To feed my toddler...

[bumblebee39]

Nothing but crap?

It is all he'll eat

Fruit
Sandwiches
Toddler milk
& junk

Freezer dinner today was such a relief after weeks of him refusing proper dinners

AIBU to feed him nothing but freezer food, fruit, sandwiches and toddler milk? He used to eat a (fairly) balanced diet but is going through a fussy phase... Do I just go with it? Or keep providing nutritious fare he just doesn't eat?

Tia

Honestly if you feed him just freezer food then the fussy phase will become long term eating habits. Maybe compromise- one ‘junk’ meal and one proper nutritious meal a day? Keep offering him the healthier stuff until he starts eating it again

How old is he? I've given up with my DD she point blank refuses nearly everything I put in front of her now. It's such a worry! You're lucky he eats fruit!

My almost 1-yr old is already showing signs of fussiness!

He was weaned on a wide variety of homemade meals with plenty of different veg and fruit, he would eat sauces and spices.
He’s now happy with fish fingers, smiley faces, toast, yogurt and other beige rubbish!
I give him what I know he’ll eat but let him taste other food and anything we’re eating.

If you give in, the phase won't end. Dd went through this, but I kept offering the normal meals we have, which is not freezer food usually. Sometimes she barely ate anything, but I would just give something boring like toast later and not make a fuss about it. She came out of the other side and eats a good varied diet now with plenty of good protein, carbs, fats and tons of fruit and veg. I'm glad I didn't give in.

16 months

He occasionally eats cucumber or broccoli but mostly throws it on the floor

Breakfast is a fruit pouch or fruit, with a cereal bar or croissant washed down with a cup of toddler milk

Snack is crisps or more fruit

Lunch is a sandwich, usually tuna and sweetcorn or chicken mayo, or cheese spread or peanut butter

Snack is usually a yogurt pouch or yet more blinking fruit

Dinner is either rejected, or chicken nuggets and waffles type of things

More toddler milk (and usually more fruit or a couple of biscuits)

Day in day out
He would live off toddler milk bananas and chips if I let him....

What's toddler milk?

Keep trying the foods he used to like, as well as expanding his tastebuds. As already said, if you give in to the beige foods, you might be setting him up for a fussy diet long term. Keep trying. It can take many, many tries of something before toddlers decide if they definitely like/don't like it.

Follow on formula milk sorry

Cut out the milk, toddler or otherwise as it's artificially filling. He doesn't need it any more, especially if he's getting calcium from his diet. There also seems to be a lot of pouches for snacks. Give him real food and smaller snacks

Oh sorry. I never used that so didn't realise that's what you meant. Have you tried cow's milk? That follow on milk is basically a massive con. After 1 they can just have ordinary milk.

He’s having lots of snacks - if you cut down on them would be be more likely to eat proper meals? Or would he just get hungry and miserable?

Hungry and miserable

Sometimes he sleeps through one of them though and I probably do give him a snack late

I am trying to wean off the formula sometimes he will drink cow's milk but mostly rejects it I'm happy he's off bottles at least now

I am wondering if maybe his palette is becoming too "sweetened" as reading it back it looks like most things are fairly sweet and it's the savoury food he rejects

I know formula tastes sweet too maybe the time has come to cut it out! Or back at least...

There's a book called why won't my toddler eat, most useful book I ever read.

To sum it up...don't sweat it, over thinking is your enemy here, offer healthy and let him take it or leave it, forcing it on him will be counterproductive.

Honestly, give it a read.

Stop giving him follow on milk and he might be hungry for other foods. There's really no need for formula at that age.
Toddlers can be fussy though. You could try adding a veg or something to each meal but not making a fuss if he doesn't eat it. Just keep offering alongside food he likes.

Ds has a ham, cheese or egg sandwich every day for lunch, didn’t know it was considered crap 🤣

Can you batter your own chicken or fish chunks?

Make rostis or potato cakes

Does he like pastry? Can hide most things inside a pinwheel or pasty.

Thanks @Namechangemum100
I will add it to my reading list! Every time I think one things taken care of another issue bubbles to the surface! Love a mum book though...

My toddler goes through days she refuses tea. Normally ignoring her and saying there is nothing else helps. Offering desserts for eating. I always have one food I know she like on the plate and some of it in reserve to bribe. Sometimes they just want to be fed. Doing the aeroplane helps.

Another thing that may affect your toddler is portion size. Cut whatever portion of food on the plate by half. (You can always put it on if it's cleared) sometimes they feel full just by looking looking at such a big plate, plus it's more praise when they finish multiple plates. (Even though it's one)

Please don't give in. It's a phase that you have to get through. It's bloody hard as they hold the power of not eating but they won't starve themselves (mind they will go to bed hungry a few times) just keep the plate and they always come back to it when they moan they are hungry. Keep offering different foods and plenty of praise and rewards for trying/eating.

Perhaps slowly dilute the toddler milk with cows milk until it’s all cows milk. I don’t think the daily food it’s too bad He’s eating fruit. My children love if I put the veggies in a bowl either for them to help themselves with tongs or in a small side dish! They think it’s a bit fun. Mine also like rice with loads of veg chopped tiny with stock cube and chicken. Don’t worry, it’ll pass and he’ll change what he eats all the time!!

It’s really not necessary to make him drink cows milk if he won’t. Don’t give him formula instead - so long as he’s getting calcium from somewhere in his diet it’s fine. Yoghurt or cheese are good.

I’d keep giving him a wide variety of foods. He’ll go through more than one fussy stage but try not to give in this young.

I sympathise, my problem is my ds wakes up at circa 5.30am and eats 2 bananas and loads of cereal and toast and I wonder if I just let him fill up on beige will he maybe let me sleep past 6am?!

I would stop the toddler milk altogether and offer milk on cereal etc or offer dairy through yoghurts / cheese etc. Once children are over one they only need the equivalent of 2 small cups of milk a day. My DD (4) is fairly fussy at home but is improving with age, she's a 'traditional' sausage and mash kind of kid and still turns her nose up at anything spicy,

Keep offering plenty of options - reduce milk intake and I would think you will see an improvement

@fireworkbang I have the iPad and a supply of wotsits in my room for if ds decides he wants an early start. Easily get another 30 minutes dozing in bed 🤣

Toddler milk is very sweet.

I think between that and the pouches (often always contain apple) you kinda have him very used to sugar/sweet stuff.

Get him.off the milk. And the snacks.

Make your own "junk"

I don't mean quit milk altogether btw

But wean him.onto cows milk and stick to bed times and morning.

My girl, who is nearly 15m, used to eat anything put in front of her, she's going through a fussy phase, she wants to use cutlery but hasn't quite mastered getting food on the spork. She used to be happy as long as it was cut into bite size pieces and feeding herself (heaven forbid I try to help!). She did go through a similar protest when she wanted to move from finger foods to bite size pieces. This independence is correlating with her canines appearing and these are causing her more pain than her molars. She's preferring mashed foods or soft foods like scrambled egg again, chewing hurts too much.

I'm sure it's just a phase for your LO (And mine) for a short time, feed him what he likes but offer him 'healthy' things alongside. In honesty, I'm winging it, my now teenager went through something similar, and came out unscathed!

What @namechange said. The book ‘why won’t my child eat’ was a lifesaver for me.

I’d just offer him a selection, even if it doen’t feel like a proper meal. Offer foods he will definitely eat alongside healthier veggies etc that you’d prefer him to eat. He’ll be much more likely to dip into the healthier foods then. But make sure you don’t draw any attention to any specific foods and let him eat what he wants to.
No doubt this is a phase that will pass though