Post BLW with a toddler slowing down intake when starting cutlery?

[TinkerbellesMum]

Tink used to be an amazing eater. She would eat so much she couldn't sit upright because her belly would push back from her legs!

In the last few months she has gotten far more competent with cutlery but she seems to be eating less and asking for more help now. I'm wondering if it's because it's a lot harder to do so she gets bored or fed up with it eventually so either stops or asks for help.

Anyone else find this?

bump

What age toddler? They do go through phases as to how much they need to eat. I did BLW and DS was amazing eater through babyhood. Now he goes through phases of being less interested in food, and/or lazier about eating it. That's usually followed by another phase of shovelling in food as fast as I can put it in front of him. Each phase seems to last anything from a few days to a month or so. I just put food in front of him every mealtime and take it away if he hasn't eaten it without putting any pressure on him. If he asks for help with cutlery I help a little (maybe one or two forkfuls), then put some food on the fork and hand the fork back to him so that he gets involved again. When he starts feeding himself again I praise him for being so grown up and good at eating. Best of luck!

How old is she?

Hmm, I'm sort of in a similar situation. DD 11.5 mths and BLW (except for yoghurt which I couldn't abide being eaten with hands) wants to use a spoon, but shrieks indignantly and clamps mouth shut if I try to help her. She'll suffer yoghurt, bolognaise sauce and jelly being spooned to her, but little else.

So I find that she eats a bit with hands, then tries the spoon and gets very little off it as most falls off on the way to her mouth.

By the time she's been at the table 20 minutes she's bored and wants to get down, but little food has actually gone in!

Have resorted to mild food bribery by giving her things like sliced pears when she's bored as she likes them so much she sits back down and eats with her fingers.

I also try to do one meal with cutlery and then maybe another with food she likes to eat with hands (like omelette) and don't offer cutlery with it.

HTH.

She's 22 months and not overweight. She was a 31 weeker and is about the size of an average 12 month. She needs a higher intake than most children because she has to sustain the activity levels of her age in a child her size.

I read in a weaning book that a 2yo's appetite is half that of a one year old. It's because the rate at which they grow in the first year is so fast, they need to stuff in as many calories as possible, but then their growth slows right down.

So if they kept eating at that rate, they'd be a blimp!