Author Topic: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater  (Read 3805 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Eva's Mummy

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 14
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 2332
  • Gail
  • Location: Scotland
26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« on: November 06, 2014, 19:12:58 pm »
Well here I am again. My daughter has always been a terrible eater but now she is getting worse and worse. Even the few (and I mean few) things she usually eats she pushes away and says "no like it" but then continues to tell me she is hungry all the time.

These are the only things she will eat.

Cornflakes
Rice crispies
Used to eat Weetabix and shreddies now they are "dirty"
Toast only with butter
Potato waffles
Fish fingers
Used to love pasta now wont touch it
peas
cheese
yoghurt (on occasion)
scrambled egg (sometimes)
Sausages (sometimes)
Homemade lentil soup
bread
Fruit she will eat most kinds
needless to say she would eat crisps and chocolate all day if I let her but nothing cake like that just gets crumbled on the table.

Even these things are getting to be a struggle. I don't know what to do with her especially as she keeps saying she is hungry  ::) 


My beautiful spirited little angel



My angel baby girl


Offline stuckunderhere

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 2
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 609
  • Location: Montreal, CAN
    • Micah's FPIES Life
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2014, 21:31:03 pm »
We are going through that now also at 24months. It started about 1-2months ago. "No like. No want, mommy." even before he tastes it. He used to be such a super good eater. And now won't even touch his fave foods. He is barely eating. And grains are still an issue. I've tried it all. Rice, quinoa, pasta, etc. He won't eat it. He is all about veggies though. But you can't survive on just 1 food group, ya know? We eat healthy and there are no sugary snacks or whatever in this house, but I'm sure he'd be all over them if he could. We have a complicated diet for many reasons but that shouldn't stop him from having a very varied diet. Hmm...
~Sarah~
Proud mama bear to:

Samuel - 10
Elijah - 6
Micah - 3

Offline anna*

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 900
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 28751
  • My two
  • Location: London, UK
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2014, 21:49:08 pm »
All you can do, is offer varied balanced meals at regular times and let her eat or not eat. Honestly. So you serve breakfast, if she chooses not to eat it (you eat your breakfast without comment on what she is or isn't eating) then that is it until mid-morning snack which again is served at the table at the same time every day and without comment on what she eats. Same with lunch, afternoon snack, and tea. If she's hungry, you just remind her that she can eat at snack time (which after all isn't going to be more than a couple of hours away). Remember that this is a totally normal and developmentally appropriate phase (doesn't make it any less frustrating) but that you have to keep exposing her to foods - to the kind of foods you eat as a family - whether she eats them or not. As an example, from the age of 2 to the age of 6, Stan got a couple of salad leaves on his plate every time we ate salad with our meal, so probably 6 x per week. It's something we eat a lot of so it needs to be 'normal' for him to see it on his plate. From the age of 2-6 he never once ate it not even a bite. Now he eats baby spinach leaves no problem, and it was no big deal to him to eventually try them when he was ready because he is completely familiar with the sight, texture, smell (etc) of them because he's been consistently exposed.





Offline Hedgehog17

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 71
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 3697
  • Location: UK
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2014, 22:26:25 pm »
Hugs  :-*

My DS was and still is like this at 4yo  :( He would happily eat crisps, biscuits, popcorn all day but has restricted his vegetable intake to broccoli and occasionally carrot. Fruit has to be either a pouch of puree or those fruit based 'sweets'  ::) He also won't eat anything with black bits on or bread / toast crusts  ::) Protein only comes from egg, breaded chicken, or baked beans. He will eat haggis and occasionally salami. We throw a lot of his food in the bin  >:(

He's still managing to grow and thrive somehow, so I try not to worry!

If she's steadily putting on weight and height and fairly healthy, then you'll just have to trust that she is getting enough nutrition somehow  :)

Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2014, 09:18:59 am »
Anna has said it all so well.
Especially this:
If she's hungry, you just remind her that she can eat at snack time (which after all isn't going to be more than a couple of hours away)
tbh if mine was saying he was hungry all the time I would be irritated and as well as reminding him it would be meal/snack time at x o'clock I know I would also end up telling him to stop saying he is hungry, because I would just be so bugged by it.
Your DD's diet isn't vast but it isn't disastrous either and maybe it's that she is constantly saying she is hungry that is the stressful part rather than how much she is eating? I wonder is she saying it for attention?  If you think this may be the case perhaps look at set times in the day when you can offer her a mummy-cup refill rather than food?

Also, have you seen this thread?
The Division Of Responsibility trust model for selective eating child
I haven't caught up on the thread for a while, perhaps you are already posting there, but if not it may be something to look into?


Offline michaeljacknnugg

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 214
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 13362
  • New life
  • Location: UK
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2014, 10:19:33 am »
I would read any of Ellyn Satter's books (I've read Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family) and go from there. The basic concept is as Anna describes but there is much more background than we can possibly give on a thread.
My 'little man' - kind-hearted Spirited whirlwind, 2008
My love, my everything - BabyTwo, Nov 2015

Offline Eva's Mummy

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 14
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 2332
  • Gail
  • Location: Scotland
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #6 on: November 09, 2014, 13:58:36 pm »
Thanks ladies I will get that book and have a good read of it. I guess it maybe is more my stress than her. While I am here can I ask what you give your LO's for their 2 snacks a day and what kind of portion size it is?


My beautiful spirited little angel



My angel baby girl


Offline anna*

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 900
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 28751
  • My two
  • Location: London, UK
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2014, 15:11:00 pm »
Audrey is obviously older, but for her a snack would be one of the following: 1 satsuma; half an apple; half a banana; a small cup of natural yoghurt; about 5 mini cheddars (or similar); 2 carrot batons (size of an Ikea pencil) + 2 cucumber batons and a blob of hummus; 1Tbs raisins; 7-8 grapes; 1-2 chicken nuggets; a slice of ham rolled up... that kind of thing/amount.





Offline MasynSpencerElliotte

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 249
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 16048
  • Location: Canada
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #8 on: November 09, 2014, 15:22:54 pm »
We do the same as Anna, though Elliotte is younger she is quite a chunker. She is just starting in on the more selective toddler phase with her food but I just keep serving what I make and leave the eating bit up to her. I tend to put maybe 1/4 of what I prepared on her plate and when she is done that offer a bit more to avoid tossing the works or having her toss it to the dog!
Heidi




Offline anna*

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 900
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 28751
  • My two
  • Location: London, UK
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #9 on: November 09, 2014, 16:07:11 pm »
Yeh portion size is something to consider too. Half of an adult portion is still way too much. Both of my kids are huge, 98th percentile, but I give them tiny tiny portions and let them come back for more. If I put a lot on their plate it's like they are put off even starting.





Offline Buntybear

  • Food Allergies
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 130
  • Posts: 9686
  • Just the wheat allergy to go now!
  • Location: UK
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #10 on: November 09, 2014, 16:31:41 pm »
In addition to what Anna has already said have you varied what you serve up and how?

ie she has stopped eating pasta. Could you buy a variety of shapes and let her choose? Or let her play with them dry - make a game out of it? You could even cook a few of each shape up and put them in different bowls and let her choose? I know it sounds a faff but it is creating interest around the food and not making it a forced situation.

When Olly was around that age (maybe a bot older) I started to put things in the bowl in the middle of the table (ie a big bowl of chicken fried rice) and let him serve it or help himself. he LOVED this and I swear it helped him around food. He was very restricted with food due to allergies and whilst I tried to give him largely the same as everyone else he tended to have his own bowl as we would never eat quite the same dinners. Even knows he loves to serve everyone else food out  :)

Offline Eva's Mummy

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 14
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 2332
  • Gail
  • Location: Scotland
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #11 on: November 11, 2014, 13:49:29 pm »
DD1 is skinny she has always been on the 10% percentile for weight but she was 98% for height. I give her far to big snacks. The other day she had a full pear, 1 large breadstick and 2 small rice cakes so I will cut them right back, she also drinks lots could this be filling her up too?

Today she has had 1 slice of toast for breakfast, a handful of raisins for snack and lunch was soup and bread which she totally refused. So in this instance would you give a larger snack or I know if I give her dinner not long after she wakes from her nap at say 3pm she would probably eat it. Or should I just stick to a small snack and make her wait until dinner time?

Also if I give her fish fingers and mini potato waffles & peas how many would you say was an appropriate portion size?


My beautiful spirited little angel



My angel baby girl


Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #12 on: November 11, 2014, 14:03:14 pm »
My DS used to have a HUGE snack, more like lunch, around 10.30/11.00am. He was younger so I prob didn't care so much that he wasn't 'conforming' to what society has deemed to be normal times for meals. He was very ready for that huge snack at that time, whilst other LOs at toddler group ate a couple of apple wedges or even a small bowl of fruit salad mine would need 5 - 8 fruit pancakes, or 3 or 4 mini bean burgers plus the fruit (he'd have the fruit on offer at group plus more fruit I'd taken with me).  I have always followed his appetite with regards to timings of meals, we currently have our evening meal at 4.30pm which is so early for most families but suits DS so that suits me.
I think for Eva you can decide either big snack when she is hungry and accept she eats less of her main meals, or small snack and perhaps a shift in the meal times a bit too? I do think regularity is key so that she knows she will always be offered this amount at this time, whichever way you choose to do it and rarely step outside of those times.

Also if I give her fish fingers and mini potato waffles & peas how many would you say was an appropriate portion size?
Mine would eat 1-2 fish fingers at that age and say 1-2 tblsp of peas (prob only 1 tbsp if he ate 2 fish fingers though). He's never had a waffle but I imagine half a waffle would be reasonable.  I would think for a smaller appetite half a fish finger would be classed as a portion as it would be roughly the size of a 2yo hand and still roughly a tblsp worth yk? It would also depend how much of each food group mine had had at other meals/snacks across the day.


Offline michaeljacknnugg

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 214
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 13362
  • New life
  • Location: UK
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #13 on: November 11, 2014, 14:57:16 pm »
I'd follow her appetite, too. If she wants a large snack she can always have a good variety then and a smaller, snack-like meal later.

As an example:
My DS has a good snack at after school club on a Tues and Weds so I don't bother making him any dinner. I just serve up a plate of cheese/ham, couple of portions of veggies, something sweet and something fruity. He's had carbs at club and doesn't need them again.
My 'little man' - kind-hearted Spirited whirlwind, 2008
My love, my everything - BabyTwo, Nov 2015

Offline weaver

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 210
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 10146
  • May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears
  • Location:
Re: 26 months and STILL a terrible eater
« Reply #14 on: November 11, 2014, 20:55:21 pm »
In fact part of the issue for us parents can be the labelling of meal times. If you don't think of it as 'snack-time' per se, but look at what she wants and needs at that time.  My LO2 eats lots in the morning and not so much at dinner (almost nothing at dinner, in fact).  Just the way she is.  So I do try to keep all her 'snack' options in the morning as healthy ones. And I also find the point pps made above about not offering too much to begin with to be important.

I also found with my LO2 that sometimes she was more likely to eat a 'meal' if she had a wee snack first.  For example, I have found that dinner goes down better some days if she has hummus and bread sticks (3 mini ones) or a cube of cheese first. 
*Anne*, loving mama to a honeybee (2010) and a sweetpea (2012).  BF for 4 proud years.