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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

19 month old fussy eater

27 replies

Lazymoo83 · 18/10/2022 19:26

My boy is 19 months old & is such a fussy eater.
He will not try new things, he will just throw it and not even try it if it's finger food.
We thought we had a breakthrough a few months ago as we got him eating chips, but he throws them again now.
He won't eat fruit or veg unless it's part of a meal.
He won't eat anything that is dry, so has all his meals ingredients mixed together.
So won't eat bread or toast. Used to eat breadsticks but won't anymore.
Every lunch is the same munchy fingers with cheese spread and melty snacks.
He won't have a single carrot but will have it as part of a meal when it's all mixed in.
So it's like we are at the 12 month stage still.
I can make him food but it has to be mashed and saucy.
I made him fish fingers, veg and sweet potato mash all mixed together tonight and we had a crying tantrum.
I made him a baby chilli con carne which is was saucy the other night and he ate it all. I work so can't be doing that every night.

He has just started feeding himself with a spoon, so I guess that is something I suppose..

Just not sure what to try next...

OP posts:
PurBal · 18/10/2022 19:29

Can you make some of the things he likes in bulk and then freeze and reheat (like the chilli)? Then you won’t be cooking every night. It takes about 15 times to decide whether they like it or not and their taste buds are changing all the time so keep persevering.

Original poster
Lazymoo83 · 18/10/2022 21:02

PurBal · 18/10/2022 19:29

Can you make some of the things he likes in bulk and then freeze and reheat (like the chilli)? Then you won’t be cooking every night. It takes about 15 times to decide whether they like it or not and their taste buds are changing all the time so keep persevering.

I do have a freezer full now :-)
I am worried he won't ever want anything else, looking at other kids we know his age, they are eating so much of a variety of foods and I don't want him to miss out.
It's frustrating a lot of the time because he just won't try anything, he will pick it up and he will throw it or look at it and start flapping his arms and then crying.
I am hoping he will grow out of it. 🤞🏻
Just wondered if anyone else had a similar experience or having a similar experience and what they have had success with.

OP posts:
PritiPatelsMaker · 30/10/2022 19:29

Ours was the opposite. DC2 wants everything separate.

NapDisaster · 01/02/2023 13:31

@Lazymoo83 how is he getting on with food now? Any tips? My daughter is exactly the same!

Original poster
Lazymoo83 · 01/02/2023 14:25

NapDisaster · 01/02/2023 13:31

@Lazymoo83 how is he getting on with food now? Any tips? My daughter is exactly the same!

He is still a bit of a nightmare.
Can't get him to try bread or veggies or anything he touches like that. However, I have managed to get fruit in by mixing bananas in his weetabix for example.
Tea time, we try and have him eat what we eat but it all has to be mixed together still apart from chips, he will eat chips!
I refuse to give him meal trays anymore, so he doesn't get anything else if he only has a few spoons (going off the NHS website recommendations). He will still however get a yoghurt afterwards. I think it's more behavioural than not liking things as he is slowly getting better. He likes being praised for eating things and smiles so I think he is learning!
Hopefully we are starting to get on a winning battle with it! Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
Lazymoo83 · 01/02/2023 14:30

NapDisaster · 01/02/2023 13:31

@Lazymoo83 how is he getting on with food now? Any tips? My daughter is exactly the same!

Tips - lots of patience & don't give in.
Try not to get angry with them but from experience I know that is hard.
TV is off, we all sit together with a bit of music in the background.
Make them the same food you have if you can, mash it up a little if you need too.
Like I said if he doesn't eat it, he doesn't get anything else now, but will offer him seconds.
It seems to have done some good.
We do still have a lot stressful meal times and our kitchen floor is always littered with food that he won't eat as he just throws it but we have just started to say we don't throw food, put it here if you don't want it. He hasn't learnt that yet Hmm.
Hope this helps and any tips you have, please do let me know? Sometimes still feels like we are banging our heads against a brick wall Confused x

OP posts:
TheBirdintheCave · 01/02/2023 17:52

My son was like this for the longest time but eating together was what changed it for us. It's a pain in the arse as I am now the full time chef as I finish work earlier than my husband but it really helped with our son's eating.

So now we all eat together at 6pm. At first we served him his own meals like baby mac and cheese or mini pizza etc whilst we had something different but slowly he started wanting to try bits of our meals and, once we were confident he'd eat a whole portion, we would give him the same thing to eat as us.

Now aged two we just feed him exactly what we eat for every meal and he either eats it or leaves it. I've had to stop stressing about it for my own sanity 😂

I think the best advice I read was 'You decide what they eat, they decide how much to eat.'

There are still loads of things my son won't eat (mashed potato??) but I'm hoping he'll just keep improving from now on.

So yes, hang in there! It won't be this way forever.

TheBirdintheCave · 01/02/2023 17:53

Oh just noticed this is a zombie thread 😂🤦🏻‍♀️ Oh well, same advice to the person who asked the new question!

Original poster
Lazymoo83 · 01/02/2023 18:13

TheBirdintheCave · 01/02/2023 17:53

Oh just noticed this is a zombie thread 😂🤦🏻‍♀️ Oh well, same advice to the person who asked the new question!

Thanks for the advice, he is getting better.
He has polished off his tea tonight and we had the same so you win some, you lose some 🤣🤣 xx

OP posts:
NapDisaster · 01/02/2023 20:36

Thanks so much for replying @Lazymoo83! Sounds like your little boy has made some progress at least. What age did you decide to stop offering any alternatives if he didn’t eat his meal?

I definitely need to make more of an effort to eat dinner together as a family. It feels so early for us to be eating our evening meal but we will just need to get used to it.

I sometimes have success with dry foods like chips, roast chicken etc if I pour some gravy over the top, but not always. Getting her to try something new is often a big battle. Last week she wouldn’t touch the sausage that I gave her for lunch, so I strategically placed a piece on the corner of the tv unit for her to find while she was toddling around… She found it at ate it straight away then the next time it was on her plate for dinner she knew what it was and ate it up! It sounds absolutely ridiculous now that I’m writing it down! I think sometimes she feels the pressure at mealtimes and it puts her off? So maybe you could try offering foods in different situations rather than always at the table? Sorry if you’ve already tried that!

NapDisaster · 01/02/2023 20:38

Thank you @TheBirdintheCave, eating together will hopefully start to help! If your son doesn’t eat his dinner does he get anything else? Does he get ‘dessert’ after dinner like yoghurt or fruit or anything?

Original poster
Lazymoo83 · 01/02/2023 20:56

Not so long back as I am too soft, so he would have been 20/21 months. The hubby had been saying to do it for a lot longer but I always thought he was too young.

We have tried the putting different foods in the lounge for him to find it whilst he is playing and he just throws it.
He comes over if we are eating something that interests him, so I never get a yoghurt to myself but if I am eating a grape or carrot he is not interested! Confused
We have tried picnics and all sorts. He is the same at the childminders, even though the other kids (annoyingly all younger than him) are eating so much better! Haha

He loves sausages for example, if you mix it up with other food, he will eat it. He had sausage casserole for tea - we had it too and the plate was empty. Give him a full sausage it will get lobbed across the kitchen.Grin

We will persevere!!

Glad we aren't the only ones struggling, it's nice to hear from someone else having similar issues & the suggestions are appreciated, thank you!

OP posts:
NapDisaster · 01/02/2023 21:23

So funny what you say about the casserole, that’s just like my little girl 😂 I laugh but it is actually so frustrating!
My daughter has always been small for her age so I always worry about her weight in the back of my mind. Makes it so hard as one part of me wants to just give her what she likes so that she gets plenty food in her, and the other half is determined that I won’t pander to her and encourage her fussiness!!

TheBirdintheCave · 02/02/2023 06:59

@NapDisaster No we no longer offer anything else. If he chooses not to eat then he mustn't be that hungry.

NorthDevonBeachLover · 29/08/2023 19:36

Just found this thread, my 15 month will only eat mixed foods, no finger food except crunchy sticks and the odd biscotti biscuit. Have to mash veg in and fruit in Weetabix or porridge for breakfast. So frustrating when all my friends with little ones similar age will pretty much eat anything.
I hope yours are all doing better. X

Original poster
Lazymoo83 · 29/08/2023 21:52

@NorthDevonBeachLover I am told they will grow out of it.
Sorry to say my boy has back tracked abit now.

We have an appointment with a food specialist in a couple of week, he is 30 months old now and we are no further forward with him.
I really do get what you mean about being around other kids that will eat anything.
I am hoping that some miracle will happen with this specialist Wink or we just have to wait it out and one day he will just suprise us.
Hope things get better with your little one x

OP posts:
TheBirdintheCave · 29/08/2023 22:08

@Lazymoo83 My son has gone backwards too. At the start of the year he would eat stir fries and fried rice or any kind of curry. His food window is extremely limited now. Tonight he ate just one bite of spring roll 🙄 We're trying to push through and persevere with serving only the kinds of food we like to eat and not resorting to chips but it is very hard when I see him just sitting there not even attempting to eat anything.

Cormoran · 30/08/2023 03:26

Since he likes "saucy" foods, have you tried soups? Or stews? Soups is how paediatricians used to wean kids in France. Pumpkin soup, minestrone with or without baby pasta, a ratatouille with a bit of crunchy bread dipped into it, a sole cooked in a lot of butter. A soupy risotto with plenty of parmesan?

He likes chips, what about other oven roasted vegetables with olive oil and rosemary, bit of salt? Anything tastes nicer with oil and salt.

Does he eat any meat at all? Italian style meatballs in tomato sauce , a meatloaf in gravy, things like this, soft with plenty of sauce?

He must eat something, so what is it? Could snacks maybe tamper his appetite or alter taste/ texture preferences? You mention melty snacks, those are Cheetos for baby, same ingredients, same manufacturing minus the salt .

Hopefully you will get some help from the specialist. 💐

Original poster
Lazymoo83 · 30/08/2023 06:51

We have tried everything.
He won't eat chips anymore. The only thing he will eat is the toddler meals now & one dish I make. We had to start with them again because he just wasn't eating anything else.
We have tried all the different options of making it saucy, Sunday roast casseroles etc. he just starts crying and refuses it.
He will eat biscuits, crisps, chocolate of a certain variety. Still no bread etc. banana if it's in his breakfast mushed up, not on its own.
Loves yoghurts, but won't have ice cream or moose's.
He doesn't get any snacks at tea time, so it's not that.
Will just have to see what the specialist has to say.

OP posts:
Cormoran · 30/08/2023 09:15

Fingers crossed you come out with a plan.

NorthDevonBeachLover · 11/09/2023 16:49

Hi all, did you contact the health visitor about the eating problems or the GP? I need to get help I think x

Original poster
Lazymoo83 · 11/09/2023 21:28

The health visitor, my GP practice is impossible, so had the discussion with the health visitor, who then referred him.
Really quick process.

OP posts:
NorthDevonBeachLover · 12/09/2023 04:04

@Lazymoo83 thank you, will contact them today x

Claire123e · 31/08/2024 17:02

Lazymoo83 · 11/09/2023 21:28

The health visitor, my GP practice is impossible, so had the discussion with the health visitor, who then referred him.
Really quick process.

Hi
how did the appointment go ? Have you seen any improvements? X

Firstimedad · 21/10/2024 19:39

Lazymoo83 · 11/09/2023 21:28

The health visitor, my GP practice is impossible, so had the discussion with the health visitor, who then referred him.
Really quick process.

Hi any improvements? ☺️

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