19 mth old eating problems

[Catharine]

Hi,

My dd is starting to have a few eating problems:

She won't eat a lot when in the highchair but will continue to eat a bit more if I let her out. Do I insist that she stays in the chair?

She's eating a lot less compared to few months ago. She used to eat 1 and a half weetabix + cheese or yoghurt for breakfast, but now its not even 1 Weetabix and nothing else. Lunch is 4-5 spoonful of rice/meat combo but she likes fried food (chicken/fish & chips) which we allow once a week.

She knows how to say the word "finish" so I get that alot. Should I just surrender if she says she's finished?

She's not too interested to feed herself with a spoon but will eat with her hands. Could her not wanting to eat be because she doesn't want to be fed. Should I just cook food that she can pick up with her hands?


Thanks!

[Lana]

How important is it to you that she eat at the table or in her highchair?

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

Hi Catherine,
I get this already from my 15 month old who knows how to say down and starts to try and push away her table. I will hold out as long as I can. The only things I let her eat while not in her chair are crackers or bread sticks and her nighttime snack which is yogurt she sometimes gets to sit on the floor with me and have a picnic. Have you tried a booster seat? Or just even a normal chair?
Fiona

[Poppy & Lily]

hi catherine,

at around 18mths is when they start to get picky and choosy about their food! i remember my dd going through this at that age.  I wouldn't be too worried about how much she eats, it is probably just a phase she is going through and you would be amazed on how little food toddlers can live on a week! (easier said then done :roll: )perhaps just keep offering her finger foods and if she doesn't want them no big deal just try again later.  I wouldn't try and force her to clear her plate as this can cause all sorts of other eating problems (i've seen it happen!)

With regards to her self feeding kids of this age like to experiment with stuff if she is happy to eat with her hands then thats fine, my dd didn't start using a fork and spoon properly till she was nearly 2yrs of age.  Like you suggested perhaps give her finger foods that she likes.

With regards to the highchair we had the same problem with DD and in the end got rid of the highchair and brought her a small table a chair (like a toddlers set) and found that she would sit and eat there quite happily.

HTH  

[Catharine]

Thanks for your replies.

The reason I want her to sit in her chair or any chair is so that walking around or watching TV while eating doesn't become a habit.

I tried her table & chair in her room but she was too distracted to sit so ended up playing & eating at the same time. I'll keep trying.

How do you know what your lo wants to eat?

My dd's lunch & dinner diet is quite limited: rice with steam fish/chicken/egg, soup with vegie/mince meat/tofu, fish sticks, chips, 2min noodles & any kind of chicken. She loves chicken. She doesn't like pasta or anything tomato based or too cheesy. All this means its hard to come up with finger food of something she likes.

Any ideas?

I'm not too worried about her finishing everything on her plate, that seldom happens. Its just the reducing amount, but she's not waking up hungry & seems happy, so I'll have to keep reminding myself that its ok.

I'll look into the booster seats. She tried it once & just kept climbing out of it, maybe there's one with a seat belt.