to think this isnt that bad a diet for ds (2.9) - had row with DM

[Bethshine82]

DS is a picky eater. Until he was about 20 months he was great, would try most things and had a varied diet. Then he had an awful sickness bug, he didn't eat for a week and when he started eating again he rejected a lot of the foods he had previously eaten happily. He was also wary about trying new things and if I persisted he would gag and sometimes be sick.

His current diet is not as varied as I would like and he is very specific over certain things. For instance he will only eat broccoli quiche not any other type and only one brand of yogurt etc. My mom says I should be firmer as it does make eating out a pain but DS will still gag if basically forced (by threats) to eat something he is not keen on. I don't want to get into a battle with him over it and am of the opinion that he will develop tastes when ready.

This is what he will eat: (he doesn't eat all this at one time, it is just his accepted list!)
Breakfast: toast peanut butter, petit filous, banana, cereal bar, milk, yogurt.
Lunch: beans on toast, scrambled egg, cheese spread sandwich, fruit, organix crisps, raisins
Dinner: (where I really struggle) fish, beans, peas, carrots, sweetcorn, mashed potato (will only eat it in this form apart from chips and waffles!), quiche, roast chicken, omelette, little pizza.

Occasionally he will accept shepherds pie or fish pie or pasta or soup. But only very very occasionally.

It's bit that bad right? My mom has made me feel I am nutritional depriving my child. I'm doing my best but I'm not going to force the issue with him. I'll lose.

Oh fgs does dm expect you to force feed him? You'll make him worse if you persist, gently gently imo. Good luck.

First of all, it's nothing to do with your mum. You are this child's Mum so you shudo do what you think is best. She has no place undermining you, unless she comes up with a brilliant miracle solution. His diet isn't that bad at all, your body doesn't care what forms the various nutrients come in, as long as it gets them, and you seem to have all the food groups covered.

Just make sure you keep offering him stuff you know he won't eat. Every day, put it in his plate. He will never get used to trying new things if he isn't exposed to them regularly and frequently.

He's eating more variety than my 4 year old, I'm embarassed to say.

That doesn't sound to restricted to me.

Do not force him to eat, it will make him worse.

I have a picky eater to, so I feel your pain. I just put new things on his plate all the time for him to try, with his usual. if hes tries it great, if he doesn't then we will try it again another day.

That's a more varied diet than my picky 4 year old. Who is the second tallest in his class and one big muscle.

I think he will be fine.

yanbu that sounds fine to me. My DS will only eat dry weetabix atm

Just keep exposing him to a variety - you're doing absolutely fine.

igggi xpost, I'm glad it's not just me!

Sounds to me like he has a good varied diet and if he's eating that you don't need to worry- so long as he's eating and not developing issues over being force fed All children are a bit off when they've been ill and they get back on track after a while anyway - I'm of the opinion that so long as they're not demanding junk food they have a good idea of what they need -my 3 DC are at school now and still have likes and dislikes as we all do - I stopped worrying when I found myself with DS (then my PFB) when he was about the same age as yours - one week i was worried he wasn't eating enough and the following week I started fretting he was eating too much -it was then I realised he'd get on a lot better if I worried less about it all.
You are not feeding your child junk you are feeding him decent food which he likes - nothing wrong with that.

xposted with loads of people - just what they all said

YANBU That is far more varied than my picky DS's (3) diet, though he will eat all fruit. I'm with you on not making a big deal out of it and, thank goodness, all friends and family agree. I'm pretty sure he'll grow out of it, he's trying some previously rejected foods already and I'm hoping his soon to be sibling will encourage some healthy competition when in comes to mealtimes.

My 18 yr old DS doesn't eat that well. Have never got a vegetable past his lips.

That sounds really good to me (and much, much better than my 2 year old!) - he is getting fruit, veg, carbs, protein - that is excellent!

It's fine but if it gets a bit monotonous for you (assuming that your own diet is being restricted) then you can introduce some new items occasionally and say that he must try it otherwise there is no desert. Don't make an issue of it. As long as he just tries it. If he doesn't like it he doesn't have to eat it. You are not being mean depriving him of desert if he doesn't try it. He has a choice whether to get desert or not. Just remain calm and matter of fact about it but be firm that they are the "rules".

ts nutritionally balanced, hes got all his food groups.
absolutely fine x

Thanks everyone. I might show my mom this thread. He will also eat strawberries and apples. I would like him to try more things but I'm not going to force the issue. I know it will be futile and probably make the situation worse.

I am hugely interested in nutrition and love feeding my DS varied, healthy foods. And I have a degree in biochemistry. And I think it looks fine!

My little gagger seemed to manage best with tiny little pieces of food. I mean really tiny, just a few millimetres at first. He could get the taste and sort of get the texture without having to force himself to swallow it. He still eats barely any of the unfavoured foods - mostly veg - but will try pretty much anything in tiny quantities until he's used to them.

My pfb once went for weeks only eating fried eggs that had been fried in a particular pan which wasn't mine how he knew if I used another pan I will never know, but he did
My nephew is 14 this year and all he will eat are chocolate chip cookies, salt n vinegar crisps, and a tuna sandwich, on white bread, with nothing else in it at all. He will only drink coke.
Your son's diet is positively excellent by conmparison!

Looks fine to me.

My Mum used to force me to eat eggs. Was fine with scrambled eggs or yolk but anything with egg white used to make me gag (i.e. white of fried egg, boiled egg, etc.). It genuinely made me feel sick but she used to bellow at me, "Oh for goodness sake, just eat it!".

I was quite picky but eat pretty much everything now. I think softer approach is better IMO.

My 2.6 year old is like this. We did the home made weaning thing, lots of fish pies, curries etc.

Graduated to porridge, fish, spuds etc.

Will no w not eat anything mixed or mushed.

Will eat potatoes (cut in strips), fishfingers (when not too hot), quorn chunks, carrots, peas, broccoli.

Could eat cheese or peanut butter butties all day and has a 6th sense about cake.

Apparently my uncle would only eat fish and chips. Dr asked what my gran's problem was.

That diet is fine, and considerably more than either of mine would eat at that age. And it never occurred to me that they might be picky.

Your DM is an idiot who should STFU and MHOB.

Not sure of the basis of the research but I am sure I read somewhere that around the 20/22 month stage is when children start to have an awareness of the need to be careful about what they eat - a natural selection thingimy-jiggery. If the "fear" of what we are eating doesn't develop we would all still be shoving mud and sand in our mouths. So his palate is almost going back to scratch as he starts to question what he is eating. So quote science at your Dm and tell her to sod off.

Just as everyone else has said go gently, don't make it into a battle and carry on exactly as you are. Introduce new stuff but don't force him to eat it.

Oh and a sneaky trick I tried on my DD when she went through this was if she rejected something I would say "Oh silly Mummy, forgot to put the grated cheese on it...here is the cheese...you can eat it now". She loved cheese and sprinkling some over "foreign" foods meant she would at least be a) eating something b) touching/eating tiny bits of the other stuff. It took patience but think this helped. Am ashamed to say with DS the cheese didn't work with him....he will however consider stuff if there is a great dollop of ketchup or mayo on the side. Always swore I wouldn't be a ketchup-with-everything mum - but hell, it got him to eat stuff he was unwilling to try otherwise and he is now being weaned of it....yep...ketchup re-hab at ours :-)

Pack him off to her for dinner. Once he has vommed all over her tablecloth she might change her mind.

My DS is 2.7 and doesn't eat half the stuff on your list, I'm particularly jealous that yours eats veg.

This is far more varied than my 26 month old DD's diet - she eats bananas, bread, potatoes in various forms and maybe a raisin if the wind is in the right direction. She'll come through it :)