Fussy eating and food refusing twin girls-help!

[hellswelshy]

My twin girls are 16months old, born 32 weeks premature, but have thrived since in everyway. Since weaning, i have always made all their food from scratch - nothing smug about it, just that me and my husband enjoy good food so its just natural i always wanted them to also.
They have always been fab eaters, such a dream to feed. That is until recently!! For the last couple of months Baby Girl one, (always slightly pickier) has been spitting her food out, mainly the lumpier food; i first attributed it to teething...then after affects of MMR...then chicken pox...then a cold. Basically it feels like the last few months it has been one thing after another and they are currently post-chicken pox and still have cold/cough. Now both of them are being fussy with food, especially if they are a bit tired, spitting out, knocking out of my hand etc. I have tried everything i can think of - letting them have spoons, not giving too many snacks, but most days i have at least one meal time that ends in them eating virtually nothing and me getting upset. Its so important for me for them to eat well, i cant stop thinking about it - any advice, or similar stories gratefully received

I have four altogether - 2 older girls and twins - and they've all been through a stage of hardly eating anything. My doctor told me that a basically healthy child will not starve if food is offered. My girls kept on growing and thriving, even when they hardly seemed to be eating anything. At least what they did eat was mostly healthy, as they liked fruit and some vegetables. My advice would be to keep offering a variety of food and try not to worry if it is refused. Only worry if the girls become listless or start to actually lose weight. When they started school my girls finally developed an interest in meals - though they still eat a lot less than many of their friends.

I'd second l39. My boys now 2.5. Always pretty good eaters. DS2 would only eat mushy food for a while (until about 18mths). DS1 still doesn't like the texture of rice pudding, but DS2 woffs it down. Another suggestion - some babies at about 18 mths prefer to sit round the table, maybe you could try and eat with them at the table in booster seats (if you don't already, and it is possible for you).

Keep offering foods, even if they don't eat them the first few times - my DS2 started eating cucumber for the first time around 3 months after I started giving it to them.

Thank you for your words of wisdom both, i must say since i last wrote it has become a bit better although now its a tussle with the spoons and im having to accept they want to do most things themselves, including feeding, albeit not very well. Here we come mess!!!