Feeding 13-24 Months FAQs

• My son is 18 months old and he often gets a runny nose, soar throat and indigestion. I am afraid of him taking so much antibiotic. NEW!
  
• Is it safe for a toddler to eat seafood and shellfish? NEW!
  
• Our 13 month old won't eat table food.
• Should I be concerned about the lack of variety in my baby's diet? Also, should I be concerned about the fact that she's not pulling up or crawling yet?

My son is 18 months old. He often gets a runny nose, soar throat and indigestion. He has also had to take antibiotics. While he's sick, he is active and funny but doesn't want to eat, just drink milk. How can we help him overcome this status? I am afraid of him taking so much antibiotic.

Children often get sick! They put objects in their mouths and also transfer germs to themselves by rubbing their eyes and noses and putting their fingers in their mouths. The more children your son comes into contact with other children, the more likely it is that he will catch an illness.

It is a good sign that when he is ill he is active and playful. When an illness is severe, infants are lethargic, hard to get comfortable, not playful, and don't drink. Even children who have a cold or viral illness eat much less. As long as your son drinks enough, do not worry. When he gets better, he will begin eating again.

It is common for antibiotics to cause an upset stomach or diarrhea. Antibiotics only treat bacterial infections (ear infections, a sore throat that is a strep. throat, sinus infections, pneumonia, etc.). Most illness in infants are caused by viruses, not bacteria. For these illnesses, antibiotics do not help. If your child has a bacterial infection, using the antibiotic is correct, but if it is just a viral illness (most colds and coughs, most stomach illnesses) the antibiotic should be avoided.
 

Is it safe for a toddler to eat seafood and shellfish?

Yes, but there are important points to be considered. First, fish and especially shellfish are high on the list of foods that cause allergies in children. So if your toddler's family is particularly prone to allergies, it might be wise to put off introducing these foods until he or she is older (some say 24 months. Second, there are infections that can be transmitted from uncooked shellfish (hepatitis, infectious diarrheas). Occasionally raw fish can also be a problem (parasites). Lastly, some fish contain high levels of mercury and the amount consumed should be kept moderate. Ask your child's physician for specific recommendations on these points.
 

Our daughter is thirteen months old and wants no part of table food, other than occasional small bites of a biscuit. For the most part she's not interested in even touching table food, let alone eating it. She's always been a good eater of baby food, and still prefers to be fed. We're looking for suggestions to make the transition to table food, knowing that the longer it takes, the harder it will be. Should we decrease the baby food and hope the natural hunger impulse causes her to reach out? Any ideas on what's causing her stubbornness? Thanks!

There are kids just like your daughter who prefer jarred foods to finger foods. I suggest: 1) give meals as jarred foods for now. 2) periodically offer some finger foods as well. 3) avoid all food struggles. (give her only foods she likes and never push her to eat when she doesn't want to.) 4) encourage her to use the spoon to feed herself. Eventually she will eat table food.
 

My baby is 11 months old and only weighs 16 pounds. She has taken to solids within the past month or so and seems to be very picky in what she will eat. As such, she doesn't get much variety in her diet - I feed her the foods that I know she will eat because she is so small, and I want her to eat as much she can. Also, she is not crawling or pulling up yet, should I be concerned?

Since you didn't mention otherwise, I will assume that your daughter was born full term (and not premature). What was her birth weight? Sixteen pounds is on the small size for this age, but this certainly can be normal if the child is growing steadily and "following the curve" on the growth chart.

I agree with you: give her only foods she enjoys, even if the selection is limited and means giving the same foods over and over again.

Many kids are not crawling or pulling to stand at 11 months. Again, if she is consistently gaining new skills and reaching developmental milestones, this is not a concern.

I am sure your pediatrician is following both her weight gain and her developmental progress, but continue to ask him/her about these subjects when you are at the doctor's office.