My Fussy eater- help!!!!

[mummy2lola]

Hi there!
I need some mummy advice before I go nuts!!!

My nearly 2 year old has become nearly impossible to feed.
She used to try almost anything, and now flatly refuses most things.
The only things she will currently eat are fruit & veg, crackers, dry cereal & dried fruit.

I've tried various techniques- firm voice (because she knows I'm a soft touch), preparing about 4 different meals to offer, sitting with her and praising every mouthful ( positive reinforcement), pottering nearby. Nothing is working- all I get is 'no more' and whining.
She used to love her toast and marmite, but won't try anything- I've tried jam, peanut butter, jam, Nutella... Even banana on toast...nothing anymore! Help!!!

Do I persist and not give up so easily? Let her sit there until she eats it & keep promoting? It's getting stressful and expensive keep buying bits to tempt her and throwing good nutritious food away, not to mention exhausting

Advice appreciated x

Can totally sympathise as my dd was extremely fussy at this age too. Right now she knows that if she refuses anything it gets DM worked up and she may just get something nicer.

Here's what we found works for us:

We all eat together
Serve the same food as everyone else is eating
Give her really tiny portions, she can always ask for more
Don't get into any conversations about the food, I don't like this is usually met with something like "oh, ok" and a quick change of subject, preferably with someone else
If she flatly refuses to eat anything we clear away when everyone else is finished eating and get down from the table
If she says she is hungry she gets offered the refused food

If it makes you feel better, you could give her a vitamin each day too

We're going through this at the moment too. DD used to be a fantastic eater. Would eat anything put in front of her and masses of it but the last week or so its all changed. Shes 2.2 yrs. Shes even really fussy about snacks. She turns down all the expensive kiddilicious and goodies variety. She asks for snacks but when I offer fruit or raisins or any from the above ranges its met with a disgusted face and a no. Lunch and dinner is stressful and difficult to get her to eat anything. A few nights lately shes gone to bed on an empty stomach, even refused her milk. She is however teething her back molars. I do remember 2 months ago when she got her first back molar she was like this and she bounced back when it came through but the second one is half way out now and its the same behaviours so im hoping its just a blip while it pops through. So stressful though!! So could it be the molars rumbling away causing it for your DC?

One tactic that sometimes works is to use reverse psychology. So with the food on the fork I say "no don't go in her mouth! No stop it stop it, don't!" whilst having a bit of a fight with the fork. She likes that game so will sometimes say "no my food" and eat it but it may only work with a few mouthfuls but its better than nothing. The other thing I said to her in the last day is "the dragons will come and take it away. Quick don't let them come and get it". She likes dragons and dinosaurs and things at the moment from cbeebies (mike the knight and dinopaws haha) so sometimes that works but its all trial and error just to get a bit into her at the moment.

before she suddenly cottons on to the dragons taking it away and says thats fine let them, I don't care

My DD, aged 2, has always been a hopeless eater and is tiny - yesterday she ate two Babybels and six strawberries. She can also escape from any highchair. I just serve the meal same as the rest of us if she doesn't eat it I bin it -wasteful but nevermind. My DS, aged 3, was the same but now eats everything and asks for salad, fresh basil, raw carrots etc. Just keep offering and don't serve one dinner then make another if she doesn't like it.

She also has strong views on what she wears and I have to let her chose, she laughs if told off but I think good on her for knowing her own mind.

Jilyedjohnsjulie

I tried this today&although she refused the re-offered breakfast, she are more than normally lunchx

Little pink- the reverse psychology thing sounds like it might work with my headstrong madam- trying tomorrow!

Mrs marigold- thank u!
So I basically carry on offering things , then clearing away- it kinda worked today- she's usually 'no more ninner' at lunch, but today because I didn't offer 2nd breakfast option she was shouting 'ninner time- horay!' Lol
They stress us out so much, the. Make us laugh all at the same time! Little buggers!