Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

My ds will only eat peanut butter sandwiches, plain pasta, sweetcorn and ham. Help

61 replies

Katiekin · 14/10/2007 23:09

My ds1 would eat anything as long as it was with mashed potato but ds2 has porridge,ham or peanut butter sandwiches, and fish fingers or chicken with plain pasta and sweetcorn, carrots or broccoli almost every day. He does eat apple or banana but it is so limited and means I usually have to cook him a separate meal. We got him this far with star charts and bribery but he really seems to dislike new foods and although he will taste them, just licks them then demands water to take the taste away. Any ideas?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

emkana · 14/10/2007 23:11

Don't cook him seperate meals.

Serve him what everybody else is having, he won't starve himself.

moondog · 14/10/2007 23:11

You don't have to do anything.
You are in charge,not him.
You buy the food,not him.

Make a meal and present it.If he doesn't want it,don't offer anything else.Repeat ad infinitum without making a fuss. He will eventually get bored and/or hungry and eat.

expatinscotland · 14/10/2007 23:12

Spot on as usual, moondog.

Original poster

Katiekin · 14/10/2007 23:13

oh yes he will, we tried not giving him any thing else and he went to bed hungry. We served it to him for breakfast and he still wouldn't eat it. at lunchtime I gave in.

OP posts:

moondog · 14/10/2007 23:13

When did we all subscribe to the notion that children deserve a say in everything?
They bloody well don't.

moondog · 14/10/2007 23:13

Yes 'you gave in' so it didn't work and you reinforced his not eating behavious.

millie99 · 14/10/2007 23:14

Well so would you if you were given last nights food the next day! If not eaten it goes in the bin and next morning breakfast is a new start.

Original poster

Katiekin · 14/10/2007 23:14

how long would you let him go without eating then?

OP posts:

moondog · 14/10/2007 23:15

Yes,don't try and force to eat leftovers.A fresh meal everytime and make no comment/poay no attention.

millie99 · 14/10/2007 23:16

Until the next meal time when you offer up the same as everyone else is eating. That may or not have one of his list of foods on the plate depending onwhat you are having but if I was doing a couple of veg I would make one sweetcorn in your case.

Original poster

Katiekin · 14/10/2007 23:17

yes millie but when we let him have his porridge he eats it then he will refuse lunch and tea if they are not his usual meals. we have tried that for 3 days in a row

OP posts:

pointydog · 14/10/2007 23:17

I don't see it as a problem that a young child has a fairly small range of foods that he will eat. As long as it is a well-balanced range.

I'd serve up different things but also have something that he liked on the plate so he could at least eat that. And in time, he'd start to eat some of the other stuff too.

lilospell · 14/10/2007 23:17

Agree with the others, but can imagine it's easier said than done. not sure if it's on at the mo but Tanya Byron's "House of Tiny Tearaways" usually has a child with eating problems on it. If you can watch it/buy DVD/book would recommend it. Depends on how severe the eating problem is as to how you would tackle it, am not an expert. But would try saying "if you have one mouthful of what we're having, then you can have a bit of apple/banana/whatever else you know they will eat"
Other key point seems to be just leaving them to it, not being on their case the whole time when they won't eat, but making a big fuss when they do.

Not been through it with my DCs, but really rated Bryon's techniques if you can track something down which shows them.

Greensleeves · 14/10/2007 23:18

katiekin, I know how hard this is (I do, honestly), but you need to give it a bit longer than that. If you only feed him ham sandwiches, peanut butter and fish fingers, that's all he'll eat.

millie99 · 14/10/2007 23:18

Well I wouldn't give him porridge every day - cereal or toast or fruit or whatever the rest of you are having .

Original poster

Katiekin · 14/10/2007 23:18

ok so give him one of his veg with the meal and let him just eat that for each meal?

OP posts:

moondog · 14/10/2007 23:19

My dd wouod eat nowt but ice cream and cheese and Branston sandwiches if I let her have her own way.

Which I don't.

moondog · 14/10/2007 23:19

Don't bargain with them!
It gives them leverage.
Just cook and serve up.

pointydog · 14/10/2007 23:20

well, one of his veg or chicken, or pasta. SO he gets filling stuff too.

I mean, he's not going to only eat fish fingers forever.

Original poster

Katiekin · 14/10/2007 23:21

We usually give him a spoonful of what we are having with something that he likes and no pudding if he won't try it. He usually licks it to get his pudding

OP posts:

Greensleeves · 14/10/2007 23:22

It is hard though. It strikes to the heart of who we are as parents, our first and primary duty towards our children is to keep them alive by feeding them. And a significant proportion of us end up feeling like utter failures at it before the baby can even hold its own head up, unfortunately. Small wonder that feeding issues in infancy turn us into quivering jellies

He will gradually branch out IMO katie, if you gradually and calmly introduce new foods. Just don't let it be an emotional battlefield - give him his dinner, give him a decent interval to eat it, then take it away, get rid of it and get on with the day. It works for most children.

pointydog · 14/10/2007 23:22

usually licks it to get his pudding? Are you telling him he has to try it/lick it?

I wouldn't bother with that. Either he eats it or not.

lilospell · 14/10/2007 23:23

Pointydog, if children are really food phobic, then licking is quite a step forward - please don't dismiss it!

moondog · 14/10/2007 23:24

Food phobic my arse!!

Bloody made up ailment.

pointydog · 14/10/2007 23:24

ok. 'food phobic' isn't something I know anything about.

Flip

1 2 3