Toddler won't eat lumpy food

[Dsiso]

My son will be 2 next month. He won't eat any meals that aren't pureed, but will snack on toast, bread and rice cakes. I desperately need advice on how to get him to chew and eat lumpy food at meal times without him spitting it out or vomiting! Help!

We realised it was us too when nursery told us dd was having 3 or 4 helpings at lunch, 2 days a week and barely anything at home.

I also have a nearly 2yo who refuses to eat a lot of lumpy or chewable food. I'll be hunting down a copy of that book this afternoon. My main concern is that she won't eat any veg unless it's blitzed up in a sauce. Just got to keep offering and not worrying i suppose. She still has quite a lot of breastfeeds over a 24hr period so I'm not sure if that adds to the problem

Well it could do but the BM comes with a lovely cuddle from mummy so who can blame her?

When you put it like that it does sound preferable to some carrot batons :)

We've scratched our heads over DS lots. I think there were a few possible physical issues, and a few temperamental ones, and they have blurred a bit as he's got older.

He was 10 weeks prem, so he (and his twin) were weaned at 6 mo actual - which meant purees not BLW. They were both quite slow to get finger foods, so he never really did that thing of sucking at/playing with food - he just wanted it in his mouth NOW, either by me spooning it in, or once he could hold it himself, shovelling it in. He is the only person I know who eats toast sideways - literally all in, regardless of geometry!

The paed said that sensitivity to textures is quite common in premmies, so the sudden pulling food out of his mouth, refusing meats etc seems to be related to that. He was also reflux vomity and possibly lactose intolerant for many months when he was little, so it's possible food/swallowing has some negative connotations for him also.

On the other hand, his sister is obviously the same age, but much more relaxed around meal times, and that's just down to temperament. DS will scream with rage, bang his head in his high chair, hurl food or sippy cups actually they both do that etc etc. Some of this may be related to physical issues, but a lot of it is just his personality - he did the same when I refused to give him my iPhone when he was in the bath yesterday .

The eating better outside the house thing has baffled me too - it can't be because we're more relaxed, because sometimes I find it utterly terrifying! It could well be copying more people around him, as he does eat well around friends' babies, and nursery rarely report a problem. It could be that he tends to like more highly seasoned food than he usually gets at home. Or it could just be the Law of Sod, which also works at home - don't have quite enough of anything, and they'll love it. Rely on a meal, and they'll hate it!

Any kind of cold/cough/teeth issue sends him back to Square One too. So I'm just trying to accept that there will be days and weeks when he eats loads, days when he will try things, and days when everything will be POISON! Trying to maintain a state of Zen-like calm about it is not easy though!

Also Dsiso I got the MCWE book on Kindle, if you have any devices that support eBooks?

Gosh TLW what i'm going through is nothing in comparison to you. I really admire your strength, which also gives me strength too. Thanks for the tip about the kindle edition of of MCWE. Through the UK Amazon site, I wasn't able to get it, but have just been on the USA site and it's now waiting for me to start reading! As soon as the boy is in bed I'll be onto it.

Ah, wasn't trying to get all competitive about it, honest . Basically he is a healthy boy who is a charming combination of greedy, fussy and stroppy - I wonder which of us has to own up to those genes !!

Compared to that constant vomiting sounds a lot more wearing. Fab to hear you're making progress.

Well I am definitely making progress. I've found the MCWE book really useful and the whole notion of forcing my son to eat something he doesn't want to will not help, as well as offering everything in the fridge! So a compromise was needed and for supper tonight I made scrambled eggs on toast for both of us (my husband is still away). I couldn't believe it when he ate it all, even wanted to try the marmite I was putting on mine. I know that he eats toast so decided to go for something he will eat mixed with something he won't. I know it's not ideal, but it felt like a mini breakthrough for me, and at least he got some protein.

That is good news! TLW I'd blame it on dh

Great to hear about the scrambled egg - on the occasional days when dd wakes before Ds for lunch I'll do us both egg on toast, and we sit together, she calmly waits while I get things ready, and eats the egg gram by gram. I have shed a little tear at the realisation that that's what parenting one, easy, baby must be like. The Ds wakes and all he'll breaks loose! I wonder when I'll be brave enough to just serve that to him?
Tonight they had shepherds pie, made bland with much more potatoes than meat, but the carrots were a bit crunchier than ideal, and he was diving at the spoon to get at it quicker. Boys!
Jilted are you in the midst of this stage or have you come put the other side?!

Out the other side, well as far as you can be with a fussy one

Agh! Dinner (pasta, two types) rejected. Breakfast (wheatabix or porridge), rejected. No sleep, not feeling very strong here!

Oh shame TLW. I know how you feel. My son has a cough which doesn't seem to other him, but bothers me when he coughs in his sleep every 30 mins!

In terms of the food, porridge is always a hit. The rest the day a bit hit and miss. Following MCWE, he had a small bowl of what we had for dinner, chicken pasta and broccoli (I know, interesting combination to use up the rest of yesterday's roast dinner!). He put on grated cheese, moved it all around his plate with his fork, went to his bag from crèche and removed the leftover toast and peanut butter! Then asked for a yoghurt as MCWE says you should still give dessert. Hey ho, one week of nothing but porridge, toast, peanut butter, yoghurt, a little scrambled egg and dried mango! But he's not lost weight so I've given up worrying.

Oh it doesn't make any bloody sense. Thursday he nearly impaled himself on a fork in the eye because he was trying to eat a mashed potato meal so quickly. Today he wouldn't try one morsel of the sodding stuff at dinner. But did, wierdly, eat some very unappetising humous sarnies for lunch without any fuss at all. Meh!