Do you supplement your fussy eater?

[Stretched]

27mo DS has always been a fussy eater, he was improving, but now 2yo molars and a recent cold have sent his eating downhill again! He's back to waking several times overnight asking for a bottle as he is just not eating enough through the day.

The only meat he eats is some bacon hidden in zucchini slice or maybe once a month he will eat some roast chicken breast. The zucchini slice is also the only egg he eats but he won't eat that more than once a week.

He likes bread with vegemite, easy cheese or peanut butter (no other nut butters), plain pasta, tasty cheese, yogurt, porridge, nutriti grain and some crackers. He eats some veggies and fruit including raw carrot and peeled cucumber. So I'm not as worried about fruit/veg as I am about protein and minerals. At daycare he is fussy too but now eats their lentil soup and chickpea pancakes, they always have a vegetarian option and he refuses meat there too.

He loves milk but will not drink a smoothie or milo. The only "mixed together" foods he eats are the zucchini slice (which I also hide mushroom and caps in), pumpkin soup and sometimes risotto. Making it really hard to "hide" things in his food. I also had to drop wholegrain bread/cereal as he was having 6-10 poos a day.

I'm wondering if he is getting enough of everything nutrition wise. I put vita-sprinkles on his toast but not much else.

I'm just so over broken sleep, especially working full time, and I'm sure his eating is the issue now. So I'm not sure if I need to look into supplementing his diet and, if so, what specialist I would need to see for advice. Has anyone seen someone to help with this and were supplements the go, or just persisting with improving eating? Thanks in advance!

[Mod-Degrassi]

My DS is on the spectrum and only eats a limited number of foods.

We give him daily vitamins (Pentavite liquid).

Our paed gave us a referral to have some blood tests to check if his limited diet is preventing him from getting the necessary nutrients, which we will have to do soon (though we're nervous about how the heck they are going to get blood out of him, he'll freak out).

[Stretched]

Good luck with the blood test, I can't imagine that will be an easy job for the pathologist! I'd be interested to hear if he has any issues. Does he appear to be growing typically?

[Mod-Degrassi]

Good luck with the blood test, I can't imagine that will be an easy job for the pathologist! I'd be interested to hear if he has any issues. Does he appear to be growing typically?

Yeah, no growth issues. He's quite a lean build, but he always has been. Food is simply not his currency and he's extremely active, so I don't think he'll ever be a stocky kid.

[DreamyMummy]

My Dd is 20 months and the same.

Yoghurt, sandwiches, a few select fruits, saltanas, crackers, cheese etc all those snacky type of foods she often eats. Any type of actual meal apart from pasta she will rarely try.

She seems to like carbs (bread, pasta, rice) but hates potatoes or any type of veggie that's not hidden and even then like you I can only hide them in an egg based Muffin or omelette.

She always eats the same things and when I branch out and try her on new things she won't eat them, can be quite frustrating.

I did have her on toddler formula for a while, but as she is average weight for her age and active I am not overly concerned yet.

[nh2489]

I've got a 22 month old like that but his diet is even more limited. Fruit purée, yoghurt, toast with either soft cheese or peanut butter and anything sweet such as biscuits, cake etc. just refuses to try anything and literally gags if i put things too close to him. Soooo frustrating! I've tried with holding things he likes hoping he will be hungry enough to try others but it doesn't really work. I'm just trying not to stress as I can't see any solution right now and hope as he gets older and can understand a bit more I can start reasoning with him so try and get him to eat things he doesn't want to try with the reward of something afterwards.
I bought some vitamin gummies the other day but they have omega 3 so basically taste like fish. Not particularly appealing to a fussy toddler so trying to figure out if there is any way to get them in him as there's 50 in the pack!

[Little Miss Sunshine]

OP, you've basically described my toddler's diet too, but she doesn't go to daycare so it's even more limited. She's 2yrs 8 months now.

Things are slowly slowly improving as she's getting older.

I try not to get to concerned as she's happy and healthy, very petite though. I just feel a bit guilty as a parent due to lack of meat and limited fruit and veg. But everyone I talk to have similar fusspot eaters at that age.

I use vitamin enriched bread such as wonder white. Ovaltine (doesn't like milo) at night, or just milk if she refuses. Gummy vitamins when her diet has been really bad.

God knows how she survives on carbs and dairy alone but she does...

[Ruby_Tuesday15]

Can you add avocado or extra butter or coconut oil to stuff to increase the good fats?

[Elijahs Mum]

27mo DS has always been a fussy eater, he was improving, but now 2yo molars and a recent cold have sent his eating downhill again! He's back to waking several times overnight asking for a bottle as he is just not eating enough through the day.

The only meat he eats is some bacon hidden in zucchini slice or maybe once a month he will eat some roast chicken breast. The zucchini slice is also the only egg he eats but he won't eat that more than once a week.

He likes bread with vegemite, easy cheese or peanut butter (no other nut butters), plain pasta, tasty cheese, yogurt, porridge, nutriti grain and some crackers. He eats some veggies and fruit including raw carrot and peeled cucumber. So I'm not as worried about fruit/veg as I am about protein and minerals. At daycare he is fussy too but now eats their lentil soup and chickpea pancakes, they always have a vegetarian option and he refuses meat there too.

He loves milk but will not drink a smoothie or milo. The only "mixed together" foods he eats are the zucchini slice (which I also hide mushroom and caps in), pumpkin soup and sometimes risotto. Making it really hard to "hide" things in his food. I also had to drop wholegrain bread/cereal as he was having 6-10 poos a day.

I'm wondering if he is getting enough of everything nutrition wise. I put vita-sprinkles on his toast but not much else.

I'm just so over broken sleep, especially working full time, and I'm sure his eating is the issue now. So I'm not sure if I need to look into supplementing his diet and, if so, what specialist I would need to see for advice. Has anyone seen someone to help with this and were supplements the go, or just persisting with improving eating? Thanks in advance!

A nutritionist or naturopath would be the person to see to check if he is getting enough nutrients through his diet and can give you some good ideas

Thankfully protein is quite easy to get and at 2-3 they really only need about 13grams which is approx 1 egg and a yogurt a day so as long as you can try get him to eat at least some cheese, eggs, yogurt, milk, peanut butters and any legumes twice a day then he will be fine - chia seeds are great to add to eggs and pretty much anything and have protein and are a great source of iron

Usually kids aren't huge meat eaters until about 3-4, it's mainly the texture they don't like , my DS has only now at nearly 5 requested steak for dinner whereas he would always choose fish or chicken before

processed meats ( cold meats , sausages and bacon) unless preservative free can do more harm than good so I would just keep offering meats and fish ( even try tin tuna in pasta or zucchini slice)

[Stretched]

I slather butter on anything I can. He has a vegemite sandwich most days (perhaps that's where he's getting his B vits from!) loaded with butter. He flat out refuses avocado in any way, shape or form.

Daycare can sometimes get him to eat their tuna pasta, but he refuses mine. There are so many things that he has happily eaten once and then flat out refused every other time I have put it on his plate (salmon patties, steamed salmon, scrambled egg, some meats). Its so frustrating cooking things that most other kids (including his big sister) love day in day out only to have it pushed away - AND knowing that we'll be in for another restless night because he hasn't eaten well.

He's growing well, super-strong and energetic. I just don't know how he does it all on what he eats and how little he sleeps!