My son loves carbs, yogurt and bananas..and now, that's all he loves!

[ZacsMumme]

Sigh, it's like finally sleep is good everything else is coming at us at once...

The title says it all really. I'm ready To take action too!

Z would eat anything, try Anything but now it's snack food, bread/toast (fine with fillings too), bananas and yogourt. Dinners are all 'no no no'

His diet was so good but it's turning to custard. I'm not unsure how to handle dinner as this is when he would eat his veges but he is refusing meals (finger food or dinner with spoon which he can feed himself) unless its sweet potato chips (homemade thank god at least)

I was then giving him somethng else. I've stopped that.
We are eating dinner together, he is offered foods I know he eats, a selection, sometimes a choice. It's like he's defiant! Sometimes I know he is hungry too!

Ideas? Thoughts? I'm trying to not make a deal out of it....I know it's likely a phase,buti do feel it's partially my fault as when I was 6-10 weeks preg I was so shattered and just gave him what he wanted...then he was eating quite well though so that's annoying!

[mum101]

Can you write his food routine (including any bottles/milk)?  How is his growth?


It might be that he's getting enough calories in the day and dinner is the least interesting, probably because it contains veggies! LOL

It's like he's defiant! Sometimes I know he is hungry too!

Kids can eat less at dinner as they are tired.  My DS would often meltdown at dinner time, he is easy to put off his food. Even when he was hungry he could refuse food if it seemed 'too difficult' to deal with so late in the day. 

I would aim to give him dinner like meal at lunch.  Give him veggies in his lunch, where he's not so tired and not full. 

You can also expect that once he's gotten used to not eating something and getting another preferred food, he'll keep doing that. This is the right age for fussiness with foods, even ones that have previously been eaten. 



If he likes sandwiches, would he like a toasted sandwich with bolognaise (heavy on hidden veggies)?  You can give him leftover dinners he likes for lunch instead. 

[ZacsMumme]

Here's our day. I'm thinking it's wonky now his nap has moved actually...it was 11-2 then 11.30-2 now 12-2 so I think lunch may need to be before nap and bottle gone or after...I'm just so scared to mess with his routine KWiM?

WU 7
Breakfast 7.15 - piece of toast with marmite or jam. 1 x toddler yogourt. Water..and throughout day
Snack 9.30/10 - banana. Sometimes an oat cookie sugar free ginger or raisen
bottle 11.30 here is the problem I think I have created. he will Sometimes want to snack if we are out ie if I meet mum he will share her scone bad I know. Plus now the bottle is filling him up instead of lunch....the thing is he accociates the bottle with his nap, and he doesn't do well eating a lot before sleep....
Nap 12-2
Lunch (late) 2.10 sandwich or toastie ie cheese, ham or egg, pastrami or baked beans and cheese, or mashed pumpkin and apple.
Snack,if with me none, if MIL or my Mum he gets snacks. Usually healthy. Pear, fruit cereal bar or rice risks.
Dinner 5.30 (tried 5 and 6) - no thanks. Not even a taste. Unless i know it's yummy!
BT 7.15 STTN (I also BF before BT at 7.05 ish)
I see where I'm messing it up, i think, with his lunch late and too many snacks.I guess I'm not sure the best way to adjust him gently.....

I want to Try him with frittata at lunch maybe, get the veges in then. He has always had finger food at lunch. I find it hard now im preg and tired to have dinner style meals ready at lunch time, but I can totally give him more variety, or try different timings.

What do you think??

[cuckoochick]

Hugs Sara, C's nap is at 1 so we always do lunch before her nap and we did before she was napping that late as she's not had milk in a morning for ages. She then has a snack with a cup of milk when she wakes from her nap and then dinner at 5-5:30 ish with final BF before bed.

What about pastas at lunchtime. Does Z like bolognaise as you can always freeze little batches with tons of veg in and then you just need to boil pasta. Charlotte loves veggies in cheese sauce. This can also be thinned down to coat pasta. If we've had a busy morning but I still want her to have something more substantial we do stuff like beans/spaghetti on toast. Otherwise we usually have sandwiches with salad veggies and.dips like houmous etc.

Does Z cope better with hidden veggies? Like teeny weeny ones in cottage pie etc? C likes a ton of veg so we're quite lucky but she's now turning her nose up at fruit!!

C has started to refuse some things she previously loved, like salmon. I'm hoping she's just going off them for a while because everytime I offer, she eats very little. I too have been known to offer something different if she's not eaten our meal. Sometimes I think she actually just doesn't like it and to me that's fair enough. I worry about her being hungry!

[mum101]

Looks like he's got a nice range of foods, and enough to eat.

It looks like his best meal for the 'big' meal would be lunch, after he's had a nice nap. 

I wouldn't cook at lunch time for him, I'd give him leftovers from the night before. Spaghetti, pasta meals come up good the next day.  You can give him the dinner meal you made from the night before, and make him lunch-type foods at dinner time (so you are  not cooking an additional meal).    Pasta meals are also good for hidden vege, such as grated carrot, zucchini etc.

You could work on reducing the volume in his bottle at nap time if you want to replace that with veggies in his lunch meal.  Even if you reduce it down by 10mls a week, or also some people have watered the bottle down slightly. 

You can't really push the dinner back, as tiredness is probably a factor in him eating new foods, or much at all. 

[ZacsMumme]

Thank you hun,

He is a good weight, slimmer than he used to be but he is very active. He rarely gets constipated and the reason I have stuck with a bottle is I give him probiotics in it. He is a refluxer and we are min med wean as well as mid teething 1yr molars. This is why in the past I havent worried to much as considering, he eats well...its just now things were getting a bit silly.

I think Ill try what you suggest. Give 'dinner' a go at lunchtime and in the evening offer less, maybe a sandwich/toastie or something else he likes.
Yes ill cut down his bottle I think so he is 'hungry' after his nap. He always eats well after sleep, and isnt good at eating too close to nap

thanks again...wish me luck x

[ZacsMumme]

Well yesterday didnt go so well, he wont even try 'other food' rejected his lunch which as a specially made frittata with lots of veges shaped like a muffin (He likes muffins) Its like he totally knows!
That said he hardly ate any pear in the arvo when MIL offered and that is unlike him. I think maybe teeth are partially at play here

Anyway dinner - he must have been starved! Was not keen on his meal which I just cheated and got a tinned little kids one (I know he likes it and usually they are for emergencies but its easy to eat and soft and I thought, his cup of tea) He wasnt keen, but I got a bit on his lips and after a taste he accepted some spoonfuls from me then had about 6 himself before 'done.

I then (rightfully or wrongfully) offered him a piece of toast as he had eaten some of his meal and I knew he must be hungry...which he chowed down

So hopefully today he is a bit better. DH is home so ill get him to deal with it. Its starting to wear me down

[mum101]

Bummer, keep trying - you'll find something that works soon. Sometimes we and them get in a rut, and being pregnant makes things that little harder. 

[ZacsMumme]

Well I managed to get him to eat a quiche toasted sandwich with cheese just smushed it into the sandwich lol. Still not great progress, but he's been fussy on and off even with food he loves so hoping its more teeth than anything else

[mum101]

possibly. classic age for just being fussy too!