Toddler Fussy Eaters

Hi LibraLady

Make food Fun,,Make smiley faces with tomatoes etc

Does not have to be a set prepared meal,,Can be just toms cucumber pieces of ham

Fruit is a good thing to give children that won't eat, grapes water melon

Also get them involved with the actual food preparation that really helps

Also lastly ask her what would SHE like to eat or maybe take her out for lunch that might make her want to eat

I can remember DH doing the 'Thomas the Tank Engine goes into the tunnel' to get a spoonful of food down DD. The HV said she would eat when she was ready but she didn't, she was very picky until she was in double figures+. Now a tall, slim young woman who loves her food but never over-eats.

I studied child development as part of my higher education, and I remember that 2yrs+ is the age when they discover that they have a will of their own. eg the 'Terrible Twos'.
They need to use this new human trait, it's very useful, so it's no use trying to correct it. Just go along with it and give them the chance to make decisions..

Thanks ladies. Willing to try anything.

It may be the case that if she has lots of milk it's that which is filling her up and so she doesn't need and proper food...If her parents & you cut down on the amount of milk she's given it will then be a case she'll eat more

When mine were toddlers they both went through a very picky time and at one stage they refused to eat anything much at all, which was really worrying. I did however eventually manage to persuade them to eat wholemeal bread, Whole Earth or home made peanut butter, fresh sliced or mashed fruit and plain yogurt - and over a six month period this was all they had. They did not suffer from malnutrition and both are fit and healthy adults now who enjoy their food. I'm sure everything will be OK -
but if you continue to be worried, check - as Apricity has already suggested - for food intolerances; and, yes, get your GP to recommend a nutritionist.

My son was a can eater too, LOL, only wanted to eat cold baked beans straight out of the can for months and months on end up to the age of 3 years. I was advised coloured crockery and different colour cutlery for each type of food but nothing worked, so we just went with and he eventually grew out of it. However,even now at the age of 40 he has tomato ketchup on everything and loves any meal with tomato involved.

DGS was 31 weeks - DD made loads of purees for him which he ate though never very fussed. Now 3 ½ he is still not bothered and often a struggle though he likes curry, nan bread, garlic bread, tomato pasta, popeye pasta (spinach based). He is skinny but getting quite tall, very very articulate and mostly healthy - needs puffers with colds due to his lungs needing extra oxygen in NNU. Baby sister 6 months and eating everything she is given - she is still breast fed as main food but sits in high chair at the table for family meals and gets tasters of what the family are eating - messy but seems to relish this in fact has a rage if something is taken away. Couldn't be more different! She was born at 37 weeks though and is a wee chubby cheeks. Oddly since nursery started back last week he is now a morning boy and has started eating his breakfast no bother. Hope your grand daughter is ok after her febrile convulsion - such a worry but quite common. I hope she grows out of it x

Really means a lot that so many of you have taken the trouble to reply with your experiences - thank you. xx We waited a long, long time for this little girl and she is more than precious.

Wishing her and all of you all the best.

My little GD is the same - she was full term but has remained on the 25th percentile and at 4 1/2 still fits into her 2-3year clothes. By contrast both of her premature 18 month twin brothers have larger heads, and the younger one is wider all round,though not taller, than her! We don't know how she maintains her energy because she eats so little, but she's perfectly healthy, always bouncing everywhere and fidgets like crazy in her sleep! A doctor once told my mother that a child will never starve itself - but we have to be firm about her having nutritritional before treats.

Both my GDs have had access to a huge variety of foods from an early age. One will try everything and has a brilliant diet. The younger one will eat only ' white' food. Pasta, rice ,bread potatoes, chicken etc. Their parents do not stress about this. The younger one is now eight. Skinny but very healthy.

So sorry to hear this ..... Wishing her well xx

Many thanks everyone - very reassuring comments and some excellent tips given. Events have overtaken as she has had a febrile convulsion and was taken to hospital where they asked about her general health as this is the second convulsion she has had in 12 months. My daughter mentioned her lack of appetite and Health Visitor is doing a management plan so it will all help. Hopefully things will improve.

My grandaughter likes frozen bananas saying that she eats most things her mum gave her lots of food she could hold . She is a pleasure to take out only thing she doesn't like is salad .

I agree about starting to limit her milk intake.
Also with Apricity about asking expert advice.
DD1 was a very lively toddler and could even climb out of her high chair. I used to cut up various foods into tiny pieces and leave dishes of them around the living room. She would go dashing around, stopping to 'graze' here and there.
She eats normally now.

Milk alone is no good, and Rice Krispies don't contain much useful apart from sugar.

Agree with other suggestions. Without fruit or veg of any kind she is at risk of scurvy. That was one reason why they gave us concentrated orange juice back in wartime.

In historical times low-grade scurvy was incredibly common and led to tooth loss.

How about buying a toy tea-set and having little tea parties with tiny portions of brightly coloured foods?

my son was born at 28 weeks and was a terrible eater,I spent most days cooking ,trying to find something he would eat.As someone said before he had been tube fed and even milk was hard to get into him.I can only say what my health visitor told me...relax...children rarely starve and if they are hungry they'll eat something.Find one thing she likes and use it to build on .My son weighed 15 pounds at 15 months ..hes nearly 30 and is just over 8 stone..BUT he eats like a horse .Try not to worry .she'll be fine

My DGD at that age loved "dips". Carrot sticks or cherry tomatoes with hummus, fruit to dip in yoghurt, sausages to dip in ketchup. I have found her to be fussier as she has grown older, so I keep to a few staples which I know she will eat with no whining. We too thought she was skinny and underweight, but the Dr said she was fine, just a petite child. She still, at nearly 6, wears size 4 clothes. Her mother is tiny as well.

Try not t worry too much - I am sure it will sort itself out. My one-time neighbour;s daughter aged 5 decided she would only eat ketchup sandwiches. This went on for a year and they tried everything from teaching her to cook to nutritionists and doctors. Eventually they decided to simply ignore it and she gradually grew out of it, grew up and is now a Professor of Neurosurgery! There is always hope.

I agree, leave food out and around. I make a plate before DGC arrive, leave on the work top, food disappears. Grapes, cheese, banana slices, cut apple, seedy bread, nuts.

Perhaps not around the house but I had a similar situation with DD2 who fell in weight from the 50ths to the 2nd percentile owing to severe asthma. I found that she was often interested in food when noone was looking and when I was really busy cooking but not when the meal was ready. So I used to keep a little plate of cut fruit, veg and cheese that I "accidentally" left on the kitchen table - it was amazing how many bits would disappear. I think she was worried to try new stuff in case she was given a bit portion.

She also liked things that were like milk when she started eating better - milky baby porridge, rice pudding, yogurt those tiny pots of fromage frais etc

I also found it important that we all sat and ate together - she would also eat much more when we were all chatting and not commenting on what she ate/did not eat.

Leave food round the house??..... not a good idea.

Make your own fruit or vegetable smoothies and leave small slivers of cheese, carrot, ham etc. round the house to see if she notices and picks them up to try.