What to do when you have tried EVERYTHING and after 2 years your child still wont eat

[tryingtobemarypoppins2]

DS is now 3 and for 2 years has had a VERY limited diet. We have been very relaxed (but worried) over meal times, said nothing, ignored, said no pudding, we really have tried everything.

Breakfast is fine. Wetabix and toast, fruit pouch.

Lunch he will eat 1/2 a sandwich but only cheese/marmight/hummous. Won't eat fruit unless its a pouch. Will eat cake/crisps. Anything else is a total refusal.

Dinner: Will only eat: Sausages/beans/spegetti hoops. That's it. Anything else is total refusal.

The problem is he is happy to miss pudding/sit and wait for his brother. Doesn't ask for food later. He looks pale and is under 2 stone.

I am really worried that this will impact on his brother (9months) who eats like a horse!

After 2 years of this I ahve had enough. But what can I do!??

I'm so glad it's not just my DS!

I am also interested in the sensory issues past posters have raised as DS also has severe speech delay.

DS will not eat hot food at all - and even when he was a baby he would not drink his milk warm - it had to be stone cold or he would refuse it.

The only "hot" meal he will now eat is Spag Bol and even then he lets it get quite cool before touching it. If I offer it while it's still hot he will totally refuse it and go without.

He will eat ham/cheese sandwiches and every single type of fruit I have ever offered him but veggies are a no-no.

I find it quite embarassing when out with friends / at other people's houses as I tend to just bring a sandwich with me as I know he will not eat otherwise.

In DSs case the "they won't starve themselves" is not true - he will go without if it's not something he likes.

Today he has eaten: 6 chips, 1 bite cake, 1 bowl strawberries. He has been offered various healthy options all of which have been refused :(

Maxy brown - i know a lovely little boy with sensory mouth issues. He is about a year or so behind in speech but recently blossoming. He still gets caught in loops of behaviour/language and still struggles to understand how other people feel but being a year older now he seems to have made some huge strides. Hes mildly on the ASD/autistic spectrum. I think you would probably have a gut feeling if your son was on the spectrum too as you would notice specific elements of behaviour - verbal dyspraxia does seem much more likely.

Going back to food - my son is just off the bottom of the percentile chart. He will eat a good range of things but doesn't seem to put weight on for some reason - unlike his mother!

PDR - as for sensory issues, well my DS would NO WAY go near spag bol as far too many things in with diff textures (apart form the look as well )

SkyBluePearl - My son is def quirky - I normally work with young children and my Husband is a teacher so we are used to seeing lots of different children!! he is under a paed anyway, am not particuarly worried as he is getting some good help atm. He is lovely - a really sweet little boy, but has some very very specific ideas shall we say!

A sensory moouth issue doe snot necc mean autism either and I am pretty certain he has got verbal dyspraxia!!

So my two year old today has eaten, date and apple bar, yoghurt, one piece of bread and butter. Reassure me that she won't starve.

she won't

mine has had a couple of mouthfuls of salmon and a slice of bread and butter - oh actually and a bit of sausge roll.

Joining in the fun here...

My DS is 16mo and massively fussy and has been really since weaning.

Like other posters report he will eat a good breakfast as he loves Ready Brek and all fruit. But aside from that the only things he will eat reasonably reliably are: bread, cream cheese, babybels, cucumber, roasted sweet potato/squash sticks, meatballs and fishfingers. And sweet stuff of course. No other veg. No pasta, rice or potatoes. And he hardly eats a thing at nursery.

I am finding it hard as he is still so little and obviously I can't do any of the bargaining with him yet, although I have started not giving him any dessert if he doesn't at least try some savoury stuff. But don't think he really understands that concept anyway.

If he is in a mood he will literally punch any food away. Taking the advice from the HV eg 'give him what you're eating and nothing else' - he will just cry in his highchair.

He is also a big monkey about 'playing' with his food - sliding it along the table, throwing it on the floor, or passing it back to us (!) Eventually, after lots of saying 'No! Do not throw food', replacing it on his plate (and by this time its cold), he will generally suddenly grab and eat it

Anyone else had this in the past and is it just a phase? What do I do with one so young?