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I am at my wit's end with DS's eating - totally uninterested

2 replies

BikeRunSki · 21/06/2010 13:04

He is 21 months old and we did BLW last year. It went great. A few months ago he picked up a spoon and a fork and started using them. He is now pretty fluent with them.

Except he will only eat at nursery - 3 days a week. At home he will not sit down and eat a family meal. He won't sit at the dining table, won't sit in his high chair, won't sit on his litte chair at his little table or on my lap at the table. I have tried all these places with him and me (and DH when he is here) and with it by himself. I have tried involving him in family meals and feeding him by himself. I've tried going out to eat. I have tried not feeding him, and I stick to the same times he gets fed at nursery. I've tried spoon feeding him and letting him feed himslef. If I manage to get him sitting down, he pushes he plate away. If I strap him in his highchair he has a massive tantrum. I have tried leaving a bowl of food on the coffee table and letting him "find" it, but he is just not interested,

This has been going on for over a month and is driving me crazy. He has never been a big eater and has done this for a few days at a time when it has been very hot or he has been ill, but there is nothing going on that he should be upset about.

When he wants to eat he will eat all sorts of things. For the last 4 or 5 weeks all he has eaten at home is fruit, bread and cheese, and very little. Since Saturday morning he has had 2 slices of bread, a babybel, some fruit salad, an apple and a tangerine.

I don;t give him milk in the day, water only, but he has about half a pint at bed time, and this is all that is sustaining him.

He is losing weight but HV not interested. She says he'll eat when he is hungry, and if he is eating on 3 days a week at nursery, then he'll be OK. But even if he is OK physically, it's not just about is it? There is the whole social side of sitting down to eat with friends and family and the routine of meal times, and different tastes etc

I am in despair. HE was such a good BLWer!

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
DanJARMouse · 21/06/2010 13:10

No advice Im afraid, but didnt want this to go unanswered.

My DS is 2.7yrs and for the last year has only eaten when he has felt like it.

He will sit at the table with the rest of us, but will push his plate away repeatedly. We ignore the behaviour for as long as possible, often until we have finished eating, and then when the girls get their pudding, he kicks off as he wants pudding. I then offer to "help" him with his dinner, which usually involves me mashing it all up and loading the fork for him. As long as he eats at least 3 mouthfuls, I will allow a yoghurt for desert.

I just play it by ear really.... I know that if DS is tired he wont eat. I also try to make sure we have 2 or 3 "fail safe" meals a week - in DS case this is either spag bol/meatballs and spaghetti or sausages or a roast chicken dinner. He may not eat the veg (unless ive hidden it in the mush) but he will eat the chicken and potatoes mashed up with gravy.

Hope someone can come along and provide some extra hints and tips!

BikeRunSki · 21/06/2010 19:35

Thanks Mouse.

Even failsafe meals have failed recently!

This afternoon I put his tea out for him on a plate on a low table and just left it. Over the course of about 2 hours he grazed his way through a piece of bread, ham and cheese, but left the toms (fair play, he's never been that keen). So he's had some decent protein today. I am a bit happy and tommorow is another day.

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