18 month toddler was good feeder now is nightmare

[bumbly]

used to love peas pears etc

now anything with a skin he spits

why change from loving food to hating it??

and this spitting of food becoming a prob when we go out - he spits things without skin now - just when he doesnt fancy swallowing

getting me angry and angry

thinking of removing food and letting him go hungry

[smellen]

Just accept that they go through phases of deciding they "don't like" stuff that they previously loved. They are probably testing the boundaries, and trying to push your buttons in the only way they know how - it's a natural stage, and is probably best ignored.

If you can try to give your fussy one a choice between a couple of healthy options, that might help. Or cut down on snacks between meals so he is really hungry. Or put the vegetables out on his plate before the sausage (or whatever bit he normally gobbles up to the detriment of the healthier bits).

But I think it's probably standard toddler/young child behaviour, and best ignored. I know from experience that that is harder said than done - it is a very emotive issue and is also really hard not to take a bit personally when you have gone to the effort of preparing yet another little meal - but this too shall pass. I've read that if you can chill out and not turn mealtimes into a battleground, that your good eater will come out of the other side of this phase eating as wide a range of foods as before. The other thing is that although it is tempting not to offer the foods your LO is now rejecting, it is worth making sure you make them available to him fairly regularly (even if he says no), as one day he will probably decide he does suddenly like grapes etc., skin and all. Another good tip is to eat a wide range of good food with the rest of the family in front of your LO, so they are familiar with the sight and smell of a wide variety of foodstuffs. Toddlers are notoriously neophobic about food, so if they have seen things like courgettes before, you are more likely to get them to eat them in the long run.

I also did a lot of "tomato" sauces (which contained several different veggies) and used cheese sauce to make other, more solid bits of veg, more palatable to my LO.

Another tip I read was to note down what your LO ate over a 2 week period - usually you'll see that he is getting a fairly good diet regardless of his current fads.

Hope this helps.

[smellen]

Re-reading your message, you seem really hacked off about it. Even if you think you are not letting on to your DS that this is the case, he can probably read your body language quite well.

Try not to let it bother you; if he spits a bit of food out when you are out and about, no one is going to judge you as a parent on that - it's what little kids do. My little darlings have some horrible habits at the table. I figure that I will concentrate on getting the basics right first (i.e. what they eat) before worrying about table manners etc. I had a very grumpy grandad who used to bellow at us if we put our elbows on the table etc., and mealtimes with him were really stressful, so I think if you can be more relaxed your LO might forget to try and wind you up. Also found telling stupid stories whilst they are eating, or going off to the sink and doing the washing up (whilst keeping a beady eye on progress at the table) stopped them from acting up a bit.

[bumbly]

thanks for a such a ocmprehensive supportive message

btw my toddler hates tomato sauce

that is how difficult he is suddnely becoming form esating a huge bowl of mince stew at one to now spititng it all out!!
but your message really said it all - do not make an issue out of it and now am off to throw awya htree plates of diffrent food i tired today oh yes and th empty jar which he loves - ##am so worried he wil be eatng puree at the age of 15!

[smellen]

That isn't going to happen - have yet to meet a 15 year old who only takes in soup and mush.

FWIW I wouldn't bother offering a range of different foods as he rejects what you put down - you might train him to expect restaurant service. If you are putting 3 or 4 different foodstuffs out for a meal (including something you know he will eat), then you can offer either a piece of fruit, or a yoghurt, or more of a treat (I give mine fruit crumble with yoghurt, and they think they've hit the jackpot) for their pudding.

It's tempting too to lay on the praise very thick if they do eat something, but then you're letting on that it really is a big deal to you, so perhaps standing back a bit will help in the long run. Let us know how you get on.

[piscesmoon]

It is a phase-he is getting more independent and realising he has choices. Keep calm and relaxed, it will become a battle if you get annoyed.

[wishes]

I would like to suggest the really wacky theory that his behaviour isn't actually personal. He probably doesn't understand about the effort or economics involved in preparing food. Which makes me wonder where the anger is coming from...