Fussy eater - feeling v stressed!

hattieboomboom · 2011-10-19 15:43:47

Just after some advice on dealing with 14 month old DSs extreme fussiness over food. Im sure this is one of the most common problems shared on Mumsnet but its driving me mad nonetheless. He doesnt have a very big appetite, and that I can deal with. But its the refusal to properly try food that I find hardest. The only things he gobbles up are bread or toast, fruit, and yogurt. So I try to put proper things on the toast, like avocado (which he likes), sometimes with tiny amounts of mashed beans or hidden bits of chicken, cheese and tomato, sometimes a tiny amount of ham, or some baked beans, but these toppings do make him less willing to eat. The only proper meals he will eat a decent amount of are pasta with my home made tomato and veg blended sauce, with cheese on top, and a thing I make with sweet potato, red lentil and broccoli, again with cheese on top. And he loves peas hell eat a bowl full of them. But I struggle to get him to eat decent amounts of anything else, even if he hasnt eaten for four hours and I know hes hungry. One mouthful takes away the hunger then he just isnt interested and wants to get down. I dont give snacks as I want him to be hungry at mealtimes. When he refuses food, I try not to give in and immediately make him something else I know hell eat, as I want him to learn hes got to eat what hes given. The other evening, when I knew he was hungry, I made him cheese and ham pasta (which all children love dont they?!) I touched the spoon to his mouth so he got a taste of it, but he refused to eat any of it. So I got him out of the highchair so hed realise it was that or nothing. He cried and acted as though he wanted to be put back in his highchair, and then got distracted by something and played for 20mins or so, before remembering he was hungry. So I put him back in his highchair and he sat waiting whilst I brought out the same dish, but exactly the same happened. So I got him down again and he was so upset that I went into the kitchen to cook a load of peas, which I mixed cheese and ham pasta into. He ate the lot. I know there was nothing about the taste or texture of the cheese and ham pasta that he didnt like he likes cheese on other things and likes pasta, and there was only the tiniest amount of ham in it. Its as if he didnt recognise what I giving him, or couldnt see any of his favourite things in the food so refused on those grounds. Hes ok with finger food, but wont eat much that way, unless its bits of toast etc. He seems to prefer to be spoon fed. He wont eat fish fingers, he wont eat omelette or scrambled egg, he wont even eat pieces of cheese. He wont eat fish pie or anything else with mashed potato on it, although he will eat sauté potato or chips. He wont eat pasta with salmon/cheese/broccoli. He wont eat rice dishes (but he will eat rice pudding). Breakfast is fine usually porridge with mashed banana, marmite on toast or fruit. I try to eat with him sometimes, but it isnt usually practical and even if I could do it more I dont think it would help anyway, as hes exactly the same at nursery where he refuses to eat whilst sitting with other children who are eating. I dont think its teething as hes just always been a fussy bugger and I havent noticed a pattern to it. He does have a lot of teeth though for his age, so I guess hes been almost constantly teething for the last 8 months. Could this be a factor? As for milk, he has 5oz in the morning and 7oz at bedtime. So pretty sure Im not filling him up on that. Does anybody have any advice, or does anybody have a child that used to be like this and grew out of it? It would be so nice to know its probably a phase that he will grow out of, as I find it so incredibly stressful. Or, am I totally overeacting as this is quite normal?! Also, hes getting fussier than he used to so if anybody has any advice for nipping this in the bud then Id be most grateful. Thanks in advance.

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