finger food recipes desperately needed!

[kitbit]

Hope this is the right place to post this!

I am in desperate need of help.

ds (19 mnths) is a very picky eater and last week he caught a tummy bug from nursery. He threw up his lunch which had consisted of the two staple items he would happily eat last week and now he refuses them completely (understandable really). However now I am totally at a loss what to try next. The only thing he'll eat from a spoon is yogurt, everything has to be picked up. He does like oven chips (I keep trying to slip in a roasted other-type-of-veg that look as much as possible like oven chips but he always notices) and he used to like spaghetti (now cursed by the bug) and pastry parcels (semi-cursed, a bit iffy).

He likes philadelphia, toast, breadsticks, apple chunks, pear chunks, yogurt, used to eat ratatouille with his spaghetti, oven chips, cheddar bickies, will sometimes eat homemade biscuits if in the mood. That's about it and that's only if he's in the mood for any of them.

Tonight he was really really hungry but refused everything I gave him and got really upset as he obviously wanted to eat something but didn't fancy any of the above. I'm really desperate, has anyone got any magic finger food recipes I can try? Or any magic tips from a similar situation?

thanks in advance

dont cook seperate things for your ds

give him whatever you are having, and thats that

I agree with np

DS2 was being a right PITA over food. Would eat fruit, biscuits, cucumber but no meals.

WIthdrew above items completely and only offered him what we were having.

He wasn't happy about it but he soon realised it was the only thing he would be getting.

He'd just turned 2 at the time. It was hard no to give in to his sad little face but well worth it. He's 2.4 now and ate cous cous, red onion and pepper salad today!

We tried this a few months ago and although we gave vitamins and continued with formula to ensure nutrients (more watered down than normal, am v careful not to fill him up on milk), he lost weight and got very very miserable...it lasted about a week and he ate virtually nothing. I was worried to death, he looked awful and I didn't want to damage him (physically or otherwise). Is there another way?

Could it be food intolerances? ??

No personal experience of food intolerance I'm afraid so wouldn't like to say either way.

Where does he sit to eat? We made big deal of getting ds2 on eof the booster type seats that fit on a ordinary chair, his big boy chair and he was a lot more enthusiastic about going to the table.

Would he be able to help you prepare any food? I've found ds2 eats better if I let him serve his own helping onto his plate.

I would also take him shopping for big boy knives and forks. Really big them up to him

Does he like books? If ds2 has been tired i'll sit at the table and read his favourite to him. I'll try to get him as engrossed as possible in it and then just say, eat that bit every now and then and it'll all be gone before he knows it

hope that helps a bit

Try different shapes of pasta? You could do them with a creamy philadelphia type of sauce. Rice? Will he eat eggs? Eggy bread? Pancakes - again filled wtih philadelphia/stewed apple/pear. Rice cakes? Does he eat with you or on his own? If you were eating any of the above, would he not want to join in? Otherwise, why not let him fill up on milk for a few days - it takes me a while to get over a tummy bug, and feel like eating again. So let him forget about the episode and then start again?

Some great ideas there, thanks Lact8 and CorrieDale. Is currently not accepting any other pasta shapes or rice, but will try them again this week. I can sometimes get him to eat new things by covering them in philly so he can't see them.....!! He usually does try things before rejecting but sometimes rejects on looks alone. (lets hope he's less shallow when it comes to women)Eggy bread has been tried but not for a while and I'd forgotten about it, so will try again.

He sits with us and although work prevents us all eating together every mealtime, at least one parent will have their meal with him each time.

Sadly he is too wily to want to try mummy's food from my plate...dammit! Best tactic is def. distraction though, felt tips are current favourites so I could try a pile of paper and some colours at mealtime. Have resorted to favourite DVD in the past as it grabs attention brilliantly, but don't really want to make a habit of it.

Thanks so much so far...any more great suggestions and recipes anyone?!

How about dips, e.g. hummus, with a selection of veg, fruit and bread sticks. A bit different so maybe more fun.