Bush Tucker Trial or Just Another Stress Filled Meal Time?

[Vania2]

Hello out there,

I have two boys DS1 is 5 and DS2 is 3. DS1 had always been a nightmare with food. I had PND with him and from 4 months old he never really took to feeding and at 11months he knew that he could push my buttons if he played up at meal times. This continued until he was about 4 when after a few days of not eating his dinner and going to bed hungry he started to eat his dinner.

DS 2 had been a dream with food and always ate everything. But over the last 6 months he has progressively become more fussy and controlling over what he ate. Each meal with both children can be like a bush tucker trial rather than a pleasent family meal.

I am stressed out and extremely sad that this basic function of family life is sooooo horrible.

The past two weeks have been awful. DS2 has/had a cold and not really interested in eating anything. If he did is was crisps or biscuits.Then DS1 yesterday had to have 2 teeth removed. Needless to say that the meal times since have been nightmarish. DS1 will nibble a bit of bread then can't eat anything else and DS2 is copying him. Lunch comprised of 1/4 sandwich and a tiny bit of grated cheese for DS2 and 1/4 bread and a tiny bit of grated cheese for DS1.

I'm soooo sick of the meal time battles, DS1 is skinny and cannot afford to loose weight and DS2 who always had a nice covering of fat is now becoming skinny. i feel like crying at every meal time and have tried most approaches from bribery, rewarding, not offering anything else apart from their meals, letting them go hungry if they don't eat a meal, getting angry, staying calm (showing that it doesn't bother me), giving them their favourites and keeping a food diary. At times we can have a good run of meals, but once on a bad run it seems to last forever.

I've been considering getting professional help today. But wouldn't knnow where to start as I don't think anyone could offer anything more than I've already tried. I've seen super nanny, watch house of tiny tareaways and all the rest.

Is there anyone out there who can offer help/advice/condolences??? I'm feeling pretty desperate today.

:-((((

Have you tried inviting other children round to share mealtimes? Make it a help yourself buffet of the sort of things they like and leave them to it while you have a coffee with the other mums in the next room. Other children tucking in can kick-start a fussy child into not wanting to be left out. Sending them to other people's houses can often have good results. My fussy DS always came back from trips asking if he could have 'x' meal that friend's mother makes.

If you're worried about weight-loss, try high-calorie drinks between meals. Full-fat milk for example is energy-dense but not filling enough to stop them eating. And do consult your GP. They may not be able to magically turn your children into unfussy eaters but they may be able to prescribe supplements so that they don't miss out on nutrition in the meantime.

Thank you for your tips. I have done play dates with dinner for friends as well as sending them to other peoples houses and they don't always eat loads, but it does take the stress away. I like the idea of a buffet, I have some boys comng over next week for tea so will try it and I will get some full fat milk in as well. Thank you!

Sorry if you've already tried this but have you tried "make it yourself" type meals?
So wraps, pizza bases, plain pasta, noodles etc with a selection of bits for them to choose to add.

It may well improve once they're feeling better anyway but I do know how worrying it is to see them eating so little, especially when they're already skinny.