baby will only eat about four things

[weanagemum]

My son will be 1 this weekend and I've been weaning him since he was 6 months. While he has tried tastes of this and that over the months, in recent weeks he refuses absolutely everything except toast with peanut butter, cucumber and yoghurt - and fruit. My main concern is protein - he simply refuses chicken, cheese, egg - I try making stews with sweet things like butternut squash, giving him small chunks of roast chicken... it all ends up on the floor. Has anyone else experienced this? It's so frustrating... and I worry about his iron intake too.

[addictedtosugar]

And, presumably he is still on milk (breast or formula).

While its not very varied, there are carbs, protein (peanut butter and yoghurt/milk), fibre, fat, vitamins. Its not all that horrendous.

Keep offering other things: what about a breakfast and dinner he will definitely eat, and offer a wider variety at lunch?

This too will pass.

[weanagemum]

Thank you addictedtosugar (me too, btw). Yes, he's still on breast milk morning and night and usually just one feed during the day. I'm giving him some cow's milk too but he usually only has a couple of sips.

[ExpatAl]

I had that with my dd. I suspect it was gum changes/teeth related. Then she suddenly turned a corner and started eating everything she was offered, around her first birthday. Have faith and keep offering it all. One day he'll eat it and that will be that.

[Blowninonabreeze]

The most important thing is to keep offering varied other stuff.
Every day.
Even if it all goes on the floor.
It's too easy to fall back on stuff you know they'll eat, been there, done that!

[snappycow]

Well I could have written this post - but my son is 18 months and it's driving me crazy. He will only eat
scrambled eggs
yogurt
chips
fish fingers
toast
porridge
macaroni cheese


but some days he won't eat a single thing. It's like he will only eat things that are yellow or beige.

[snappycow]

yesterday I got quite upset about it. I put a load of small cut chunks of food on his high chair top. Cucumber, cheese sandwiches, orange segments, malt loaf, grapes.

He sat there for an hour and didn't eat a thing.

[BentleyBelly]

We are the same. My 12.5 mo dd only eats porridge, toast, sandwiches, pastry, corn puffs and sausages. I am getting very clever with sandwich fillings, today she had avocado and cream cheese and didn't protest. I try to offer her other things in the hope she will try it and like it. She hates sweet things, very odd. You are not alone op xx

[cantmakecarrotcake]

We had similar issues with my DD. Food wasn't (and still isn't) a priority for her. Over the last couple of years I've learned not to stress about it. Nothing you can do will change how they are. They are very much in control and somehow achieve a mostly balanced diet despite themselves.

I'd recommend 2 things:

• Daily vitamins (Wellkid are good), paediatricians recommend them for all under 5s
• Reading 'My Child Won't Eat' (there's no miracle answer in there but it will chill you out about the whole thing)

[beavington]

This was my dd at the same age. There was always about 4 or 5 foods in rotation and once she finally liked something new, she would go off one of her old favourites. I was pleased when she liked omelette as it was protein at least. She would never eat any meat at all. She's almost 2 now and eat all meat except cured. She eats most family meals and has tons of fruit and veg.

As another said, use vitamin supplements and be patient i know how frustrating it is!!

[weanagemum]

Thanks all - this is all very reassuring advice! Spent a weekend surrounded by family, little cousins etc and he ate much better distracted by chatter and chaos/ not being scrutinised so much by me!

[BentleyBelly]

I've revisited this thread a few times over the last week, I have found it reassuring during a difficult week. My DH is away so its just me and DD and her eating at dinner time has been awful. I know it is a control thing, she stares right at me to gauge my reaction and then goes through her whole repertoire from screaming to chucking food on the floor, things that only last week she was happy to eat! Please be a short phase!

[Thurlow]

not being scrutinised so much

Just a thought - do you sit with him for all his meals? Contrary to all the recommendations at the moment, DD has always eaten better when she's pretty much alone. I'd do the washing up or something where I could see her in case she choked, but it meant she didn't have me watching her or commenting on what she was doing. Still works well at 2.5. I occasionally throw in a "how well you're eating that soup!" comment to keep up some praise, but she prefers a less pressured environment.

Just an idea, might not be remotely relevant