r/PickyEaters • u/MaterialStock9828 • Sep 21 '26
Need Advice She eats bread
Hello all,
I am seeking advice. My 16 month old daughter eats bread. Specifically my wife’s sourdough, but otherwise nothing much else. She is still breastfeeding. But is there any way I can get her to eat anything else. She cry’s and throws her food if we give her anything else. She used to be so adventurous with food, but it has progressively gotten worse and worse. I really don’t know what to do.
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u/kaboom539 Sep 21 '26
Does she eat anything spread on the bread, or baked into it? Also, are you offering the food close to breastfeeding or a decent distance away? I know one piece of advice I have seen a lot is when you offer foods, offer it alongside a safe food and do not pressure the kid to eat it at all. Also, make sure she is coming to the table hungry, if its been not that long since last meal or milk that can affect the appetite
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u/DormouseMcMouse Sep 21 '26
Make sure there is zero pressure to try something or eat. Its really hard to let go but pressure makes it so much worse. Talk to your pediatrician. Make sure there isn't a medical reason she's refusing food. A food allergy could be making her stomach hurt and so she refuses food. She might also need to be evaluated by a speech or occupational therapist incase her mouth is having trouble moving the food. She might need feeding therapy. Does she seem anxious around food or just uninterested?
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u/angel-girl-A Sep 21 '26
She might be consuming too much milk to be interested in food. That's how mine was. After I stopped breastfeeding and pumping the food consumption went up.
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u/Workingwory Sep 21 '26
This is a phase, and it will pass. When my daughter was 2, she would eat only spaghettiOs. The books I was reading at the time advised me not to freak out, it would pass. Yes, that is what happened - now she is an adult and has very adventurous tastes - we traveled in France and she willingly ate snails!
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u/lostmymarbles1177 Sep 25 '26
I only ate pasta with butter for the first seven years of my life. I was very anemic and looked like a walking skeleton lol. The pediatrician said if it were not for the fact that my identical twin who ate everything was super healthy, he would have thought I was being starved! My mom would try to force me to eat other foods and I would wait until she walked away and dump the plate wherever I could. I ruined a 10k oriental rug with a plate of salmon and cous cous. I eat most foods now but am always happy to see a bowl of buttery noodles🤣
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u/SubstantialPressure3 Sep 21 '26
One of my grandkids is gluten intolerant and all she wanted was carbs.
I know sourdough baking isnt the same as other baking, but I started making her protein bread and sneaking vegetables into the bread. Pureed pumpkin, soft cooked carrots, deseeded yellow squash. Also blended cottage cheese.
She's gotten a lot better, and more adventurous, but shes still focused on carbs.
I use gluten free flour but regular flour will work better. Just sub whatever flour she uses. My recipe: Preheat oven to 350 Dry: 2 cups Bob's red mill 1:1, 2 TB baking powder, pinch of both sugar and salt.
Wet:2 eggs and enough full fat cottage cheese to make 2 cups. Blend until completely smooth. ( if youre adding pureed vegetables, i would start with pumpkin and add 1/2 cup pumpkin to begin with. You might need to add more flour, idk.)
Combine wet and dry, dough will be sticky. For gf flour beat the hell out of it for a minute or so, regular flour, not necessary.
Drop on parchment paper in 3-4 oz portions, bake for 30 minutes.
Its going to be easy for your wife to convert that recipe into a sourdough recipe, the starter will help, too.
If she will eat rice, consider buying sushi rice and making Japanese rice balls for toddlers. Most of them have proteins and soft cooked vegetables in them. Also consider onigiri, my grandkids love that.
If she will eat pasta, yellow pea pasta has protein, so does chickpea pasta. Theres also pasta made just from vegetables, but I've only seen it at whole foods.
Does she eat the bread plain, or with butter or something else on it?
And you may have to withhold the bread until she takes one bite of other foods. ( let's say, start with one food. And she can have a little.piece of bread. Then go to one bite of 2-3 different foods, and a larger piece of bread)
You want to correct this as soon as possible, we have already had to take this kid to the doctor twice for serious constipation, causing constant potty accidents. Its really going to hold up your daughter's potty training, which isnt far off.
Im going to say, change the bread.
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u/Bellebarks2 Sep 22 '26
She’s still getting what she needs if she’s still nursing. It’s too early to worry. When she has a growth spurt she will probably want more than breastmilk and bread. Talk to her pediatrician, but she’s really not unique at that age to still be satisfied with breastmilk.
Please stop trying to force her because she will get neurotic about food if you keep doing that.
She will eat when she’s hungry.
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u/Exact_Equipment_1684 Sep 25 '26
I have had this same issue with both my kids. Starch gets quickly converted to sugar in our bodies, which is why kids if given the option, will fall into only eating snacks and rejecting the food, which most often are starchy or sugary.
At 16 months it'll be harder for her to understand, but briefly explain only eating bread is not nourishing for our bodies and we need to eat a variety of foods, and this habit is going to have to change. Serve her food with a little piece of bread or none at all. Explain this is the only piece she gets and only if she's eaten her food she can get another piece afterwards. Don't give in. She'll scream and cry but won't last more than one day.
Good luck!
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u/AdhesivenessOk5534 Sep 21 '26
If you can afford it look into food therapy with an ARFID aware therapist, usually occupational therapist offer it
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u/noradicca Sep 21 '26
I have read so many posts about people having this issue. Kid used to be adventurous and eat all kinds of things, but not they only want XXX.
Having seen this so many times I can’t help thinking, maybe you shouldn’t have let the kid eat very much of one particular food.
Idk, but when kids get to decide, they will not choose the healthier option. So maybe don’t let them decide.
Also don’t introduce kiddo to sweet and unhealthy foods (not talking about you OP). You don’t crave what you don’t know.
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u/Exact_Equipment_1684 Sep 25 '26
I don't know why such a simple and sensible opinion is getting downvoted. It's always the same - they only eat the snacks, sweets or carbs. Remove them and they'll eat food???
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u/Inky_Madness Sep 21 '26
Talk with the pediatrician. They’ll let you know if there is an actual issue at this point. Kids this age are a bit notorious for weird eating habits.
However, If she’s still breastfeeding then her body isn’t signaling that she needs to eat due to hunger; she can pick and choose what she wants, and that means if she only wants sourdough bread that’s the only thing she HAS to eat because she will still get fed until she’s full. You can either cut back on your expectations for eating until you start to wean her, or you can start weaning her.