Reassurance needed on 19 month old eating

[SunflowerFields90]

Hi guys

Just after a bit of reassurance really. My 19 month old is a competent eater, cutlery user etc, so not worried about that. But what I am stressing about is the lack of variety of what he eats.

For breakfast he’ll have Weetabix every day. He does like porridge too, but it’s always Weetabix.

For lunch I’ll try him on a sandwich but he’s not always a fan. Otherwise he’ll have scrambled egg/omlette or a picky plate with meats, yogurt etc.

It’s dinner time we struggle. He loves tomato pasta. I vary what goes in it, eg tuna, salmon, mashed veg, which he eats. But he’s having it every dinner time. He’s really hesitant to trying new things. We recently got him on roast potatoes and Yorkshire puds, but veg in whole form is a no go. We try him on what we’re eating too.

The only fruit he eats whole is banana. Everything else I have to hide in mash form in yogurt.

I’ve increased his exposure to whole form foods, which has now progressed to him picking the bits up. But he’s having doesn’t really eat. Yet at nursery, he’ll eat everything!

Does anyone have any tips? And can someone reason with me that he’s not going to be 18 and still only eating tomato pasta with mushed veg!!

I got around this by serving veg FIRST. Literally on a plate. Cut up in a pattern.

They were SOm much willing to try because they were hungry and now’t else on offer

Then when they’d had a decent crack at that… I served main meal

worked a treat and now as teens eat anything and everything and consume fruit like it’s going out of fashion

We didn’t give options. It was just what we were eating for dinner and we all try and eat together at the table from the beginning. They might get to choose what’s on the side e.g ‘do you want peas or corn with your dinner today?’

Our almost three year old wasn’t as receptive to this as his older brother at first and he went through a stage where there were some dinners he’d refuse to touch but the only other option we’d give would be a banana before bed and we now have two very good eaters! I think constant exposure to new meals, eating out in restaurants, and eating at other people’s houses really helps so they get to explore a range of foods. They might not try everything initially but it does usually come in phases and he won’t starve. Also helping to cook dinner and involving them in that seemed to help.

Thank you both, there’s some really helpful tips which I’ll give a go!

Children eat better at nursery because they're not the focus of adult attention, they're not being fussed over and they know there's no other option.
No one is watching every mouthful or cajoling them into trying a bit of veg.
Everyone is just getting on with their own meal.

Is he actually hungry when he’s at home? How much milk does he have each day and which kind of milk is he having?