Did your toddler refuse to eat fresh fruit?

[Anonymous]

I am not sure what to do -- my 1 year old basically refuses to eat all fresh fruit. He used to eat it, around 7 or 8 months, and now won't. I've tried bananas, blueberries, apples, pears, strawberries, raspberries, peaches - you name it.

He loves fruit purees and applesauces and loves fruit-flavored stuff.

Fruit is the only finger food he won't do -- he gobbles up broccoli and loves carbs, but the fruit just goes in his mouth and right back out again every time he tries it.

Suggestions?

[Anonymous]

My DS was similar -- eating it up as a baby and then refusing it when he got a little older. I kept offering it and was sure to offer a variety. He evenutally settled on apples, bananas and oranges. He'll eat me out of house and home on that front, but don't get him ANYWHERE near a berry, pear, cherry etc.

Just keep it around, keep it low key and see if he changes his mind come spring.

[Anonymous]

My son goes through this every Fall/Winter. Fruit is so good in the summer, and then the fall it is much more bitter. We've found apples and pears to be the exception this year, but he is 3, apples are probably out for you.

What we do though is switch to frozen and canned fruit for awhile for other fruit. You can find some frozen fruit that doesn't have sugar, and defrost in microwave. Mango does well. Strawberries and rasberries get a bit mushy.

I also used canned fruit (or fruit cups). You can find some packed in fruit juice (versus syrup). I have relented and gotten light syrup, and then I try to dump out as much as I can before I give him the fruit.

[Anonymous]

Mine was and is still like this. I still offer different fruits at each meal, but 98% of the time he won't eat them. In a blue moon, he'll actually eat it and ask for seconds. He also eats veggies like crazy. I don't have much good advice except to keep offering at each meal and hope something eventually works.

[Anonymous]

It's great that he eats veggies! My DS is the opposite...at 15 mo he won't touch a vegetable (unless it's hidden in something else) but is practically a fruitatarian. I don't think it matters that much as long as you give him veggies that are the colors of the fruits he's missing...red tomatoes, organge carrots and sweet potatoes, etc.

[Anonymous]

Finally I am hearing about other kids who don't like fruit! My 4.5 year old hasn't liked fruit since she was about one. We have finally been able to get her to drink a smoothie each day and she'll eat some dried fruit (apricots/figs) and occasionally a few slices of apple. She also likes most vegetables, so we haven't worried about it too much, but the pediatrician (and my friends and family) seems to think it's a bit unusual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son goes through this every Fall/Winter. Fruit is so good in the summer, and then the fall it is much more bitter. We've found apples and pears to be the exception this year, but he is 3, apples are probably out for you.

What we do though is switch to frozen and canned fruit for awhile for other fruit. You can find some frozen fruit that doesn't have sugar, and defrost in microwave. Mango does well. Strawberries and rasberries get a bit mushy.

I also used canned fruit (or fruit cups). You can find some packed in fruit juice (versus syrup). I have relented and gotten light syrup, and then I try to dump out as much as I can before I give him the fruit.

OP here. I should have been clearer -- he won't eat fresh OR frozen OR canned. No whole fruit at all. Only pureed. So weird...

[Anonymous]

i finally got my toddler to eat fruit by cooking it...baked apple, sauteed pear. let him put cinnamon on it. gradually cooked it less and let him try a bite before we cooked it. was really on this year (he's 4) that he's really eating fresh fruit. raspberries were the first thing...i think they are soft and small. he still won't eat grapes...something about the texture. also did dried fruits....

[Anonymous]

My DS is very particular about fresh fruit (right now, will only eat strawberries and mango), but will eat just about anything from the "Just Fruits" dried fruits, as well as raisin and craisins, so these have become staples in our house

[Anonymous]

My toddler likes the dehydrated fruit at Trader Joes, it's a little crispier than the "Just Fruits". Bananas, strawberries and blueberries are big hits. They don't seem to be stocked that regularly so buy a few bags if your kiddo likes them.

[Anonymous]

Have you ever tried making smoothies in the blender?
I could never get enough servings of fruit and veggies into my kids, but they love green smoothies.
A basic recipe is 2 bananas, 1 cup frozen strawberries and a handful of baby spinach. Add water to get to the right consistency. You can add mroe greens as your kids get used to it.

[Anonymous]

Just apples, *sometimes* grapes and bananas, here. She's even refusing smoothies now (3.5 years old). I dunno, I'm not going to freak about it, because she's basically healthy in all other respects, and eats a vegetable here and there? She's pretty much an 'all carb' gal, but we keep offering and some day she's going to say 'YES' to pineapple, right???

[Anonymous]

Mine will eat none of it. Probably the worst eater you could imagine. He is growing fine though but the doc suggested a multi vitamin in our case.

[Anonymous]

Yes but he will eat Trader Joes freeze dried strawberries. He also likes squeezing limes over his food. Other than that he'll eat no fruit but he loves his veggies, luckily.

[Anonymous]

DD doesn't like a lot of veggies or fruit - mostly it's bananas and broccoli. I've found as she's gotten older (turned 2 in October) that I can reason with her a little more. I tell her she has to try just one bite and if she doesn't like it she doesn't have to eat it, and she's getting to where I only have to say that maybe 3 times before she'll then take her 1 bite. Last night I did that, and she ended up eating a whole kiwi fruit even though she started the meal saying she didn't like kiwi and refusing to try it. Maybe as your DC gets older that will help?