My toddler wont eat

[monkeyx]

I have a 22 month old toddler called Rudi,he is very big for his age and very advanced.I am totally at my wits end with his eating.I cried today....I have been making all his food since he started on solids as believed this was the 'best'!!! thing for him.I have spent hours making cottage pies,fish bake,cauliflower cheese,dishing it into little pots and freezing it.But he still refuses to eat.I have now tried shop brought meals,finger foods,unheatly snacks like crisps,cakes and choccy biscuits but still he throws it at me.Literally the only thing he will eat without fuss is fromage frais.He is healthy and well built,not at all scrawny but surely this cant be good.He will just about eat half a small bowl of porridge in the morning,but only if i feed him and cbeebies is on.Please help me as he started at part time nursery this week and is refusing to eat there too.x

[annie0000]

Don't despair, I had the same issue with my eldest - now 6 - the only way we could get him to eat was to trick him into it by feeding him whilst getting him to do jigsaws in his highchair - my husband and I were very stressed and upset - we finally, when he was about 2and half got to the point where we decided enough was enough, we were just going to leave him until he asked for food - not an easy decision, as it is your natural urge to make sure that your child is fed. He got his milk as usual, but no extra - after about a day and half, whilst my husband was eating beans to which he added pepper and tabasco and soy sauce (I know, he has weird tastes!), eldest son got himself a fork and started to dig in - we have now discovered that he likes spicy food or food with strong flavours - he will not touch any of the food that we were tricking him with - no fromage frais or rice pudding - all bland foods. He is a very tall child and has a very healthy appetite - (much commented on by his freinds parents) he particulary floves lloyd grossmans pasta sauce! Our younger son who would eat anything as a baby is now the fussy one! Anyway what I am trying to say is that it will all change in time. Good Luck

[rosojoly]

Go see a doctor if you are worried ,but we had a friend who had twins one would eat anything the other would only eat yorkshire pudding and mashed potato. They were weighed at the same time both were the same weight and thriving . The doctors just said well they both appear to be O.K. so dont worry too much ,but see a doctor to check him out if your still worried .

[monkeyx]

thank you for your reply annie,it has been hard,but maybe i will try your ideas.it will be very hard not to give him any nibbles during the day,but lets give it a go.what about milk?at6 the moment he is having 1 bottle daytime and one at night.x

[monkeyx]

thank you to rosejoly too.maybe ill see a doctor when i visit the uk,just to make sure hes ok.x

[coco pops]

19 years ago my youngest son would only eat mashed potato and baked beans or sausage beans and chips for a main meal,this lasted about 3 years untill he was 5.
If Rudi wants you to feed him his breakfast do it ,he is still a baby but don't end up feeding him lunch and tea. Give him a chance to settle at nursery he might like eating with the other children. Don't let him see you are worried about his eating or it will turn into a battle.

[sambob]

Hi Monkey,

I don't know how long this has been going on for but my son went throught the same thing and turned out he had tonsilitus which is why he would only eat soft yogurts too. Have you looked at his throat?

[annie0000]

Hi Monkeyx - Were you asking how much milk to give him? If so my son was having a cup in the morning and a cup at night - he was also quite happy to take a probiotic drink every afternoon - we gave him this with a straw and I think that the novelty appealed. Incidentally, prior to having these, he tended to vomit quite a lot - he started with the projectile vomiting at about 5 weeks and then went on to be car sick and sick everytime he had a cold or a temperature or anything. The probiotic seemed to settle his tummy - whether that helped with his appetite, I don't know. Both my kids still have a probiotic every afternoon (usually with a cookie when they get home from school) and they are both very healthy. This might be a good option for you - what about fruit smoothies, do you think he would go for those? buy him a twisty straw, he may drink it just to see the liquid travelling up through the loops! Let me know how you get on. Ax
p.s. have you tried giving him a little bit on his plate, giving him a spoon and then just sitting eating your own dinner and totally ignoring him - even if he throws it on the floor. I know it is hard, but don't give him any feedback - good or bad when he doesn't eat, just ignore it and then if he does even try the smallest mouthfull, praise him to the hilt - Try not to get too stressed, it is probabaly stressing him out as well as he will feel your tension and anticipation every time mealtimes arrive.

[monkeyx]

Thank you annie,had a really good day with him today.He ate a full bowl of porridge with mashed bannana,and a petit filou.no lunch,but refused to give him any snacks all day long.then at tea time he ate my home made cottage pie and a yoghurt and even a small cup cake.did as you said with the two spoons and it worked a treat!!!!cant believe how simular my problem with him is to your child.He too has the sick thing.Projectile vomit even when he has a slight cold,and seems to gag on food so easily which dosnt help.Thank you for your reply.Your advice seems to be working.Your a star!!!!

[annie0000]

Glad you are getting somewhere Monkey - I can still remember how stressed we were - number 1 son was at a friends for tea the other day and his friends mum told me that he almost drank his Pizza and garlic dough bread - and he ate twice as much as anybody else.

[corraine]

Try not to worry too much most children go through a fussy stage with food, he may also be picking up on your anxiety about him not eating much, praise him when he does eat well and try not to react when he doesn't. Although he may not be eating at nursery at the moment he will soon learn that mealtimes at nursery are a sociable time, he will quickly learn to model what the other children are doing and as long as the nursery keep tabs on how well he does eat and report this back to you, you should be reasured. You may also need to take into consideration when you are actually feeding him, is he too tired, unwell, or wanting to go and play. With a change in his routine you may have to adjust whern you actually give him his meals to get the best outcome. Good luck