HELP! I am in need of some real Mummy-To-Mummy advice here people! I am at my wits end with Joshua's eating habbits! I literally am running out of patience, energy, enthusiasm and everything else needed to slowly and careful encourage my son to eat actual food!
I've talked before about how the only thing I ever was sure I wanted to avoid was fussiness with Joshua. My teenage younger brother was and still is the most fussy eater and binges on junk food and energy drinks constantly. He has had the worst case of acne I've ever known and although I really, really felt sorry for how badly it affected his self esteem I did also have to make an effort not to launch down the old 'You've Got to Help Yourself' rant at him. My parents spent a large fortune getting him treated with drugs prescribed from private doctors that aren't even allowed on the NHS in order to clear his skin. However his eating habbits haven't changed and I have no doubt his skin will return to it's previous state because of this. I love him but I never wanted to raise Joshua to be fussy, especially as fussy eaters tend to be against good food and all for the bad and nasties. Having seen first hand how a child like this is affected by bad eating I was very steadfast in my resolve to do everything possible to avoud fussiness.
So nearly two years in to his beautiful life, what do I have? A fussy eater. A very fussy eater. Joshua has always had an issue with textures, rather than tastes. Their was the 'no bread' stage-he would eat toast until the cows came home but give him soft bread and he would turn his nose up and his hand would physically recoil as if bitten by it. It drove me nuts. Luckily it's a little better nowdays but he would still prefer toast to bread if offered the choice (which he isn't often).
Nowdays Joshua is far more annoyingly fussy. Somewhere and over something I can't even begin to understand, he now has a list of things in his mind that prevent him from eating. He literally won't eat a thing I feed him without crying, real tears crying that is, and after a few mouth fulls gets so worked up he chokes and gets properly distressed. I let him feed himself but he doesn't actually feed himself, just throws the food around. He's not too bad with yogurts and fruit purees, he will feed himself them with no problems but come to meal times it's like trying to persuade Geri to re-join the Spice Girls-it just isn't happening.
The only exception are those toddler meals, the microwave ones by cow and gate etc. He watched me prepare them and gobbles them with glee-not a peep to be heard and even adds to odd 'mmmm' to it. Oh and of course fish fingers and chips and his fortnightly treat to macdonalds-those things he's never fussy with.
I've looked online, searched high and low and still I can't find any conclusive help. He's fussy but not with hot finger foods of the junk variety, he eats baby food (but he's nearly two) and yet I know he doesn't dislike the food we make for him-fish pies, cottage pies, spagbol etc. It's just in the last six months he's begun to refuse them. I try everything possible, even not giving him anything when he refuses his food, in the hope he will be that hungry by dinner time he will eat whatever-but it all fails.
Joshua has always been tall and skinny, never to have any baby fat on him at all. It's making me worry there is something wrong with his throat because what he does seem to like-juice, water, baby food is very soft. I have ruled out teething pains because it's been consistant for six months and he hasn't had teeth pushing through for all of those six months!
So fellow bloggy mummies, please PLEASE, could you give me any advice on how to handle this going forwards. I'm at my wits end and don't know what else to try to get him to eat things, anythings!
Love Chloe xx
My Joshua is pretty much the same - but he is 4. I did a review on my blog for Tilda Kids Rice and got him to make the boats and frittatas with me. It really did make a difference as he ate it. Now if I had served up an omlette (which is basically all the frittata is) that I had made I can guarantee that he would have rejected it. So my recommendation is to try getting him to help mix, spoon out food. If you are worried about his throat take him to the doctors. A friends son has enlarged tonsils and they make it hard for him to eat meat. Good luck x
ReplyDeleteAt almost two he definitely shouldn't be subsisting on purées, but I suppose the trick is how to get him exploring more scoff.
ReplyDeleteToddlers palates change all the time, so something he turned his nose up at 6 months ago might actually appeal to him now. Don't be afraid to try things again.
To be honest though, it sounds like much what we had with one of our kids- a control thing. The only way we could get the boy to eat home cooked stuff at one stage was to keep empty happy meal boxes and pretend his home cooked food was take away.
Do you all eat together? I ask because one of our post natal group was moaning when her boy was about two and a half that he still used his fingers all the time and had no idea about eating. Turns out, he only had one meal a day (breakfast) with anyone else actually eating, so no chance to pick up good habits.
I'm sort of a bit hero worshipped by our eldest and he will definitely at least try something if he sees me eating it, which is why we try to all eat the same stuff.
Still, the biggest bit of advice I can offer is to not make a confrontation of it. Don't give in, if he knows he'll get his way in the end, you'll lose, but just stay calm. Unless its a proper food allergy (and if he'll eat certain stuff it sounds unlikely), you can beat him ;)
i have a sort of similar issue with harry i blogged about it yesterday, he wont hardly eat anything, not even junk. but since posting yesterday he ate both his tea last night and his dinner today, which felt like he had been secretly reading my blog posts. the advice ive been given is to leave him not to pressure him and he will eat when hes hungry, as told by doctors and other mummy bloggers yesterday on my blog and twitter, as hard as it is :( i no this comments no real help but just wanted to let you no that other children his age are doing the same too (my harry) x
ReplyDeleteNoah goes through all kinds of phases with food. At one stage it was only bread, nuggets, chews and beans. Fruit has always been a constant with him though. I can always get fruit into him.
ReplyDeleteThey say not to get hung up on daily intake with toddlers, and as has already been mentioned, what he hates one day may be his favourite thing the next!
Keep persisting with the varied diet. I've never made a fuss about him not eating as toddlers this age love to feel in control. Funnily enough though, even if I have exactly the same food on my plate, it looks more appetising to him!
FYI, I also have the fussiest brother ever!! So I totally get your frustration here. It's a universal issue I think, most toddlers have food issues at some point.
You are far from alone, hugs to you xxx
*cheese and beans - blimmin' phone!! X
DeleteOh Chloe, I do sympathise. Although mine has some more complex feeding problems, I grew up with a fussy sister who considered the main food groups to be Pringles, pasta and mayonnaise. She still only eats frozen or tinned vegetables and the above and is 21! I would ask a paed for a referral for either speech and language or ENT to rule out anything like oversized tonsils or adenoids or any swallow funny business, but it does sound more like a case of a 2 year old trying to drive you up the wall! Is it worth cutting out all junk type food? Or can you try and construct homemade versions to control the salt etc and hide as many good things in as poss? And do messy play, especially focusing on smells and a variety of textures and include food in it if poss-it was the main thing suggested and I was very sceptical for a LONG time, but mine is slowly learning to eat now! Another thing, is does he see other children eat? Snack time at toddler groups etc or picnics with other children can be a good way of showing by example, and sometimes it goes in better from peers than parents at a very young age! xxx
ReplyDeleteI worked as a Nursery Nurse for many years and it is normal for little ones to go through a fussy stage around this age and not liking lumps/harder food is also common. The advice re eating together is a great one as children definitely are encouraged when eating with others. All you can do is keep offering a variety of foods, make them look attractive. If he doesn't eat the food don't worry and don't make a big thing of it but don't then give sugary snacks in between meals, but offer fruit other healthy snacks as you would normally but not more than you would as a snack, otherwise this will defeat the object of trying to get him to eat at mealtimes. There are very few children that will go hungry for long enough to do them any harm it is harder as the adult as we think if they go without food for a day they will starve but they won't and as long as they are having fluids will be absolutely fine ...but persevere and it will pay off he will get used to the lumps but the only way he will is by stopping offering him the pureed food. It is a good idea if you are not already; to give him a childrens vitamin supplement as that will help supplement his diet. Good Luck xxx
ReplyDeleteI would take a visit to the GP and take their advice.
ReplyDeleteIf he likes chips have you tried using sweet potato home made chips instead - a way to perhaps introduce different thing. Olivia can protest at eating sometimes...sometimes she does this with food she'll usually eats and it is clear that she is testing us and being a brat - she goes on time out.
We all eat together and when Olivia is playing up we divert all attention away from food and talk about something else, she soons forgets and starts eating.
Hope you get it sorted but do see GP if your concerned hun x
*you're
ReplyDelete