To think this is enough food for a 2 year old?

[Dranktoomuchpepsi]

DH is a bit worried about DS's diet. He doesn't really eat very much compared to other toddlers, it seems. He's gotten fussy recently! Use to eat everything given to him.

Today he's had:

Breakfast: Two slices of toast with butter. It is usually peanut butter. All eaten.

Snack: Handful of cheese. Most ended up on the floor. Ate one bit. Some pineapple - eaten. A multivitamin bear.

Lunch: Pasta with cheese. Eaten.

Dinner: 2 Weetbix with strawberry soya milk. All eaten.

Is this enough? We don't give a proper 'meal' at dinnertime because it NEVER eats. DH is really really worried.

DS is in 12 to 18 months clothes and he's 2.5. He is being investigated for height but doctor says it just may be genetic (both my grandads jockies), yet less likely since DH is 6 foot 3.

He does also get breastmilk but they're short feeds, not frequent and don't seem to impact appetite.

He was a brilliant eater before

Things like beans, vegetarian meats, etc, all get thrown and rejected. He won't eat them and has become so so fussy!

Some of the idiots on here

It sounds like you’re doing really well but a couple of suggestions for vegetarian diet (no idea on the ASD, sorry) - chickpea pasta (made using chickpea flour), hummus (make your own and play around with the texture, flavours etc), chickpea crisps, baked polenta (add cream for calories), halloumi chips, oat bars (recipe with peanut butter). I’d also look at nutritional yeast. Have you tried falafels?

A vegetarian child who eats no vegetables?
What about fruit?
Breakfast seems big, my 20 month old wouldn’t eat 2 slices of toast.

Why does he have soya milk? Is he allergic to dairy? I ask as my son was allergic to dairy and he was pretty small when he was 2 years old. From 18 months to 2 years he hardly put on any weight. Dietician at hospital advised his diet was too low fat and to increase his fat making him deserts with dairy free custard etc! As you’re probably aware his diet seems to be lacking in protein. I wouldn’t worry to much about quantities as some children have less of an appetite but you need to try and cover main food groups

I was having a lot of difficulty getting my toddler to eat any protein.
A friend told me to make pancakes using 1 egg, 1 mashed banana and a tablespoon of flour. These were a big hit at lunchtime and this has made it much easier to relax about the lack of "dinner" being eaten.

Peanut butter, cheese and soya milk are all high in protein. I think some pp's getting a bee in their bonnet about protein don't seem to know this.

I wouldn't worry too much about protein and amount of calories but would worry that the only fruit and veg he had was pineapple. Your breast milk will hopefully help keep him topped up with vitamins though.

Some ideas to try that my fussy son likes: houmous, black olives (he loves anything salty) plain crispy tofu, tofu is so bland unseasoned I think most fussy kids would eat it. Also frozen peas, he doesn't like them cooked, but straight from the freezer is a huge winner here, maybe your son would like the sensory element? Sweetcorn too? Maybe try frozen bananas? It has a much milder flavour than fresh banana so he might prefer it.

Maybe try plain chickpeas or butter beans, without the sauce. My ds used to love that as a snack but won't anymore.

Also what about the Alpro junior giraffe milk instead of the strawberry? It has the most added vitamins and calories. My son likes the cartons that come with a straw but won't drink it out of a cup.

I don't understand the issue with "cow's milk isn't made for humans to eat" - you think vegetables are made for human's to eat?! We don't eat things because that's their purpose in life - we eat them because they provide us with the nutrition we need to survive.

Oat mill way better than soy. Also soy is a common allergy.

My son also has asd, he's 4 and a really fussy eater. Can I recommend DHA supplements, obviously multivitamins and a good probiotic

I've not read the whole thread but I'd be worried that he's not getting enough iron in his diet. Proportionally of their whole diets babies and toddlers need a lot more iron than adults (there's a good section on this in the book 'Science of Mum'). It's not that easy it get enough iron through a vegetarian diet as iron from plants is less easy for the body to absorb, and dairy inhibits iron absorption further. Will he eat eggs yolks? (Remove the white as that inhibits absorption too). If he won't eat egg yolks, I would be inclined to put your foot down with DH and try beef mince or chicken thigh (higher in iron than the breast is). Iron is crucial for development.

Not to sound like an ad but NaturesAid (I love these people, they are the only way I can get vitamins into ds) have got an iron supplement which is only 1ml to be added to food or drink.