Food problems

[Welshygirl]

Hi

Wondering whether any one can offer any suggestions about how to deal with my toddler who seems to be getting more and more fussy at meal times. He used to eat a wide range of food and enjoyed things like fish fie, bolognaise, casseroles, soups, homemade fish fingers and burgers etc.

Now he seems to only want to eat cereal, toast (no bread or sandwiches ever), sausages (bought) burgers and fish fingers (homemade), beans on toast, scrambled egg on toast, tinned pasta on toast (won"t touch ordinary pasta dishes)and that is pretty much it. Any suggestions for dishes I could try? He loves fruit and would quite happily just eat that all day.

He usually throws all his food on the floor if he doesn't like it and refuses to eat any thing. I would love for meal times to be less of a battle.

Hi,

I have a fussy toddler too. It's a real worry isn't it?

Do you and your partner / other kids(?) sit and eat with your little boy? We've found this to be really helpful. We try and make sure our DS has the same food as us, and when he refuses to eat and starts to try and throw his plate we just take his plate away and ignore him saying things like 'Mmmmm, daddy, are you enjoying your dinner? MMmmmmmm, mine is really delicious!' or sometimes my husband will say 'Ooooh mummy, you are doing bery nice grown up eating. Aren't you clever?' - sooner or later our DS will ask for his plate back and try and eat 'nicely' - to which we always give him lots of praise.

He likes to feel involved and grown up I think.

Other than that, the range of food that you mention your DS WILL eat isn't too bad in my opinion. fish fingers, baked beans, egg - all full of protein. Toast is good, will he eat brown bread? And the fact that he is eating fruit is excellent.

Does he eat a roast dinner? I've found when all else fails a roast dinner is always a favourite - and keep toddler portions in the freezer at all times.

Controversial to some I know, but I give mine toddler formula milk in the mornings also, because then I know he is getting vitamins and minerals - be they artificial or not!

Please don't be too hard on yourself. Some kids eat nothing but crisps - your little one by comparison sounds like he's getting quite a good balance!

Hope things work out. My son never used to eat vegetables, not one, if I hid them in a mouthful of food he would find the vegetable and spit it out. Now, he eats veg, it just happened overnight!

They are strange and wonderful mysteries aren't they?

xx

Hi Edsmummy thanks for your reply. We are starting to have dinner with him in the evening (although that early seems very strange!)in the hopes that will encourage him and I must admit it is easier only making one lot of food. It is sometimes hard to remember it is just a phase when food is being flung across the room!

Hi Edsmummy thanks for your reply. We are starting to have dinner with him in the evening (although that early seems very strange!)in the hopes that will encourage him and I must admit it is easier only making one lot of food. It is sometimes hard to remember it is just a phase when food is being flung across the room!

I know! Eating that early is weird, and bad for the diet, I need a sandwich by about 9pm cos I'm starving!

They are such little monkeys!

x

Argh, mine is just as bad!
We try eating with him, cooking with him (he loves this, and it has worked in the past, not for ages though), doesn't work very well but we perservere! Savoury food wise, he currently only reliably eats pasta pesto (NOOO, GREEN pesto NOT RED pesto) and houmous sandwiches!! At least they are bloody easy to make.
Hmmm...other things to try that lots of toddlers like...Baked potatoes, macaroni cheese or pasta pesto to get him into "normal" pasta, fish cakes, omelette, eggy bread (mine used to eat these and I used to sneak pureed veg in), quiche? What about chicken as finger food or chicken nuggets or something?

Gosh you guys are lucky compared to me! My daughter will only eat the following

Breakfast: toast or weetabix
Lunch: Cheese on toast or cheese sarni
Dinner: pizza or pesto pasta
Snacks: crackers, cheese

very worrying. And the only response you ever get is 'well if they're growing then they're fine'

I honestly don't know how my child is growing?!