Fussy eating advice

[dontyoubother]

DD2 (just 3) is an extremely fussy eater. This has been an issue for over a year and is getting worse. We're abroad just now and the food thing has just been a huge struggle- we're surrounded by families with kids demolishing plates of food while we celebrate DD eating 3 pieces of pasta. I've tried a lot of things but no luck, I'd love to hear others' experiences and even things that worked for you? I'm really struggling with this.

Personally, I took the don't worry about it approach, any kind of deal made out of it at this age just makes them dig in. It just seemed like something I wasn't willing to battle over, as I wouldn't win and the fuss would just be detrimental in general. They won't be eating 3 peices of pasta when they're 16, it will sort itself out. It's like sleep, some of them zonk out for 12 hours straight with a two hour nap like clockwork, others it's just not their thing. But they all get where they're going. Just keep offering the food, they absolutely 100% won't starve themselves, or get rickets, not going to happen. You can try frozen smoothies etc if you're desperate when you get home, but try not to worry too much (easier said than done, I know). My youngest survived off crackers and ham until he was about five, he's now 9 and we sat down and shared a curry last night. Have a good hol.

PS Comparison is the thief of joy 😊

she is quite young still. Does she have snacks between meals? Cut down on the snacks if so, then she will be more hungry. Serve veg before you serve the main part of the meal or carbs etc - helps get more veg into them as they are hungry.

Thank you for the response. Not to drip feed but the additional context here is that DD has been hospitalised in the past due to poor weight gain, she has an ongoing issue with her tummy and food allergies, so her early experiences of food hasn't been positive. She's under a consultant and dietitian but the advice is always that since her safe foods are healthy then there's nothing to worry about. But the "they won't starve themselves", I think she could. I mean, we're in that situation here in the hotel and she really is not eating.

I agree trying not to make a deal about it (hard as it sounds when you are probably worried!) if you act like your not bothered and stop watching your child eat you will probably find they are more willing to eat other things. Maybe try and eat something she doesn’t have (something quite nice) and really exaggerate how nice it is. Then leave it within reaching distance and turn your back or whatever and see if they try. If
you haven’t already tried this already!

I know this sounds stupid also and I wouldn’t want to instill bad eating habits for your child but If they watch YouTube (I know a lot of kids do now) see if you can find any food related content she may watch to broaden her arisens. Her favourite character maybe eating something. Maybe a stupid idea but if your at your wits end it’s worth a try. Kids want anything they watch on tv nowadays!

The snack thing is an option. She has snacks between meals because she doesn't eat at meals but that's a total chicken and egg thing really. Might be worth experimenting with, thank you for the suggestion @bloomflower
Also she definitely does eat more when not watched so dinner in particular involves ignoring her eating lots! We never say anything negative about how much she hasn't eaten, I have worked hard to ensure mealtimes are a positive experience as far as I can. I will try leaving something in her reach, we've never done that, thank you @ArcticRoll2

@ArcticRoll2 Nope not a stupid idea at all, I have been known to make an "extra special Bing bunny dinner" in the past but sadly it doesn't tempt her.

Maybe try and leave a low table with Picky Bits of things you know she will eat out and just let her graze, if that's how she prefers to do it. If the expectation of three square meals a day is causing stress, scrap it and go with what works for now. It won't always be this way, but she will pick up on your vibe, no matter how jolly and relaxed you're trying to be. Just take all the expectation off the table, literally, and she will get there x

Giving a smoothie for breakfast several times a week has really helped us. I looked up ‘weight gain smoothies for toddlers’ and adapted my own recipe over a few months. The one I use now has peanut butter, milk, yoghurt, oats, cocoa powder, banana and berries in it so I feel it packs a good nutritional hit and has a lot of calories (it’s delicious too). DD likes watching me make it too and will help get spoons out of the cutlery drawer, the berries from the freezer etc.

I also give one or two ‘safe’ foods with every meal. Recently she has started dipping her bread (one of her safe foods) in her pasta sauce and curry dishes (which she previously wouldn’t touch at all) so I’m taking that as a success. I pretend to ignore what she’s eating, so there’s no pressure.

Good luck with it, I know it can be soul destroying and just really draining.