Author Topic: 17month old living on weetabix!!  (Read 3909 times)

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Offline donegalciara

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17month old living on weetabix!!
« on: July 13, 2017, 12:33:09 pm »
Hi all,
Looking for some advice with my lb of 17months who refuses to eat nearly everything but weetabix or porridge! He has a great routine and I dont think he gets too much milk during the day. This fussiness/refusal has been ongoing for the last 4 months now! I kept thinking it would pass after teething etc! He currently has 16 of his teeth through, last one just this week so that may be part of it! His typical day goes something like this:
WU 7.30am
E 8am - porridge/weetabix with banana or tub of fruit, 6oz milk in sippy cup
   10am- yoghurt and slice toast with water
   12pm- boiled egg
S 1-3pm
E 3.30pm- only gets water and raisins
E 5pm - this is a disaster area! I've tried everything, finger foods, soups, mashed/blended dinners. It's normally just whatever we are having as a family. I'll be lucky if he takes 3 bites then refuses, sticks his tongue out and turns his head away. I leave it as long as I can to see if he'll pick at it but usually to no avail.
E 6.30pm supper/dinner will be weetabix/porridge
7pm BT bottle 8oz
S 7.30pm
I know he's thriving as he's so busy and he's getting so tall but I'm worried about all the food groups he's missing out on and I'm at my wits end making new dinners etc and trying to hide veg! If anyone could offer me words of wisdom I would be very grateful!!

Offline Haribo2012

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Re: 17month old living on weetabix!!
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2017, 13:25:41 pm »
Hi there, they do get independent at this age so I'd just offer what you have don't blend it up just pop a few bits on his plate and let him choose, offer colourful foods at every meal but don't stress too much as he will pick up on it.

I'd stop offering the weetabix at 6.30pm, if you feel he is hungry offer something different but small like a piece of banana or square of toast but really I'd go on what he's eaten over the day so a good breakfast, couple of snacks and a good lunch is great if dinner is small don't worry about it he's prob eaten enough during the day. My DS2 eats more at breaki and lunch and tends to pick at dinner, they won't starve themselves but they do like to be in charge!  ;)
Zoe


Offline cath~

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Re: 17month old living on weetabix!!
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2017, 14:11:43 pm »
I agree with PP - lots of LOs only eat one or two "good" meals a day and often they aren't that hungry for their dinner.  Often what we as parents perceive as being fussy is just a lack of hunger.  From what you've written, he's getting lots of opportunities to eat each day so probably just isn't that hungry by dinner time. 

It looks like he gets quite a good sized snack at 10am.  Maybe try reducing it to just the yoghurt (or fruit/raw veg) and see if he eats more at lunchtime then?

Since he seems hungriest at breakfast time, you could try offering less traditional breakfast items then (e.g. what you might give him for lunch/dinner), to provide a bit more variation to his diet.  It can be a good time of day to introduce new foods.  LOs will often try things at one time of the day that they would refuse at other times.  If he's not hungry at dinner one evening, could you save him a portion and then heat it up to have at breakfast or lunch time the next day?  He might be more inclined to try it then.

Some easy ideas of things you could try at breakfast might be mushrooms (raw or sauteed in butter), cucumber, pepper (cooked or raw), tomatoes (raw or e.g. grilled), carrot sticks (raw or cooked), pieces of avocado (yummy with scrambled eggs!).  Could you offer something like that at the 10am snack or with the egg at lunchtime too.  If he doesn't eat it, don't worry.  It's just there if he'd like to.  One day he might try it.
DD1 - 8 years old
DD2 - 5 years old

Offline donegalciara

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Re: 17month old living on weetabix!!
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2017, 17:13:48 pm »
Thank you both so much for ur prompt replies and advice and suggestions! Ironically enough he decided to eat his spaghetti and meatballs dinner this evening after I had asked your advice  ;)  I'm definitely going to try out ur suggestions and do a bit of tweaking. I'll let you know how we get on. Thanks so much again! 

Offline Haribo2012

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Re: 17month old living on weetabix!!
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2017, 18:21:49 pm »
Lovely update, if you can bear the mess some kids love a nice messy dish to stick their hands in and eat x
Zoe


Offline cath~

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Re: 17month old living on weetabix!!
« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2017, 18:26:43 pm »
Haha! The power of a BW post :D :P

Pleased he enjoyed it!
DD1 - 8 years old
DD2 - 5 years old

Offline creations

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Re: 17month old living on weetabix!!
« Reply #6 on: July 14, 2017, 11:09:34 am »
Ooh I do love the BW magic where just by posting an issue it suddenly resolves!!

I was going to second what pps have said.  I had brilliant advice here way back when my DS didn't eat protein, I switched his breakfast from muesli to egg and he just ate it.  I was scared to change it because our routine was so stable but my worries were for nothing. I felt SO much better every day knowing he had eaten a portion of egg for breakfast, it totally eased up the concern for the rest of the day.

I'd offer the dinner for breakfast - or offer it for supper instead of weetabix.