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Q&A: 18 Month Old Only Eats Fruit

blockquote_bgMy son is 18 months old. All he will eat is fruit (mainly bananas, apples, grapes, mixed fruit). He will eat carrots and cucumbers and French fries and junk like cookies, crackers and chips. Anytime we try to give him anything he pushes it away or throws it on the floor. He has seen his doctor regarding this and she states that he has anger problems, which I don’t agree with. He also has pebble like stools or thick stools. Hardly ever are his stools loose. He also drools all the time and has had recurrent ear infections just in the last 6 months. He has an appointment made to see an ENT. I just need some help or more advise to keep my little one healthy.

Sorry that we took a bit longer than usual to respond, but I wanted to consult with a few of our other therapists to see if they had any suggestions for you. We feel that without knowing you or your son the best we can recommend is to certainly follow through with your upcoming ENT appointment, but perhaps seek the advice of a Developmental pediatrician so he can look at all the factors you’ve mentioned.

You know your son best, so if you know something is wrong and you are not satisfied with your current pediatrician’s advice, I would seek a second opinion since sometimes a developmental pediatrician can be of more help. We would also recommend perhaps an allergist, dietician and a gastroenterologist see your son to rule out that any medical issues are connected to his food refusal and limited diet, as well as his irregular stools. You may want to seek an early intervention evaluation if your local EI providers have occupational therapists or speech language pathologists who specialize in feeding disorders. An OT or SLP may also be able to help with the drooling & feeding concerns, by implementing an oral motor program for your son. If you are concerned about behaviors or “anger issues” as your pediatrician stated, a developmentalist can also help by implementing a behavior plan.