I had two picky eaters. My approach was pretty much to take food off the agenda, in terms of whether or not it was an 'issue'. I found that my kids could sense my anxiety and really play on it for all the attention they could get. Like your peanut, my boys would eat a selection of healthy food, but not enough for my liking. I decided to trust their bodies to get what they needed, and as long as what they did eat was healthy, not to worry too much about what they didn't eat. I also made lots of 'disguised' meals - pasta with a 'tomato' sauce that had about 7 different veggies all cooked together and then liquidised, so they never knew they were eating stuff like soya protein or mushrooms etc.

Ahh, the thing that every momma stresses over...mealtimes. We've all been there, girl. I agree with the previous post...I know it's easier said than done, but the Peanut can sense that you're getting anxious about this. Just don't make it an issue. Don't make a big deal out of meal time. Monkey went through a stage where she refused to eat any veggies at all. I tried to sneak stuff in, and she would just poo-poo all of it. Eventually, I just fed her whatever we ate and stuck to that. Sometimes she ate, sometimes she didn't. Sometimes she went to bed hungry. And, you know what? She's still here, still alive and healthy and driving me crazy. Peanut won't starve herself. Monkey's ped once told me that you need to think of what they eat in terms of the week, not a daily thing. Think about what she eats as a whole, and not just at each meal. Their tummies are so small and they can only hold so much at a time.

With that all said, does she do smoothies? You can shove all sorts of things in a smoothie - veggies, fruits, yogurt, silken tofu, even oatmeal. If she likes fruits, try mixing them with sweet veggies like carrots and sweet potatoes. I used to mix chunks of papaya with the those two. Since it was all orange, she ate it and didn't complain. You can also try dips. PB or hummus with veggies and fruit. Shredded veggies can get snuck into anything.

For protein, will she eat beans? You can give them to her individually, or mixed with rice and veggies. Flax seed and nut butters are also good (unless your family has a history of nut allergies.)

Ultimately, though, exposure is what's going to develop her tastes. Just keep giving her little bits of everything. She'll make faces and spit it out, but by the 30th or 40th try, she'll eat it. They always do.

Good luck!

I was in the same position a few mos back since we are also veg and B was refusing just about everything but bananas. She should be OK on protein if she's drinking the recommended amt of milk (soy or cow) so I would be less concerned about that.

We haven't been able to get B to eat many beans but Progresso's Lentil Soup is a huge hit. A few weeks ago, I had tons of fresh broccoli and so after B saw me eating a plateful of broccoli for dinner a couple of times, she was up for it. Maybe Peanut would respond if you ate a few weird meals like that? I even said, "No, this is MOMMY'S DINNER. You get goldfish crackers." That really did the trick.

B also won't eat PB sandwiches but she'll lick the pb off the bread or eat it by the spoon. She won't eat sweet potatoes plain but she will if I sprinkle raisins in the bowl. Toddlers are weird, man. Stay sane!!

i agree with the first commenter. you will never win the food war. i now offer and leave it on their plate. they chose to eat whatever they eat. and i give them a organic yogurt loaded with good stuff, mix in a bit of cottage cheese, maybe a bit of some protein in order to disguise it. i like the idea of the pureed pasta sauce...you can put a lot in those sauces.

she will get what she needs, steph. hard to believe, but she will. i find it helps to sit down and eat with them. hectic for us, but effective at teaching them that we eat, so can they.

Wish I could help ya on this one, but I've got no idea here. All I know is that I was a picky eater as a child, but totally am not as an adult, if that gives you hope. Good luck Steph!

I'm not a mom, but like Jess, I was a VERY pickey eater as a child from the beginning. My mother had to order a special formula because I wouldn't drink milk or most formulas as a baby. Then, I would NOT start eating solid foods (I stayed on a bottle at least part time until I was 5 years old. If I couldn't have my bottle, I would not eat solid foods at all).

When I was about 3, I went an entire year and barely gained a pound. All I would eat was crackers and potato chips and formula. And coca-cola. And I mean, that was ALL I would eat. You couldn't get a vegetable near me (the vegetable aversion lasted until after college - but now I love veggies, all of them).

My mother took me to the doctor, in a panic, sure I was starving to death. He said it was a common quirk, that if I really "needed" something (protein, vegetables) my body would let me know and I would start eating it.

He told her to keep finger-foods around the house, availabile to me at all times, be nonchalant and just let me eat what I wanted. The more I was pressured, he said, the pickier I would become, because I'd realize food was a "big deal."

It took a while, but I eventually started nibbling the foods my mom left around the house (chicken nuggets were my first "discovery" from this and I moved on to eating those non-stop for about a year - has she tried those faux chicken nuggets? Not the most healthy and natural thing, I know, but tasty.)

Good luck!

I feel your pain. But everything I have read says that it's normal. I have found that Cashew likes blueberries one week, next week wants nothing to do with them. And even more recently, it's more psychological, like I used to hand her food that she would then grab and put in her mouth. Now that is no good. She wants to have the bowl, pick out the piece that she wants and shove the bowl away. The independence is good but OYE VEY. My only advice is that this - after a particularly rough no eating phase, I read that babies only need about 1000 calories a day, and they will take that 1000 calories almost randomly. The bottom line is, keep offering different foods and options. When she's hungry, she'll eat. That's my mantra these days. :-)

Hi there. I have two boys, 4 and 2. The 4 year old eats little, the 2 year old eats all. I don't get it! I agree with what folks are saying here. Offer, offer, offer, and finally they may decide to give it a shot. I don't think it's unusual for them to stop liking things they used to eat just fine. If what you're offering is good for them, they'll get what they need. I also firmly believe in shared meals, but I'm not a strict "meal time only" eater. I offer snacks mid-morning and mid-afternoon, or any time we're at the park. Frankly, my little one snacks all day. I'm always hearing "I'm hungry" from him. He's as tiny as they come and never misses a meal despite his snacking. They eat all kinds of things for snacks they wouldn't touch if it was on their plate. They'll also go through an "appetizer" plate of veggies while I cook dinner that they wouldn't touch if it was on the table with the meal. For specifics, this time of year, peas are great. They shell them themselves, or eat the whole pod. Sunflower seeds are good at her age, a couple at a time. Blueberries. Vary the tofu you're offering. My younger will eat extra firm by the cube, but doesn't like any other. And broccoli and asparagus. If you're into reading, "Child of Mine: Feeding With Love and Good Sense" by Ellen Satter is great as are any of the Dr. Sears books. I think he has one on eating, or his wife does. Good luck to you. She certainly looks as healthy as can be. Try not to worry too much about it! Trust her to get what she needs.

Hmmm. I have no advice. I'm not a picky eater--never have been. But I like what the moms are writing.

i love all of this advice! Maia's been wanting to play more than eat lately and i think i'm going to give some of the toddler snacks a try from Super Baby Food to have on hand for random snacking. I concur that eating together at the table has always helped Maia get into eating. She gets so psyched when we have the same cereal at breakfast!

You could try hummus with pita bread. ( and or vegies like somebody else suggested)

Will she eat yogurt?

Or pizza toast cut up easy so that the peanut can still eat it herself. Just with a bit of cheese and very small (disguised) vegetables!

I don't have kids so I am not real good with the advice I suppose but my mum always said she used to stress when we wouldn't eat until her doctor said "they won't starve, they are not yet smart enough to do so"

Best of luck!

ps: Smoothies are a good idea. And maybe now that it is getting warmer in your part you could also try frozen yogurt with lots of fruit!

I've raised five, and nobody had malnutrition. It's been proven by researchers that if toddlers are offered their choice they will balance out to a nutritious diet as long as they aren't offered junk food. So just keep offering and she will be fine.

Things going on - 1)Twos aren't growing as fast as they were, so they don't need the amount of food you are accustomed to see them eat. Remember that her stomach is about the size of her fist. Small amounts often, rather than three squares a day is the key. 2)Littles have sensitive taste buds. She may need you to take her portion out before you season. 3)lots of kids grow in spurts. Mine did. When in a growth spurt I could not keep them satisfied and they'd eat everything in sight. Between spurts they seemed to survive on the rumor of food.

And yes, they do go on food jags. And just when you've got a solid supply of whatever it is they insist is the only food, they'll suddenly pick a different one.

Just keep nutritious food around and offer often. No small child has ever voluntarily starved.