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Parenting

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Original poster

2.2 year old eating

10 replies

NoNoNoooooo · 09/04/2015 22:45

Hi. My DD has gone from being an amazing eater to rejecting anything that isn't breadcrumbed or a breakfast dish for the past few months
I believe in the if they don't eat what's offered then tough, but think she's too young to get the concept. Then she's starving and unbearable and upset. If she doesn't eat dinner and goes to bed hungry it doesn't affect her as she'll Wolf down breakfast. Any advice, tactics would be appreciated. I'm worried I'm maybe underestimating her and she knows she's in control!

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FarOverTheRainbow · 09/04/2015 22:47

No advice but my DD is exactly the same and started around the same age and 4months in she isn't any better

Original poster

NoNoNoooooo · 10/04/2015 00:23

Thanks for replying. It's frustrating isn't it.

I suppose I'm just wondering should I be offering an alternative when she doesn't eat her meal or not?

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Box5883284322679964228 · 10/04/2015 00:29

I'd always let my kids know they could come back to their tea if hungry. I didn't offer alternatives. The only exception to this was (maybe once every 6 months) when i felt DC truly disliked something - rather then just being a bit picky.

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Box5883284322679964228 · 10/04/2015 00:32

I have 4 great eaters by the way. They eat anything and will try anything. I've never bought fish fingers or frozen chips or nuggets - although I wouldn't blink if they are them at a friends house. Our fast food tends to be fish

PettsWoodParadise · 10/04/2015 08:19

They understand more than you think! At this age they naturally start to push boundaries and see how much they can get away with. Try a variety sticker chart. for each different food in that week that they eat they get a sticker. A full chart (20 to 30 stickers???) at end of week means a treat or their one time they can choose their meal. You know your child best so apologies if this is no help.

Poppins27 · 10/04/2015 08:28

My Daughter was exactly the same at this age, every meal was a battle!! A massive battle!! We went on holiday and she survived purely on banana, chips, bread and icecream. I was mortified so when we returned really knuckled down with meals. She was offered what she would previously eat, didn't introduce new things necessarily to complicate matters but if she didn't eat it, she didn't get offered an alrernative. If she did, she would get a treat (bribery at it's best).

Then we started introducing new additions, and rewarding trying things. For example with a roast dinner she would get an extra Yorkshire pudding if she tried a new vegetable.

Exactly a year on she is soooo much better!!! She is not perfect, still apprehensive with new foods but her variation is alot better...fruit and veg are now an everyday staple (huge improvements!!)

Good luck!! Perseverance does pay off

Box5883284322679964228 · 10/04/2015 08:40

Just read your post again. I would stop serving breaded foods completely. What do you adults eat?

Original poster

NoNoNoooooo · 10/04/2015 09:29

Thanks for replies. We eat a large variety of foods and we eat together. My DH is a fab cook. He bought the breaded type foods when she was Ill and not eating much. So she refuses the family meal then she gets crap or toast instead. She doesn't get them everyday but they are guaranteed she'll eat. She's not thin so I'm not to worried but it's hard seeing her starving and upset. Need to talk to DH so we're on the same page. Not offer an alternative and try and stick with it. I'm a bit paranoid about rewards as we've had terrible trouble with DSS and he's only motivated by rewards now for things he should just do anyway. So I'll try lots of praise for good eating and ignore anything else.

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Box5883284322679964228 · 10/04/2015 09:37

Yes I'm not sure about using bribery with foods particularly.

Stop the toast and breaded items at least. It's all just rubbishy wheat anyway.

Reoffer the main meal but accept if she's not interested. She can't be that hungry if she doesn't eat it and previously would have

Poppins27 · 10/04/2015 17:50

Just to reinforce I meant bribery in quite a lighthearted fashion. There was so much praise for anything new tried and even games in a way. My Dd loves proving me wrong so there was also a lot of 'I bet you won't try that...'. She would try the new food, just to prove me wrong and gradually realise that actually she does like it and it becomes a regular item on her plate.

So much was trial and error, I've gone through tears tantrums (both mine and Dds) and the feeling of being completely defeated by mealtimes with Dd but for the first time ever I'm able to know that a meal will end up eaten rather than being binned anymore!! And it's such a relief

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