EXTRAORDINARILY fussy eaters!!!! I am incandescent with rage. Has anyone every had any success with fussy little b*&&#@ds ?

[sunnywong]

Who eat
crackers
crisps
confectionary
nuts under duress
rice and chicken
ice cream
cereal
dry noodles
nutella on toasts
cartons of fortified juice but only if frozen in to a slushy
and over a pint of milk per day?

I give a multi vitamin and an Iron tonic each day

I can stand it no longer

he's 3.5yrs, goes like a rocket, well like a very agile monkey with a jet pack, has passed all his milestones but eats SHITE.

And don't tell me to starve him, he would rather starve than not get his way, I worry about his size, only 15ks, but I can take it no longer

Anyone ever a) taken a kid like this to a quack and had success or b) know if he is missing out something gravely serious like selenium or some element that stops him being a sociopath in later life?

TIA

I think the rice and chicken and the milk is ok. Hang in there. I don't honestly think much helps. If they're finicky about food I think they pretty much stay that way!

Not much reassurance I'm afraid.

well my 22 month will only eat porridge(fed to her), yoghurt(feeds herself), crisps, biscuits, any chocolate and the occasional banana or some apple

I would like a miracle cure too please

Hmmmmmm........ that has slightly taken the 100KW glow off my rage but I do worry about the little sod. And what's more I 'm a chef and I can't dismiss the element of mind games and power trips.

But thanks anyway

with you being a chef this must really piss you off

How about fruit juice frozen to ice lollies? Banana milkshake?

It is tempted to just blend some decent food, fill a water pistol with it and squirt it into their mouths, if necessary prized apart with toothpicks.

I hate food issues but that's partly because I also hate cooking. I particularly hate cooking when it doesn't eaten! That brings me out in a rage too.

hate to tell you, but my 'little brother' was as fussy as yours is, and hes now, at 27yo just starting to branch out into the odd vegetable.
mostly tho, its cheeses and tomato pizza, spag bol and maybe 2 other dishes. and chips. and bacon.
thats about it.

scary, huh?

still. he isnt a sociopath, so take comfort in that at least

I'm sorry I can't be any help, I really feel deperate about dd2's eating and have no answers

yes a water pistol would give me great pleasure

Dither, would you say your brother is malnourished or ....... "special" in any way? I mean could the casual observer tell either by manner or complexion that he eats crap?

sorry about all the tipos... I can write properly, honestly I can..

Mine is like this and he's 5. He's not too thin, oddly enough. I think he photosynthesises? But yes, he'd rather starve than eat something he doesn't like.

No advice, just wanted you to know you're not alone by any means.

School dinners helped my ds (who was a fussy little delight too) I point blank refused to give in to packed lunches and it's really paid off! Also - we have certain nights when they can have crisps(Wed), choc(Fri) and ice cream or lollies are twice a week max, sweet cereal at weekend only - I think a bit of mild 'starvation' never hurt fussy children - no biccies in between meals - rice cakes or fruit only - my dd's both eat more lunch if the snacks are lower cal. Past that - relax!

I find that wotsits and chocolate buttons can sustain life!!!

Sounds a pretty good and normal diet for a child to me. Bet he's getting everything he needs from it. His weight might be only 15ks but he's passed all his milestones and in your words "goes like a rocket". So wouldn't mind betting that this weight is fine for him. From the point of view of health he sounds fine and I would bet no quack could make him eat any differently.

Enjoy the little monkey and wait for time and socialisation to bring about greater adventure in tastes. My brother was exactly like this and at the age of 30 has just begun taking to the odd vegetable - he's fit, healthy and a Dad to a little boy equally as fussy as he was. (Karma )

thanks for all the input

I guess I should just enjoy him, and I do very much apart from meal times.

Without wishing to open a can of worms, I did BF him til he was 2 so he's had the best start I suppose. That's just self-consolatory btw, not judgemental in any way.

um, sadly sunnywong, his complexion is crap (and he really was such a beautiful angelic looking child)... HOWEVER i would qualify that by saying he also gets stoned and drinks lager every day, much more on a weekend, doesnt go out much, esp in daylight hours...
not looking too rosy a picture, i grant you.
on the up side, he does seem to have no trouble at all in pulling and spends quite a lot of time in his pit of a bedroom shagging his rather lovely girlfriend. Lord only knows what she sees in him! but i guess he cant be all that unattractive, despite the pallor [???] (not my cup of tea, thats for sure)

I found my dd ate things willingly if she had a hand in "cooking" them. This could be anything from mashing potatoes to cutting up cheese or stirring something in the pot. If she had an apron on and was involved in some way with the prepareation, she'd go on and on about how great the mashed potato tasted. If he butters bread himself, it might suddenly taste wonderful?

My dd was a very fussy eater and I fed her utter shite when she was very little because I was desperate to see her eat something .She was tiny and stopped breastfeeding at 10 months, would not drink milk and lived off bananas and yoghurt. She is now 4 and we are making a breakthrough. Last night is an example. She helped me make couscous with salmon ans sweetcorn mixed into it, she ate quite a lot of it. Things have changed because I put in a real effort to make a good evening meal and she helps me shop and cook, I really try to get her involved. Admittedly it doesn't always work and she doesn't like what I make but she is offered a piece of fruit but no other alternative. I also eat with the kids 5 nights out of 7.
My dh is a chef and hated seeing the kids eat rubbish but if it any consolation he was a incredibly fussy eater as a child. He has terrible memories of being made to sit at the table all evening until he had finish everything he hated. Now he will eat anything and food is his life. You name it he will eat it. We went to St John recently and he had bone marrow on toast followed by ox heart and chips! This proves that a fussy eater child does not make a fussy eater adult.

he is very charming, clever, funny, sensitive when he wants to be. guess that all gets pulled out of the bag more for a prospective shag than it does his big sister

going back to your son tho, aragons point that he seems to be well powered by his diet is a good one... just keep persevering with trying to inch more variety into his food (maybe change or add one ingredient in tiny amounts at a time to his existing repertoire of 'acceptable' meals?

and the thing is, no matter how strongly you feel about it, his eating and what he allows into his mouth is always gonna be something he decides... and insisting he try other things doesnt seem to work... so another approach is neccessary. a total back off and allow him to eat what he wants for a couple of weeks with absolutely no argument from you will get him all relaxed, and then you can try taking him somewhere to try something completely new, but make it a big deal, a big treat, and perhaps even a bit naughty ('dont tell anyone but we're gonna have zucchini! you lucky thing, you!' )

does that make any sense?

SW - hate to say it but you just have to keep putting stuff in front of him. A bit of veg with the chicken and rice, a bit of fruit with the ice cream (make your own and stick the stuff in it). As well as being crap at sleeping two of mine were spectacularly fussy. DD1 is now eleven and eats a very balanced diet - still very particular especially with foods that smell strongly but is actually easy to feed now. Still working on DD2 and the veg - she has the same as everyone else and has to give it a fair go - but fortunately loves fruit. DS eats everything. Small and varied measls did the trick for mine.

oh, yes, if he helps you to cook it, he may well be much more into eating it. this works with my ds1. hey, if you can get him to help you grow it forst too, theres no way he wont at least try it!

oh yes (sorry for multiple posts) yoyo said 'small' meals. thats a key thing that works here too. if they have a really smalls erving first, they get to feel great when praised for finishing all up, and get 'seconds' as a treat... a good tactic for improving eating by building self esteem.