Author Topic: I need a plan!! Or a professional!! Fussy eater.  (Read 1491 times)

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Offline Melsy

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I need a plan!! Or a professional!! Fussy eater.
« on: September 24, 2006, 05:43:29 am »
Hi,

DS is 2 years old and this fussy eating is driving me crazy!!!  He barely eats anything at all!!  No meat, no fruits, no vegetables, no pasta, no rice.......  :(  I feel like there is nothing I can cook/make for him that he will eat anymore.  It is starting to get me bummed.  Dinner time is the worst. 

We have been following the advice of just offering what we are having and to make sure there is one thing on the plate that he will eat.  We have been doing this for months and months now... with absolutely no improvement.  He NEVER tries anything else off the plate.  So for example, last night we had steak and mashed potatoe and few other veggies.  And knowing that DS won't eat any of that I also had garlic bread.  So, as per usual, he didn't try anything else of the plate and just ate 1 piece of garlic bread.  ONE piece of bread is hardly nutrious, nor do I really think it is enough. 

We never force him to eat, he sits at the table and we all eat together, he self feeds cause that's the way he wants it (nor would he let us feed him anymore) we always give him what we are having..... I just don't know what else to do!  Is there anything else that anyone can think of that I can do??  Is there any help out there for kids that won't eat properly??? 

I went to the chemist the other day and got a multi-vitamin for him cause I read on here that that has helped some kids.  So we have been doing that for 2 days now.  Funnily enough I think he has actually eaten less in the last two days.....  :-\  And the lady at the chemist was SOOO rude - she was looking down her nose at me and making me feel so guilty and like such a bad parent!  As if parenting a fussy eating toddler isn't enough without other people judging you! 

Anyway, I got side tracked.  Please, if anyone can help me I am ALL ears. 

Melissa.
DS#1 - Aidan born Sept 2004
DS#2 - Callum born Feb 2008
DD#1 - Eloise born Sept 2009

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binxyboo

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Re: I need a plan!! Or a professional!! Fussy eater.
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2006, 15:11:11 pm »
There is a thread for fussy eaters. I am sure someone will post a link, I don't know how.  :-[But you are most definitely not alone, there is a whole group of people, me included, although I haven't posted much on the subject. It's in the eating for toddlers board, and was started by Lucy's Mom

Offline ryan's mum

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Re: I need a plan!! Or a professional!! Fussy eater.
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2006, 16:30:59 pm »
Join the club ! You have just described my son , he lives on sausages .He loves garlic bread too .We are seeing his pead in 2wks and are going to demand to see a dietician , this is driving me mad ,it's a nightmare when we go out for the day or abroad .We have cut out all snacks but still no difference , he will eat when he absolutely has to , which is now only breakfast and one other meal .I think he has food aversions , he will gag as a new food touches his lips .Ryan does have reflux so i'm not sure if this is related
[img width= height=]http://tac.families.com/tickers/tdb.php?tid=1032165&ignore=1[/img]Ryan James 9 Nov 2003

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Offline Lucysmom

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Re: I need a plan!! Or a professional!! Fussy eater.
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2006, 17:12:27 pm »
Hi Melissa -

Like others have said, yes please join us at the picky toddler thread that is at the top of this forum.  There is a group of us dealing with similar issues and we are just trying to help and encourage each other.  Lucy has been a difficult eater always and she is now almost 16 months.  It is great that you are not forcing him to eat and that you eat with him.  What kinds of things does he like to eat?  Does he drink milk? 

You know what, maybe just re-post your post on the thread I mentioned above and include answers to those questions and we will all try to help.  That might be the best way to handle it and get you the most help.

I have no idea why the chemist was looking down her nose at you about wanting to get vitamins for your ds.  In fact, here in the US I believe it is normal for children to be on a multi-vitamin even if they are not having eating difficulties.  I mean, adults take vitamins as part of their daily regimen, so why shouldn't children who are growing at an astonishing rate?  I feel like a bad parent if I forget to give Lucy her vitamin.  So please don't be hard on yourself just because some silly cow has nothing better to do than to be rude for no reason.  OK, my rant is over!!   ;)

Anyway, I look forward to seeing you on the other thread!  Oh, and great name by the way (see below!).

Offline aisling

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Re: I need a plan!! Or a professional!! Fussy eater.
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2006, 17:24:11 pm »
You all described my nephew. (BIL's son) I used to think that my IL's were clueless parents and surely they should be dealing with the eating situation so much better!  WRONG!  Then I got my own semi picky eating toddler, and gosh do I feel terrible thinking that were just bad parents...I am so sorry all.... :-[ 

Our nephew would only eat McDonald's hashbrowns or bread! Occasionally he would eat pasta.  He is now 4 years old and he has finally grown out of this and eats a lot better.  He is even becoming a bit daring, he had lobster here at Easter and was right pleased with himself for trying.  He still is very picky, but he is much more willing and his poor parents, they seem so much happier to come out to the family dinners etc...now.

I hope you all don't have to wait until 4 yrs old, but I just wanted to share and give you all some support and also again apologize for being one of those ignorant childless people!   (((HUGS TO YOU ALL))))

Aisling x

Offline Eloisa's Mum

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Re: I need a plan!! Or a professional!! Fussy eater.
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2006, 15:41:02 pm »
Hey Melsy how are you?  Can't believe how Aiden's grown since the Sweet Dreams days!!

I wasn't sure whether to add my blather to the Sticky so i'll just write it here instead as it's not a BW method.

I'd say first and foremost, don't worry!  There are plenty of adults alive and healthy today who would only eat cheese sandwiches when they were kids, or would only drink milk until they were 6.  Aiden will be fine!  Also, it doesn't matter if there isn't a huge variation in what he eats.  Does he like raisins?  Orange juice?  Bananas?   

Ellie's a picky eater too, I have survived by using the Dr Sears method, it might be worth a look.  Basically he says follow the child's lead, only offer foods that you are happy for he/she to eat and let him/her eat when they want to.  It doesn't matter what time they eat, whether the food is 'appropriate' for the time of day or how much they eat.  He suggests preparing a plate or tray with lots of nibbly things and letting them pick and choose (i don't do this anymore because i found it quite wasteful - Dr Sears has 8 kids so i guess everything gets eaten in his house - but it was a help at the start).  He says that a toddler's body will naturally crave the things it needs as long as all the foods offered are healthy - and though a diet may not look balanced over a day, over a week it will even out.  It certainly has worked for us. 

I also found that as soon as I started with this plan, I was so much less stressed that mealtimes and eating became less of an issue and so she seemd to start eating better.  I had a list of foods that were acceptable and after that it was up to her.  Still to this day I carry her around the kitchen and she looks in the fridge and the cupboards and chooses what she wants to eat.  This means that i don't prepare a meal she refuses (i don't handle rejection very well and can't stand having my time wasted) and she is in control which makes her happy (she's so like her mother) and she can cater for her own whims day to day!

Foods she eats (and i try to always have in the house) are:

wholemeal bread (she eats as toast with Marmite or randomly, she loves dry bread!)
goat's milk
yoghurt
jars of pureed fruit
lots of fresh fruits - strawberries, raspberries, bananas, apples, oranges, grapes
cherry tomatoes (this is the only veg she eats consistently and it isn't really a veg!)
tinned pineapple
wholegrain crackers
pate (she eats tonnes of this! I got the idea from the Sears book, it's just like pure meat protein and she must have been craving that because she just went for it straightaway.  She licks it off the cracker, so i slather it on there really thick!)
raisins
rice cakes
various non-sugary breakfast cereals (i buy the variety packs, she likes the little boxes)
porridge (microwave stuff!)
spaghetti hoops in tomato sauce
bacon sandwiches with ketchup
scrambled egg on toast
humous (sometimes she'll turn her nose up, sometimes she'll eat it out of the tub with a spoon)
sausages (she just started eating these at grandma's)
pizza (this is a new addition, i guess you know you have a picky eater when you're PLEASED the kid ate pizza right?!)  I'm just planning on sneaking loads of veggies into the sauce.

So, it's not a hugely varied diet and she's certainly not eating what we eat - but it is balanced over a week - some days she eats lots of carbs, then we have a fruit day, etc etc.  (Balanced apart from the lack of veggies which I need to work on, though a friend's ped told them that if the toddler eats loads of different fruits then they provide a large amount of nutrients and a lack of veggies is not a huge problem).

One more question, how much milk does he drink?  I had to cut out one of Ellie's bottles to get her to eat more because she LOVES her bottle of milk! 

HTH in some way
love Miche xxx


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