Running out of meals my children will eat

[stressedouttofuck]

My toddler is pretty much refusing all food and I know that everyone will say it’s normal and maybe, it’s still really stressful though. My four year old used to be a good eater as in he’d eat most foods but needs a lot of encouragement, you mostly need to feed him.

Has anyone got any suggestions? The usual bolognaise, shepherds pie types they’ve refused and they won’t eat picnic style food.

Sorry, missed that, but also I associate picnic food with sausage rolls and quiche rather than sandwiches.

Can you try giving them a selection of things for breakfast and lunch they usually like seperate on plates so they can choose?

ie breakfast - some banana chopped up, 1/2 boiled egg ( I assume they have eaten before if you tried today), 1/2 slice buttered toast. a bit of yogurt in bowl.

lunch - 4-6 things in small portions just on plate you think they might eat? Even if it seems a wierd combo.

Can you do the same meal they like but vary them slightly (different meats// different veg) just to get them accustomed to different things.

quick easy dinners that my kids like and will always eat.

pitta pizza- whole meal pitta, tomatoes puree, herbs, sweetcorn/mushrooms/peppers etc, mozzarella- air fry for 6 minutes. Always a winner and they love making them.

omelettes with cheese and veg, again they like helping to break the eggs and mix

get some toddler knife’s from Amazon and let them help. It makes such a different in getting them to eat I’ve found.

Oh yes how about pizza? If they like then you have option of homemade later, cheese on toast also very similar

I had an incredibly fussy toddler (she is still fussy) but it is surprising what things she will eat. She won't eat spag bol, sheherds pie, egg, cheddar etc but she will eat apple and Stilton salad with croutons, Black bean tacos and tortellini and pesto, so I would would try lots of different things. She was best with meals where she can pick out the bits she likes rather than were everything is mixed together.

I also started baking cakes where I reduced the amount of sugar in the recipe by half and added in fruit so at least I felt she was getting some nutrients at one point. So I added frozen raspberries or cherries, banana cake or pear and ginger cake etc.

how much milk is toddler having, each day?

It's a rare child that won't touch crisps or sweets or biscuits. Do they never have those things?

Thanks all. The younger one is quite fussy (absolutely no pizza) but normally does like bolognaise, chilli, shepherds pie, chicken curry. She also eats beans on toast, fish fingers and mash, errrr egg, cheese, banana. Getting fruit and veg down her is an ongoing issue. She just doesn’t seem to enjoy berries which my older one devoured or mango, melon, anything like that. Even sweetcorn which I thought most children liked.

She does have teeth coming through which I think isn’t helping but the old reliables have been reduced to practically nothing: she used to eat a lot of cucumber but now won’t.

Older one isn’t too bad but has an ear infection so that’s affected his appetite I think

Omelette is a good shout actually thanks. Anything quick and easy like that would be helpful if anyone’s got other suggestions!

Buy a cold pressed juicer and juice some fruits and veggies. Make it filling by adding the juice to a blender with a banana or avocado and turning it into a smoothie :) Fun drink with a straw, absolute winner in our house!

tuna and cheese toasties ? I make these for granddaughters - warburtons soft pittas , filled with tuna mixed with philadelphia , plus some slices of hard cheese ( cheddar or red leicester ). I fry them gently in a nearly dry pan for a few minutes until the cheese starts to run .

Teriyaki chicken or salmon- whack the shop bought marinade on in the morning, served with microwave sticky rice, cucumber sticks and sweetcorn is my ultimate can’t be arsed that both the kids will eat. Well, one won’t eat the sweetcorn but they love the rest.

Would they go for making their own smoothies as a way of upping their fruit intake? You can get a lot of fruits frozen which decreases waste so they can just grab a handful of water they fancy.

is that supposed to be a joke

It's when you have two and they like different things that don't overlap that boiled my piss. They are 5 and 7 now and the last year has gotten easier.

My main goal (other then eating SOMETHING!) was maintaining a variety of textures and flavours rather then perfect nutrition. Mine hated anything in a crispy batter, one hated bready/caky things, the other refused any pasta and on and on.

We have had success with more interactive foods. Sliced carrot to dip in hummus, same with cucumber. Soup with dippy bread. Chicken fajita they build themselves. Home made burgers where they add the sauces themselves. Stuffed pitta bread they fill themselves.

I have a few meals where they will both eat elements. Grilled kebabs, rice, salad, yogurt dip and salsa. If you let them serve themselves from a platter on the table would they be interested?

I think that the younger one would just throw it around! 😩

Any pasta with cream sauce

Neither my two year old nor my four year will eat spag bol. Both will eat a plate of cheese and pasta and a bowl of the sauce (admittedly only a small bowl for the older one).

Both banana and cod while obviously different are quite bland and sort of melt in the mouth. I wonder if she would eat other bland or mushy things. Thinking like stewed apples or pears, mashed potatoes , carrots or beans?

When my eldest was about 2-3 he suddenly started refusing everything. Eventually after trying many things, I just decided not to worry about it anymore. Put food on the table and do not talk about it or try and persuade anyone to eat. Talk about anything else at all. After half an hour or so, take it away and throw it away. Let them have a yogurt or whatever for pudding again, not discussing the food. If they are hungry later maybe give them a banana and some milk.
In about 2-3 weeks he was eating completely normally. You have to take all the stress out of it. They will not starve. I repeated this with my youngest and it only lasted a matter of days. Both my kids are big giants now and my eldest eats everything. Good luck and try not to worry xx

Mine is like this. Gotten better (now at 2) but went through days around 1-1.5 where she'd eat a few cheerios and milk and that was it. I reckon it was teething and nursery germs. Mine liked instant noodles, boiled chicken (in broth), rice, Cheerios, breadsticks, rice cakes (add peanut butter or hummus for protein and fat), oatmeals, raisins/dried fruit pieces. If I felt especially worried, I'd do ice lollies to at least get something in her (she was also still BF then so did get milk). Also pureed soups (bean, courgette, squash) - add cream for extra calories.

But sometimes she really just didn't want to eat and I coudln't force her. She was making enough nappies and I kept an eye on her weright and the HV and GP said it was just her way of being. It's so worrying though, you have my sympathies.

If you are just wanting to get some calories in them then I would offer a low sugar custard or rice pudding for dessert maybe with some chopped fruit on the side. Let them add jam to the rice pudding if they want. Yes it’s sugary but still has some goodness.

How much milk are they having? I follow solid starts and they often say that toddlers/young children who manage to go days living off fresh air are usually having too much milk. They really don’t need much past the age of one.

If they like beans and fishfingers I see on you list, I would give them those at least one lunch and one dinner for a few weeks. Takes a bit of stress off you knowing one meal ok.

If yours like omlette, how about pancakes? Thin crepe ones or American fat ones. You can also make with some spelt flour or add a bit of banana or apple purée into mix to hide fruit if you wanted. They are pretty healthy and can be eaten for breakfast or snacks. Plain or with yogurt or whatever. I make mix in a nutribullet for speed

How about gnocchi? The fresh stuff in fridge section. Takes 2 mins to cook. And similar take to plain pasta. Try with just butter and cheese to start with

@Bobbi730 we have been using that approach. For 3.5 years! Still doesn’t make Ds eat anything if he doesn’t want to that day.

I think what’s worrying me a bit is that DDs range of foods has never been brilliant and it’s getting worse. I know some fussiness is expected but the few safe foods I have are narrowing to a point where she’ll be eating literally nothing. I know people are meaning well with suggestions about custard and ice lollies but she’s not eating those either!

More often than not my dc will eat plain rice or plain pasta sometimes with cheese when me and dp have our meal (something with the pasta or rice)

Hot dogs
Cheese on toast
Chicken burgers
Cheesey chips
Pitta with veg sticks and ham
Pizza that they help make

I genuinely think there was a period of time where my now 3.5 year old would only eat boiled pasta! She's much better now, though still doesn't like mixed foods like spag bol etc. Eating together and gradually building up the foods she'll reliably eat (and staying sane through the periods of immense fussiness) has helped. Also letting her try stuff I'm eating, which has led to her liking olives, smoked salmon and pesto salmon.