a few bites). She loves cheese sticks, black beans, and yogurt. We’ve noticed that she doesn’t like to have the same thing over and over (with the exception of her favorites). I’ve also noticed that if I put something on a fork and give it to her she’s more likely to put it in her mouth and eat it bc she’s in control. If your little one loves carbs, I’d add in some extras into muffins. We make an apple, banana, carrot (ABC) muffins that she’ll eat. Usually only half, but I’ll take that as a win! Our doctor said to just keep offering food and eventually they’ll eat it. We do give her pouches which contain fruits and veggies. We have a choomee topper that keeps it from spilling everywhere and it’s a win bc like I said she likes that she can hold it and we like it bc it’s not as messy. Good Luck! It can be a frustrating journey! I’m hoping she doesn’t end up as picky as I was as a child/adult (although I’m much better now!) haha
I loved your Instagram post with a plate of food and an arrow pointing to each food that said “threw it on the floor” lol! My daughter is 11 months and her daycare wants to serve her their food menu. I stress over it because I read so much online about not feeding sugar and salt to babies (seriously impossible). I’ve been packing her lunch everyday and the daycare always tells me what she doesnt eat, so I feel a lot of pressure to give her foods she will eat. Yesterday I got a photo from her daycare with all the babies eating pizza, except my baby of course! I think I will eventually give in to the lure of high carb and processed foods because its maddening to prepare so much food that goes to waste!
Foods that I have found to get eaten consistently are pita and hummus, baby bell cheese, cut up chicken, softened diced apple (microwaved in a bowl of water), cheerios, baby yogurt, and that’s about it! I still serve other fruits and veggies but they aren’t as successful. I’ve realized that chewing is still really hard for her so I try to make sure everything is soft and cut into small pieces. Crunchy foods like cucumbers, fresh apple slices or really any raw fruit or veg are just going to get spit out. Hopefully when she has more teeth she will eat more!
Great post, thanks for sharing! I babysit a 12 month old and he eats like crazy! 3 meals a day with at least 2 snacks!
-Kate
https://daysofkate.com/
I saw that you asked someone about milk, so I wanted to share this resource!
https://newwaysnutrition.com/2019/04/26/the-best-toddler-milk/
Her IG account is super informative as well.
Veggies and Virtue on IG (she has a blog too) has a great method for feeding littles. She uses the Love it, Like it, Learning it method. Look her up!
Each of my three children have nursed until they fully weaned around 2yo. My first two were not very interested in solids until around 15 months (although we offered consistently starting around 6 months). My third child was ready to eat three times/day from 6 months. All grew at about the same healthy rate, and my youngest nursed a bit less from 1-2 since he was eating so much at that point. I would encourage you to keep up the nursing, if possible because it’s perfect supplemental nutrition for Finn. And I ensure you that it’s not leading to him eating less than he would otherwise.
Also, I never started my kiddos on grains before 10-12 months of age, and then only whole grains, as part of a meal. So crackers were not introduced. If you think it’s best that Finn eat whole foods then it’s not too late to take at least the more processed carbs out of the picture. I realize that may be challenging, but that could be an approach.
You should read the website/blog veggiesandvirtue.com
Its run by a pediatric dietician/mom of 3. She has great philosophies and methods for feeding kids, especially in the picky stages. She talks a lot about continued exposure to foods that kids don’t seem to like, and serving those new/not so favorite foods alongside foods you know he loves.
It really takes the stress out of worrying about how much they eat because your job is only to serve the food and his job is to decide how much to eat.
My daughter is just a little older than Finn, and I find that she eats way better when I put the food directly on her tray as opposed to one of those divided plates. Last night she refused her entire plate of food, but when I removed the plate and put the food on her tray she ate a bunch. I think maybe she can just see it or grab it better without the plate. Who knows, but just an idea if you get desperate lol.
How many shots Finn had at 1 year old well child visit?
Hi! I know this post is older but I was wondering if you feed him pouches or pureed containers of baby food if he does not eat what is on his plate. Solids is slow going in our house. We try lots of different things but end up having to use purees.
Hey Hope! Finn never liked purees or pouches so I am no help to you there…but I am sure it’s fine to mix them in with offerings solids too.