My toddler is such a food finick - help !!

[marinda]

My DS 3.6 is such a pain with food. Have such a job with breakfast - mostly have to spoon feed and often refuses anyway - so then too tired to go to playgroup/nursery. Lunch also finicks "Don't like potato, peas etc....." Usually get ONE good meal down him a day . Trouble is he can't do a full day at nursery because he does not eat properly so has insufficient energt. WILL eat chocolate, crisps, cakes etc... and protests when can't have them instead of dinner. Can't always be bothered to feed himself so unless you do it for him, he won't eat except for a few mouth fulls. He is a bit underweight - and all I seem to hear about is how well other's mum's toddlers eat ! Anyone else have this problem now or in past????

Bump - please help

Yep. My DS is 3.3 and although he eats tons of fruit, he won't eat a meal. I have tried everything and now don't put a cooked meal in front of him very often anymore. I make sure he gets a balance of food groups throughout the day and occasionally treats like crisps but maybe only once a week but if he wants marmite on toast with some cheese for dinner that's what he has. I am sick of throwing food away and having arguments at mealtimes and I figure the more fuss you make about eating the more of a problem it becomes.

Thanks Kristmasbear - nice to think i am not alone - Does you DS suffer from tiredness as a result ever ? My worry is that when he goes to school - he won-t eat - but then maybe he will wit other kids. Will your som eat potatoes or veg ?

Anyone else ????

He often says he's tired but that usually means he wants to lay on the sofa and watch tv instead of going out!! (just like his father! ha ha) I don't think he is particularly tired (he goes to bed at 7pm and sleeps until 6.30am usually).

No, he won't eat veg or pots, has never even tried a tomato or cucumber. Just won't.

My DD (nearly 6) is the exact opposite. Always been a good eater, eats brocolli like its chocolate on her place, all veg and fruit. Hates fish fingers etc.!

A typical days diet for DS would perhaps be

1 weetabix and milk
1 banana

Toast and marmite
Chunks of cheese
An apple
Yoghurt

More toast
Tinned spaghetti (my pet hate)
grated cheese

Tinned pears and custard

So all in all not drastically terrible but not what I would call a proper balanced diet. I just get loads of different fruits in and don't stress about veg too much.

meant chocolate on her plate!!

Miranda I know what this is like - my brother was like this from age 2.5 years to 7 years old - every night the same thing would not eat - would not feed himself - would pretend to fal asleep at table so he wouldn't have to eat- my mum was our single parent and unfortunately for me she would leave me in the dining room with him and give me the responsibility to make him finish his dinner? (I am older sis) - he never ate his dinner, I always got the blame it was a nightmare - then at about age 7 or 8 he just started eating full meals - just all of a sudden. Probably not what you want to hear but I know how you feel. My dd now eats well - so far so good.

Hi marinda, my dd's a good bit younger than your ds, she's 26 months now and she's ALWAYS been a terrible fussy eater. She has the same things every day for every meal and not even that much of them. I think she's also quite low on energy, I find it hard to persuade her out of the house while I thought kids were meant to LOVE going to the park etc.

Typical day of meals for my son
Rises 7.30

Asks for biscuit and ribena - refuses ceral. toast etc...

Will have readybreak if spoon fed infront of telly 9tables don't work in morning!!!

Goes to playgroup from 9.12. Very crabby on return- eats lunch consisting of

1 monster frozen turkey slice, a bit of tomato and a couple of spoonfulls of spaghetti. Will eat bread and make a small tomato sauce sandwich with it. Will then have a caramel pudding. Will eat some himself, the rest I feed him !!But WILL sit at table- but if good prograame on cannot wait to leave table and watch it!!

Tea - 3 fishfingers, bread.

Refuses potatoe, most veg, alot of fruit (although will eat banana an apple in small amounts!!)

Worried this is not balanced !!

My worst worry is breakfast - will NOT eat when I need to take him out. Have heard pop tarts are good for toddlers !!!

Bump feeling better - thanks heymissytoe- what a responsibility - anyone else there with this food finick problem!

marinda, well, that's not THAT bad really. And you say he does eat Readybrek if you feed it to him. What about drinks? Does he still drink milk or juice? My dd's diet is:

7.30: half slice toast and butter, big cup of milk.
12.30: 4 bits of broccoli, 2 bits of baby corn, maybe a few spaghetti hoops, a bit of cheese or a bit of potato waffle. A cup of juice.
2.30: small cup of milk, maybe half a banana
6.00: small plate of pasta in tomato sauce
8.00: half a cereal bar, big cup of milk

It's ok in that it's reasonably healthy but there's no eggs, meat or fish (she won't touch it) so no proper protein other than milk. And without exception that's what she eats EVERY day in larger or smaller amounts.

Hi marinda, my dd's a good bit younger than your ds, she's 26 months now and she's ALWAYS been a terrible fussy eater. She has the same things every day for every meal and not even that much of them. I think she's also quite low on energy, I find it hard to persuade her out of the house while I thought kids were meant to LOVE going to the park etc.

Interesting Blue moon - how funny she won't eat anything else !

Does she eat sweets, crisps etcc... Will she feed herself ?
My worry is that my DS should be feeding himself now 0 he CAN do it - he just can't be bothered !!!!

BTW - He only drinks ribena but will drink mils (if mixed with cusha milk shake) and will drink tea. Will NOT drink orange juice

Any more menus from fussy eating toddlers - ladies ???

?

Hi all
My DS2 (3) won't eat fruit at all unless it's pureed - baby pots or those little fruit tubs you can get. He used to eat it as a baby, up to about 14 months, and then just refused. My older son has always been pretty fussy.
We eat a lot of soup in our house now. A few months back I had to put DS1 (6) on an elimination diet and only a few yukky veggies were allowed (cabbage, brussel sprouts, celery, swede, lentils etc), so I made vegetable soup with the yukky things and then told them they had to eat one teaspoon of it before their chicken and rice. They were so disgusted by it!!! The next day it was 2 teaspoons and then by the end of the week we were up to a ramekin dish. Now they eat big bowlfuls of the stuff and my younger son last night ran across the room yelling "Our soup's ready! Hooray!".
It took a lot of patience and believe me the first time I put it in front of them I thought it would never work, but that's how they have most of their veggies now. They just got used to the taste.
Could you mix some veg in with mashed potato - a little swede or cauliflower? You need to puree it so they don't notice the lumps. Could you mix pureed carrots etc into spaghetti hoops? You have to only put a little in or they'll notice, but gradually you can increase it.
I went cold turkey on juice at the same time coz I had to, so now they drink water - my elder boy would never touch it, but I just kept offering water and nothing else and eventually he got thirsty enough.
Don't know if this will offer hope to any of you, but it shows at least that children's tastes can change.
Good luck - most children do broaden their repertoire eventually and as long as what their eating is fairly balanced, it doesn't really matter if it's limited.
HTH somewhat.