Fussy toddler! Not sure she's getting enough

[arabesque]

Hi

I would love ideas for a toddler who won't eat. Maybe she's fussy, but things she ate yesterday she won't eat today. Today I've tried cucumber, cherry tomatoes, toast, porridge, pear, grapes, sultanas, crackers, grated cheese, ham...it has all ended up on the floor 😭 some things she won't touch, sometimes she eats two bites and said all done (baby sign). She signs for food about every two hours (which I understand because she barely eats) but then will have one bite and reject it. Has anyone else had an eater like this? What did you try/do? She's 14 months. Thanks

[creations]

Hi, moving you over to Eating for Toddlers as your LO is over 1yo

Is there any chance she is thirsty rather than hungry?  I initially showed my DS different signs for drink and food but he combined them into one so it was a case of offering him both or asking for a yes or no answer (or body language) when offering him different things.

Mine also like something one day and not the next, I think in some ways they can manage their own body's needs this way, mine seemed to know just what he needed instinctively (well, that is until he went a bit overboard with fruit!).  I wouldn't keep offering a huge variety until she accepts something though, I'd just decide what is a reasonable meal or snack and give her that. If she doesn't want it then she can wait until the next meal.  She isn't going to starve herself and you can drive yourself around the bend going through multiple foods and them all being rejected.

There's also quite a drop in their intake needs around and after 1yo which can take us all by surprise. Suddenly they can appear to live off fresh air and as we are so used to them eating more we can be tempted to keep offering different things looking for something they will accept. This is likely a time when we can unintentionally put in place not-so-good-habits by letting them dictate too much what they will eat.  Regular food and drink whether milk, snack or meal time is all you need to offer and let her work out the rest.  A typical day at this age would include 2 milk drinks, 2 snacks (or 3 if pre-BT supper is needed to replace a dropped BT milk feed) and 3 meals, at regular and predictable times, fitted around naps.
When the next growth spurt comes you will likely see her eat the fridge clean, then appetite will drop off again.
There can also be less inclination to eat when teething, mine liked hard foods such as bread sticks to gnaw on with his sore gums, and sweet/soft fruits, but this would be for a few days rather than long term.

hope this helps some

[arabesque]

Thank you so much for a great and helpful reply!!

I very much appreciate it

[creations]

No problem

Do post again if you feel you aren't getting anywhere or have more questions

[Katet]

Food is an interesting thing because when they are babies they only last a few hours between feeds & they are growing rapidly, around 1yo they slow down a bit in growth but may not have increased mobility as much & so don't burn the same calories. Also the size of their fist is the size of their stomach, so they really don't need much food.

Also a huge impact on food intake is the amount of milk they drink I think from memory it is about 450-600ml of Milk (including cheese & other dairy) that is the recommended amount a day, so it's worth looking at if that is preventing her eating more solids.

The other thing I got told when my boys were little was 2 generations ago it was normal for a toddler to eat no more than about 10 different foods maximum, a generation ago it was about 20-30 & now we look at them being offered over 100.  I remember when my nephew was loving tomatoes as a 18mo my Mum commented that "we were told to avoid tomatoes when you were a baby - early 70's) & Mum said all the foods that you just didn't even think about giving toddlers & to a degree some was availability because of seasons, which Ironically a lot of toddlers go off food that is not naturally in season, so it could some of that too.

The reality is at 14mo 3 cubes of cheese & 4 grapes  might actually be a big enough meal for her.

[arabesque]

Thanks so much. I had forgotten about tummy size so that's good to remember