Picky eater

[Helencat]

Hi! I'm new to Mumsnet - have browsed before and always found the site a mine of information so hoping you can help.
My 14 month old daughter will not eat savoury food (inc veggies). She is emphatic in her refusal and I am feeling pretty despondent. She will sometimes accept cheesy dishes but not always. Whilst she is small at under 19lb, I am more worried about her poor protein intake. She likes fruit and yogurt and drinks 450ml of whole milk a day but even nursery have admitted defeat with regard to savoury food. She has always been a small, picky eater and I really can't imagine a day where she will be feeding herself savoury food.
I've tried everything and do try to be chilled at mealtimes but this makes little difference. I really didn't think I'd still be blending and cajoling at this stage.
She only has two emerging teeth so wonder if this a factor.
Help!!!!

Have you tried savory finger food? if they can pick it up themselves it might not be such a shock when it isn't sweet.
Some vegetables such as fresh carots are quite sweet to taste.
Otherwise- i think what you are doing seems fine my dd1 was/is to a much lesser extent picky easter and was small for her age too.

Good ideas - I have tried some savoury finger foods but I think I ought to push it a bit more than I have and try to make things that we will eat too so less wastage. Thank you!

Well there's a lot of protein in her diary intake, of course. Other than that, what about fish? That's very high in protein and couldn't be considered savoury, in fact it can be quite bland if you pick the right fish. Very easy for little ones to pick up as finger food, too.
Does she eat pasta? If so, I wonder if you could disguise some protein in the sauce - if you use fusilli (spirals) then the sauce sticks to the pasta and she could eat it as finger food and might not notice the taste so much?

Hi - would agree with merryandmaad - my dd is 15 months and only eats finger foods - she refuses jars/anything on a spoon- maybe your daughter is ready for that and it's the spoonfeeding aspect which is upsetting her? My dd refuses spoons point blank even if I know she's hungry!

Could a finger food diet help? You could try things on toast (peanut butter/marmite/philly), or cut thin slices of chicken/bland fish like cod, roll them in beaten egg then cover in crushed cornflakes for a crunchy coating, and fry in veg oil. My daughter loves these, but won't eat uncoated/unfried versions - strange! try cereals like Shreddies/Special K for breakfast she can get hold of? Oh - and also lumps of fruit - slices of melon, raisins, half grapes, half strawberries, etc. (They're sweet!) Oh, and creamy stuff/cheesy stuff like Babybels, Philly on rice cake....

Good luck! (Oh and my dd's an occasionally picky eater but I'm trying really hard to relax now, after months of stressing about it, as I figure they're old enough to know what their bodies need, within reason!)