Refuse to eat

[Vittoria123]

Hi lovely community .
first time mum her
My little girl (16 months ) has a bit of a food aversion lately . She likes marmite on toast , biscuits , cheese and onion crisps , chicken , Yougurt and pizza and sausages but doesn’t have big portions , just a few bites . whenever we eat she comes over and takes our food , licks it , plays with it and then drops it . Is it part of her development do you think ? Is it normal or a sign of an hypersensitivity to textures .

her weight and height are perfect and she is on track with her milestones

she doesn’t seem to be hungry at all she can go all day without solid food . she loves milk , yogurt though

ps : she still doesn’t want to feed herself and she is 16 months .
please can you tell me if this is normal and if you have gone through this , when did it stop ?

Many many thanks and losing it a bit

If they fill up on milk and dairy, and love that, they can be reticent to try other food.

Looking at that list, it's all (bar the chicken if it's fresh) processed and high salt. Did she ever eat and enjoy fresh foods? At 16 months for my DD there would have been a lot of protein/veg/starch type of meals. So chicken with peas and mash for example.

My friend had a licker! He did have some special needs but he was also not a hungry child and didn't run around furiously like my DD so didn't need as much.

My 2 are totally different eaters.
My now 3yo eats like a bird, always has.
My 13m old eats as much as I do.
They're both on track for their development, following their curve etc.

I'd not worry but definitely try and introduce fresh foods, fruit and veg, and vary what they are offered too.

So, like marmite on toast - what about marmite on wholemeal toast (or whichever toast is different to the one you normally use) or marmite on a crumpet? Cheese and marmite on toast?

Pizza - what about a DIY pizza? Tomato puree and herbs spread on a mini tortilla wrap and a bit of cheddar, under the grill for a couple of mins. Offer cucumber on the side. Next time you make it, add thinly sliced peppers or mushrooms or sweetcorn or tenderstem broccoli (choose one) just to add some variety!

Sausages - cook them in a casserole packed with veg. Or cook them with apple and orzo.

Little swaps just to get them trying new foods within a context they are familiar with.

They'll get there eventually, little steps to help broaden their tastes on the way.