DS won't eat "messy" foods? Or any foods really...

[chelseamummy]

DS, age 22 months, won't eat anything messy, as in anything with sauce on it, or anything mashed up. He likes finger foods, but only certain things:

cheese
ham
sometimes bread
yoghurt
houmous with breadsticks (thank god something HEALTHY!)

With his nanny, he eats omelettes and she hides veggies in there, but he won't eat anything for me or DH at the weekend. He is not a big fan of meat (for me or nanny), won't eat mashed potato, soup, shepherd's pie, pasta with sauce, no bolognaise, nothing! He was prem, and is about the size of a 13-month-old, so it's not a case of "don't worry he will grow out of it" - as he genuinely is a child who NEEDS to eat more. He's not attached to milk, which is good, and he does well with fruit smoothies (although the only whole fruit he will eat is banana).

Help?

No, not particularly. Nanny says she never cleans him off until after the meal, and we both let him eat his yoghurt with a spoon (gets very messy!).

take him to doctors to get checked out - if there is no medical reason, then i think you are fussing and pandering

give him something to eat

if he doesnt eat it

wait til next meal time

DD can be like this and DH worries, but I'm more like Custy and just offer the food. No toddler ever starved themselves.

If you are worried because of his size get him checked out to put your mind at rest, but I do think it's just a phase they go through!

I agree with Custardo, just give him his food and if he refuses, he will have to wait to the next meal. Also don't let him fill up on snacks.

You need to nip this in the bud, or food will be an ongoing issue.

Good Luck.

My kids are the same, they don't like to eat anything they can't identify each separate component of - it's a control thing i think! I'm not particulary soft with them, but it is a battle.

I find I can vary their food more by giving them lots of meals where they have tortilla wraps accompanied by lots of different items - bits of chicken and ham, bits of vegetables and fruit - and they will eat loads more wrapped up then they would normally.

We also have spaghetti where I mix in a bit of sauce with veggies blended into it - enough that they can see the pasta so they still feel they're really just eating pasta.

I worried about this and spoke to the health visitor who was pretty happy with their diet as they were having some meat, some cheese, some carbs, some fruit and veg- just like your DS is.

One thing that does help my girls eat more is when we sit down and eat with them - they will try more things when they see us doing so. I put the veggies etc in serving bowls and let them take some themselves and they eat much more than normal - do you eat together much?

You do have my sympathies. I did the whole organic-pureed-icecubes weaning thing and my girls used to eat just about anything until they got to nearly two and discovered toddler madness and control! They've got a lot better over the last year (nearly three) and like yours will try many more things at nursery than at home with me.

my ds went through similar phase so each afternoon made some messy foods and played with them as well as ate them so put bit of food on my nose pulling faces got him to copy or put it on my face

the more we played and used to get him to try just small bit lots of praise i was able to introduce small amounts gradually

it was because he didnt like to be messy but when he realised it could be fun he was less anxious

now he can be elbow deep in pasta sauce and mash potatoe with no problems

and i refrain from wiping his face and hands

also dont insist in using cutlery let him pick up with his fingers and eat as it can be sloppy work if not able to use cutlery and frustrating finger food is easier and cleaner

good luck

maybe introduce roasted parsnips, carrots as finger foods sweet potatoe chips but do them at lunch if new foods as if doesnt like then will not have much before bed and if that doesnt work you can make crisps with them aniother sneaky way to get healthy food down

also dont put huge plate of food in front of him as found my ds would push it away straight away as anxious about eating it all or me making him eat it all

its one table spoon per portion per yr of there age so one tablespoon meat one potatoe one veg and is sufficient enough for there requirements

sorry to keep on but also found when got ds involved with what i was doing he had more interest

egg and soldiers is a winner for my ds

I think it's a very very common thing, many children don't like food that mushed up...it's a shame when it happens, I remember ds used to wolf down fish pie, cauli cheese, bolognese, shepherds pie, as a one year old. He's now five and hasn't had those things for AGES, and still prefers things he can pick up.

I still cook that stuff and put it on his plate though as I know one day it will change again

Agree with not giving, or expecting them to eat too much and I do know that their consumption can seem to go DOWN instead of up...what he does eat sounds a very good diet and I bet it is enough to keep him healthy. Agree egg and soldiers is brilliant if he'll go for that, but what he does eat sounds fine to me. He's not losing weight, is he? If not I wouldn't worry though I know that's hard with a little one.

If you are really worried get the GP to refer to a dietician? But he sounds fine and normal to me.