20 month old has decided that she won't eat anything she has to chew

a child from birth has one innate programe...survival,2 pediatricians have given me the only valuable advice I've ever really gotten from them when Teo went through this phase,they wont let themselves starve,so just feed them what they will eat (prefferably the healthy stuff) and they will be fine.Sounds like she's eating at least 2 meals a day with snacks,maybe she just doesnt WANT anymoree.She won't waste away and I think the not wanting to be a in ahighchair is common now atthis age,we gave up on Tia-li being in one except when we eat as a fmaily,she is in her pack play to eat,that way she can stand/move (which I know isnt great but it works right now) so I have her trapped otherwise she wanders off between bites.Anyway,I am sure she will be fine and not waste away.

Tiff, as LM gets older she will eat less actually. Audrey was an excellent eater too, ate everything, but now is quite picky with her meats. She's also went thru phases of barely eating at all. I just keep giving her what we eat and if she doesn't eat much I'll give her a cup of milk. I find she eats less while teething, so it's possible her teeth are too sore to chew her food. Just keep feeding her regular food and if she doesn't eat it, just give her a yogurt or whatever else she'll eat. She'll soon get hungry enough to eat. If it lasts too long and you are really concerned you may want to have her looked at.

Thanks ladies, I really appreciate your suggestions. You made me feel a lot better. I guess kids slow down with their growth around this time, so they don't burn and eat as much. I will just give her what she will eat, and keep offering her the things we eat in the hopes that she will grow out of this phase. It makes me so darned mad when she spits out her food! But I just keep being patient until she is done eating. I don't want her to get a complex and hate meal times, so I try to chill as much as I can.

I guess we'll be buying a lot more yogurt and organic soups!!! Her top canines are coming in, they probably hurt a lot. Been giving her natural teething tablets to help her through it, and ice cubes in her mesh feeder.

We are in a similar phase. Owen eats a handful of foods these days. Prior to this phase he loved all foods - especially vegetables and now I can't get him to eat them at all. He eats yogurt, toast/jelly, cheese, and fruit. It's frustrating and I feel like a bad mom but I know it's a phase.

HOWEVER - keep in mind, Owen would only eat liquids when he had an ear infection. The first day or two he had no symptoms other than not wanting to eat. It's probably just a phase but I thought I should throw that out there!

Good luck!!!!

This 18 months and up age is a hard one, isn't it!?!!!!

I talked to my mom about not being sure Lucy was getting enough of the right stuff. (My mom raised 7 of us!) . Anyways she said we all went thru that, and that is what they make infant vitamin drops for. I bought some at Babies-R-Us saturday, but when we got home I discovered someone had opened them and taken the dropper out, so I haven't used them yet.

Lucy loves cheese, apples, frozen waffles (cut into strips), scrambled eggs, any type of noodle, but spaghetti the best, pizza (cut into little bites and she forks them), chicken nuggets (I was surprised she loves them, she ate 5 the other day! french fries, peas, mashed potatos. And of course my husband has taught her about candy and cookies.

oooh Owen loves waffles!!!! I do too - they are easy and portable (minus the syrup!)

I really think it is her top canine teeth that are trying to cut through. She has been whiny and fussy, and touching her gums and saying "Ow." today. She just doesn't want to chew. So I got her some stage 2 food, and she wolfed it down. I think we may have to do this until those teeth come through. The poor baby girl! She wouldn't even eat bananas today, and she LOVES bananas!

awww,yeah I meant to mention that of course with teeth coming through,that it must be hell to chew.Maybe just stick to soft stuff ,like the organic soups n yogurts until she is better? HUgs xxx

Tiff, it might really be her teeth bothering her and she might get back to eating regular food. When Kian was sick with possible H1N1 in the summer, he ate nothing, he only drank breastmilk and ate a little bit of yogurt and soup. Hopefully this passes as soon as her teeth are through.

We are still lucky here, Kian still eats pretty much anything we eat. Fruits and veggies he loves anyways, but he really eats anything. I can't remember him really turning anything down. Hopefully that stays like that a little longer. We are really hoping he puts on a little more weight.

Speaking of not eating, Audrey wouldn't eat her favourite dinner tonight and that's all she got, she wouldn't even drink her milk.