Fussy 15 month old eater

[facejacker]

Please-advice needed!

DS (15 mnths) was a GREAT eater till a few months ago but is now incredibly fussy at mealtimes. So much so that I'm dreading them. I literally do not know what to make and don't have lots of time to fanny around making things he won't eat.

Even stuff he used to love (veg pasta) he won't touch with a bargepole. I'm trying not to make an issue of it, but he's dropped from the 91st centile to the 50th so am worried. The HV said to let him feed himself, which I'm doing but he picks up his plate and throws it over his head.

Any ideas?

I'm sure you have tried lots of things but here are a few ideas...

small amount of food straight onto the highchair tray that he can pick up and eat himself

eat your meals with him

praise when he eats, stay casual / ignore when he doesn't

small healthy snacks through the day

have good floor and body coverings and don't worry about the mess

keep calm and try not show that you are worried - children pick up very quickly on your anxiety

My DSs (on the whole) eat the same as we eat as a family - I don't have time to make different things for different people! I put a small amount on each of their plates (it is easy to give more if they want but children can be put off by large amounts). I try and put on items I know they will like and a few other bits. They don't have to eat everything and there is always fruit to follow and a yoghurt at lunch times. A Dr said to me once that you should not think about what they have eaten at one meal but what they have eaten over a week. All my DSs will sometimes eat very little at one meal and lots at another.

Good luck!

there are those 'sucker' plates/bowls (from Boots and other places) which stick to the highchair tray so they cannot throw it anywhere :) porridge or weetabix is great for them to learn spoonfeeding themselves from the sucker bowls, having said that they like things they can pick up with their fingers at this age, good old healthy soft wholemeal sarnies are good cut into little squares at this stage, experiment to find ones they will eat at the mo. some kiddies, not mine sigh, like slices of cooked veg or fruit. try putting some fruit smoothie into a sippy cup of milk, if they like the 'milkshake' you'll be pleased as you're sneaking some goodness into them! its classic for them to go fussy at that age, my DS is 2 and half, went very very fussy and practically stopped eating altogether around 16m and has got better only in the last couple of months although still is very suspicious of things he doesnt know and it will take a few tries with something new before he might touch it. I blend lots and lots of veg into a homemade tomato based sauce that can be used with pasta or in shepherds pie, the mash of which will usually be potato with butternut squash and swede as well, so lots of hidden veg can ease your mind if they eat it.

Thanks ladies. He already has sucker bowls but has figured how to peel them off the highchair (has been doing so for a few months now). I guess I'm looking for reassurance that it will get better.

I do try to give him whatever we're eating and let him feed himself but he's just not interested. And unfortunately it's just getting worse...

you'll have to try and ignore it, just put a few bits down, if he hasn't eaten it by the end of your meal then calmly take it away, they like attention even the negative kind, so if you are upset or fussing/trying to 'make' them eat it definately makes the whole thing into a drama (believe me, been there!). as soon as we calmed right down and didn't give him loads of choices he started picking up things and calmly eating them instead of screeching, it took a little while and a hell of a lot of willpower on my part to keep smiling but it was worth it. he didnt eat loads at first but he eats more now, still not a huge appetite but for example last night he ate about half a decent sized mound of mashed carrot, sweede and potato and 2 fishfingers, half a banana and a yoghurt. I couldnt have dreamt he would eat that much in one meal 6 months ago or even last month!! so it does get better but you have to play 'the long game' and keep calm. I found keeping a food diary of what he did eat during the 'lean' times and it did help when I saw small portions of good things going on the page, it was slightly more than I felt he was eating plus it gave me a good idea of textures and stuff that he did and didnt like. my HV at the time gave me good advice in that its better to look at their intake over a week rather than a day, hence I started the food diary :) hope that helps?? best wishes... :)

Oh, I have this issue. Turned out that it was DS being strapped into his highchair that was the issue

He now eats at his little desk and chair thing for non messy things (pizza/sandwiches) or isn't strapped into his chair (while I watch like a hawk) for messier things like stews.

For him it was about wanting more control.

brighton, that's really reassuring. I was a smug mum a few months ago cos there was nothing he would refuse-used to love broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts (lol) as well as loads of other things... He loves his milk though, thanks goodness though I'm careful not to substitute it for food.

Bloody hard work this parenting lark

It certainly is facejacker! Every age they like to throw another challenge at you!

Just to say DS1 was a fantastic eater until the toddler years then it was very hit and miss and now he is nearly 6yrs old and he is a great eater again (except spicy food!), DS2 has always been picky and will eat a strage range of food - his favourite is kidney beans but does not like vegetable except carrots. He is 4 and will eat loads sometimes and then nothing at others. DS3 is nearly 2 and at the moment eats well although waits to see what everyone else eats. I'm waiting for the fussy toddler years though!

Good luck - my mum always says 'its just a phase'

I noticed a shift around that age and I think it was to do with him wanting to feed himself rather than be fed. Not sure if you've already thought of that. These kinds of foods are a good alternative to fish fingers: home-made chicken nuggets which is bite sized raw chicken coated in a bit of egg, breadcrumbs and sesame seeds and shallow fried; mini beef or chicken burgers, sausage with mash and peas, Falafel. DS also LOVES Lidl / Aldi Frikadellen which are 1 min in the microwave and you just chop them up into bite-sized pieces. They are delicious and I always end up eating half his meal

I forgot to say variety and perseverence are also important. Just because they won't eat it today does not mean that they won't eat it next week, next month or next year. A friend discovered her DS would only eat sausage, chips and beans so that is what she gives him every day. Unfortunately he has just announced he does not like sausages so she is stuck.

Also if they don't like it cooked, try it raw, if they don't like it sliced try it grated or cubed. Try dried fruit. Try different colours, different textures and different levels of spiciness. Before DS1 got to about 4 he loved spicy food and now loves lots of garlic. You never know what they will like until you offer it to them.

Hope you are feeling a bit more positive about it. Food battles are very common.

facejacker mine did exactly the same, I was very smug about my baby eating advocado, green beans, etc and as soon as he wanted to feed himself he stopped eating! I think it may be alot to do with control, learning to do stuff themselves, mine now likes to tell me when to get "reekfast" on the table in the mornings and screeches "toast!" if you actually ask him what he wants for dinner, and I wasn't able to spoonfeed him from about 13m... he definately eats better on his booster cushion at a normal table, or sat at a toddler table, than he did in the highchair once he got past about 14m, I probably should have got rid of it earlier. but who knew about all the mind-reading needed in parenting