just a quick update on our situation...and it might be a help to those who have added comments (who feel the same way I did when I started this thread!)...
DS is eating a lot better - still VERY picky, but will now eat fish pie. I started out by buying a Sainsburys Kids fish pie, and mashed it all up, so it looked like mashed potato - his favourite. He choked a bit to begin with, as he wasnt expecting any lumps, but ending up making "yum" noises! He spat out all the peas, though
. So I made some home-made fish pie today - just poached pieces of cod in milk and mustards, with some basil, and added cheesy mash to the top. He loved it! Hurray for me!
He has also started eating Cow & Gate Truly Fruit bars. They are 100% dried fruit, and he loves them too! PROBABLY because they come in a wrapper, so he thinks it's a "treat"! so, between that and his mashed potato, and fruit purees, I'm not paranoid about his intake of fruit and veg now. Well, maybe a wee bit
I think part of the success really was being less worried and stressed about it. For example, at teatime tonight, I gave him a veg casserole thing. He wouldnt even taste it - he just handed me back the bowl, saying no. So i said, "You dont want it? All done?" and scraped it into the bin. I then took him out of his highchair, and back to the living room. Weeks ago, i'd have given him some yoghurt or custard, but now he's starting to realise he wont get what he wants just by refusing something he doesnt like the look of.
Oh, my other tip... My mum collects him from nursery two days a week, and gives him dinner. he has eaten things there that he wouldnt previously eat for me or for dh. SO, if you have a relative that could try feeding your little one every now and again, trying new things, as they might not feel so under pressure.
But try the fruit bars - they are great!