Fussy one year old

[Henryc]

My son is 15 months he was a good eater at the beginning of earning once he had the hang of it! But for the past few months he had been really bad eating refuses, pushes good away or throws it on the floor. I took him to my gp who advised it teething but he will eat crisps, biscuits and occasionally toast. It’s really frustrating and worrying that he isn’t getting all the nourishment he needs. I have read to take away food and not offer anything else which I am going to try.

but he will eat crisps, biscuits and occasionally toast.

Sorry, but here is your answer. You made him discover junk/sweet food and he will now refuse anything else.
If you want to really reverse this, it will be with a fair amount of tears, probably on both sides.
Remove all crisps, biscuit and the like, don't buy them, don't have them in the house, take your meals both together at the table, not a tv, both with a plate and cutlery, and do not offer alternatives after alternatives when he refuses something.

Another thing that works is being hungry at meals, so stop the razing and snacking, if he does, even healthy things like a grape here, a cube of cheese there, only give water to drink before his meals.

Stop buying juices or flavoured milks, pouches which have fruit as the first ingredients, baby custard.

It will not be easy. Meanwhile, try to learn how to make very tasty health food. A boiled brussel sprout might be a lot less appealing than brussel sprouts leaves mixed in a bowl with rosemary and the tiniest amount of salt and roasted in the hot oven until they turn into chips.

Make a tomato soup (1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 stems of celery, 5 ripe tomatoes, 1 bottle of passata, 1 cloves of garlic, cover with water until all veggies are covered , fresh parsley cook for 45 minutes, blend, then put two paddle of the soup in a small pot, add small shaped pasta, cook it in the soup, add freshly grated parmesan, and give it to your DS).
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Give real food, full of flavours, use extra virgin olive oil, fresh herbs, if cooking a piece of chicken, cook it in the oven in a cake dish with extra virgin olive oil , onions, a sliced tomato, or cherry tomatoes cut in half, garlic and fresh herbs. The veggies will release juice to cook and meat will be soft and tasty.

If you want to compete with industrial food you need to start giving food that tastes amazing. And it is not difficult. It takes time. Absolutely, but often is it the time to cook more than prepare, like the recipe for the chicken I gave you. Putting the chicken in a dish with the veggies, herbs and oils will take you less than 5 min.

A good judging tool is " would you happily eat what you are seeing your DS and offer your plates for seconds?"

Hi,

I think you need to have it in your mind that whatever you choose to serve is the meal, and then it is up to your baby whether they eat it or not. Try to make the meal have one component that you know they've eaten happily in the past, alongside whatever else. Don't offer alternatives and ignore throwing etc for now. You might have a few days of going hungrier, but it won't affect them in the long run. After about a week they will probably start to get the message. I would also make sure you have set snack and meal times generally, and make sure you are offering healthy nutritious snacks.

I didn’t introduce junk food he eats crisps and baby biscuits, he doesn’t eat sweet stuff like yogarts. He has milk for a drink and sugar free flavoured water. His food isn’t bland and boring and it’s more about texture of the food than sweetness.

I cook healthy meals for myself and have tried endlessly to get him to try but it’s like he makes his mind up with his eyes first. Then when he touches the food it’s straight on the floor.

Since my post I have spoken to health visitor and he being referred to a fussy eating dietitian. He had a milk allergy as a baby so I felt like he was limited with tastes of foods.

It’s so easy to say it’s my fault for introducing sugar and junk but when you read my post you will see that’s not what he eats. Am asking for advise from other mums who’s children have them same response to food.

I know how you feel, my first son was extremely fussy too and used to only eat particulate foods like yogurt or biscuits. The only advice I’d get from others is to introduce a healthier diet but it can be so difficult when they make their mind up about the food straight away. Finally took him to dietitian who said it is food neophobia, so we continued to offer a wide range of foods and slowly he is beginning to try more things. But it’s taken awhile to get here and people judging definitely does not help! Hope all is well

Thank you for your advise it’s really appreciated I will stick at it sure he will get there soon enough x

Can I ask what milk he has and how much he has in 24 hours?

You have my total sympathy btw as my second was and still is fussy.

It’s so frustrating!!

He has about 4oz when he gets up as a drink then a bottle going to bed. Am worried about taking it away completely which I know I probably should.

He has about 4oz when he gets up as a drink then a bottle going to bed. So how much would you say he Jason total and which type of milk is it? Does he have any milk at night too?

It’s cows milk he has a full 9oz going to bed.

Ok, so he's not having a huge amount of milk. He should be having roughly 10 floz in a day and he's getting 13. Does he have other milk too, like on his cereal?

Could you cut down the morning milk by a couple of ounces and see if that triggers his appetite a bit?

I have cut it down of a morning the past few days and he has had a bit more cereal but not much he eats it dry too so no extra milk anywhere.

Am still offering food so it’s there if he wants it but he already decides before he tastes it. I give him vitamins to make up for what he isn’t getting and I buy cravendale big milk with added vitamins.

Ian you’re little one similar? Xx

Mine are older now, but yes, my DD was very, very fussy. I think you just need to try and ignore it as much as possible and trust them to eat what they need.

The Caroline Walker Trust has produced a a guide called Eating Well: 1 to 4 years which you might find helpful.

Some things that helped us are:

Eating together —and benignly ignoring any refusals or food dropping—

Offering really small portions, they need less than you probably imagine and they can always ask for more.

Seriously cutting back on the snacks

Never, ever, ever offer an alternative. No child will eat a lovely prepared meal if they know chocolate pud is likely to turn up if they refuse the first course.

If he’s not eating, wait until everyone else has finished eating, then clear away and let him down from the table. If he complains, just offer the same food again.

Well today he ate 3 meals hardly any snacks, he does this sometimes then goes days again 🙈

I will give it a go thank you.

Let us know how you get on

I have got on really well no tears at meals times from us both haha! He has been eating 3 meals a day for the past 5 days which is the most he ate in months! He is eating the same 3 meals every day which seems boring but he is eating! Am focusing more on routine than what he eats and we’re getting there slowly. His snacks I have reduced a lot so he is basically just getting the 3 meals a day and after his lunch or dinner I will give him the snack he would of has in the day. I am hoping he sticks with it thank you for your advice your words have really helped! It’s so easy to blame yourself as a mum so when someone else says they understand it makes a big difference xxxx