Help am going out my mind!!

[Misscow]

Hi everyone, I am new to this but I need help. I have a 15mth old who from being weened ate everything I have used the annabel books as I think they are fab. Now she has turned into a fussy eater and I have read everything and know this is normal but it still doesn't stop me worrying, I have done everything they say too do eat together, let her feed herself. She will eat fruit and veg but not really meat even things she used to love she will not even taste, it makes me worry and I know there isn't anything wrong with her and even when they say oh she can't b hungry well she is as sometimes I have just given her toast n she will eat that. Is she too young to do the whole if she doesn't eat what I have made to make her go without, I don't know what to do. Sorry to go on but I'm constantly worrying about it!

Thank you

[milkybrew]

Honestly, don't worry! My DD is 19 mths, today she has thrown her lunch across the kitchen and had 3 meagre mouthfuls of dinner! She has only eaten a slice of toast, a yogurt, some fruit and a bit of cake we made earlier in the week! My DS was exactly the same at this age, went from eating anything and everything to eating reliably only a handful of foods! I still offered whatever we were having and eventually he started eating things again and now there's very little he won't eat! Like you, we've done all the things the books say but both mine have been exactly the same! Really as long as your LO is happy healthy and gaining weight there is no need to stress yourself out!

[TurquoiseTranquility]

I know how you feel. DS is 3 and been a disaster since I started weaning at 6 months. He's not fully digesting his food and is only on the 2nd centile for weight! Tho he was on the 25th until weaned. So I've always been desperate to get as much food into him as I possibly could.

Which unfortunately has created more mess than there was to start with. He now EXPECTS to be spoon-fed and entertained at meal times unless he's properly starving. So eventually I've had to start leaving him without till the next meal coz he's starting nursery in Jan and of course no one's gonna spoon feed him there.

I must say it's had some effect although we still have a long way to go.

I'd say the first thing to do is say no to snacks. Don't give her ANYTHING whatsoever between meals. Whether or not you allow her to take as much time as she wants to eat is up to you. Whether you spoon-feed her is again up to you. But I'd say going without one meal should be ok.

I'm still spoon-feeding DS at dinner if he won't eat himself, mainly because I don't want him waking too early because he's hungry, or use his half-empty belly as an excuse to delay bedtime (he really tries!). Earlier meals, Im much more likely to let him skip now.

[Misscow]

Thank you, I will probably still worry as I think that's just what mums do but it is good to know that I am not alone and I do think it could b worse coz she does really enjoy her fruit n veg. She didn't eat in between meals today but still didn't eat her tea. I let her take as long as she needs but she then throws it in on the floor, I will continue still giving her all the things she doesn't like in the hope one day she will as it took three months for her to eat spaghetti bolognase so here's hoping! Thanks again I just find it so frustrating as am running out of ideas especially for lunch as she won't even look at sandwiches :-)

[TwelveLeggedWalk]

Oh I know that feeling!

I also have two babies who previously ate brilliantly before massively regressing and turning into complete lunch refusniks here. They will usually reliably eat mash and something for tea at home on the days they don't just have an epic tantrum instead but I can't send them in with bowls of potato for lunch at nursery - pitta bread, wraps, sandwiches all massively unreliably eaten. Can't even THINK about cold pasta in this house, hot pasta is the devil's work...
Sweet breads (Malt loaf, fruit toast etc) are all eaten without complaint, so it's a taste not texture thing.

They are frustrating little things, babies.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Miss what milk is she on and how much does she have each day?

[Misscow]

Thank you twelve legged walk at least I'm not alone with the whole sandwich and pasta thing gosh if u give her those she looks utterly disgusted :-)
As for the milk jiltedjohnsjulie she has 8oz when she wakes up bout 6 and then another bottle before bed only has water during the day, I thought maybe it's too much but after her milk on a morning about an hour later she has her breakfast and eats cereal and toast without a problem. She is just standing her ground and making me go greyer by the day, it's all I think about what will she not eat today!!!

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

The NHS recommend 300 ml of full fat cows milk per day from 12 to 24 months, which includes milk in food. I'd try cutting her down to that and see if her appetite improves

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Have you read this book too OP?

As for giving her toast, my dd was a fussy eater and one of the things we've stopped is offering alternatives. You may have a rocky couple of days but she will soon get the message that she eats the food in front of her if she's hungry and you just have to trust her, if she's hungry she will eat, and if she's not hungry she won't

[Misscow]

Yeah have tried giving her less milk but she would wake up in the night hungry think will still give her 8 on a night but less on a morning. Don't often give her alternatives I haven't tonight as she wouldnt eat her tea tonight and I didn't give her an afternoon snack either so she will b hungry if I gave her a bowl of carrots she would have wolfed them down. I think she's just wanting to do her own thing am trying not to cave in but I worry she's not eating enough but then again she's healthy enough just a stubborn mule I thought it was finger food thing as she likes to pick food up n eat it so I made loads out of annabels fussy eater books she just throws it on the floor, soooo frustrating!!!

[lizzywig]

Hi OP are you me?!! I could have written your post, except DD is 14mo. She is sat next to me currently licking jam off toast whilst her porridge goes untouched...oh and now she's ripping the toast up and throwing it on the floor. I am at my wits end but pretend to be fine and happy. She refuses all fruit and veg and is hit and miss with everything else. Randomly she had turkey curry the other night but that was after a day of refusing everything else and not being given an alternative.

Today is day 3 of no alternatives. The first night she woke up hungry for milk twice, she was up for 2 hours each time and was only offered water. It was brutal for all of us but last night she slept through after a day of eating a moderate amount of food. By moderate I mean all of her cereal for breakfast but none of the fruit or toast offered, quarter of a peanut butter sandwhich & an apple biscotti for lunch but turned down fruit and veg sticks. Then dinner was Fish cakes (hm), veg and mash but she had half of the mash and that was literally it. Then she ate a whole bowl of dried fruit and custard. Not much over the whole day but she had 9oz milk before bed. Previously we would offer an alternative and as much as i hate feeling like I'm starving her, i know she won't starve and what we're doing is re training her in a way.

You need to do what works for you. Weird i find that although she might refuse point blank from one spoon, i could use another and she'll be perfectly happy with it! They're such little weirdos!!