Reluctant eater at 17 months

[jk3]

I am at my wit's end at the moment. My DS has turned into an increasingly difficult eater. I'm sure some of this has to do with his age but I definitely need some tricks. We've cut down on the bottles thinking he would eat more solids but this isn't happening. In fact he's eating less. Around his first birthday he ate a lot each day. Now a typical day looks like this:

Breakfast: a few bites of cereal (he used to eat an entire bowl)
a bite of fuit, maybe two
3-4 bites of a waffle, toast or pancake

Lunch: 1/2 a container of Yo baby yogurt (he used to eat the entire container)
a slice of american cheese (his favorite food)
a bite or two of sliced turkey

Dinner: last night: 2 cubes of teriyaki tofu
3 bites of a spinach munchee

Snacks: a few goldfish, a saltine, 2 graham crackers

At this point, I'm not really concerned about variety but I'm definitely worried about quantity. My DS is already on the thin side, 21 pounds at 17 months + 33 inches. I don't want meals to turn into battles so I am trying to stay relaxed about this. Any advice on what has worked for you would be appreciated.

Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[nwaddellr]

Just remember, at least according to Ellyn Satter, our job as parents is to offer the food. The kids get to decide how much of everything to eat. The other thing to remember is he'll have hungry days and not so hungry days, and you average everything up by the week (not the day), and he eats enough. Its surprising to me how little they do have to eat and still be happy. I think part of the reason food consumption drops off at this point is they aren't growing as fast as they used to, although it can be hard not to worry with a tiny boy (I have one too - he finally made it onto the growth charts again at our 15 month appointment).

[egoldber]

OK, that really is a lot of food. :) Remember that as they get older, their growth rate slows down tremendously. They can't continue to eat at the same pace as when they were smaller and growing at a MUCH faster rate.

One thing you may want to watch is non-nurtritive snacks like Goldfish. A few can easily turn into a lot. I know my DD would MUCH prefer to eat 3 meals a day of Goldfish, LOL!

It really sounds like he is doing fine!

[jk3]

Thanks, Beth. He is doing fine but I can see where this is headed. It doesn't seem like a lot of food because he used to eat about 2-3 times as much only a few months ago.

I had not thought about the growth rate issue. As for snacks, I think he's already thinking that if he skips a meal eventually he'll get a snack. I'm going to try to give him more nutritious foods for snacks but he's already a carb lover!

Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[houseof3boys]

Jenn - Ryan is the same way. He used to have an enormous breakfast now I'm happy if he eats half an apple and a mini pancake! He does drink a sippy full of milk in the morning now (he used to be anti-milk but that recently changed) so I know that is why.

Ryan probably eats the same amount of stuff. He still loves veggie booty so that is a staple snack for him. You get a lot more protein in than I do though since Ryan won't eat cheese, turkey or tofu. Ryan does like pasta with butter an peas though and that is what he gets every single night!!!!

I just try not to stress about it since I offer healthy options a lot and it really is his job to eat. When he is hungry, he eats. When he has had a day where he really hasn't eaten much, I do try to get a container of yogurt in him at dinner. He has boycotted Yo Baby for some reason and now he eats vanilla La Creme (Dannon). I am not fond of the sugar content but since I really watch it with everything else he eats all day, I don't stress over it. Keep trying new things and make sure that you eat together since I find that makes a big difference if Ryan wants my food too! We were able to add steamed carrots to the mix that way a few weeks ago. I made them for him but pretended they were for me and I "let" him have a bite.

He is about the same as far as stats go too! Skinny boys. :)

[missym]

I agree with PP that your DD could just be going through a phase of not eating as much, but I do understand your concern that this may be a trend.

We also have a less-than-enthusiastic eater, and we've learned to maximize fat and calories to offset the lack of quantity. Rachel had a great thread about this which has been very helpful. I have it bookmarked and refer to it periodically:
http://tinyurl.com/66szw

Our case is probably more serious because DD hasn't been anywhere near the bottom line on the charts forever. Basically, we've been told that anything goes - if it's high fat, high calorie, she can eat it. She drinks Pediasure instead of milk, which in addition to extra fat and calories is an insurance policy against the lack of variety in her diet. It is $$$, though.

Ellyn Satter's books have been a great resource for us; if you haven't read them yet, I'd highly recommend doing so.

Good luck!

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif
20 months and counting!

[jk3]

Thanks, Missy. I had forgotten about that list and I'm sure that will help. It is a great resource!

We received the "anything goes" advice as well. Our DS dropped from the tenth percentile to the 5th for weight + the pediatrician basically stated during our last visit that quantity is what matters. He went so far as to suggest french fries, cheeseburgers, pizza + lots of other fatty foods - which I thought was OT coming from a doctor. We don't eat that way so we are not encouraging that for our DS but I will try to add some additional fats to his regular food. I remember reading in Child of Mine to add butter but I haven't followed through with that.

Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[Raidra]

Just a question about that link.. is mayo okay for a 1 year old? My husband was concerned because of the raw egg in it (Colwyn has had egg before, but cooked).

Colwyn is in the 5th percentile for weight, and 50th for height. He doesn't like to eat much and is always on the go, so I'm always looking for high fat/calorie foods that he likes. He prefers plain old mac & cheese and goldfish, though. :(

[missym]

Well I have to say most parents would be appalled by the things we feed our child, but it is working (slowly). Here are some things she regularly eats: bacon, hot dogs, pizza, french fries, and chef boyardee beef-a-roni and mini ravioli.

On the healthier side, she also likes cheese, Dannon La Creme yogurt, and milkshakes. We make her "Super Shakes" with heavy cream and Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

Most meals, we also offer her what we're eating, but we add a high-fat "side dish" to hers whenever possible.

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif
20 months and counting!

[missym]

I believe commercially-prepared mayo uses pasteurized eggs. Also, I found this in an article on safety of sauces containing egg products:

"Commercial mayonnaise in the United States produced in accordance with the FDA Standard of Identity actually contains enough acid to destroy Salmonella spp. and inhibit the growth of other foodborne pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes (Smittle, 1977; Glass and Doyle, 1991; Erickson and Jenkins, 1991; Radford and Board, 1993)."
http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Mayonnaise.html

Please don't take this as gospel; I'm not an expert. But I'd feel pretty safe letting my child consume store-bought mayo.

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif
20 months and counting!

[Raidra]

Thanks! I thought it was safe, too, and had given Colwyn a smidge that was on my food, then my husband freaked out. ;) Good to know I'm right!

[mharling]

Jenn -
I agree with the PP's, but wanted to add our experience as well.

Lane was always really tiny and hung out at the bottom of the charts. During this time, he could easily down an entire waffle and an entire banana for breakfast. Since he turned a year, his quantity has been steadily decreasing, but I still consider him a good eater. Some meals, he doesn't eat much more than your ds. Today's lunch was 4-5 bites of a soybean butter sandwich, about a dozen pieces of Veggie Booty and 2 apple 'matchsticks'. Funnily enough, he's actually climbing the charts with his decreased consumption. I guess the bottom line is that I wouldn't worry too much. I commend you for trying to stay relaxed.

And I second the recommendation for Satter's book, if you haven't checked it out already. It has helped us tremendously to understand the feeding/eating relationship. If Lane eats a tiny meal, I really don't worry about it. I know that I did my job of offering him appropriate foods.

Mary
Lane - April 2003
Little sister on the way!!! March 2!