19month old given up being fed

[murphy36]

Basically he refuses to be fed by spoon or fork, by us...

Childminder can feed him, for most stuff where he uses his hands he's ok. Vegetables are tough even then, meat no issues. He will let us feed him yogurt, jelly and other deserts.

He's a bit young to explain and create any kind of understandable consequences.

He won't even use the spoon himself anymore, he used to try. We did resort to some veg purée sachets, he slurps them from the packet - doesn't eat the same thing from a spoon.

His weight is good, he's active and sleeps well. Any ideas?

Just let him use his hands. He will learn to use a spoon eventually. I would advise not making meal times a battle unless you want a fussy eater on your hands, he just wants some control, force the issue and he may exert his control by not eating!

Yes, let him do it! Keep providing cutlery, keep gently encouraging him to use it. He is eating, many parents of toddlers would be ecstatic!

The use of the spoon isn't really the issue as much as the one dimensional diet and the general regression

My advice would still be to let him get on with it. They all go through phases like this.

It isn't regression. It's development.

He is taking over feeding himself.

I can't imagine why you are considering imposing consequences. He is doing exactly what he should be doing. Just put the food in front of him and leave him to it.

He will realise that spoons help as he matures and start using one again. In the meantime he is exploring the textures and properties of the the different food and eating what his body tells him to eat. This is setting him up for a healthy relationship with food later on.

The more you try to control how and what he eats, the more he will resist.

My son did this so I made him sticky and stodgy stuff like pasta bake, risotto etc.
This is progress not regression!

You have my sympathies, it's extremely tedious and can be anxiety provoking. However the less you intervene the quicker it will pass in my experience of three dc! Youngest has just started eating normally this week and she is 23 months. But now she literally sits down and feeds herself pretty much whatever balanced (or unbalanced!) meal I put in front of her with a strange mix of finger and spoon/fork feeding! For the last six months at least she has barely eaten anything other than porridge for breakfast, banana, pasta shapes and yoghurt!

Why are you feeling him jelly? Isn't it basically just sugar?

Why can't he feed himself. I am a nanny and expect my 1 year old and I mean (13 months onwards to feed themselves)

I don't see what the problem is, just put the food in front of him and let him get on with it.

Dd is nearly 19months and I don't feed her unless she asks for help. She Has a spoon and fork given to her and she uses them some of the time and does the rest with her hands. For a while I would make foods that can be easily picked up, but still provide cutlery for practicing. It really isn't a big deal op.

Just keep offering different foods op, he will come out of the fussy phase soon enough.