Fussy Eating..... Help!

[Marsha101]

My 14m little boy is becoming more and more difficult to get food into.

He is cutting molars so I understand this may be exacerbating the problem but this started before that.

He will only eat about 8 different things (porridge, toast, yogs, fruit purée from a pot, mash with beans and cheese, broccoli cheese pasta, fish pie and occasionally a sandwich with Phili or bread sticks and hummous) and if I try and introduce something new its just ignored. He also seems to have regressed back to only really wanting puréed/mushy food which could be down to teeth but I'm not sure.

Some meals even when its something he will usually eat he just purses his lips and flat out refuses.

He is still breastfed and feeds in the day but I'm not usually before meals.

I'm feeling really anxious about it (even tho I know its not unusual for them to be fussy) and my HV has been useless. Really hoping anyone can give me some advice?

Thanks

You sound as though you are a caring lovely mum who is giving her child a good choice. If he is faddy eating at the moment don't worry to much, it may be a while, it may not be. The more attention you give it the worse it can get.
If l was to go back and do it all again (my son is now 13 and my daughter is 9) l would relax more and realise that all phases last for a short season. You will look back and ask yourself why you worried. Food fads are normal with little ones, and once they get to play school, and then to school they will be trying and eating a huge variety. i found that the best way to introduce a new meal or food was to get a friend to do it with her children. Peer encouragement works wonders. This is for later though, your little one sounds well looked after, and this will pass. Best wishes.

Have you thought about keeping a food diary for a week? You may find that he eats more than you realise, and with a reasonable balance of protein/carbs/fats etc. His list of foods actually seems like it covers a good range of food groups. You could give him a multivitamin (if you're not already) just to give you some reassurance.

I would continue to give him the things he will eat, with 1 extra food that he wouldn't/hasn't eaten before served with it. Don't worry if he ignores it, or picks it off or doesn't eat it. Just keep offering it with everything - apparently it can take at least 10 - 15 goes before they might eat a new food.

My 14m little boy is becoming more and more difficult to get food into.

You need to change how you think about this.

It isn't your job to get food into him. That's his job.

Your job is to make sure there is a balanced selection of attractive foods available to him at mealtimes.

Start putting the food where he can reach it or ask for it and sit down next to him to eat your food. If he asks for or indicates that he would like something hand it to him but don't comment or encourage him to eat it.

If he would like to eat purées he is old enough to be given a spoon and left to it.

If he doesn't want to eat get him down from the table and let him play. You can offer him a healthy snack a little bit later.

You eat when you're hungry and stop when you're not. He needs to be allowed to do the same. Feeling under pressure to eat is very likely to stop him feeling hungry so you need to just let him have control.

Whatever happens he will eat just what he wants to eat and nothing more. He can either do that while engaging in a bigger and bigger battle of wills each mealtime or he can do it by being left to get on with it while you give him a good role model by enjoying your own food. The latter is the way he will eat most in the end.

I know it isn't easy but it's the way it works.