13 Month Difficult eater

[Bumblebee210]

Hi All,

Any help would be appreciated. My DS 13 months mostly refuses to eat meals at his table and this all started since his last leap. I mean he eats snacks etc but breakfast, lunches and dinner he proves to be difficult.

Even food like mac & cheese which he loves or say used to love has become difficult in feeding him.

I am not playing up to him and do keep offering but still refuses.

He also now has started teething again but i'm not ruling that out. He always used to eat when teething. I feel like he just does not want to eat anymore.

Any suggestions?

My 2yo has gone through loads of phases of eating and not eating. He's not had any lunch again today! I think it's best to not worry about it too much, model good eating habits and keep offering. I usually try food I know he likes alongside food he doesn't so he ends up with some weird combos like sausage & potato wedges with a side of veggie curry! Maybe try him at different seats or using different bowls/plates?

My 13 month old has started becoming fussier with meals too. I think it’s just part of being a toddler so I’m not thinking much of it. I find he pushes the spoon or finger food away to begin with but if I sing nursery rhymes or something while offering it he’s more likely to just eat it because he’s distracted for a second and then realizes he’s hungry after the first couple bites. Then he’ll eat the rest of the meal no problem. I think he’s too busy in his mind to sit still and would rather run around. If he totally refuses I stop for a few mins to eat my meal and then try again. He’s also jumping in his cot when we put him down now for ages without being upset and could take an hour to fall asleep.

I’m thinking it’s a developmental leap but curious to see what other posters have to say.

My youngest is 14 months and is a nightmare eater. My older boys are 2.5 and 11 and eat anything and everything. The little one has really thrown me by refusing nearly everything bar toast, bits of cheese, yoghurt, banana and anything sweet. He is also incredibly clingy and not walking yet so maybe the eating will come in time along with those things?
Again the older two were walking and eating full meals by this point so arrrgh! We've nick named him the chicken nugget child as I bet he's going to be the fussy one all the way through.