DD1 went through this at 20 months - all she would eat was plain cooked pasta (no sauce!). I got around it by getting ravioli with vegies inside so she would eat something a bit more nutritious! She would however eat at childcare and other people's houses so it seems to be more of a control thing. I would do a tasting plate with bits of everything eg cheese, vegies, fruit, pasta etc and she would pick and choose what she wanted from the plate. She eats most things again now though so the phase did pass.
This "phase" has been going on since DS was 14 months old and he's 3 next week with no signs of changing.
I'm not fighting it. Instead, I'm being more proactive. I'm making his chicken nuggets myself and adding goodies. I'm sprinkling wheat germ and honey on his natrual yoghurt. I'm making chocolate cupcakes with broccoli and zucchini in them.... all the time continuing to offer him fruit and vegies in their normal form.
We've had miniature sucesses.... a few months ago he ate a few pieces of apple, but that has since stopped. He also licks strawberries, and has chewed on them once or twice, but that's the extent of it.
His fussiness is the worst I have heard of. It did my head in to begin with, but I'm not turing food into a fight, and hoping that he one day changes his mind and decides to try things.
Here's hoping by his 4th birthday he at least tries pasta.
I'm not going to fight it either....some things he says are downright funny....like "cheese, it's too tasty" Ha!
I do the ravioli thing, and yeah, lately he has said he wants the pasta but with no sauce....but will eat Tomato sauce like it's going out of fashion too!
He will eat an apple (the other day he ate the ENTIRE thing....core included) but I had to take the skin off first.
The chocolate cupcakes with veggies in them is a great idea....I have a recipie for that...must find it!
We have to cut apples into 'apple chips'. That's quarters cut into thirds or quarters again for a big apple. Apparently things taste different if they are cut up different.
I agree with not turning it into a fight. I wouldn't say my DS is fussy, he just knows how to push the boundaries and knows what he want's (that's junk food) so he refuses other stuff in a hope to get what he wants. I offer a plate of dinner up every night, but most nights he doesn't eat, other nights he will eat it all & shock us completely, but the main thing for me is that he sits up with us and gets the idea of what dinner time is about. During the day I try to make it fun, like a picnic outside with pear and apple...that has worked. He's the same at Daycare, I can pack anything and it gets eaten, I also make most things, biscuits, cakes etc so I know what's going into what he's eating.
Oh wow then I was really lucky - I had one night where Pip decided he wasn't going to eat his fave spag bol. Dad was there and kept saying to me "don't let him win" and I refused to give in, I even had to put on his harness (high chair split seat, converts to table/chair) so he wouldn't leave the table. After that one night I won, he will eat and try anything for me. DH however can't get him to eat a whole range of foods, so I know it's just his strong will.
If we're trying something new, then as long as he tastes it I'm happy, I always have containers of cooked rice with veg in the freezer that I can give him, or plain pasta to munch. If all goes pear-shaped, then it's milk at night in his cot instead of water.
Good luck, Pip hit this phase at around 2yrs and as I said, it was just one battle, one night with his fave food that I won and I now don't have the battles.
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