how did you get your child to try and eat new foods?

DS is 12 months and in the past had some food issues, didn't realyl want to start solids, finally did.....he eats some stuff but is SOOOOOOO not into trying anything new and seeems to only want to eat the same things over and over and over, I sometimes go through 4 different dinners and the last two nights he has barely eaten dinner. He is just a 50th percentiile for weight. He eats Cheerios, Zwieback toast, applesauce, mac and cheese, cheese ravioli, jarred stge 2 fruit, cheese crumbles and cheese snacks, peas, green beans...that's about it for the past six weeks, anything new...forget it
.....I don't know if this will jsut change one day or it could be a problem...I've tried SOOOOOO many things

Re: how did you get your child to try and eat new foods?

My DS is a great eater, he has never rejected a food yet. However sometimes if he is hesitant I give him the fork with a piece on it, he gets so excited about this new independence that he will eat it up.

Also I try to give him at least one food he can eat with his fingers, he will try anything if he can feed himself.

Also I trick him, give him a bite of soemthing he loves followed by something new or that he doesnt like as much, for instance yesterday's lunch was grilled cheese and cut up carrots, he ate the carrots until he saw the sandwich..So I would give him a piece of grilled cheese then as I was putting hte next piece on his try for him to feed to himself I snuck a carrot into his mouth.

Re: how did you get your child to try and eat new foods?

With DD its all about that fact that she wants whatever we are eating. So if I put it on her plate she won't eat it but if its on daddy's plate then she wants it (for some reason mommy's plate isn't as appealing)