Stubborn 1 yr old!!

[deelady]

My dd use to LOVE veggies, she ate everything, broccoli, spinach,carrots everything....but now....she will not go NEAR veggies! The only time she will eat them is when they are in a soup! (I don't want to just give her soup everyday) I have no idea why. Its not that they are softer because I have tried over cooking different veggies to make them very tender for her but she just will not have it!
Does anyone have any veggie dishes that might get her into veggies again?? The only sorce of vegies she gets these days is the fruit juices that have vegetables in them(V8).

She's the same way with fresh fruit but I have many ways around that i.e smoothies, yougurt, fruit bars, 100% juice ect...

Please HELP ME with my strong willed daughter!?!?

 

[Fisher's Mom]

This isn't unusual, dee. Toddlers' tastes are wildly variable. If she's eating them in soups and she's drinking V8, you're doing fine. You definitely don't want to engage in a battle of wills with a toddler because you will lose. The only tip I can give you is to let her help: ie: scrubbing a veggie under running water with a brush, give her a little bowl of yogurt dip or peanut butter that she can dip celery into - that sort of thing. Sometimes they enjoy the activity so much they will eat what they are playing with. But then again, sometimes they won't. Otherwise, let her see you eating veggies with great gusto and one day her tastes will change again. Good luck.

 

[kitchenelf]

Keep a lot of vegetable stock or chicken stock around If she eats them in soup I would give her "soup" so to speak. FM gave you very wise words - YOU WILL LOSE!!!!

 

[deelady]

battle of the wills is right! OY! She also use to love celery sticks but she was much younger and I always was nervous giving them to her. Now she wont eat them...

 

[Fisher's Mom]

I know you worry because it sure looks like most toddlers don't get nearly enough veggies. But honestly, their serving sizes are so much smaller that if your little one is normally active and reasonably healthy and alert and engaged, she is most likely getting good nutrition. The best way to make sure they will make healthy eating choices as an adult is to make sure she sees you making healthy eating choices. And since toddlers are notorious for lack of variety in what they choose to eat, it sounds to me like your little one is a very normal toddler!

 

[GB]

My 3 year old goes through phases. When she was little there was nothing she would not eat. As she gets older she is getting pickier and pickier (but is still an excellent eater). I love Fisher's Moms suggestion of having them help. That has helped us out a lot.

I try to make DD at least try one little piece of whatever it is she does not want to try. I would say I get her to do that about 20% of the time. When I do get her to try though then I would say about 95% of the time she likes it and ends up eating all of it. The problem is that next time it is served we have to start from the begining again as she will again claim not to like it.

I have heard of making purees of veggies and pouring them over other foods or cooking into other foods. I have not had to resort to that yet, but I bet that works well.

 

[bowlingshirt]

give her a little bowl of yogurt dip or peanut butter that she can dip celery into .

I dunno if it's safe to give a 1 year old nuts yet. I would check with your doctor first if you haven't already.

 

[GB]

My doctor told me if it was up to her she would not let kids have nuts until they are 6. She was only somewhat joking. This was strictly because of choking. She said a one year old can have peanut butter just as they can have most other foods.

 

[kadesma]

My grandkids are an assorted lot when it comes to food.Ethan and Olivia dive into anything with gusto Cade and Carson are another story..Little Carson was and still is head strong so I decided no 1 year old was gonna get me..No matter what I fixed he ignored it, til one day Olivia wandered over and looked at his untouched plate zoom he was right there stuffing his mouth..Now if I want him to try something new I make my lunch like this I get out a small plate, cut everything into kid size pieces and casually wander into the tv room, flip it on to something the kids like. I make sure he see's me chewing and I sit, set down the plate take a piece and begin to eat..He makes a bee line to see what I have and of course has to get his hands on it, next thing ya know he is eating and I'm watching with a big smile...I also use the okay, Olivia will eat it she like such and such, that usually does the trick, Olivia and Carson love each other dearly but what is mine is mine and what is yours is mine with these two so food is like a toy..On most days after breakfast I would put out a small tray of sliced fruit, just set it down and not say anything..usually everything was gone a good 45 min to and hour before lunch...They will eat I promise you just do not give into the I don't like it I want blah blah, I never fix a second meal UNLESS the little one is sick then they get the moon if they don't eat they don't get treats bingo and it usually works..Don't feel your being mean even if they call you mean, they want to win the battle anyway they can..You child is healthy and busy, she will eat when her tummy has had enough of the game.
kadesma

 

[bowlingshirt]

"The Problem with Peanuts
The problem with peanut allergy is that it can be life-threatening, probably more so than food allergy to milk and egg. To make things worse, even small amounts of peanut proteins can be found in foods such as ice cream, cookies and candy -- even if they don't say "peanut" on the label. This is because in food processing plants, some foods may be processed on the same lines as foods that have peanuts. Or at restaurants, if a utensil is used that was also used to serve a dish with peanuts, it may "contaminate" another dish. Fortunately, recent legislation has mandated that food labels be made clearer to the public about the contents of the food - specifically, whether the food may contain peanuts or other allergic foods.

Peanut Allergy Prevention: Is it possible?
How to "prevent" the development of peanut allergy is a difficult question. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that peanut not be introduced into a child's diet until at least the age of 3 years. The reason is that the child's immune system may not be fully developed before 3 years, and giving the child peanut butter beforehand may lead to development of peanut allergy. However, this is just a theory -- and one may argue that giving peanut butter every day may cause the child to be "tolerant."

 

[deelady]

Thanks for the great tips!
She is indeed very healthy, highest percentile for her height! And extremely active! Its not really her health I am stressing about, I am concerned of her becoming a picky eater in general,I want her to be open minded and try new things.
She also is very much like your grandkids Kadesma...if she sees someone else eating something, she wants THAT....most of the time, only time that doesnt happen is when I infact want her to eat what I am eating...sigh...too smart for her own good! But I think I will try just putting things casualy like a platter of veggies and see if she explores!
And GB my dd is exactly like yours, I finally get her to take a bite and try something new, she always loves it and eats it all...but the next time she wont eat it again! And I have to start all over.
I guess all kids receive the same memo!

 

[suziquzie]

I'm a bad mom. Had no fear of peanut butter for any of them.
Thank goodness because they all request it. Esp the 4 yr old that used to only eat meat..... now only eats veggies.... no pasta unless its tomato sauce..... wish hew would eat soup.....
But he will be different next week.
My point is don't fret.... They always turn out just fine. Physically anyway.... the mental problems are my fault....

 

[deelady]

I'm a bad mom. Had no fear of peanut butter for any of them.
Thank goodness because they all request it. Esp the 4 yr old that used to only eat meat..... now only eats veggies.... no pasta unless its tomato sauce..... wish hew would eat soup.....
But he will be different next week.
My point is don't fret.... They always turn out just fine. Physically anyway.... the mental problems are my fault....

LOL thats funny suziquzie

 

[kitchenelf]

Oh, and my son went through some strange phases. One phase was he didn't like pizza anymore and the other phase was he couldn't eat hamburgers anymore...the hamburger made him gag. He's over both of those! I am only glad one phase stuck with him - he quit drinking Coke and switched to water - - - basically overnight! That was about 4 years ago or so and water is still the main drink of choice.

 

[suziquzie]

Lego girl did that...
Last year she only ate the cheese and toppings off her pizza.
This weekend she would take the top off as usual...
and would only eat the crust.
I give UP!!!!!!

 

[CharlieD]

With 5 kids I've seen all kind of things.

There is nothing wrong with eating soup even 3 times a day.

 

[deelady]

as a child I hated pizza (up to the age of 16) and eggs....now I love both. Actually there is hardly a thing I WONT eat! lol
My DD gags with cake frosting! She loves anything else sweet but goes into convulsions with frosting....weirdo!
What is your views on Soy Milk? I just recently heard some contrversy over it and am starting to wonder if I should get my dd off it??

 

[suziquzie]

why is she on it? health reasons?
if the dr said use soy for a certain reason I would....
but otherwise I have no problems with cow milk.
I think these days paranoia gets the best of even doctors, just so they can cover thier butts.

 

[CharlieD]

Why is she on soy milk? Is she alergic to regular milk?

As long as you donot force her to eat anything in particular, she will come around.

as far as frosting goes I hate frosting, hate with pation.

 

[CharlieD]

Look at us, how we said it together.