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11-month-old suddenly v fussy eater - help, what should I do?

2 replies

glasgowbelle · 17/11/2007 19:38

My DS has gone from being a very happy eater - would eat practically anything you put in front of him - to only eating bread, oatcakes, fruit and yogurt. He won't accept any savoury foods, apart from a small amount of cheese on toast. It's bizarre - even foods he loved a few weeks ago (eg macaroni cheese) now make him literally retch with disgust.

I've tried all sorts of tactics. Giving him only finger foods, covering savoury foods with fruit puree (v limited success). I even tried embedding peas in tangerine segments today, but he ate the tangerine and spat out the pea with a resounding 'bleeeuch'. I've tried placing a mix of fruit and savoury on his plate - he picks out the fruit and chucks everything else on the floor - to starting off with savoury, but then he eats nothing unless I give him some fruit or yogurt. He generally won't even try things he doesn't immediately recognize as being sweet. He tentatively touches them, but rarely puts them in his mouth.

What should I do? Just keep feeding him bread and fruit, thus reinforcing his limited eating habits, or play tough mum, and give him nothing if he won't eat what's put in front of him?

I'm trying my utmost not to react to him throwing food etc, but it's getting more and more difficult to stay calm...

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wrinklytum · 17/11/2007 19:51

It is quite common at this age for them to start being fussy.Do not worry,its a phase!!!

I would not pander to his every whim.Does he eat the same meals as you?

I would also cut out giving too many snacks during the day or him "grazing" throughout the day on snacks.I found this helped as the dcs got older,otherwise they were not too hungry at mealtimes.

Obviously he may have some genuine food dislikes(Cannot get ds to eat peas or sweetcorn,however hard I try)

Are there food that are savoury that he really loves?

If it is any consolation ds went through a terrible food faddiness stage between 18 months and 2.5.He is much better now.I am afraid I am pretty awful and if he doesn't eat his dinner there is no pudding!He is 3 though so it is easier to reason with him.

glasgowbelle · 18/11/2007 09:30

Thanks, wrinklytum. Reassuring to hear it's fairly common. He does have a few rice cakes between meals, so perhaps I should cut those out.

No, he doesn't seem to like anything savoury. He had some sweet potato the other night - hurrah - but you could hardly call that savoury. It's as if he's found a little comfort zone of bread, fruit, and yogurt, and that's that!

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