My 3 year old eating habits

[LLI1974]

Help! My 3 year old has very bad eating habits. She only eats what she wants to eat. She no longer eats any fruit or vegetables and has even stopped having fruit pouches (at least when she did have these she was taking some fruit).

My only saving grace is she loves her porridge, and I have tried mixing fruit in and she won’t have it.

So I struggle mostly for breakfast and lunch times. I just do not know what else I can feed her.

Even at dinner times she mainly eats fishfingers and chips and no home cooked meals.

She has special needs but I don’t believe it’s sensory related

Have a look at ARFID.

Have you spoken to the HV &/or GP?

Will DD take a multivitamin?

Rather than adding other foods such as fruit into the porridge, which may make DD reject porridge forever more, have you tried fortifying the porridge? For example, do you use jersey milk? You can add a little bit of cream starting with a very small amount. Some people can successfully add skimmed milk powder as well as milk/cream.

Some people have success with food chaining. For example, if DD will eat chips, will she eat different brands? What about fries or curly fries or wedges?

What is ARFID? Will look this up thanks

No not spoken to HV or GP as yet?

My daughter can be picky with her brands too though she does eat the chips we buy so that’s different.

As she also loves chicken kievs we have tried chicken gouchjons and other breaded chicken and breaded fishfingers but refuses them.

My main concern is she is not eating any fruit or vegetables. I am unsure if it is D related.

I would speak to the HV &/or GP. If DC is already under paeds, I would speak to them too.

Where other additional needs are present, food difficulties can often be part of the wider picture.

ARFID is Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.