Fussy eating

[Anxiousmess23]

Hey guys, I just need some advice or some reassurance that this will get easier 😅

My 15 month old is a fussy eater. When we started weaning at 6 months he loved his food. At around the 9/10 month mark he had a sickness bug and ever since has been funny with food.

He'll eat yoghurt, occasionally cucumber, crackers with cheese, melon, crisps and biscuits, a croissant now and then, chips, most of the time toast, and cheerios. That's it! Oh and maybe strawberry but they are hit and miss.

He will not eat meals, when we make curries, pasta, spag bol, chili con carne, jacket potato, roasts, he will eat none of it. Sometimes he'll eat a spoonful or 3 but that's it, and will get upset and throw everything on the floor. I'm giving up now and have no ideas on what to give him.

Anyone have tips to get him to enjoy a proper meal? I feel like crying the majority of the time im so worried!

He'll also nibble on fish sometimes too 😬

Follow Solid Starts Instagram and/or checkout their website...I'm sure there's a specific bit for fussy eating but they are an amazing resource in general for feeding infants and toddlers.

Some techniques they encourage are including the child in prepping/cooking the meal, serving it 'self serve' style in the middle of the table, casually eating your own meal next to them (usually they'll ask to try some of yours) and lots.more that I don't recall

At that age I would just continue to serve him whatever you're eating, along with some stuff he likes. And just make no comment on it.

Maybe try and see if he eats better if you separate out the components? For example if you cook spaghetti bolognese, give him some cucumber slices you know he'll like, some pasta, a spoonful of sauce next to that, and some grated cheese. Might not make any difference but might be worth a try if you haven't already? I would definitely always give him something he likes on the plate along with the main meal though.

Do you eat with him?

Is he in nursery/childminder and what is his eating like there? Is he fussier at home?
Can you make meal time less formal, and relax yourself. Play music whilst you eat, get them involved in preparing the food (give them a sauce pan and wooden spoon to muck about with), Picnics, on the go and sharing boards usually get my kids eating better as they can select the bits they want. So does eating with other children, can you invite others to dinner or try out new snacks on play dates? Take him to the shops and pick a new fruit or veg to try together.
I found Charlotte Sterling Reed a helpful resource and she has info on fussy eating too https://www.srnutrition.co.uk/advice/
Good luck!

Division of responsibility. It wasn't called that then but it was the only sensible suggestion when my DS was that age and very severely limiting his food intake.

That's a good shout, usually I just plate all our food onto our own plates so will give that a try :)

He's not in nursery or childminders, me and my partner juggle it between us and the in laws help out if we need them to have him. He does love music and audio books so maybe I should start playing it at meal times, that sounds great 😁

Would being at nursery help encourage him to eat more things? I was thinking about getting him into a nursery even if it's a few hours a week. I think he'd enjoy it, he's so sociable and loves his play groups I take him to!

I think most kids eat everything at nursery, because they copy each other and the meal times are a big part of nursery routine so they know they have to sit there anyway so might as well eat! I find my kids eat all their meals and stuff at nursery they wouldn’t eat at home. So I know they’re not actually fussy eaters, they just give me a harder time because they can ha! Nursery could be great for many reasons like you say, this being one of them