Offer an alternative?

[Maxdrewe]

Hi all

My LO is 15 months and a bit lazy when it comes to real food. I tried him on fish fingers tonight for the 2 nd time ( 1st time he did ok) he refused and wouldn't eat any so I persevered for a bit then moved onto normal pudding and didn't offer an alternative.

He has been super grumpy since!! Should I offer an alternative ? I really don't want to get into him deciding no and me cooking alternatives but I am worried about him being hungry.

[Buntybear]

Did you give him anything alongsie the fish fingers? Potatos or veg? I would have given more of them to fill him up.

[Maxdrewe]

He had pasta bits and peas and he wouldn't eat anything- he would much rather me feed him I think. He usually likes peas but just wouldn't play ball even if I tried to feed him and share a plate- nothing worked

[Buntybear]

Not sure where you are but if in uk too late now but I would have given a bowl of porridge or some toast as a snack I think.

[clairebear79]

Personally, I wouldn't make a habit of offering alternatives - it can become a bit of a trap, particularly if you have a fussy eater.  I made that mistake & learnt the hard way its not a good idea!  That said, if he was teething/off colour I probably would offer him something else a little later, but try & make it separate from dinner time, so he doesn't think if he refuses his dinner he will get XYZ.  When offering a new food, it can be a good idea to serve it alongside something you know he likes, so there is still something else he can eat if he's not so keen on the new food, yk?

[Maxdrewe]

We are in uk- he had fruit and 2x petit filous + he still has a bedtime bottle. It is a hard one as he is picky and if I offer spagetti Bol he will lap it up but finger food he won't- he does for snak but won't for a meal. He also won't eat a piece of fruit other than grapes, blueberries and raisins. They are funny things

[Maxdrewe]

Not sure what to do if he wakes hungry in the night ?

[Buntybear]

It so such a  tough one. I know that the rule of thumb is don't offer alterntives but I could not face Olly waking hungry in the night - and he was fussy. I just used to make him what I knew he liked TBH. Then offer fish fingers alongside something you know he does like. Maybe offer it at lunch time and make sure he has a big dinner so he doesn't go hungry? Also offer finger foods you know he will eat at snack at dinner time.

[Maxdrewe]

That's a good idea- I will try tomorrow- so if I am feeding him risotto give him somethink finger foody to try first?? If he wakes hungry do I go down the bottle route?

[Buntybear]

Yeah, or just leave finger food on the side. Do you give him another spoon to play with when you feed him? Maybe it is worth encouraging some really messy play so he gets used to getting his hands dirty and involved? lol

Err, not sure on the bottle. If he is hungry then I know I would have given a feed! Others may disagree 

[creations]

If he wakes hungry do I go down the bottle route?

Do LOs that age still wake up hungry in the night?
Maybe, perhaps I'm naive?  Even if mine didn't eat his dinner I wouldn't expect him to wake in the night.
Your LO knows there is a BT bottle so he is already being offered an alternative in a sense.  Mine gets a sippy of milk with his last solids meal of the day (no BT milk).  I tend to give him food I know he likes (but then he isn't really fussy so that's not too hard) but if he isn't in the mood for the solids he can have his milk.  He generally only takes 1-2 oz of milk from the sippy but if he wanted more I'd let him have it.

I don't think he'll wake up (wishful thinking?) but might take a bigger breakfast in the morning x

[Maxdrewe]

He slept until 6:40 ( result) ate an ok breakfast but not wanting snack or much lunch- no idea what's going on.

[creations]

Glad to hear he had a good night.

Do you think he might be teething or perhaps have a cold/virus?  Sometimes a drop in appetite is the first sign my LO is coming down with something.  I wouldn't worry too much so long as he has something, and fluids.  He'll probably make up for it in a few days and eat the fridge clean.
x

[Lemonthyme]

One thing I've been noticing with my 2 year old is unless things are as he wants them, he won't eat but won't necessarily tell me why so he sometimes won't eat if somethings on a plate rather than in a bowl or if he's on a grown up chair rather than in his high chair (we're kind of transitioning out of the high chair right now).  The 'rules' seem to change daily but I try not to make a fuss, say "would you like a bowl?" or "would you like a different spoon?" and if he doesn't eat, it gets taken away, whatever I'd planned for pudding he still gets if he wants it then that's it.  I wouldn't get into the habit of offering alternatives.

[Shiv52]

Quote from: Maxdrewe on August 30, 2012, 22:13:02 PM
If he wakes hungry do I go down the bottle route?
Do LOs that age still wake up hungry in the night?
Maybe, perhaps I'm naive?  Even if mine didn't eat his dinner I wouldn't expect him to wake in the night.

At this age I would't offer a MOTN feed.  Even if they eat poorly they should be ok.  And the problem is if you start  feeding then they are less  hungry in the day and then won't eat and the cycle continues.

I also didn't offer alternatives, never have.  Some days my DD2 ate very very little but very little i could do about it so we just got on with the day.  Then a few days later she'd eat  all round her. Offering alternatives can be very tricky as it can make a fussy eater much much fussier in the long term.  If we had a disastrous dinner I sometimes offered weetabix or porridge before bed.   

Can he feed himself with a spoon well?

does he like dips?  I found mine ate fruit more readily when they could dip it in yogurt or a dip with fish fingers always helped them go down well.