Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Kid won’t eat

113 replies

toddlercoaster · 11/02/2023 11:30

DD1 is 4yr old. She has always been a picky eater. She hates fruit, the only fruit she has is banana. She’s a bit better with vegetables though she hates a few veggies like beans and sweet potatoes! Rest she has a good diet (loves eggs, milk, fish, chicken) but it all depends on me and my DH who has to give up atleast an hour to spend by her side and keep singing “eat eat eat eat”. She’s in 25th percentile for weight and 50th for height. Few days ago I came across an article on ARFID. I’m now sick with worry of what if this picky eating continues? AIBU as I cannot take of ARFID off my mind and am becoming obsessed with her diet (trying to sneak in fruit in her diet somehow). She’s down with cough and cold at the moment and is off food. How do i make her eat fruit? She loves fruit juice though, the one i get from Tesco. I’m sick with worry and DH says I’m overreacting and that kids do overcome picky eating with time. Advice plzzz

OP posts:
TheSnowyOwl · 11/02/2023 20:51

What a great update and I hope mealtimes improve for you all from here.

Satch76 · 11/02/2023 22:47

My son has diagnosed ARFID. He eats dry toast and ready salted crisps only. Good luck.

FurAndFeathers · 11/02/2023 22:52

toddlercoaster · 11/02/2023 11:45

she doesn’t start eating until i beg her to. She waits for it! She starts and then stops and waits for me to plead again. I’m going mad with her behaviour and I’m in tears most of the time thinking she’ll never outgrow this picky eating.

Essentially she’s training you to give her attention.

@toddlercoaster
You need to stop this or as she gets older she’ll learn to use food as a weapon to get control - you’re setting her up for an eating disorder

make mealtimes stress free - sit with her, at with her, model good eating behaviour but don’t beg cajole or battle with her.
I know this will be difficult. But you need to stop cajoling her to eat. It’s unhealthy

toddlercoaster · 11/02/2023 23:13

@Satch76 Sorry to hear that! Is this his diet everyday?

OP posts:
maddiemookins16mum · 11/02/2023 23:19

Stop the begging and singing, it’s madness. Put a plate of food in front of her (with food she eats) and let her eat. If she doesn’t, remove it.
That’s it.

ElegantlyTouched · 12/02/2023 09:43

"Looks like she's missing the attention."

And this is, I suspect, at the heart of it. Did it get worse around 9 months ago, when her sister was born by any chance? Because she'd found a great way to regain some of the attention she'd lost to her sister, hadn't she, having one of her parents dedicate themselves solely to her for an hour each day?

Sounds like yesterday went great. Would it br possible for you and dp to dedicate a set amount of time to her alternate days, after dinner, so she knows she'll very getting the attention without needing to make meals into a battleground?

Bronzeisthecolour · 12/02/2023 09:48

Well done OP! My ds use to be a fussy toddler and we catered to him for a while and dh couldn't help but make a comment at meal times! But once we stopped that and gave him his food and left him to choose bits he liked or disliked and amounts he soon relaxed and ate. He's 7 now and a different child around food- he knows he can taste but no pressure to finish it all.
You are doing great!

toddlercoaster · 12/02/2023 10:18

She woke up from her nap yesterday and started crying “I hate fruits” I told her no one asked you to have fruits she asked me could she complete her leftover lunch and boom she ate all the mushroom fried rice. Phewwww hope this continues!!!

@ElegantlyTouched she has been picky ever since but i do think a bit of sibling jealousy is also involved! She hates how dd2 loves fruits 🤣.

Also can anyone please tell me if Pediasure is a good option? Because of constant bouts of cough she vomits her dinner and goes to bed hungry and wakes up cranky. I want her to have something nutritious without the fuss when she is sick!

OP posts:
sunshinenroses · 12/02/2023 17:47

You're going to end up giving her ARFID if you don't stop forcing her to eat. She sounds like a normal child, absolutely no requirement for pediasure

emptythelitterbox · 13/02/2023 08:01

Well done OP. sounds like you've made great progress already.

When children are sick, they may not eat hardly anything. That is why chicken noodle soup and crackers has been a tried and true meal for people who are sick for decades. No need for pediasure.

Are you giving her something for her cold?
Often time the draining sinuses make children gag and throw up.
Does she blow her nose?

Also agree with carving out some one on one time every day whether it is a story or a game or coloring or singing a song together.

Sirzy · 13/02/2023 08:14

Personally if you are making progress with her actually eating I wouldn’t add in a peadiasure type thing at this point.

toddlercoaster · 13/02/2023 09:19

@emptythelitterbox I’m just applying Vicks and giving her steam inhalation and some Benylin for her cough but nothing seems to work! She has a chesty cough and blocked nose since a week now.

OP posts:
00100001 · 13/02/2023 10:10

Don't bother with paediasure.

If she's being sick after coughing and is hungry, give her a bit more food before bed

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread