Fussy Eater at 14 months

[cc71uk]

Hello!

My lo is 14 months old. She eats a large breakfast of cereal, toast (or malt loaf) & fruit, but the rest of the day I never know what to do.

She will eat cream cheese sandwiches. Fish fingers, sweet potato chips or bang bang chicken (from Annabel K book) eggs & most fruit, but that's it.

I have tried many variations of beef/lamb meals but she won't even let me put it in her mouth. Baked bens or anything in a tomato based sauce (bolonaise or stews) she won't touch. Nothing in a cheese sauce either. I keep cooking, freezing, and end up throwing food away - or worse, eating it myself.

I worry I have created a fussy eater? When we first started weaning she would eat anything. I've tried giving her the same food later in the day and end up giving in and offering a sandwich to make sure she doesn't go to bed hungry.

Should I worry? Do I give her the foods I know she will eat or do I not feed her at all when she refuses?

I have made the mistake of feeding her in front of the tv - we have one in the kitchen, would this make a difference? Any advise appreciated

Have her in the kitchen with you -(initially she was a screamer if you left her elsewhere - then she became a monkey!). Get her to help cook - give her stuff to try as you cook. My DD loves dried pasta as a result of doing this and will try almost anything off the chopping board! Turning cooking into a game for her might take the pressure off you too!

Also get her to 'cook' her own food. I can't find the original article with the story - but Monica Galetti has a recipie www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2210044/Cook-like-pro-Ham-spinach-egg-pie.html which was essentially her way of trying to get her daughter to try spinach. They decided to make a pie - she could put in what she liked but it had to include spinach. My daugher also loves to make it, layering all the stuff together, rolling out the pastry, stick it in the oven! We now put a G on the top for her name but anything your DD recognises could work!

Pizza is another one we like. If you don't fancy making bases -a slice of bread or a cut open roll will work. Tomato puree/pasatta, grated cheese and then whatever she wants as a topping.

Try watching cooking progs on TV. Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood have become icons for my 4 year old!!!! She has had her dad (who does not cook) making bread following Mr Hollywood on the TV!!!! (and it worked!)

We always eat together at home - everyone has the same - even if she doesn't each much she is learning so much from watching you eat. (Personally I would switch off the TV too as I find it as much of a distraction to eating as anything else.)

In terms of giving her other stuff - try giving her some of what she likes with something new and see what she tries. Perhaps try the 'try this new item if you eat it you can have a favourite item etc'.

I don't buy into the theory of supplementing fussy eaters so they don't go hungry - and I have often left mine with a plate of food saying if she doesn't eat that she doesn't get anything else. 8/10 times she goes back and makes an attempt. She is older now (nearly 4yo) but I have used this tact from the time I was confident she was properly weaned. Going to bed when I thought she must be hungry never bothered my DD (although I got a fair bit of earache from my mother if she was around that day!!) She just ate better the following day.

Good luck and try not to let it stress you - she will figure this out very quickly from what I have seen of mine!!

Lisa you must have had a very smart 14mo to be able to cook her own food? My DS can be the same. He has lot for breakfast and can be fussy afterwards. I know he will eat soup and sandwiches and anything he sees us eating so I tend to go down that route and hope that one day he might come around to fruit and vegetables which are my biggest challenge with him. At least he will take some pureed fruit in his cereal and veg in his soup. I don't know the answer only that like you I often give in to him and give him something else if he refuses something. I don't like to think I am denying him such a basic need of food just because he won't eat the peas I made for him. I also would be worried he would wake in the night and might be hungry then and that could cause no end of problems.
It helps us if he sees us eating what he is eating or if he gets to eat off our plates (still doesn't apply to fruit or vegetables though). And yes we have given in to using tv to distract him and make him eat too.

Thanks for your advise - I'm not sure I can get her to cook with me just yet, I agree your 14mo must have been very clever. It's a good idea but I think we are a while away from that. :-)

I also give in on the evening meal as I don't want her to wake hungry. I might drop one of her bottles today to see if that makes a difference

My DS who I mentioned is 14mo has milk only at bedtime now and after a few days of dropping a daytime feed I noticed an increase in his intake of certain things so maybe that will help. He now for instance looks for something else to eat with his 2 weetabix and fruit in the morning whereas before he struggled to manage 1.5 weetabix.

Thanks, I will lessen her milk. I have been using the growing up formula and cows milk, she has about 6oz as soon as she wakes up (but still eats a big breakfast) and the 4-6 oz mid afternoon and at night. I will drop the afternoon one today. I think I was worrying less thinking she was having her milk (she went off milk for a while) but I think you're right, maybe her appetite will increase

I always took the approach that the less they ate at meal times the less snacks and treats they got - I felt that a lot of the time they were fussy because they were simply not hungry, so cutting down on milk would be a good start.

I guess it depends on what you mean by 'cooking'. I wasn't suggesting a 3 course gourmet meal - but a 14 month old can help put dried pasta or rice into an empty saucepan, or choose whether its peas, beans or broccoli tonight or whatever the options are. Essentially it is about letting them be a part of it. (I accept the pie making might be a bit premature - though there is some fun to be had with flour at 14 months! )

I also agree with those saying dump the formula. DD was on high calorie prescription milk, which was dropped to standard formula at about 8 months, (as she had no interest in weaning) and then we dropped all formula milk from 12 months - using cows milk as a drink whenever she wanted it.