fussy eating 2 and a half year old!!!

[kat83]

PLEASE HELP! My 2 and a half year old daughter has never been that easy to feed, now she has got even worse! I cant get any fruit or veg down her, she has gone off yoghurts. She will never fin a meal, i have tried tiny portions, sitting at the big table, sitting at the little table- you name it ive tried it. im just concerned she isnt getting all the right nurishment etc, as she wont eat meat either. can anyone think of any recipes or meal ideas that works for them?? many thanks in anticipation!

[hol5]

hi kat83! my eldest son would only eat yorkshire pudddings, mash and pizza. never fruit, veg, i tried SO hard to introduce other foods but he simply would not eat anything else. This went on for 2 years. In the last few months he has done an about turn and will try ANYTHING. its amazing.
I now have a second child who will only eat super noodles and pizza, and i simply know i will get there in the end.

The secret is to simply stop making it an issue, give her what she wants under no pressure and if you don't worry about it she will come round on her own. If children are hungry they will eat, my children eat adult portions compared to their friends but you'd never know to look at them.
As for the table thing, we always sit together and eat as a family twice a day at the big table. its important to do the one thing so she learns its all a valuable lesson.

Good luck and, please my advise is simply for you to stop worrying, in time it will happen. Just don'nt make it an issue.

[kat83]

thank you so much hol5! i think i just feel so much pressure from the govt etc to make sure she eats well and 5 a day etc and also from my friends as their litte uns eat like angels!

so i feel even worse when she wont eat everything i offer her, so i feel like a bad mum if she dont eat her 5 a day.

did u give your children any supplements vitamins wise - or were they just ok with what they were eating!! i really do need to stop worrying!

[spudqueen]

Yes, like hol5 says, always try to eat as a family round the table, even if your daughter is in a highchair. It gets her used to mealtimes as not just about food but also a sociable situation, and she can see you eating and enjoying different foods. Sometimes having a friend who's about her age around at a meal time helps, especially if the friend is a good eater!

[VillageVicar]

My daughter was a picky eater. We found that by cutting food items into shapes helped to change her objections. We simply cut stars, or 'wheels' or ladders, or a animal such as a dog...a it like a puzzle...it was instant attraction. And of course, it was important that she dined with us as a social setting...no telly...no distractions..just family bonding.

I wish you every success

Fr Bill

[ethanryan]

hi i had the same problem with my toddler he would only eat baked beans and sausage. my mom told me to try putting diferent foods in small bowls on the table. eg peas in one carrots in another etc and let her pick her own meal. this worked for my son . at first he didnt try anything new but we made it in to a bit of a game for him and he started to join in with us he didnt like everything but at least he was trying it. I know meal times are not for playing but if you make it a bit more fun you may find she will look forward to meal times.
good luck

[kat83]

thank you to all answers and suggestions, will give all a go! i have found that she does eat better when her little friend is eating with her! i wish i could borrow her everyday for 3 times! haha im sure i will get through it, my husband gets back in 2 weeks after serving 7 months in afghan so hopefully i can tame her a lil by then, as im sure he will feel the taliban are nothing compared to our lil terror!!

[hol5]

hi again!
Re the vitamins, yes my children have always fallen for the multivitimin shaped as a teddy bear, they think its a sweet and gives me further peice of mind!
If i where you, when her dad returns get her to help you in the kitchen to prepare some special meals for daddy which may encourage her further to try something new in the excitement that its for daddy!
Also, if she still likes milk, let her have this at mealtimes instead of juice for the nutritional value..

[kat83]

Brilliant Hol5 thank you again! i will get her some of those teddy vitamins! i already mix cod liver oil (for kids) in her porridge. Though we may be turning a slight corner - she had 2.... yes thats 2 satsumas earlier of her own accord! lol

[lou 26]

i had the same sort of problems when my daughter was younger. With veg i put grated cheese in with them or on the top to disguise the taste a little bit. Also, as previously said, i made faces on her plate with the food. As for the fruit I would make little jellies and add fruit pieces to them and got her involved in making them.

Good Luck, she'll get there in the end xxx

[aka pixi]

hi kat, I had the same problems with my lad when he was a toddler. Mealtimes were so stressful I used to end up in tears regularly (not in front of him obviously)

I tried everything just as you seem to have done and nothing worked. He wouldnt eat at the table with the rest of us so I tried letting him eat the way he wanted...sat on the floor with his dinner on his knee. I tried playing games with him with his food, I even used to give him so long to eat it (usually half hour or so) then remove the food (that sounds terrible but the health visitor advised me to try that) Nothing worked :( He wouldnt eat proper meat or any fruit or veg. He wouldnt even take the chewy kids vitamins.

He used to stick to one food for ages, say pizza and would only pick at it and never eat it properly. He would then go off pizza and go onto say sausages and eat nothing else but sausages. In the end I took him to the docs who told me not to worry (yeah alright) and he said that he would eat when he was hungry. Only problem was he was never seemed hungry :( He didnt even eat snacks, chocolate or sweets.

I then took him back to the doctor because he went onto a rice krispie fad. He only wanted rice krispies for his breakfast, dinner and tea and wouldnt have milk or sugar on them, just dry rice krispies. The doctor was no help and again told me not to worry and as long as he was active and healthy (which he was) then he couldnt see a problem. I really was ripping my hair out by this time.

[aka pixi]

cont...


I tried as hard as I could to get him to eat normal meals and by the time he was about 5 he would eat chips and some frozen stuff like turkey jetters, fish fingers etc. I know this isnt a healthy diet but because he was eating it I just kept sneaking a little bit extra on his plate and he didnt seem to notice.

I think he was about 11 before he was willing to try other things. Hes now a teenager and although he still doesnt eat fruit or veg (unless the veg is in a chilli/curry/casserole etc) he can eat for england and will try most new food no problem.

It seemed that once he took an interest in how things were cooked and what went into the meal then he was more willing to try proper food. Have you tried letting your daughter help out in the preparation/cooking of meals? It may not help but its worth a try :)

[kat83]

thank you so much aka pixi, its nice to know that im not doing anything "wrong" and that some children are just like that! i will try and relax a bit more about it as i can see that she is healthy enough!

Thank you for all your answers! all have been very helpful!