I AM ABOUT TO EXPLODE................

[McDreamyingofawhiteXmas]

.......yet another night when DS refuses to eat. I have just had enough of this. If I pampered to his needs he would live on sausages and nothing else. Tonight I have made a very simple lasagne, every one else is eating it but not him, he is sat there crying. (He is 4). I am trying to keep my cool and not make this into a battle.........but I don't know what to do!!!!!!! AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH

Ok cooled down now! He still has eaten hardly anything. He is small for his age and it's not surprising he eats less than a sparrow

It's so difficult, isn't it?

Sometimes I don't know why I bother as they just want chips and fish fingers.

ah, the old "my child will only eat sausages" syndrome, it's well documented, happens to lots of children but eventually they grow out of it, usually just about when their mothers are wheeled jibbering out of the house having scraped another lovingly prepared meal into the bin.

I feel your pain. My DS was the same PITA. I think feed him what he likes with the proviso he eats one extra thing you say. If you make it too much of a battle it ends up him hungry and you screeching so better he is fed, dinner is over and you can mumsnet in peace.
... priorities!!

I sometimes wonder what keeps my 6 year old going but she started to eat more once she went to school and I worry less as I think she has a good attitude to food most of the time. She eats when she is hungry and stops when she has had enough.

Do sausages a couple of times a week in different guises so you know he is getting some food and just try and stay calm.

McDreamy you need Slubber's thread of a while ago about non-eating children! I will see if I can find it ......

Loads of really good tips on it and my DS2 who is 4 1/2 will now eat fish fingers, chicken nuggets and potato waffles which I know doesn't sound great but considering he would only touch cheese and tomato pizza before this is FANTASTIC!! He loves fruit but the veg intake is virtually non-existent at the mo - the odd miniscule bite of carrot - but I live in hope.

Really - wow that's progress Merlin. I'd love to read the thread. What's been your most successful change/approach?

Search doesn't seem to be working and I can't remember title of thread - will keep looking!

No easy way to success, just perseverance I guess! I would dish up food to him and when he inevitably refused to eat it I would just ignore him and not rise to the bait! Didn't offer him anything else. The breakthrough was when we were away at half term and had gone to a pub for dinner and he suddenly announced he wanted fish fingers! With the promise of a pressie if he ate them he proceeded to finish the entire plate!

Since then I do serve up different food for DH, DS1 and myself but get him to try it as well - for instance he will eat a bit of the crunchy potato on a shepherds pie but not the meat!

My sister lived on omelettes and milk shakes for about a year of our childhood. My poor mother... however, doesn't seem to have had any long-term effects. Hope that's a tiny bit reassuring?

Watching with great interest... this week has been okay but last week's mealtimes were hell!
I have been doing the "well there's nothing else, but you have to stay there til your brother is finished" but DD goes mental and wants to go straight to bed, so I am looking at alternatives...

A couple of things you see suggested for DC that won't eat/like limited foods include:

-get them involved in cooking. If they help make a meal they're more likely to try it.

-invite their friends round for tea. They might be more willing to eat alongside others.

I'm sure people will come along with more ideas.

It is so frustrating though isn't it?

My little brother was like this and my mum tried everything to change his diet but he would just refuse to eat and would starve himself (he was probably about 7 when it was at its worst). In the end she gave up trying to change him and would feed him what he wanted whilst feeding the rest of us a varied diet (he was youngest of 3). Over the years he gradually added different foodstuffs to his range of things he would eat and is now in his 30s - 6 ft tall - and eats crab cakes!

Here is Slubber's useful thread from a while ago
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/behaviour_development/812985-Can-you-lot-help-me-with-a-new-strategy-for

Brilliant Lanky - thanks for the link!!

Loads to read McDreamy but hopefully it will help. Good luck!

My DS is now 8 and eats everything I give him (except fresh tomatoes - doesn't mind tinned). So we went from sausages every night to eating everything within about 3 years from age 2. I always put veg on his plate every night and one night he just ate it.

Annoying little darlings aren't they.