DS is now down to ONE dinner he will eat - wwyd?

[PenelopeChipShop]

I'm sure this must have been done a thousand times but I really do think I have a very fussy eater. He is virtually surviving on fresh air. Sometimes he'll eat porridge or cereal for breakfast - maybe half the time he eats a decent breakfast. Lunch is almost always virtually rejected, even foods I know he likes, or did like recently - he just picks. I judge how much he's eaten in numbers of mouthfuls. And dinner will now be rejected unless it is fish baked in passata with either pasta or rice - that is it. No chicken, no beef, no other meat whatsoever, he will only eat fish, though he will eat different sorts of fish so at least I can vary that.

Until recently I was serving up different dinners anyway even though I knew he wouldn't touch them, but have recently got a bit beaten down and am now just serving salmon, trout, cod, haddock on rotation but it always looks the same as it has to be served the same way. I think I must be doing something wrong here but I CANNOT get him to eat anything else. I honestly don't know how he keeps going on so little. Have spoken to health visitors several times and they are always extremely breezy and unconcerned. His weight is pretty much bang on average and he doesn't look skinny. But HOW? Any thoughts? Every mum I seem to speak to in real life seems to say theirs loves their food etc and I feel like throwing a tantrum myself.

[PenelopeChipShop]

Should have mentioned he loves fruit, this is part of the problem, every time he's in his high chair he just points to the fruit bowl and tells me what fruit he wants, he isn't interested in the actual carbs/protein of the meal in front of him, just fruit! He will eat a couple of vegetables and salad things too, like cucumber and peppers, so I suppose things could be worse, but I just don't know where he gets his energy from when he won't eat potato, bread, chicken, etc!

[TheTerribleBaroness]

How old is he?

[misdee]

How old?

I would serve up his meal that he eats and then plate up a small portion of what the rest of the family are having. Don't make a fuss. One day he migh pick at the extra plate, other day he might ignore it. But don't worry. He is eating a varity of fruit and vegetables as well. And toddler don't always eat loads. Some day dd5 and ds have hollow legs, and then the next few dad barely eat a thing.

[Bithurt]

My son goes through phases where he's fussy. He won't eat sandwiches with soft bread but will eat toasties.

Supper is a hit or a miss. He loves fruit too.

[OldBeanbagz]

You don't say how old your DS is?

To be honest the texture of meat can be a bit off-putting for kids. My DD didn't eat any until she was around 18 months old but she ate plenty of pulses/bean to make up the protein. At 12 she's been drifting in and out of vegetarianism for the last couple of years so maybe it's just her nature.

Likewise my DS had a tiny appetite but he was happy, healthy and developing at the same rate as his peers during his toddler years. He just seems to have a really small stomach (and still has at 9 years old).

Your DS's diet doesn't sound too bad and he's eating fruit/veg/salad so i wouldn't worry too much (easier said than done i know).

[neversleepagain]

You have done really well getting him to like fish so much! There is a huge variety of fish around, just offer him a good selection. Try not to worry, at least it isn't only fish fingers or chicken nuggets he will only eat!

[Twighlightsparkle]

dont worry! easy for me to say I know.
my husband would only eat bread and butter or chips for a loooong time as a child.

hes fine, he now eats most stuff. hes healthy too.

[RayPurchase]

At least its a healthy meal, have you tried making a hidden vegetable tomato sauce? Also has he tried cous cous, bulgar wheat, quinoa, buckwheat etc? DS could be fooled into eating all these things and rice if I called them 'cous cous'
DS is four and a half and has just recently started eating meat reliably - although sometimes he just can't seem to swallow it! I don't think its unusual for children to not like the texture of meat.

[WhatAHooHa]

DS (2) isn't great at eating new foods, he won't eat anything in a sauce so he has a rotation of various veg, pasta, potato, and meat with no real flavour .

He has his own little meal at about 4.30, then he gets back up to the table with us (mum, dad, brother and sister) at about 6 and is given a little plate of what we're eating. Sometimes he tries a bit, sometimes he doesn't, sometimes he eats loads - but if I tried the same meal while he ate on his own he wouldn't even look at it. Oh, and I hide the fruit bowl at meal times

Have you tried breaking the cycle - going out for a picnic, having one of his friends around for lunch. Could he help you prepare a simple meal? Perhaps trying the food as you make it so he doesn't feel like it's a meal, but is trying those new flavours?

[weatherall]

So he's eating milk, porridge, cereal, a variety of fish, passata, pasta, rice and fruit.

That's a much healthier more balanced diet than most kids I know!

Blend some veg into the passata and it's absolutely fine.

[Beastofburden]

As he is in his high chair and not yet talking, we are dealing with a v small person here .

Stop worrying about it. He sounds fine. If you need reassurance, keep a food diary for a fortnight.

Have you read Toddler taming by Christopher Green? I can recommend it on this topic. There are lots of cheap copies secondhand online.

[neversleepagain]

You have done really well getting him to like fish so much! There is a huge variety of fish around, just offer him a good selection. Try not to worry, at least it isn't only fish fingers or chicken nuggets he will only eat!

[PenelopeChipShop]

Oh sorry he is 22 months, don't know why I forgot to say that!

[RiverTam]

so, he eats fish (protein), pasta (carbs) and some veg and fruit. That's where he's getting his energy from! His needs are being met.

[Whereisegg]

Although he is eating very well imo, is he filling up on milk?

[itsonlysubterfuge]

I am having a problem with my 21 month old DD as well. She is breastfed though. She hasn't had a proper meal in 7 weeks. For the first 5 weeks she was only eating yogurt or cream. I spoke to the health visitor and she suggested cutting out yogurt for 2 weeks, so we did and then she ate nothing for 1 week, refused every meal. Finally she started eating bread, but only bread. She will drink a smoothie and does very occasionally eat some cheese. So now we've stopped giving her bread. We spoke to the health visitor today and she suggested that I stop breastfeeding her so that she'll be so hungry, she'll just eat anything. I don't mean to hijack your thread, just to reassure you that there are other toddlers who don't want to eat either.

[sixlive]

My DD really didn't eat much until she turned 3, at least the stress made me thin. She was breasted until she was 2 and never drank milk afterwards. She is now much older and eats just about anything. My DS would eat anything as an under 3 year old now he is down to a handful of acceptable meals at 6.

I made progress by just giving meals that included her favourites then slowing adding new food which would I never comment about. Also I used to leave little pots of food around the playroom. Is would suggest ditching the high chair as there may be an association with disruptive meals.

[tobysmum77]

I wouldn't stress but I wouldn't give fruit instead either. If he won't eat dinner time over.

[firesidechat]

My very fussy child lived on variations of chicken for years. She survived perfectly well and is now an adult who will eat almost anything.

The most important thing is to not make a battlefield out of mealtimes.

[justwondering72]

I thought you were going to say he was 6 or 8!

Honestly, he's very very young. From experience and reading on here it's very normal for children to narrow down what they will accept from about 18 months onward.

Are you eating with him at the table? Seeing you and family eat other foods may help. My approach would be to serve a little of what you know he will eat alongside something else.

Don't make it a battle. He's gaining weight, eating healthy food, you are do

[justwondering72]

Oops

You are doing great!

[milkysmum]

sounds pretty good to be honest! I wouldnt worry too much he is only little and his taste likely to change many times yet in next few years

[PenelopeChipShop]

itsonlysubterfuge I didn't mention it but I'm still breastfeeding ds too, I did also wonder if that's part of the problem, so to speak, but the health visitor I asked about it said no need to wean entirely, maybe just limit a bit more so it can't affect meals, so I'm trying to stick to first thing in the morning (6am ish), nap time (AFTER lunch) and bedtime. You could try that maybe? I know how hard it is to say no though!

Thanks everyone for your replies, it is reassuring to hear his diet doesn't sound too bad, I just seem to know people with very hungry toddlers then as compared to almost every other small person I know he barely eats! I guess if he is growing out of clothes, something must be going in... I guess I'll just given mainly fish but keep offering something else every so often as otherwise he'll never relent will he!

[PenelopeChipShop]

Oh and thanks for the book recommendation of Tiddler Taming, hadn't heard of that but it looks good

[PenelopeChipShop]

Toddler I mean!