What to offer DD who isnt really eating at the mo?

[Beabea]

She is happy to snack away from the table but isnt eating a substantial meal very much. In fact I cant even get her in her high chair.

Any dairy free ideas of what to offer her for lunch. And even how to get her to sit in her chair. She is extreamly strong and she can get out of all her harnesses. I do have dairy free cheese and yoghurts. Though if anything has cheese on she only eats the cheese!

Im also going shopping today so lots of ideas would be good

Cheers

I should also add that she is 13months and fussy!

Try and cut down the snacks away from the table so she is more likely to be hungary at mealtimes. What about toast fingers, bits of ham, chopped cucumber, baked beans (Obviously a messy one, but thats how they learn) Peas, sweetcorn, mash or chips, bits of melon, banana, cooked apple, scrambled egg, raisens, breadsticks and houmous, Any other sorts of little things that can just be put on a plate and she can feed herself

I had a really fussy one after two who would eat anything. I just persevered in putting foods out every couple of weeks, and now she eats what we do. I think the key is to use lots of finger foods so she is independant, and only put really small amounts on her plate. You can always add more but they are easily daunted.
Try strong flavours too. My DD2 hates bland food (she is the fussy one). For example an ideal lunch for her is Matzo's with Shropshire Blue cheese, with a side of garlic sausage or danish salami! (She is three.)
It does get easier as she gets older! I had a friend whose son would only eat 'walrus' (chicken) and baked beans. Health visitor wasn't in the least worried and said if he is happy then carry on. At least he is eating.
Try keeping a log of what she actually eats, over the day I'm sure you would be surprised.

Just gave her a small bowl of ceral as she refused breakfast earlier. Will try skipping her milk in the morning and doing breakfast first again. Except nursery days.

we dont usually snack. it happens more at the weekends

where do i put the food if she wont sit in her chair?

she often just plays with her food and not feed herself, any ideas?

Is her chair at the table and do you sit and eat your meals at the same time? That normally gives abit more interest. Especially when you say 'would you like to try some of mummys?' and plop a bit of whatever you've got on her tray - usually works a treat!

Yes we always eat the same if we can at the same time. It was working - its not now.

Sorry yes we all eat at the table or in her high chair

hiya

have similar thing going on with my 13-month old. eating now deemed boring compared to practicing running about. so, ds now gets 90% stuff he can self-feed to keep him amused

found i was mis-timing meals a bit as well, too early when not hungry or too late when too tired to eat. better now as has learned baby-signing and tells me when he wants something to eat.

also how much milk is she having? ds is much more interested now have cut right down to 2 cups of milk (first thing in morning and last at night).

she probably eating more than you think and you only need to fulfil nutritional requirements over a week rather than each day.

roasted vegetables? veggie sausages? fishcakes? omelette? have tried all these this weekedn at mn suggestions, with some success...also some mners may not approve, but have you tried organix cereal and fruit bars. very easy for babies to hold and eat, no sugar and quite healthy.

Thansk Mazzystar - yes DD loves cereal bars. She currently has 7oz in the morning and 9oz at night. Sometimes she doesnt have all of it.

How does the signing work?

babysigning is a kind of simplified version of BSL. we go to a little class locally, you get introduced to the signs and use them as actions in songs. used to go more for the social but at 11 mos he started to be a real mimic and has picked up loads, its great as avoids lots of frustration. see tinytalk.co.uk. don't need to go to a class though, whenever you are eating, or baby is eating, or anyone is eating, make a sign for "food" (official sign on website - hand to mouth - but just as easily make up your own, btw the dvds and stuff not that good). she will probably pick up on it quite quickly.

i was getting really stressed about ds lack of interest in food for a while, but then thought so what if he only eats banana,raisins and eggy bread (and the cheese off the top of anything) for a few weeks, people have survived on worse diets! he still has plenty of days when he rejects everything, and others when he stuffs himself....

Thanks for the tip on the food signing. I will give this a go.

She had a few grapes a suck on some pitta bread, a yoghurt and a few bites of some homemade fruit bread.

Its normally the yoghurt she goes for and eats all of.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

i am lucky as titch is at nursery today, where miraculously they get him to eat EVERYTHING. apparently even vegetables. not sure i believe them.

Its funny how they do that. DD eats so well at Nursery twice a week. At least I know she has a good meal somewhere.

I decided to tap my mouth to indicate food earlier. DD gave me a kiss. ahhhhh

I haven't read all of this thread so apologies if I repeat something already said.

Stop giving her snacks and insist she always eats at the table. When you do sit her down for her main meal, put only a very small amount on her plate so she isn't overwhelmed by the amount in front of her.

Queeneagle thanks for replying.

A HV at my GP practice this morning said it was ok for DD to eat when she felt like it. She also suggested getting a small chair and table for her to eat at. Although these ideas are workable for some I cant see my DD sitting on a small chair. She sits on them else where for less than a minute then gets up. I totally agree about the snacks thing and we shall be starting the day tomorow with breakfast instead of a bottle. She can have a beaker of milk later but I suspect she wont want it.

Bea bea, the thing with food and little toddlers is that it can very quickly become a power struggle between the two of you.

If they think you wany them to eat it then they won't and she will probably hold out longer than you. HV's suggestions are ok but only if they are workable for you. Key is you need to have your rules and stick to them, calmly.

How about offering food at the highchair frequently but if it is refused, just calmly take it away, out of sight and go and do something else for an hour before going back to the highchair and trying again?

That is pretty much what we do already. I dont make a fuss but DH does so weekends are more of a problem. I have tried to get him to not react but DH gets very frustrated. So do I but I have learned that getting frustrated doesnt help.

I will tweak her eating routine and cut out the snacks apart from the odd biscuit with others at the M&T groups. Then stick to my guns over the place to eat.

I have just done her some chicken with rice and sweetcorn. Hopefully she will wake up wanting to eat a good meal

i agree its important not to let it get to be a power struggle....after weeks of getting really stressed i'm now trying to be as cool and nonchalant about mealtimes as possible. also think when you know they are still growing and thriving its easier to handle - (ds is a little fatty|)

you could give the little chair and table a try, they have them for snack-time at the playgroup we go to. ds will happily sit and have toast triangles and fruit and a drink. partly cos everyone else is, but ALWAYS the last sitting there when everyone else has finished. i think he likes it because its not like being trapped in a high chair and feels more in control.

I will look into the chair and table. I know my mum has a little plastic chair. We could borrow this to try it all out. She is quite a diddy girl though so her feet cant touch the ground with them.

aw. she sounds lovely, giving you a kiss....

let us know how you get on, i may need tips myself tommorrow as ds at home with me and my dreaded cooking

She is a cutie but such a pain in the bum

Does your toddler feed himself much? fingers or spoon?

yes, is trying and succeeding quite well with spoon but usually resorts to fingers. we need to buy one of those bowls with a suction pad to make it easier for him i think. mucks about with it a lot but i don't care if he makes a big mess any more. we even had a phase when he refused point blank to let me feed him anything on a spoon (except yoghurt the food of the gods of course) so he ate practically nothing till he sharpened up his skills!

is now very interested in our knives and forks which is a big pain.

I havent seen any of the suction bowls. I did get one from ikea but its rubbish.

DD will put a spoon with food into her mouth but its not very often. If I help her load up her spoon in normally ends up over her shoulder as she snatches the spoon back.

I think I get bored waiting for her to feed herself. Im not very patient.

Think I am going to have to wake her. She normally has her tea at 5pm

know what you mean! dh is way more patient than me (or maybe just more stubborn) and seems to have more success on the all-food-is-bleugh days

btw we get through a minimum of four spoons for each meal, to allow me to have one and him three, one in each hand and one on the floor.

must go and spring him from nursery, wish me luck with tonights fishcakes (acceptable last night but today, who knows?)

Good luck. I am off to wake up DD now who didnt stir when I flicked the light on downstairs where she is in her buggy.

Thanks for the chat