To give my 1 year old weetabix twice a day?

[MakeTeaNotWar]

He eats nothing. Spits it all over me and the floor. I am sick of it, of wasting time and money trying to tempt him, of clearing up the same mess from the floor, highchair, me and of washing our food splidged clothes all the time. Do I persist offering different foods & suck it up or give him weetabix which he does eat?

Actually some kids WILL starve themselves and get incredibly upset in the process. We were told to do this and managed 6 days of the traditional "if he rejects it then let him go hungry" when ds was a toddler before I saw a different dietician who agreed ds was noticeably losing weight and this wasn't working; we moved to "let him eat what he wants when he wants" as he obviously is not that into food at all.

DS is now aged 9.7, food phobic and only eats about 10 different things. If not reminded (calmly and casually) I think he wouldn't eat at all. On the plus side he is healthy, average size and full of energy. I don't know how, but he is. I can still remember those 6 days, the worst experience of my life and probably to blame for the food issues he now has.

I would continue offering him other things and letting him see other things but frankly there are worse things in the world than Weetabix, and I would never ever advise the starvation option.

I suggest you serve him tiny portions (a dessert spoon) of whatever you want him to eat, and let him eat it or not. If he eats it, don't say anything - no praise. Let him ask for more if he wants it. Do this for three meals, and two snacks, don't offer alternatives, and don't plead with him to eat. If you give him very small amounts, then he won't be able to make much mess with it, and it is less intimidating.

If he is a good size, and in good health, this is all you need to do. If there are other issues with his health, obviously ignore me and get proper professional advice.

And buy this book. It revolutionized mealtimes in our household.

www.amazon.co.uk/My-Child-Wont-Eat-mealtimes/dp/1780660057/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380130880&sr=8-1&keywords=help+my+child+won%27t+eat

Um, he is ONE year old, so still a baby.

You can't say, 'eat what we are having or go hungry till the next meal' to a baby. He doesn't understand that.

Sit him with you and offer him the same as you are eating. If he doesn't eat it, don't make a fuss, just clear up and bring the weetabix out as 'dessert'.

I wouldn't stress about it if he is healthy, my kids were great and ate everything, but my friend had a baby who only ate three things until he went to school, those were cheese, cucumber and quavers. He also drank milk. He would maybe try a bit of pasta and bread and that was it. She was so stressed it became a massive thing in her life. Then one day he just started eating other stuff.

Milk is good, Weetabix is fine, but high fibre so will fill him up if you give it first. Just put out a range of bits. Let him eat from your plate if he will, and give him Weetabix if you don't think he's had enough. He will be fine, as long as he's having lots of milk, but you still have to give him the chance to grow accustomed to different tastes in his own time (which does, I'm afraid, mean the inevitable clearing up of thrown stuff). Your anxiety over this might make the food throwing a game, so don't clear up until the end, and sit him with you during meals if you can.

..and have a non-Mumsnetty hug. I was a my 'child will eat anything with never had an issue' Mum with my first, and then the second ate next to nothing. She survived, so did I, and so will you both xx

Give him what ever you are eating but don't make a fuss if he isn't interested. Remove his plate and enjoy family time together. If he gets hungry later, give him his rejected meal again calmly and in an uninterested manner.

The wheats box thin us a slippery slope to a narrow diet. But also, try oatabix instead of wheatabix as wheat isn't that great really.

That mean to say that the wheatabix thing is a slippery slope. I wouldn't entertain it. If you really have to feed him wheatabix daily can you serve half with different things - banana, yogurt, berries,

I would say that you continue to offer your child a variety of foods every day just casually on his high tray and give the weetabix for breakfast and supper so you know he has had something.
My DD was a very fussy eater at that age. She did not like being spoon fed so I just placed random bits on her high hair tray and watched what she liked and what was left. She is age 15 years now and eats very well but still only likes one kind of breakfast cereal.

Let him eat whatever he will eat. He will eventually eat a varied diet. The more you force it the harder it becomes. My DD when she was 2 would only eat yogurt and satsumas! Very frustrating when I had cooked a nice roast! You just need to suck it up & go with the flow, he won't starve. Good luck!