Help...Fussy, and I mean VERY Fussy girl...

neneromanova

I'm at my wits ends now really. DD2, put some food infront of her, woosh, it's gone. Doesn't matter what it is, it's gone. And she's only 8 months old!

DD1 on the other hand is the fussiest child I have ever know. She will only eat:

Breakfast: Yoghurt, Weetos, Cheerios, Nesquick (1 of any of these)

Lunch: a herby tortilla wrap (nothing in it, no butter, jam or anything as she won't eat it), Bread and butter sandwiches, Animal biscuits, Hula Hoops, Cereal bar, yoghurt coated strawberries/blackcurrants

Dinner: Waffles, Sausages. (and even then we're starting to not eat sausages. Takes her an hour and a half to eat dinner normally)

She used to eat raisins, scrambled eggs, spaghetti bolognese but now won't touch them with yours. If I cook her spag bowl she'll look at it, sit there crying for an hour with it infront of her (us ignoring her) and just doesn't eat it. (we don't giver her anything else after she hasn't eaten it) She would rather go to bed with nothing. Is this normal?

I really worry for her health wise. She's 2 stone, where as DD2 is half a stone lighter than her and gaining fast :rotfl:

I want to get to a point where, when DD2 is eating proper dinners I can cook a batch for them both for them both to sit down together and eat the same thing....is that too much to ask?

Please Help....

pigpen

My 8.5 year old is 2 stone 3.

I'd let her got on with it.. she is obviously not starving.. I'd not cook specially for her she gets what she is given and eats it or not.. if she is hungry she'll eat..

It is quite normal for them to live on fluff, bogies and fresh air from about 2-5.. so long as she is full of energy and able to do normal activities let her get on with it.. if you start cooking separate meals for her now she will never try different things and never eat normally.

she probably eats a more varied diet than my 12 year old!

BustyB_2

OH's son was like this, but we have brought in a sticker reward system (sounds silly but it really works), he loves stickers and Cars, so we got his a Cars album and everytime he eats his meal he gets a sticker. Is there anything like that you could try? I wouldnt use naughty food as the treat though.

If she really wont eat it, then dont give her anything else, she wont let herself starve. Something we also found works , is that when he started to get funny about the food infront of him, we just ignored him and talked to each other. Kids do it a lot for attention. Then he would eat it all!

HTH
Bx

Bronnie

Not a criticism...just a suggestion!

I wouldn't worry overly either, but there is a lot of sweet stuff in her breakfast and lunch options. Maybe reduce the sweet stuff on offer at mealtimes. If she will then only eat bread and butter at lunchtime, so be it, but maybe without all the sweet stuff, you might stand more chance of her eating something marginally more nutritious later on!

Will she drink milk?

minimoneysaver

Honestly, I wouldn't let her sit there for that long. Dinner time is just that. All sit at the table, eat dinner then remove the plates. Give her a 5 minute warning, eg oooh dinner is nearly finished, it'll be time to clear away in a few minutes, when that time is up clear the plates away. Don't make a fuss and don't ask her to eat anything, VIP... don't offer an alternative or say anything about it. She will eventually eat something.
Another option is to eat dinner buffet style. Empty plates in front of everyone and everyone serves themselves from platters in the centre of the table. That way she can take what she wants to eat.

peachyprice

neneromanova wrote: »

I really worry for her health wise. She's 2 stone,

My 10yo is 'only' 4 stone, I thinks your DD is at the right weight for a 3yo. As soon as they are active their weight gain is very slow.

As for the pickiness, I have two of them, and one 'normal' child, the fussies eat very little variety, but I don't force them to eat any element of a meal they don't like (cleared my son's puke up far too often for that).

I agree that leaving her there for an hour is too long, it's making meal times into a battle and encouraging a very stubborn streak in her.

Do you out her meals on a side plate already? If not, do it, if you do, find an even smaller plate, she'll think she's got less to eat.

neneromanova

Bronnie wrote: »

Will she drink milk?

Nope, won't drink that anymore. nor water on it's own. but she does drink litres of water with about half centimeter oj apple & blackcurrant in it. I've tried it and it just tastes like flavoured water. barely any taste.

jetta_wales

minimoneysaver wrote: »

Honestly, I wouldn't let her sit there for that long. Dinner time is just that. All sit at the table, eat dinner then remove the plates. Give her a 5 minute warning, eg oooh dinner is nearly finished, it'll be time to clear away in a few minutes, when that time is up clear the plates away. Don't make a fuss and don't ask her to eat anything, VIP... don't offer an alternative or say anything about it. She will eventually eat something.
Another option is to eat dinner buffet style. Empty plates in front of everyone and everyone serves themselves from platters in the centre of the table. That way she can take what she wants to eat.

I wouldn't do the buffet idea if it was on a plate you'd served would you let your child eat the meat and leave all the veg? That's what that would lead to.

The goal is for her to eat a full meal so continue to put a full meal in front of her.

Also tantrums can't be allowed at the dinner table even if ignored. Remove her to a quiet room till she's stopped then she can come back but she still only has till everybody else has finished to decide if she's eating or not.

I also agree with the reduction of sweet foods to Get her more used to savoury foods.

Be tough and don't back down even once (you'll pay for it and she will to because the whole process will take much longer if you do). You will get there in the end and you will have set an excellent president in discipline too which will help you in the future.

bravobeastie

I had a similar problem with my son (almost 7) although he would eat a good range of food he sometimes got fussy (don't they all)

We all sat at the table and if he didn't eat it (or at least give it a good try) he got no pudding. This worked well as he saw his sister being given a pudding for either clearing her plate or giving it a damn good go.

Yes we had strops but it worked and he will now eat a lot of what he is given.

jetta_wales

We also have a rule that you can not say you don't like something if you haven't actually tried it first! Kids do try it on at times but mine know that one doesn't fly lol,

ladymarmalade1970

I worried so much with my eldest and meal times were dreadful with me saying he wasn't able to leave the table until he had eaten this and that etc.
To be fair, he is the tallest out of all my children BUT the other 2 are perfectly healthy and if they don't want to eat the food i cook then fine, i don't make them. Just make sure there is lots of the stuff they do like (not crap obviously) in the fridge and DON'T make a big thing out of it.
They would eat if they were hungry and that is a FACT.
My youngest 2 lived on scrambled egg and ham sandwiches for ages but now the middle one (14) will eat practically anything and the youngest (12) is getting there.