Son not eating proper food..

Kayalana99

Hiya Guys,

My 2 year old won't eat much at all, most meals are waffles (to be fair the waffles have carrots and sweetcorn in them) and fish fingers / chicken nuggets etc...loves sandwichs but can't put anything in them he just takes it out.

A lot of people tell me just to put something in front of him and if he doesn't eat it then he must not be hungry, well last night he didn't eat it and he hasn't eaten his breakfast (eggs and beans as I knew he'd eat the toast and not the rest) and even left a few snacks (cheese and fruit) but still nothing....

It's coming up to dinner time I don't think it's fair to stave him if he really won't eat anything else, should I keep going for now as I am feeling guilty as hell??

Gillyx

We do 3 meals a day, all I ask if he tries whatever it is, if he does and he doesn't like it then I accept it. I always make sure there is something on the plate he does like and will always eat.

Anyway he always eats breakfast, but lunch and dinner can be a bit more testing in here. Anyway if he doesn't want it, I just take it away, make no positive or negative comments. I leave it on the side incase he does decide he'd like it.

We all eat the same meal, no way am I cooking different things for everyone. If I let him he'd eat chicken nuggets and chips for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Way I see it, there are things that aren't my favourite but I still eat them as they're a filling, nutritious meal. If I thought I could get someone else to pay for and cook me my favourite meals of course I'd refuse everything else

P.s My LO is 2.5 and doesn't like sandwiches with filling either, I do philly in his, with carrot and pepper batons on the side

Gillyx

I'm not sure I understand about breakfast, I wouldn't deliberately hold back the toast, to force him into beans and eggs, I'd put it all on the plate, and continue to do so, even if refuses it, eventually he may decide he likes it, meanwhile he has the toast, if he doesn't want to try it. Sorry if I've misunderstood.

CH27

What's wrong with him just having toast for breakfast?
What do you normally give him for snacks?

onlyroz

No way am I going to cook separate meals for my family. I put food infront of the kids and if they don't eat it I don't give them anything else. A 2-year-old should be able to eat whatever you eat (or possibly a milder version if you're into mega-hot curries) and will not starve. Whatever you do, be consistent and try not to stress. If a meal is refused or picked at then don't make a fuss but don't replace it with anything else either. It might take a while but they'll eventually get the idea.

Alikay

A lot of children don't like filled sandwiches - I just butter the bread and serve it on a plate alongside little chunks of cheese or ham, cucumber slices, carrot batons etc, keeping each item separate (if you mix salad or vegetables together fussy toddlers will tend to reject the lot if they spot an unwanted tomato/sweetcorn or whatever in there!).

The fish fingers and chicken nuggets aren't too bad IMO, provided you buy good quality ones and grill or bake them, and if you really wanted, you could make your own if that makes you feel happier about serving them

purpleshoes_2

Surely people have different tastes in food. When I was growing up I remember being an incredibly fussy eater and from recollection so was my brother, but I grew out of it, I eat food now than Id never have eaten when I was growing up, including in my teens. Im probably much older than a few people on this thread and I know Im older than the OP, but my mum was brought up on a diet of things like mince, stews. I didnt like it, I still dont and I wont eat anything like that to this day (she doesnt now either). Its unfair to assume that a child will eat what its parents or brothers or sisters will like, you dont want a kid that exists on stuff like chips only, but if you need to tweak a meal to make sure everyone is happy, in my view thats better than putting the same thing down to everyone and assuming everyone is going to like it, because they probably won't and it will just lead to more arguments.

Of course you dont want to be making lots of different meals but if he likes toast, let him eat toast, hes eating something.

If someone put a plate of something I really didnt like in front of me right now, it wouldn't mean I wasnt hungry, it would mean I didn't like it, I dont think it is or it should be any different for kids.

nmlc

Hi

I remember those days well, trying to please everyone and getting two young boys to eat a healthy diet. Eldest was ok, he would eat and try most things. Youngest was a bit of a nightmare, he wouldn’t eat anything with sauce/gravy – he kept saying “it’s dirty”, so for quite a few years I was cooking 2 different meals every night, and eventually I got to the point of “I can’t do this anymore” – so 1 day I just cooked everyone the same meal, it was eaten or you went hungry. Around the same time 1 of DS2’s friend’s had a sleepover and he went. When I collected him the next day he proudly told me that he’d had pizza and he really liked it, (something he would never eat) so I tried him at home on pizza as he’d asked if we could have it at home and he ate it, and it soon became 1 of his favourite foods, and still is, he’s 14 years old now. He then started being much more open to trying new things, and now the whole family get great pleasure from eating out and cooking and eating different things at home. You may well find as he develops and gets older and goes to playgroup, pre-school, nursery, starts main school, they see what other children are eating and then decide to try. Also something I tried was 1 day a week (when you have time etc) cook a meal that you serve in serving dishes on to the table, then let everyone (little one’s can choose and you help them) serve their food on to their own plate.

HTH

nmlc x

AnnieO1234

I would say this is probably a phase and is partly about testing you. Just keep persevering. My nephew in law (I've talked about him previously) literally survived the first ten years of his life on:

Crisps (Pringles) for breakfast
Beef paste sandwiches for lunch
Chicken nuggets and fries for dinner

Every. Single. Day.

You will note there's no fruit or veg in any of that lot, he also would only drink apple juice or water.

Since his parents split late 2013, his diet (at his dads and rest of family) has just exploded. It seems his mom had a time similar to OPs situation and just gave in completely, she gave him what worked for an easy life. Now he is eating toast, fish, all kinds of meat, vegetables and potatoes that aren't processed. Even pizza was a revelation to him this year.

Just take a breath, and persevere! X

Errata

I agree the LO is testing the boundaries trying to discover what he can control and what he can't and which adults he can control and which he can't.
Just remember you're the mum. If he refuses food which to the best of your knowledge is healthy and appropriate to the meals, let him, ignore him, he won't starve to death.

Person_one

Sorry if I've got you mixed up with another poster, but am I right in remembering that you eat quite a limited diet yourself with a lot of processed/junk foods?