To only feed DS beans on toast or pasta

[NoNarnas]

19 month old DS will only eat beans on toast or pasta. Unless it’s a Sunday when he will sit nicely at my parents house and eat a Sunday dinner.

Last nights pork, potatoes and carrots were untouched while he asked over and over for a banana. He had a snack at the childminders mid afternoon so I didn’t give him pudding and he just had milk before bed.

Tonight is beef casserole. He tried one piece of carrot and one piece of potato and then again just asked for banana. I’ve not done any pudding again and have taken him from the table. He hasn’t eaten since lunch at the childminders at 12.

The only things I can present at tea time that he will touch are beans or pasta! How do I encourage him to eat better? At this age am I right in not doing anything else if he doesn’t eat his tea?

Lots of good advice here. When mine were this age I had one of those plates that selarates foods. Like a kids old school picnic plate. I’d put the different foods in each space (ie veg, protein, small portion of fruit, potatoes, a new food). They seemed to prefer being able to see the different foods and have some “control” over the choices. Also try the “would you like your banana or carrots first” trick - psychologically that tells the brain their isn’t a “don’t eat the carrots” option. It’s hard not to add any comments on threads like this without getting shouted down but it really is critical that everyone gives their kids mostly veg at every meal. That is the solution to avoiding lots of long term disease that our kids generation are storing up. So however we do it, and ideally it should happen from weaning, veg should become the norm for kids as meals/snacks. Look over the course of the day and does the food look like a rainbow or is it mostly beige, beige being the foods that do not add to health mostly.

While I agree entirely that toddlers need variety in their diets, I think 19 months is just too young to be expected to enjoy the full range of adult meals.

I was expecting him to only be eating beans or pasta for all three meals a day. If he's eating a varied diet during the day I'd just go with it and gradually introduce more stuff in time.

Thanks everyone. I’m off work today so will try and do his main meal at lunchtime if his nap fits right.

A dietician once told me that toddlers will sometimes eat two meals a day. Don't make food a issue. He's still a baby bless him

"A dietician once told me that toddlers will sometimes eat two meals a day. Don't make food a issue. He's still a baby.."

Yes, that reminded me of what our paediatrician used to tell me when I was worried that my daughter wasn't eating enough, or the right food. She said that babies/toddlers self-regulate and know how much is enough for them and if there is nothing physically wrong with them to prevent them being able to eat, they are best not being forced to eat when they don't feel hungry. She also said that it was a good thing, as there was no way my daughter would get fat as she was in full control of her appetite/hunger and wouldn't overdo things. It sounds as if your little boy is eating enough during the day and doesn't need anything else in the evenings.

But he wants banana! I think it’s weong to let them fill up on treat food without making an effort on veggies

I suggest you read My Child Won't Eat- another poster recommended it to me and it's reduced my anxiety about my toddler's eating.

Not sure where banana being a "treat" food comes in - it's a fruit, part of the 5 a day, no problem!

I just thought of this thread as I was making it but you can get lentil pastas we use the red lentil penne and no one has noticed any difference so might be worth a look at that sort of thing ? also try mixing different beams into his baked once just to gradually mix it up a bit. I also got this good plate from b and m bargains it's got 5 separate compartments so you could put his food in the separate bits if you think it could be a issue with food touching/ sauces ECT as I know some children don't like that

Breakfast is a bowl of shreddies, toast and a banana, with a bowl of porridge an hour later
That’s a massive amount of food first thing in the morning. Then he has packed lunch and snacks through the day...
I’d probably be more concerned if he was munching his way through a big roast dinner as well, tbh?

Seriously give the poor baby his banana, his 19 months old eaten 2 breakfast, lunch and snacks it’s not surprising he doesn’t want a lot for dinner tbh!

If you want him to eat an evening meal then drop 1 of the breakfast, so do it so he only has breakfast at the childminders.

His 19 months and eating generally well so if he wants pasta or beans then why can’t he have them? It’s not like he eats no food but pasta and beans

Lol at banana being a “treat” food 😂 only on mumsnet is a piece of fruit classed as a treat

My daughter ate like a sparrow at this age at dinner time - too tired after day at childminders. She did better with picky foods like fruit or plain pasta. She ate well at breakfast and lunch though.

Could you send dinner to the childminder and ask her to microwave it for his lunch? Mine were often far fussier in the evening than lunchtime.

Yesterday I was off work and so could see exactly what he ate through the day, he had:

Breakfast
Shreddies
One slice of toast
One small banana

Mid morning
2 ginger nut biscuits

Lunch
Half a toasted tea cake
One slice of bread dipped in tomato soup
A bowl of strawberries, blueberries and watermelon
A mini maltloaf

Mid afternoon-
Half a chocolate brownie (stolen from me!)
Another small banana

Dinner
2 bowls of pasta in tomato sauce
A small yogurt

He happily ate dinner because it was something he wanted, even though he had eaten a lot in the day.

However today he has eaten much less during the day, came home from the childminders and was searching the cupboards for food so I did tea. Wouldn’t touch his chicken chasseur and rice, and wanted fruit!

Not going to get stressed about it, if he was really hungry he would still be whinging for food now which he isn’t.

My DD went through a stage where she would eat really well two out of three meals. Usually breakfast and lunch. Dinner would be half hearted and calling for fruit and pasta.
If she didn't want what I'd made, I'd offer her something plain like toast/rice cakes/bread sticks but no fruit/dessert and she'd have milk as normal at bedtime.
Sometimes she'd eat a small portion of tea, other times it would be rice cakes.
What I didn't want to do was force her to eat something she genuinely disliked or make her overide her body's message that it was full.
Proberbly happen regularly for at least a year and although she eats better now she still doesn't eat a huge amount for tea.
Vitamin supplement, keep offering a choice including beans/or pasta if you know he'll eat it but it's not a battle worth fighting IMO.