Sorry-posted in someone else's thread by mistake- any ideas on getting 1 year old to eat?

[Aluapenna]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this site-I have twins who are just over a year old who are gorgeous- great fun , happy, contented and now starting to sleep more than 4 hours at a time so I'm starting to feel normal again but my son is eating fewer and fewer things- he has never liked cheese but as of this week won't eat toast,bananas,raisins or even a chicken/sweet potato mush from Annabel Karmel's book which used to be one of his favourite things and which I made in desperation as he's really too old for purees! I know he's thriving and I know all the books say that no child ever died of stubbornness but it's hard not to worry-his diet boundaries seem to be closing in almost daily and I'm afraid he's getting more and more limited because unless I refuse to give him an alternative when he refuses food I end up going back to the few things I know he'll eat like garlic bread, leek soup and pasta (but only from a jar-the stuff I prepare lovingly from scratch is obviously poisoned-or you'd think so from his reaction!!) Sorry to go on but I do worry he'll end up anaemic and meanwhile his sister eats everything she's given- yet they say twins are similar in tastes because theyr'e exposed to similar tastes in the womb- yeah, right ! Anyone had the same problem and did they just sit tight or how do you get a 1 year old to eat?

My dd now almost 4 did and does eat anything at all, MIL kept saying oh she will get fussy soon but she never ever has. DS now in all honesty I am surprised he is the thriving chunk that he is because he is soooo fussy and like your ds will not even look at things he loved last week.

IT is hard I know but the best solution is to make him the same things that you make his sister, and include loads of finger foods in different textures and tastes and leave him to it, don't offer an alternative because he will never broaden his horizons then as he knows he will get something he likes in 5 minutes if he doesn't eat what he has.

Believe me I know how difficult it is to do that DS is 16 months now and he gets what everyone else is having and I do often put one thing in a small portion that I know he will eat on his plate with it. I have forced myself not to get oo stressed about it and just let him play and explore and throw on the floor what he doesn't want/like.

In the past fornight he has tried and in the end enjoyed boiled egg and potatoes, not much to some but to us was a huge thing. Sit around the table together and eat with the twins so they both see you eating the same things and honestly he will eventually try things.

The more you stress and offer alternatives the longer this will go on for. I was also the fussiest eater when I was small and gradually got better and my diet was tiny. Now I eat almost anything.

Maybe we should start a fussy eaters support group

If he's teething he might be off his food because of it or for a number of other reasons. My DD isn't picky but sometimes she just doesn't want to eat much and she'll refuse something she loved last week, only to love it again tomorrow.

I would try to let it ride and not get too concerned. Provide food you're reasonably certain he'll like and let him decide whether or not to eat it. Also, try to avoid labeling him as picky at this age, you never know how he'll be in 6 months!

Thank you for the support- good to know this isn't unusual and babies survive! We just keep trying as many different flavours from our plates as well when we eat together in the hope that he'll realise eating is actually fun!

Well this weekend I made chilli and a curry and made a tiny portion with paprika and less spices fos ds and although he doesn't have great co-ordination with a spoon he does get most of it in and left him to it while we all ate and he had a couple of spoons of chilli and tried the curry which was a HUGE advance for us. HE never ate much but he gave it a go something he would never do before. So it seems there is light at the end of the tunnel.

One thing I have found is that he is more likely to eat something if he thinks he is pinching it off our plate

Do you let him feed himself. My Ds will eat more sometimes if I just let him shovel it up with his hands.

Yeah just let him feed himself, he will refuse anything that isn't yogurt off a spoon of fork, now I give him a plactic fork and a spoon with his food messy stuff as well and let him get on with it he has started eating more that way and actually tries things he had previously turned his nose up at. He still won't tuck in and eat the lot but will try at least because he thinks he is ace feeding himself lol.

Funny you should say that - he does try with varying success to feed himself ( oh, the mess-especially with twins!!) but he does eat better if we're out and he just shares whatever we order-maybe I should put his meal on my plate and pretend to be upset if he nicks it!