Nanny here. I wouldn't worry about the stories being too distracting. Go ahead and read books for now. What I would also do is start telling stories together as a family at meal times and at other times. These oral stories (such as three little pegs, Billy goats gruff, etc.) are ones that you can say aloud and encourage the children to help you tell. This becomes the segue into having actual conversations at meals. I also agree that giving him lots and lots of different foods at each meal will be helpful, as well giving him the chance to make choices about what he's going to eat next. I know for some kids I have filled an ice cube tray and each cube has a completely different food in as many different colors as I can manage. It is only a bite or two each, and sometimes they only eat half of it, But you can then give them the option to choose which cube they want to empty next onto their plate.

Anonymous wrote:OP if he is language delayed teach him some sign language.
I recommend, more, all done, drink, eat,

Haha. OP here. He can say AHHHH DUUNNNNNN!!!! beautifully. But tends to say it after 3 baked beans. We've gotten him to the point where he'll ask to get up but won't say all done until we say, "okay, are you all done?" and he gets filled with glee and shouts it. He was signing more for a few weeks when we first moved his schedule around to make sure he was hungry at meal time but lately rarely wants more.

We don't have signs for drinking and eating. I'll start using those.

OP if he is language delayed teach him some sign language.
I recommend, more, all done, drink, eat,

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Put on music. Try reading to him while he eats. Applaud each additional bite after "up, up, up".

Music is a good idea. When he was younger I started to let him play with toys while I spoon fed purees, oatmeal, etc. and then it got worse and we needed youtube videos. At that point we realized the distraction was doing more harm than good (we wanted to be no screen time people and here we were tricking our kid to eat with TV) so we cut it out cold turkey. I do read to him before bed and he drinks a few ounces of milk during that time, if I wasn't reading, he'd never sit still long enough to drink. But I worry a bit that reading to him in the chair is trending towards the distraction route.

I'm unclear.

Are you OP?

And did the screen time get him to eat more while it lasted?

Sorry. Yes, this and that post were both OP.

I was able to scoop puree and soft foods like avocado into his mouth, usually (though it wasn't always easy) and he would definitely sit with much much less resistance if the ipad was going. But he wasn't self feeding at all. And we were encouraged strongly to stop to (1) help him learn about his own hunger and satiation -- though he seems to satiate very quickly or not care about being hungry and (2) to avoid him feeling manipulated and distrustful of us as we got him to eat when maybe it wasn't comfortable or his own choice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Put on music. Try reading to him while he eats. Applaud each additional bite after "up, up, up".

Music is a good idea. When he was younger I started to let him play with toys while I spoon fed purees, oatmeal, etc. and then it got worse and we needed youtube videos. At that point we realized the distraction was doing more harm than good (we wanted to be no screen time people and here we were tricking our kid to eat with TV) so we cut it out cold turkey. I do read to him before bed and he drinks a few ounces of milk during that time, if I wasn't reading, he'd never sit still long enough to drink. But I worry a bit that reading to him in the chair is trending towards the distraction route.

I'm unclear.

Are you OP?

And did the screen time get him to eat more while it lasted?

Totally been there before. So frustrating! Toddlers seem to have a mind of there own. Check out this article has helped me with our kids eating habits through the years. Hang in there mama!

http://bit.ly/1hluMQQ

You may already be doing this - but offer a large diversity of foods and colors. Like 5+ items on the plate with as many colors as you can manage. I've only found pre-cooking and reheating to be the feasible option to offer a lot of variety on every plate. I don't make them eat everything - but they eat better with more choices.

http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/outreach/child-plate.html

Booster seat with strap like prince lion heart and supplement with toddler formula.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Put on music. Try reading to him while he eats. Applaud each additional bite after "up, up, up".

Music is a good idea. When he was younger I started to let him play with toys while I spoon fed purees, oatmeal, etc. and then it got worse and we needed youtube videos. At that point we realized the distraction was doing more harm than good (we wanted to be no screen time people and here we were tricking our kid to eat with TV) so we cut it out cold turkey. I do read to him before bed and he drinks a few ounces of milk during that time, if I wasn't reading, he'd never sit still long enough to drink. But I worry a bit that reading to him in the chair is trending towards the distraction route.

I wouldn't worry that reading to him is a distraction "crutch". I don't know of any adult who can happily sit through a meal without conversation, the TV or a book. Once he is older, conversation will be his distraction. We never did screen time until DD was five and still have never watched TV when we or she ate.

Anonymous wrote:Your kid is a grazer. Very normal for a toddler...

http://www.askdrsears.com/news/sears-family-blog/how-get-picky-eater-eat-more

This is interested. Very counter to what the nutritionists want us to do. I'll have to think about it more. (He does eat on the run, so it's not like he has major sensory issues, etc. Though he did when younger and reflux was an issue.)

He has a twin that some days eats, some days doesn't and it doesn't worry me because overall she is eating enough to be well nourished. He is a kid that might really let himself be malnourished. And she will sit in her chair and chill out, even when not eating.

Anonymous wrote:Put on music. Try reading to him while he eats. Applaud each additional bite after "up, up, up".

Music is a good idea. When he was younger I started to let him play with toys while I spoon fed purees, oatmeal, etc. and then it got worse and we needed youtube videos. At that point we realized the distraction was doing more harm than good (we wanted to be no screen time people and here we were tricking our kid to eat with TV) so we cut it out cold turkey. I do read to him before bed and he drinks a few ounces of milk during that time, if I wasn't reading, he'd never sit still long enough to drink. But I worry a bit that reading to him in the chair is trending towards the distraction route.

Your kid is a grazer. Very normal for a toddler...

http://www.askdrsears.com/news/sears-family-blog/how-get-picky-eater-eat-more

We had our kid in a booster seat and she could not get up without us helping her. We read books, sang songs, gave food funny names, etc. But we also made it clear that she had to have at least one bite of each food before she could get up, and that was non-negotiable. And we didn't pick her up. She could protest and fuss and cry, but she wasn't going anywhere before she'd been at the table for at least 15 minutes.

Put on music. Try reading to him while he eats. Applaud each additional bite after "up, up, up".

I have an underweight 18 month old. He does have trouble recognizing hunger and eating to fullness and we are working on that with schedule changes but an additional challenge is that he is go go go go. He is prototypical of the profile for kids that actually do under eat, despite the adage that they'll eat when they are hunger. Very revved up and filled with energy and emotion that makes settling down for meal time hard.

I'm wondering if anyone with a similar child found ways to relax and calm the child so that mealtime and sitting long enough to eat a decent amount was more comfortable. He'll eat a few bites and start asking for UP UP UP. Unfortunately he is a bit language delayed so reasoning and explaining are out.

Thanks!