18 month old eats almost nothing

[Missrainbows]

I am just hoping for some advice for my son. He is nearly 18 months old and the number of foods he will eat has got smaller and smaller since he was 12 months old until now when he will eat almost nothing. He is completely uninterested in food and seems almost to not like it at all.

He will eat:
Yoghurt
Some fruits like strawberries
Bread type foods like toast or crumpets
Pasta with pesto which I make
He has cows milk before bed and occasionally before his nap.

That is it, and has been for months now. He HATES anything with a sauce or anything remotely textured/wet. I think this is a sensory issue as he hates anything generally messy.

We have tried:
Sitting with him / leaving him completely alone
Eating with him
TV and music on
One piece at a time
Spoon feeding / letting him play with food
All different types of chairs, including eating on the floor

He is an okay weight for his age so seems to be getting enough, but I worry about him being unhealthy and how upset he gets - he often seems excited for meal times and runs to his chair, but then gets so flustered as soon as he sees the plate if it isn't any of the food above. I'm just exhausted trying so many different things and it just seems like it's getting worse not better. Everyone says it's a phase but it's not improving and it's been months.

Is this similar to anyone else? Does any one have any advice? I haven't asked my GP or health visitor, does this seem like something they might be able to help with?

Thank you!

Can anyone help?

The common advice seems to be to always include at least one safe food (from your list) on the plate alongside continuing to offer new things. And trying to remain calm if the exciting new foods are rejected again and again.

I'm kind of in the same boat but not quite as severe. My little one is great with finger foods but if it's something a bit messy he will not eat it, almost like he can't stand his hands being messy. I'm still having to spoon-feed those kinds of things. Hopefully bumping for you

Thank you so much for responses!

Why are you trying so many different things? That will just be confusing matters. You need to be consistent.

Sit at the table. No tv. All eat the same thing together - so give him exactly what you’re having, even if you don’t think he will eat it. Just make sure he has at least one safe food on his plate - even if it doesn’t “go” with the meal.

No pressure, no cajoling, no encouragement, no spoon feeding. Just “here it is”. If he says he doesn’t want it you can say “that’s okay, you don’t have to eat it”.

With a safe food and no pressure, they are more likely to try other foods.

Don’t make an alternative meal, but in our house toast or porridge are always available in case they didn’t have much.

Also cut snacks - they’re more likely to eat at set times if they aren’t snacking in between.

Your job as a parent is not to make them eat. It is to offer a wide variety of foods and let them figure out the rest.

So similar to my DD except cheese, avocado and PB&J were also acceptable if served on top of a toast product! She starting emerging from it at 3, literally woke up one morning and requested a cheeseburger for lunch. By 4 she was really adventurous- meat, veggies, the full works! There are a enough textures and tastes in the mix I think to explain it just as toddlers be toddlers rather than it being a swallowing or sensory thing. I completely agree with @Sleepygrumpyandnothappy ‘s advice. Also do a multivitamin, potentially one with iron but you may want to discuss that with your doctor/HV first. Fortunately we went through this in the US so could talk to the paediatrician (who really wasn’t worried).

Hi
have you seen any improvements in your little one ?

Hi! Not much to be honest 😂 he definitely does eat a few more things now than on this list, like cheese and some kinds of potato, but definitely nothing textured / wet / saucy. We are just continuing to offer as much as possible but it's still really hard.

Is your little one the same?

So your DC is now coming up for 2?

Our eldest was VERY restricted at that age. 18 months to 2.5 years was the worst. From 18 months to over 3 years she are no vegetables and no fresh fruit. None. I tried to follow the most common advice "offer one safe food and several other things, don't make a fuss and don't offer snacks". I think for most toddlers that us probably good advice and certainly for my middle children that worked well. Definitely worth sticjubg with it BUT some children are VERY picky, and my eldest became severely underweight as she would literally rather starve than eat a vegetable.

If it turns out that you have one of those on your hands, don't panic. We saw a dietician who said if there's protein, far, carbohydrate and fibre, don't worry if its the same food every day, just give a multivitamin and be patient.

DR is nearly 8 now. Still dislikes vegetables,but they no longer make her vomit. She will (very slowly) eat peas, beans and sweetcorn and can be persuaded to have a bite of many others. Her protein and carb options are very much wider and there are several thngs in sauce that she'll eat.

It's tough when your child won't eat well. Try not to battle over it and remember that nobody likes to be hungry. Most grow out of it, but if they don't you still have oprions for gradual expansion in almost all cases. But imagine what its like if every mealtime is a choice between eat in something that physically revolts you or going hungry.