I HATE MEAL TIMES!!!

[womba1]

I've had to leave my ds in his highchair in the kitchen while i'm in the lounge writing this and trying to calm down!!

My 16 month old ds has always been a fantastic eater..not messy and has always enjpyed a varied diet. However, for the last week or so, dinner times have become so stressful. He takes about 3 or 4 spoonfuls of food and then constantly bats the spoon away or opens his mouth as if to accept the spoon and then shuts it, this ending up with a faceful of food.

I've tried letting him feed himself and it just isn't happening. He is fine when eating his breakfast and pudding, he loves his yoghurts and drinks 3x250mls of milk each day.

I'm getting concerned now that he hasn't had a proper meal for such a long time, although his energy levels haven't declined and he doesn't appear hungry.

Please tell me i'm worrying needlessly and that he will revert back to my little angel who never used to make a mess?!?!

It's just a stage - honestly!! I've been there twice (although luckily ds2 wasn't as bad as ds1). He's just at the age where he wants to show his independance & personality, and this is a way of doing that.

I'm afraid that I don't have any easy answers - just grit your teeth and bear it & try not to get too stressed by it. He'll probably feed himself eventually which will help IMO.

Hopefully someone else here will be able to give you some better advice.

That seems a lot of milk...dd2 is 21 months and I am sure she only had a half bottle (125ml) in the morning by 16 months - could it be too much milk?

Otherwise he certainly sounds ready to feed himself. I would maybe cut back on the milk?

Probably just a phase though...trying isnt it

Enid, i've tried giving my ds less milk but he screams for it! I drink about 6 pints a day myself so it would appear that he's got the same taste for it.
He has milk when he wakes in the morning at 7am, then breakfast, then dinner, which isn't really happening at the mo, then more milk during the aftrnoon and a bottle before bed at 7.30pm. He also has fingers foods and snacks...it's just the main meal of the day which is causing a problem!

enid's right about the volume of milk. gina ford (!) has a newish book about problem eaters including how to get back on track with babies who aren't getting a good balance between milk and solid food. it's co-written by someone from GOSH.

contented child's food bible

Wow womba - 6 pints a day!!!! You sure do like milk.

Anyway, sorry but I would say that his milk drinking is the problem. Will he drink water? Could you water the milk down? I have to say if it was me I would cold turkey them but I am a cruel mummy ...

You're probably right Enid...i'll try watering the milk down and see how it goes. He doesn't drink water but if i add a teeny drop of juice he'll down it in one.
Right, from tomorrow, i'm going to start weaning him off the afternoon milk...wish me luck..

Maybe you could try letting him hold a spoon as well whilst you are feeding him. Sometimes they just like to have something they can pretend to eat with but still have you actually doing the feeding. Having said that I wouldn't stress too much (easier said than done) especially as he isn't showing any adverse effects.

message withdrawn

I wouldn't let him have any pudding, including fruit or yog, unless he had eaten all his main meal. And yes, I think he's having too much milk. Remember, you're the boss, and if you don't think he should have his afternoon milk he'll just have to get over it - and he will!
I'm a mean mummy too!

Could he be teething? This always affected my dd, would have one or two tsp and then refuse completely.