Toddler fussy eating

[AGrace37]

Looking for some tips/advice.
Son is 17 months old (1st baby and only child so far!) and quite a fussy eater, finding getting him to have a balance diet hard work. We are vegetarian so always very conscious of wanting to make sure he gets enough protein and iron (we do give him a daily multivitamin with iron too). He's a big lad (not been weighed for ages but he was 75th centile last time and does seem chunky and tall compared to his peers) so am not worried about growth at all really.

Weaning was quite challenging as he wouldn't open his mouth for puree often, so often had to sneak it in. Found that he was much better with finger foods. He seems to be able to navigate different textures okay.

Things he will eat now:
Basically all kinds of fruit without an issue (would live on this if we let him)
Yoghurt, rice pudding, custard
Toast, bread, and sometimes spinach eggy bread
Cereal particularly cheerios and malted wheats
Sometimes cheese sandwiches
Puff pastry pizza swirls
Quorn fish finger sandwiches
A variety of pancakes and fritters- particularly likes tomato and cheese pancakes and sweetcorn fritters.
Sometimes baked beans
In terms of veg: carrots, peas, green beans, sweet potato, peppers, cucumber, sometimes tomato and parsnips.
Plain pasta and plain rice.
All kinds of snacks-likes Ella's Kitchen ones, oat bars, fruity pouches, biscuits.
He has water through the day and one bottle if milk a day before bed (we give him the Big Milk so it has a bit of iron in it).

We regularly offer him different types of food alongside those he likes but he's very reluctant to try anything new. I'd love for him to eat pasta/rice with sauce but he wouldn't touch it. We tend to always give him a food with it that we know he likes so he doesn't starve...but not sure if this is where we are going wrong as he knows he can fill himself up in something he likes. If we tried to just givd him the food stuff we wanted him to eat he'd been likely to whinge and maybe throw food. Once he's had enough he does tend to throw food even if its something he likes.

We used to relent and give him something he liked if he didn't touch his main meal but trying to be a bit stricter about this now (within reason!)

Has anyone else been in a similar situation and how did you navigate it? Any tips for improving the variety of what he eats. I'm terrified he will remain a fussy eater and am fed up of worrying about what to feed him and how much he'll eat at each mealtime.

I wouldnt class that as fussy to be honest. Especially given you have made the choice to restrict the diet he eats a variety of foods covering the food groups well.

take off the pressure from you all and just go with the flow

That doesn't sound too bad to be honest and it's healthy food, he's not living on monster munch and appletiser.
Do you put food on plates or family style when everyone helps themselves? I found DS would help himself to more veg especially when we do the latter, although I have to watch him with Yorkshire puddings, the child could eat his own body weight and leave none for anyone else. Are you still routinely offering whatever you're eating?

I would be delighted if my toddler ate that well!

Doesn’t sound fussy in the slightest

he eats very well for a young toddler

Doesn’t sound fussy at all. I’d lay off the ultra processed snacks though. Honestly stressing over this is the worst thing. Just give him portions of what you’re all eating, and don’t put focus on the food.

Same here 🙈😁

He doesn't sound fussy at all! Fussy is my 21 month old at the minute. He eats pretty much all fruit, wheat puffs, avocados, brocolli (although refused last time!). That's it for veggies! He never eats sandwiches, has to be toast. He won't touch pasta or rice (has never eaten the latter for some reason!). Won't touch egg. Will eat chicken, ham. No mushrooms. It's difficult!😮‍💨

Oh thats a good tip...will try and give him veg more family style and see if he is tempted to tuck in. We tend to offer him the constituents of what we are eating...e.g. if we are having a chilli we'd off him some cooked pepper and rice and maybe something else alongside it as would be unlikely to try even a mild chilli.

Sometimes they will try stuff off your plate that they would never eat off their own. Especially if you tell them they are not allowed it 😂 let them sit on your lap and 'steal' things.