fussy eater- tactics to overcome- specific question

[krisskross]

sorry to go on (in case you keep seeing my posts on this topic....)

but, I have a specific question-

DD is 16 months and a fairly fussy eater- she goes up and down weekly it seems.

I am settling into not reacting and trying not to get worked up in front of her. But- my question is, should i stick to giving her things she likes, or should i keep offering variety?

We almost always eat dinner as a family, so would be pretty dull and grim if we keep mostly eating things she will eat (pasta and pesto, pasta and tomato sauce)- but will lots of variety spook her? This week she seems reluctant to even try anything except yogurt and fruit, even things she would eat last week.

Honestly? I think you should do what you are comfy with. With DS1 I did everything 'right' and we went through stages of not eating / eating only certain foods etc. At 2.8, he is now a great eater! Will eat most meats, loves fruit etc but just will not eat veggies (though he ate that for a long time!). DS2 is now 1 and god, it's like watching history repeating itself with him. He didn't eat for a long time, when he started eating, he ate everything and now going through the stage of shaking his head at everything! I take a 'half-half' approach: on some days, DS2 has to have whatever we are having. On other days, I will give him stuff I know he will eat. It's very easy to freeze pasta and tomato sauce so you are not cooking it all the time! I really don't think it's a big deal at the moment, your DD is very young in terms of eating. My DS1 has only recently started saying he's 'VERY hungry'! And it's only when he got to about 2.6 that he started to 'enjoy' food. Before that, it's very much take it or leave it.

Try not to get stressed about having to do things one way or the other. There's always a happy medium, if you take the 'half-half' approach at least you know she is eating something with things she likes while she is still being given new stuff to try. I know it's easier said than done but I've been there and done that and it's really not worth worrying about if they are healthy otherwise! :)

thanks angel.

My son (3) was/ is a brill eater and this all feels like a shock- cant believe 2 babies from same home can be so different!

I guess half/half is a sensible approach! espec as my opinion/ strategy changes daily!

anyone else? Much advice needed- thanks.

You are lucky! I always envied mums who have babies who would eat anything and everything as mine never did. My two are 'faddy' eaters. Could it be that you remember things differently? Having had DS2, I am only now remembering the pain of what it was like at the 1-year stage... And I am convinced people just forget how difficult certain ages of babies/toddlers are for different reasons!

yes- prob got rose tinted specs to an extent, but i dont remember this pain!