1 yr old turned fussy

[MissingDietCoke]

My 1 year old daughter who used to eat everything and eat well has become really fussy. She won't touch any type of meat or fish in any form now, and has just started refusing eggs too which she used to love. Basically she's existing off cheese, bread, yoghurt, potatoes, oven chips and tons of fruit which she loves in any form. I'm really worried about her nutrition. She has cows milk first and last thing and just water during the day. I've literally tried everything, she used to just eat whatever we were having but has gradually over the last month or so narrowed it down to just the above things. So a typical day would be milk first thing, then toast for breakfast with butter, a cheese sandwich, rice cakes and fruit for lunch, then refuses whatever dinner I make and I give in and do her a slice of plain toast or a cheese muffin or similar, then milk at bedtime. I do give vitamin supplements. Any ideas / support / or happy ending stories out there for me?

It's a classic age for them to become fussy as there's lots going on. I really recommend the book "My child won't eat" for reassurance but some of the reasons it discusses are:

• Growth rate slows at this sort of age; they often simply don't need to eat as much as before.
• They naturally become more suspicious of food and often refuse things they used to eat
• They become very independent and want to feed themselves, decide what they will and won't ear etc
• Along the same lines, they want to test the boundaries and see what happens if they don't eat

My advice is to relax as much as possible (difficult I know!). Don't cajole her to eat. Just serve up a variety of food, eat with her and don't comment if she doesn't eat. Try to avoid only giving her the narrow range you know she will eat. Instead, keep offering different things perhaps alongside a little of something she definitely will eat. Personally I wouldn't offer an alternative if she doesn't eat what you've offered, although I would still give pudding (fruit or yogurt in our case). But there are different schools of thought on this point. Whatever you decide to do, be consistent and stick with it for several days.