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Original poster

Need serious advice on my child’s eating habits!

27 replies

LauraJade0308 · 23/05/2019 18:52

I have a DD who’s nearly 4. All she eats is popcorn chicken and pizza. Literally nothing else. Will not touch a piece of fruit or veg. Won’t eat any staple foods such as pasta, bread etc. We have been to see nutritionalists, dieticians, doctors, and all have said she will grow out of it... but when?! It’s so frustrating! We have tried everything! Tasting games, she refused, we offer our food every dinner time, she refuses, she won’t even try stuff the other kids at nursery eat. I don’t know what to do! Is anyone else in the same boat? She starts school in September and I am desperate.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

forkfun · 23/05/2019 19:13

I recommend Bee Wilson's book First Bite for useful info (not advice, but background info). She also outlines a programme called tiny tastes. You can find out about it here. www.weightconcern.org.uk/tinytastes

Good luck!

sleepismysuperpower1 · 23/05/2019 19:26

could you try disguising the vegetables? for example, the popcorn chicken can be switched with popcorn cauliflower (one cup = 128g since the recipe is american), and pizza can have hidden veggies in (try making a cauliflower base and then hidden veggie sauce.)
you could also try 'eat it or leave it'. basically, you put down a plate of food (eg: pita, hidden veggie sauce, a couple of carrot batons and a yogurt). tell her that she can dip the pitta and carrot into the sauce, but that's her dinner and she won't get anything else to eat. if she leaves it, then complains she is hungry later, offer her the pitta with the dip, or the carrot sticks (give her a choice between the 2). she might refuse the first few days but once she realises that you won't give her another choice she will she will start to eat. all the best x

Finfintytint · 23/05/2019 19:29

Just eliminate the popcorn chicken and pizza. Serve it up in different forms and include the veg. She will grow out of it. The bigger deal you make of it, the more the battle. Don’t comment, just offer healthy varied small meals. Some Mnetters will say my child was hospitalised because of their poor diet and that they really would refuse any food at all. No toddler died ever in the uk as a result of being a fussy eater.
It’s down to exposure to a varied diet. Suck it and see. Eventually a child will eat and it will become less of a control exercise and more of an enjoyable family experience.

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BrilliantYou · 23/05/2019 19:32

My now 13 year old was exactly the same. The more I tried the less he ate.

If I could go back and do it again I would say don't stress about it. Serve her the foods she likes but always add something little that's new and one day she will eat something. Just something little on the side but don't make a big deal out of it.

I think eating out, having picnics, sitting down to eat as a family and lead by example are good ways to build a good relationship with foods.

If you're worried about nutrition maybe give vitamins as a back up but honestly she will be fine.

We can sit down as a family now and enjoy foods such as curry, chilli, salmon and he eats it and enjoys it

Original poster

LauraJade0308 · 23/05/2019 19:58

Thanks for the advice! She is on vitamins to substitute but I feel it’s not enough. I have tried to disguise food but she analyses everything before she puts it in her mouth sadly!

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BrilliantYou · 23/05/2019 20:19

Well you sound like a lovely mum who just wanted her daughter to be healthy etc but honestly from experience if we stress about it it just makes things worse. My youngest eats everything and anything and I think it's because I just didn't have time 2nd time around to analyse everything as much so he just have to eat what we were having and he didn't really have a choice. Looking back I probably caused a lot of the issues as I was so focused on trying to be perfect and having unrealistic expectations.

At the end of the day as long as she's eating and is happy then that's all that matters

Original poster

LauraJade0308 · 23/05/2019 20:41

Thankyou! She’s a healthy weight for her age, I’m just so worried about what I’m going to put in her lunchbox when she goes to school! I also have a 10 week old, I’m just praying he’s not going to be the same, it’s so stressful and embarrassing!

OP posts:

NabooThatsWho · 23/05/2019 20:43

What does she drink?

YeOldeTrout · 23/05/2019 20:52

It's weird that a kid won't eat sweets or crisps. Maybe you lucked out there a bit.

What fluid does she actually drink?

Pizza is a bit vague... do you just mean marguerita only or would she eat other sorts?

How do you have to prepare the chicken?

sleepismysuperpower1 · 23/05/2019 20:56

i really would start the eat it or leave it method. it will get her ready for school. we have this box, and its great, because it allows me to manage portion sizes of the different food groups. do you think a special plate like this might help? you can put the different food items into different bowls, get her to sort them onto the plate, but whatever she puts on she must eat?

Original poster

LauraJade0308 · 23/05/2019 21:23

She’s also very fussy about what she drinks. Only Ribena at the minute. I suppose I have to be grateful that she’s not eating crisps and sweets, all though she does eat kinder eggs occasionally, she mainly wants them for the toy... But I’m focusing more on the main meal front. She has a plate with Separate compartments that I have filled with various foods but she won’t touch them. I have (admittedly) even gone as far as forcing food into her mouth but she scrapes it out, gagging and crying. What’s making me concerned now is that she won’t eat any form of breakfast, toast, cereal etc... and I don’t want her going to school without anything. At the moment, she’ll occasionally have a couple of cookies with milk, but that’s very rare. Most of the time she will wait until lunch. She’s not a child who will give in easy, we tried the ‘dont Eat, go without’ method before and she didn’t eat for 3 days... That was heartbreaking!

OP posts:

YeOldeTrout · 23/05/2019 21:35

What kind of cookies?

Did she ever eat any fruit or veg, how long ago?

SallyWD · 23/05/2019 21:39

I understand what a worry it is. My daughter was similar at that age. She ate well until 18 months then became insanely fussy and only ate 2 or 3 things for years. She was always very healthy, good weight, tall and rarely ill. The doctor said as long as the kids are growing normally and have lots of energy they don't worry. She's now 8 and actually eats pretty well I'd say. Just a few months ago I realised I needed to stop referring to her as a fussy eater because actually she'll try anything and eats a wide variety of food. She requested to switch to school dinners last year and just eats whatever she's given. I'm still surprised by the complete turnaround! You say your daughter eats pizza - well it's a complete meal, isn't it? It has carbs, protein, vitamins from the tomatoes. I'd try and give her homemade pizza. I'm really sure she'll grow out of it.

Original poster

LauraJade0308 · 23/05/2019 21:41

Just the usual chocolate chip cookies, she’s never eaten fruit or veg. I made a point of this to the dietician, even when she was small in a highchair, usually a baby will grab stuff and put it straight in their mouth, but she never did with fruit or veg, she just threw it. She won’t even eat yoghurt, so her only source of calcium is milk, and that’s hot and miss

OP posts:

Original poster

LauraJade0308 · 23/05/2019 21:43

I do make her pizza from scratch, using the fajita wraps, she tends to eat those better xx

OP posts:

YeOldeTrout · 23/05/2019 21:44

Did she ever eat chips or cake?

Mummoomoocow · 23/05/2019 21:49

Just wanted to say my 16 month old is just the same. It’s driving me mad and there have been times I’ve held him down to force him to try foods to show him they’re not bad! I feel awful about it! I wonder if it has anything to do with not seeing my partner and I eating? We’re usually too busy cleaning up after him to enjoy a bloody meal together!

Sirzy · 23/05/2019 21:57

Don’t take away her safe foods.

Have you ever heard of ARFID? (Avoidant resistant food intake disorder)

Original poster

LauraJade0308 · 23/05/2019 22:04

Nope, she doesn’t like cake, and the only crisps she’ll eat are bacon frazzles, very particular. I have heard of ARFID, but that is for children that aren’t eating enough to grow properly, but DD is perfect weight and height for her age so I don’t think they could diagnose her.

OP posts:

BrilliantYou · 24/05/2019 07:33

My son is really funny with his mouth/textures. Doesn't like sloppy food, hates the dentist, and he would point blank refuse to try something he didn't want to, there was no coaxing him like some kids will. I'm ashamed to say that we physically forced him to eat a spoon of soup when he was maybe around 5 because I was so frustrated that he wouldn't eat.. it still haunts me! Thankfully he doesn't remember it!

At the moment he doesn't eat a lot of meat which is fine but he doesn't like other types of protein either apart hummus! He's 12 and growing so he loves nuggets/Kiev's etc so I'm kind of at peace with him eating this a lot but he is really good at eating his veg now so I fill up his plate with veg plus he'll eat plain pasta so I give him wholemeal etc so trying to make what he will eat as nutritious as possible.

It's funny really because I've always served him plain foods with him being so fussy but he's tried some of our food recently and much preferred it. Salmon for example - I always just make him plain salmon fillet, he didn't like it having any colour at all and I had to remove the grey/skin parts. He would maybe eat a quarter of a fillet. I accidentally bought some that was already marinated in chilli and garlic and he wolfed the whole fillet down and has eaten it ever since (there should be a fainting emoji for here! )

TapasForTwo · 24/05/2019 07:41

I think some parents just don't understand what it is like to have a genuinely fussy eater. DD was the same and would rather go hungry than eat something she didn't like. She was underweight and on the 2nd centile for ages before creeping up to the 9th, so making her go hungry was not an option.

I feel your pain. Extremely fussy eating like this is a marker for ASD. Could this be a possibility?

lljkk · 24/05/2019 08:25

Every time OP posts there are more foods added to the list of "literally nothing else" that her DD eats.

I get that it's restrictive & annoying situation (I danced around with joy when DS decided he liked Wotsits), but I wish threads like this made sense. I don't give advice because there is no accurate picture.

Original poster

LauraJade0308 · 24/05/2019 08:37

I did mention ASD to my health visitor but she said DD doesn’t really fit most of the signs, only the fussy eating 😕

OP posts:

Original poster

LauraJade0308 · 24/05/2019 08:39

Of course she eats snacks lljkk, I’m talking like lunch and dinner... I can’t give her cookies for dinner...

OP posts:

Pinkarmchair · 24/05/2019 08:45

I was the fussiest child - grew up on literally potato waffles, smiley faces and pizza (margarita)
I am alive - and my eating didn't improve until 21-22 - my current age! (Of course as I grew up I incorporated e.g. pasta but I never ate vegetables or fruit aside from bananas and the tomato sauce on the pizza/pasta)

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