food issues

[ethanryan]

hi my 2 year old son has all of a sudden become very picky with his food. if i put sausage mash and peas he only eats the sausage. actually what ever meal i give him he only eats the meat he wont eat chips mash rice pasta. meals are a knightmare surely just a plate of meat cant be good for him. i have tried stopping snacks inbetween meals. that makes no difference. he has toast for breakfast and a sandwich in the afternoon but wont eat his meals
any advice?

[redcrx]

i wish i did! my 2 year old eats in a similar way as do many that I knowaround that age. It seems to be a phase that a lot of them go through

if he ate chips i'd suggest roasted veg that looks like chips. How about veggy sausages? I havnt a clue whats in them so you'd need to check before trying

Does he like cheese? have you tried a cheesy sauce with tiny pasta shapes in? perhaps add ham and some sticks of veg / salad. i ask my son every day what he'd like for breakfast / lunch / tea and each time his answer is 'cheese and ham and pasta'

keep a drink away from him before if you can and only give water at the table so that he doesnt fill up with juice before his food.

[ethanryan]

hi, it is so difficult. i try him with different meals all the time but if it looks different he wont try it. his younger brother 18 months will eat almost anything, we all sit up the table together and try to encourage him but he isnt interested. I hate the thought of him going to bed hungry. i try to bribe him that dont work i tell him he dont get a pudding if he dont at least try a bit of everything but he dont care it dosnt bother him if his brother has a cake and he dont

[skyep]

Hi ethanryan - I seem to remember Iceland or one of the freezer outlets selling a kind of novelty potato shape called (smilers? ) or smiley faces. Also, not very p.c, but why don't you take him to your nearest Mcdonalds, buy something like a kiddy meal, but just put it in front of him in all its bright wrapping, don't attempt to give it to him, wait and see if his curiosity gets the better of him, that may sort the chip issue out! I haven't been in a Mcdonalds for some time, but there may be other fun potato products for children too. The secret is to just leave it on the table, let ' his ' curiosity get the better of him, eventually he may reach out and try the food in front of him.

[ethanryan]

hi skyep, i have tried those smiley faces, i have tried alphabites, potato croquets waffles. he just wont eat none of them. i can leave him sitting up the table till we are all finished and it dosnt bother him. he never seems hungry.

[skyep]

etanry - Leave one item of food about the house that he will stumble upon, don't react to it. Obviously there will be a consumption time until it gets inedible, just keep trying. He sounds like a right character lol!! Best of luck! By the way, don't let him see you place the food down, if he likes something, leave the same the next day.

[ethanryan]

thanks for your response i will give it a try.

[redcrx]

skyep,
some children just dont seem to eat a lot at all.
are you keeping a reasonable eye on his weight and growth? as long as hes following along a centile on the graph then i doubt there is cause for any concern other than the fact that youd like him to eat better, that goes without saying.

Maybe a small snack between meals will get him eating better as he wont go past the hungry stage.

going along the lines of leaving food as suggested put pieces of carrots and fruit and veg about, perhaps with a dip for amusement.

[aims1202]

Like others have said most children do this at this age. often its more to do with you wanting him to eat and him showing his independence.
Its probably best to just ignore the fact he is not eating. making an issue of it or trying to persuade him to eat might make it worse. praise him for eating the things he does and for just trying something but dont mention anything else, just ask him if hes finished and take the plate away. try not to get annoyed or stressed at meals, also try making meals times fun or just have some fun with food. we used to have indoor picnics sitting on a blanket on the floor and invite teddies to it. have loads of things on plates and let him choose what he wants to eat. again just ignore him not eating and talk about other things.
you could also get him involved in cooking the food, like mashing potatoes, putting in herbs/pepper or grating cheese etc
I know its hard but try not to worry if he has nothing or hardly anything to eat before bed. he will be ok . kids do usually go through spurts when they eat a lot and then eat a little. if he needs it he'll eat.
I know what its like, my now four year old has had times when hes done this too. Good luck!