Food for a 1-Year-Old
Charlie is 1-year-old now. Mealtimes have become much more difficult. My little one is forming his own opinions and sharing them quite openly with me. If he sees a spoon filled with baby food moving toward his mouth, he swats it away with contempt (splattering it all over the place).
He only wants to eat what I’m eating.
“What’s that?” he asks, when he sees my food. At least that’s what it sounds like. It’s more like, “Wus dat?”
If I make him a meal (even the same food I’m eating) and put it in front of him in his highchair, he throws everything on the floor after one or two bites.
He doesn’t like to pick up anything that is wet or sticky…so he avoids pieces of fruit like they are the plague. Actually, the only fruit I can get him to eat consistently is bananas…and even in this case he will only eat them if I feed them to him. He won’t pick them up himself. Most other fruit he spits out. And he still doesn’t like juice.
He seems to have a strong dislike for pasta. I’ve tried spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, etc. I still need to try plain noodles with butter.
Lately, he loves to sit on my lap and eat the food from my plate. But, I don’t want to encourage this behavior. I want him to eat his own meals.
I’m not sure how to handle the food throwing. I usually tell him, “No!” and take him out of his high chair. But, I’m not sure if I’m doing enough to actually stop the behavior sooner rather than later.
Things he usually likes to eat on his own:
- Dry cereal (Cheerios, Rice Crispies, Corn Pops)
- Bread (any and all; toasted or not)
- Peanut butter sandwich
- Oatmeal mixed with applesauce
- Cheetos
- Ritz Crackers
- Water and milk (but technically he drinks this)
- Peas (sometimes; mostly he just likes to throw them on the floor)
- Hot dogs - minus the skin (sometimes; he’s inconsistent on this one)
- Just about anything if it’s fed to him from Mommy’s plate (especially beans and rice)
But, even the foods he enjoys eating on his own end up on the floor after a few minutes.
Is this behavior and food preference normal for his age? Or is he especially picky and misbehaved? If anyone has some suggestions for my picky little one, please share.
Frustrated with feeding,
-Sophia
