dd2 3yrs wont eat like she used too

[melsy]

she used to woof down pasta bolognese , casseroles , soups most things in fact and in large qauntities. Now all she wants is bowls and bowls of cereal in the morning and then isnt interested any more.

Ive now banned crisps from her pack lunch(although was only ever organix ones) in the hope that I wont find after nursury one bite out of the multitude of food Im trying : cold cooked chicken , variuos sandwiches or even just crudites chopped cheese and crackers. Nursury are also helping me encourage her eating as they have also noticed her decline in eating.

After school run I often have a cup of tea and a biscuit ,as I have a feed dd2 due normally as soon as we get back and I let her have a nibble , but now thats banned too, ( as Im wanting some as an afternoon treat but cant now !!!)

Tonight all she wanted was salad (avocado, cheese , ham & tomatoes) ! She hardly ate any of that and I had to feed her some to get her to eat some proper mouthfulls.

I realise this may be a normal 3 yr old behaviour , but its frustrating to think if this will be what shes like with food now though ???Never had a problem before , shed always always eat no problem unless she was really ill.

I dont like bribing , but if have to, I make sure I have some fairly decent ,(non yuck fake sugar or any sugar), fruit smoothy lollys in the freezer as a motivation.

What else can be done , as I dont want her to begin finding the eating experience a drag, as we are really foody in this house.

If she ate some of the avocado, cheese, ham and tomatoes of her own accord that sounds pretty good to me. I think if she has been a good eater I would continue what you are doing - restrict rubbish food and provide her with healthy food. DS who is also 3 is generally a brilliant eater. However, he does go through phases of 'not liking' food as a way of asserting his independence. I find that if I call his bluff and tell him that I would love him to keep me company while I am eating, but that ofcourse he doesn't need to eat anything he doesn't want to (but don't give him alternative), he is fine.

I definitely wouldn't try to feed a 3 year old, mainly because DS sometimes tries to 'force feed' me, and I can't think of anything more likely to make me not want to eat.

eeeeeeeeeekkk , force feed sounds horrid , didnt even think of it like that, so . She wouldnt eat the cheese or tomatoes.

I know avocado is high in good nutrients and protein , but it doesnt seem right thats thats all she wants to eat all the time.

I was always quite proud of her eating and my healthy offerings, as I feel Im a lazy mum in lots of other respects,(although do have a 9wk old) so its disapointing right now , but it could be part of this new little person being in her home !!!!

I am sure you are not being quite as aggressive as my DS is when he decides I need to finish off a half eaten piece of cheese! I think that it is highly likely that there is a link between your DD1's change in eating habits and arrival of DD2. You sound like you are doing a really good job - give yourself a break!