HELP - TODDLER Being Fussy Eater

[adelaideannie]

Help ADVISE NEEDED! Our 20 month old DS is being extremely trying at meal times! He is refusing "proper meals" such as Spag Bowl, Risotto, Tuna Mornay, pastsa dishes and meat and veg! He has had one proper meal in a week now! He did fall and chip his tooth last Sunday and I thought this was the problem but it started before this as well but less regularly! He will however eat Zuchinni slice, hot chips ( bad i know), mum mum rusks with cheesy bite, 1/2 a sandwich with cheesy bite, cereal, custard, yoghurt, ice cream and stewed fruits at different meals ! I am really concerned he is not getting his nutritional needs met. He has been doing this since the start of the year! He doesn't get milk between meals as he refuses it, we have cut out snacks to see if that helps but NUP!!!! I am going insane and get very upset at meal times when he just won't eat and throws it on the floor. His meal times are 8am breakfast, then an 1130 sleep until 130 to 2pm then 215pm lunch then 630 tea! I just want him to eat! He is not losing weight weighed him today 13.4kgs same as 1 week ago. HELP any ideas would be great so I don't end up in tears at meal times! He is also going off water a bit to! :confused::confused::confused::(:(:(:no:

[adelaideannie]

Well for tea DS ate pom noisettes and chucked my home made chicken nuggets but ate stewed apple and icecream! I feel like a bad mum feeding him junky food but don't know what else to do! DH reckons if he keeps throwing food don't give him anymore options and see if he gets hungry that to me sounds mean???

[Guest1234]

I'd offer him meals, but not make a fuss if he refused to eat them. I find when I make a fuss, then she gets more stubborn, but if I kind of turn a blind eye to it, she will pick at it eventually. I encourage that she eats, but if she tells me she really doesnt want to, thats fine.
I don't offer anything else, and I certainly don't offer dessert type foods. If you want to offer an alternative, maybe some crackers with cheese, or an apple, or sandwich.

He wont starve himself, he will eat eventually. They go through these phases. They really test your patience, but I find that forcing the issue makes it a lot worse.

Also a good idea for lunchtime and breakfast is to kind of make a platter of fruits, cheese, dips, crackers, veggies and leave it for him on the coffee table or somewhere where he can see it and reach it..they tend to pick at it when your not looking, sneaky kids :D

[MsMummy]

I do platters as well and let him eat on the runn. My son will drink a lot of milk if he's not eating though.

My son likes to graze as well. Maybe work out his nutritional needs and find foods he likes. For example one of our staple foods are no added salt baked beans as they're veggies, but high in iron and Protein. And eggs, which are high in b12.

[mum2bubba]

My 19 month old is pretty much the same. He used to love vegies and would eat/try anything. Now he turns his nose up to a few things. I hide vegies and also just keep giving him things til he eventually at least tries them. He does eat a lot of healthy things though and I recently found he loves pumpkin soup so I'll be making this a lot I think.