When my girls were little, they liked anything they could dip into some kind of sauce, like celery and carrot sticks into ranch dressing, chicken nuggets into ketchup, apple slices into sour cream mixed with brown sugar. They finally grew up and started eating like adults, they're now 19 and 21. Good luck with your picky eater!

I can tell by your post that you are a first time mommy. RELAX... Brody won't let himself starve to death. What you are experiencing is the norm. I'm betting he is between 2 and 3 years old? One of my kids lived on nothing but chicken nuggets dipped in ketchup for what seemed like an eternity. All you can do is keep getting him to try different things. He won't eat them, but they say all of their taste buds are developing now so the more you can get him to taste, the better eater he will be as he gets older.

How about some finger foods? I dont see many on the list. Cheerios, cheese and crackers, PB&J on crackers, (try tuna, he might like it on crackers), or how about some chicken noodle soup, kids love that, (you can also make your own which has more nutrients than the canned variety.

My first son wouldnt eat spaghetti either, but LOVED tortellini.

DON"T Worry, he'll be fine. This is why the doctors put these little guys on vitamins, there is no way they get what they need by eating alone.

You are doing better than me. Dan is practically living on chicken nuggets and Cheerios right now. I'm not used to picky eating. We are a bit cautious because of Nick's food allergies so that limits us too.

I think you have quite a bit of variety to mix up. Keep trying to feed him new things. You really never know when they will suddenly start (or stop!) liking a food. It can take them several tries to eat something so keep offering even if he's already refused. Just don't force it (sometimes kids 'know' they have allergies before their parents do).

As long as he's gaining enough weight there's no need to stress over it. Does he still drink formula? I still give Dan some formula to make up for his limited diet.

I think you already have most of what Dan eats on your list (plus a LOT more). I make turkey burgers (steamed instead of fried so they are softer) and cut them up really small. He likes pot roast.

Some scrambled eggs/cheese. Ravioli. My kids lived on cut up bologna, or hot dogs. Cheese sticks.

Brody is almost 16 months old this week and only has 8 teeth---4 on top in the front, and the 4 on bottom in the front. I can't give him foods that require ripping yet (like apples and celery), but I hope he will like those foods when he gets his chompers!

He is gaining weight, but I feel like he's living on milk!

How old is he? Perhaps if he "helps" make his meal he will feel more like eating it. While you make some raw veggies, he could put some ranch dressing in a little cup, or let him take strawberries to make the eyes on his pancake face.

Make something like banana bread or carrot cake, add in some shredded carrots and broccoli, spread with cream cheese, or peanut butter. (shred the extra veggies fine so they are not noticeable chunks)

Will he eat pizza? You can make small personal ones with english muffins or pita bread, no tomato sauce needed if he doesn't like it, use ranch dressing, cheese sauce or other things he does like.

When DD was very young she had 3 rounds of chemo to try to help with a non cancer issue, the docs said the important thing was for her to eat, and these were some of the things the dietitian suggested to us.

ok, so hes to young to pour the ranch dressing!

Spaghetti, Ravioli, Tortilini (okay it's spelled wrong), PB&J on TOrtilla's instead of bread, Chicken on the drumstick, chicken alfredo (white sauce instead of red sauce), Hamburger (Smash that bun onto the burger)...he can gum a lot of stuff to swallow, you'll be surprised! "Real People Food" Put it ina bowl and give him a spoon and let him have at it! Broccoli or cauliflower flowers, peas, cooked carrots..anything he can pick up with his fingers. Plop those suckers onto the tray work those pincer grasp muscles! Picky, well let hiim still try the foods. He will not starve himself and may surprise you when he'll eat what you eat for supper.

Vickey-MN

breafast--blintzes with fruit, breakfast sundaes (ice cream cone filled with fruit, yogurt, topped with granola), cream of wheat or a bowl of cornmeal mush. There are a lot of nutritious cold cereals--which you can top with fruit and let sit a few minutes to soften up.

Lunch/dinner--egg salad should be soft enough for him. what about something like a quiche--you could make mini-ones, not too highly spiced, add some veg, and freeze for a quick, 'nukable' lunch. Orange chicken. Baked potato-- topped with cheese and some shredded ham or chicken. Soups are always good for lunch, and there's a flavor for everyone. Cut some shapes of soft bread with a cookie cutter and float them on top of his bowl. When you make your mac and cheese, you can use half milk, half chicken stock--I always do that. It lowers the calorie count a bit and adds flavor.

snacks-How about baked or grilled apples or pears? puddings and custards are excellant snacks--mostly milk, you can add fruit to them. Many pudding recipes have a fairly low percentage of sugar--but you could even replace that with applesauce or juice, I would imagine, if you wanted too. Just to vary things--you could give him some canned fruit with yogurt to dip it into, then as he's able, move up to fresh fruits served the same way.

Even as young as he is, why not get him involved in 'cooking'. I know he cannot do too much, but give him some new foods to play with, to get used to. Get some FoodDoodlers and let him draw on the bread for his sandwiches. Let him help mix things--you can put messy mixtures in a heavy plastic bag, seal, and let him squish it. Color food in interesting ways with food colorings or juice concentrate. If he likes fruit, add that to some of the other foods he likds (apple slices are great on a grilled cheese sandwich, for example)

Have you gone to the library and borrowed some of the fantastic kid-friendly cookbooks? You'll get some fantastic ideas for making his food more interesting now, and easy recipes that you can soon start making together. I actually believe in getting children started learning to cook just as soon as you possibly can. As I mentioned above, there are activities that even at his age, he could get involved with. Not only is it a useful skill that we use all our lives, but it makes food more fun, and often encourages children to try foods they might otherwise turn their noses up at--just because they're proud that they helped cook them.

But really--it sounds as if he's eating a fairly adequate and varied diet.

Looks like he eats quite a few things--I had a really, really picky little one. If he just likes chicken fingers stock up and feed him those. My daughter would eat the same thing every day for weeks and then suddenly want something else. They live through it. Looks like he could use some vegetables in balance out his diet, though. They usually like green beans, but my DD actually liked pickled beets. Go figure.

I looked at all your videos. He just couldn't be any cuter. I remember his baby pictures and he's always looked all boy. You could dress him in pink and people'd still know he was a boy! His b-day video was adorable. He is definitely left-handed! He's a sweetie.

I think he's a lefty, too! His Nana and his Grandpa (different sides of the family) are lefties.

got to be careful with certain foods...glad he doesn't have a peanut allergy...i've got a gs who eats cauliflower before meat/mac and cheese any day...same with almost 2yo sister.
if he doesn't like cooked then steam to crisp tender. i'd try the "sweeter" veggies like yellow squash/carrots with pinch of cinnamon...

let brody "help" cook, his dinner or choose things at the store. good for speech, too...discuss menus using flash cards...he'll realize food can be fun...and dd has a lower section where the kids have their own dishes they can reach.

does he have any hearing loss? the dgd who like her veggies has a 30% loss in one ear...but she seems quite determined to learn...(i noticed on your lovely site he'd had a sinus/ear infection...my dd2, the mom, had a terrible time...)

Sounds like you are doing great, and you've had lots of good additional ideas here. Have you tried French toast just for variety?

You didn't ask for other advice, but hope you don't mind: be careful not to get into a food struggle with him. Offer nutritious foods you know he likes, and if he doesn't eat much at one meal, he'll eat a good snack or the next meal he'll eat more. You are serving him a good variety of foods, so he should be fine. My only other comment would be to watch it with the canned fruit since some are packed in syrup. Fresh fruit or packed in natural juices are better.

You are a wonderful, caring Mom. Lucky Brody!

I can relate to what you're saying, even tho I'm from the next generation - I'm babysitting my 13 month old GD a few days a week, and it seems like all I do is plan her next meal! She's great about eating what we're eating, and thankfully, I can't think of anything she won't eat; she loves veggies and fruit more than anything. I have strict orders from DD about no peanut butter or processed meats/lunchmeat . . . that would make it easier for me, though. Her favorite breakfast is blueberry pancakes, smeared with apple butter, so I make a batch up and freeze them between waxed paper - so easy to heat up early in the morning. I think Brody's diet looks fine; I don't think babies care if they get the same foods over and over, as long as they're good for them and keep them healthy and growing.

Just remembered something else little ones usually like--mashed potatoes. I'd put a little butter on them, but you can buy them already mashed at the grocery (that's about all we eat anymore). Applesauce is good too, if you get the sugar free or natural.

I think he eats quite a variety myself, but I know it gets tiresome to us to fix the same old, same old.

He is doing well for his age. Our 2 1/2 year old grandson likes "trees," and I think the name is a big part of what makes them tastey to him. Small steamed broccoli flowerets seasoned with butter and salt. He also eats plain cheeseburgers on a bun or hamburgers, no sauces or pickles. I make a real mosit and tender pork back ribs recipe, and he will gnaw on one of them.

Just add my name to Linda117's post. He eating a lot more variety than many kids his age.

Just continue to offer different things without pushing. he'll be fine.

You might try a few casseroles with pasta/rice, veggies, and meat to see if he'll eat it. For instance try something he likes like the mac and cheese. Add broccoli and a little diced ham. He might like it or he may learn to pick the pasta out of it. You never know. It'll at least serve to introduce more food tastes.

Brody's diet is actually pretty good. Katie is in the phase where she eats just about everything we eat. Olivia went through it too, but then she got picky!! :( We also give Katie scrambled eggs and turkey sausage. If Brody likes nuggets, try popcorn shrimp (If there's no shellfish allergy) my girls love that. Katie tried cottage cheese today, but I'm not sure she liked it!

Katie likes to hold the fork (little cocktail one). We stab the food and she "feeds" herself. They also have "dippers" that work well for yogurt/applesauce foods, but Katie makes a mess with those!

Katie also has 8 teeth with some back molars popping through and we give her all sorts of things we wouldn't have tried with Olivia (the 1st child) so let him have apples w/o skin. Katie loves to hold food, so we cut French toast into thin sticks, same with cheese or apples. She also likes the multi-grain pasta (well she doesn't know it's good for her) meatballs and tortellini. Also sweet potato fries are a hit. Keep offering/trying with some foods-it takes them a while to develop a taste for it.

My husband gives Katie just about anything, as long as we watch her. Our problem is Katie is sooo tiny! 5-10% for weight. THe doctor actually said to give her ice cream last visit!

Sheila--I used to tell my kids we were having "trees" for dinner too! Also, when I served that round yellow summer squash, I told them it was space ships! Anything to get them to eat the good stuff.