Finger food help!! Frustrated (and long!)

[Tonya]

Hi everyone!

We're stuck on nuggets and green beans again.  At least now he'll eat fish nuggets as well as chicken nuggets.

He REFUSES allowing us to feed him with a spoon.  He's capable of feeding himself with a spoon and fork, but chooses not to.

I am at a loss as to what to feed him as finger food that he'll actually eat!!!

I also know that it takes exposure to a food many times for them to possibly accept it.  Do you keep giving it every day?  I fear that if I give him something new to try every day and he refuses, but has at least one "favorite" to fall back on, he'll never accept the new food and only eat his favorite.  kwim?

He refuses cheese, any kind of meat except breaded chicken and fish nuggets, any vegetable except for green beans, won't eat ANY fruit at all except for the Gerber's dried fruit. 

I am at a complete loss, and am feeling soooo frustrated!!

Can anyone give me any ideas PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE???

[Lana]

At that age I was offering Ewan whatever we were eating.  I always made sure that there was at least one item that I knew he liked so that if he didn't like the others he would at least have something to eat. 

I know that it is hard not to worry but if you always cater to him then you will create a picky eater which I am sure you don't want.  Just keep offering a good variety of healthy foods along with his fork and spoon and if he is hungry he will eat.

[LukasMom]

My lo likes green beans, but also peas, lima beans and asparagus.  They are all a lot like green beans.  Maybe he'd like some of those.  I'd particularly try asparagus because it's expensive.   :lol:  So he'll probably like it.  My lo just shovels asparagus in. 

Another thing, maybe you've tried this but some kids like ONLY canned or ONLY fresh or ONLY frozen, so I'd make sure I try all three.  My lo won't touch canned peas but she loves frozen.  Asparagus, she likes canned. Go figure.

[Tonya]

Thanks both of you!

It's hard for him to eat with us - I usually feed him dinner around 6 when we get home (he eats first thing, since it's already late) and I start our dinner after he's done eating.  Generally, my dh and I don't eat until about 8! :shock: Sometimes even after ds goes to bed.

The lima beans and asparagus are good ideas!!!  He might actually eat those!!

Last night, I toasted a piece of bread, and made bite size mini-sandwhiches for him wiht turkey and cheese.  I even pinched the edges of the toast together, so it would look like a nugget.  He looked at it, and threw it down - wouldn't even put it in his mouth!!! :shock:

gggrrrrr - it IS frustrating.

Lana - if we started to offer him our dinners only - and one thing he liked, if he doesn't eat anything, would you offer a snack before bed or not?  I think i am going to start forcing our dinners together - It's frustrating me how he eats, and I really don't want mealtime to be a bad thing.
I CERTAINLY don't want him to become even more of a picky eater than he is now!

[Lana]

Ewan always has a bedtime snack and the size of it depends on how much supper he ate :wink: .  Just be sure to offer healthy choices and it will all work out in the end.