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.

Why do my italics only work half the time??!!

Sounds like a fine diet, I know alot of kids who won't eat nearly as varied a diet as that.

The worst thing you can do with food fads is make a big issue out of it. My 5 year old wouldn't eat cooked veg or anything of that consistency for about 2 years, she would eat raw carrots etc but not soft ones. I just used to dish her dinner up the same as everyone else and take the uneaten food away without fuss. Eventually she just started trying random tastes of things because she saw us eating them, when she did this we said 'good girl for trying something new' or similar. Over time she tried more and more and ate more of it... Now she's like the others and eats almost anything. Alot of kids get fussy at some stage, thier tastes change as they get older and they become more receptive to new things, just needs a little patience.

This diet is better than my daughter would eat at that age and please don't ever force a child to eat something. My EXH forced my daughter to eat sprouts, she was literally vomiting on her dinner and consequently still has food issues now. Note the EXH.

My sister on the other hand for years had for breakfast, dinner and tea a banana, crisps, ham and a club biscuit. My poor mum despaired, she is now a healthy size 10 and will eat anything.

Do you have friends with DCs who eat different foods to yours? You might want to start doing occasional tea with friends - I found my DS always ate better aged 2-3 when other children were around and would sometimes try something new because his friend liked it.

My DS is nearly 4 and has gone through real phases with eating. Very difficult to get veg into him from about 18 months and particularly bad around the time he turned 2, but now at almost 4 he will happily have 3 helpings of cabbage or shovel down a whole load of broccoli! Yet at 24-26 months he would eat curried things whereas now everything is 'too spicy'. At some point, probably aged 32, I think he will eat a broad varied diet :o

We found that not making an issue of it, eating with him so he could see us enjoying food, and always putting a bit of something on his plate that is new for him to try but not worrying if he doesn't has helped hugely. Getting him to help cook also helped a lot. And when he was a little bigger (2.6-3 I think) we would always serve 3 types of veg with meals and make sure 2 were new or ones he was fussy about and the other was one he really liked. We would then say he could leave one veg if he tried 2 others on the plate. That really worked well as he thought he'd won - because he didn't have to try everything - and I thought I'd won because I'd got something new or less favoured but healthy inside him!

DD is 18 months and has always been a bit fussier than DS, and I think we're hitting this phase now so trying to remind myself of all our tricks with DS!

I should have said - I too think his diet is fine. I know plenty of pasta and pesto only kids :)

His diet sounds fine to me, one tip is to put things they won't eat in little bowls on the table mine will then sometimes try things they wouldn't normally...