Ok this is getting serious...

[{sarah}]

Zander is quite a difficult eater as well, so we have learnt to be creative. His favourite lunch at the moment is dinosaur sandwiches - I got a cutter from Howards, if you want I can get one here for you. Or we have puzzle sandwiches, made with a star cookie cutter & the surrounds cut up too. Generally he has Nutella, it's not great but our pead suggested it as he needed the fat in his diet. Otherwise he may eat vegemite & cheese or fairy bread, yeah the 100s & 1000s aren't great but he's getting fat from the butter & also the bread. We've tried just about every type of bread & his favourite for the moment is soy & linseed, but that's likely to change next week, or even tomorrow.

If he will eat something then give it to him for every meal. Our pead said the same thing over & over is better than nothing. Zander's dinners are generally, carrots, corn & goujons (like chicken nuggets but sticks) or sausages. We might add cheese to this & sometimes mashed potato, never ever change the way I make mashed potato cos he won't touch it! Other than that, it's always the same.

Does he like pasta? Try some pasta with just grated cheese on the top. Zander will eat it if I give him a bowl of pasta & a bowl of grated cheese so he can add it in himself. Hmmmm smiley potatoes, you get them frozen at the supermarket.

Have you tried the party in his tummy thing? Didn't work for Zander, but I've heard it can be really good for some kids.

[Arimeh]

Hey guys

thanks for all the tips (and support!!!)

Its still pretty much the same in this house, i'm trying to feel less like a crap mother by putting the food on his table, and if he eats it, he eats it, at least I've made the effort.

I haven't made the trip to the GP yet - was feeling too guilty and too much like crap as a mum to bring him out in to the open!!!! i've been giving him his vitamins though - which he takes really well.

I've resorted to nasty mum tricks - i got him some apple/pear squishy juice type things that he absolutely loves - then I got him a rafferty's spinach, pea, apple mixture type thing - and sneaked that in - he thought it was the pear one.. lol... so he had a good sip of that last night - and then made a face, handed it back to me. Did the same thing tonight.. lol....

Its weird how he is so selective about the foods he will eat. At the moment he is off his weetbix and toast, just wants milk in the morning - and his juice. Then he will eat a little bit of fruit over the day - mostly just wants biscuits!! Its a huge struggle to get him to eat anything else, but bloody biscuits!! its doing my head in.. I feel like the worst mother in the world when I put him to bed at night and I hear his tummy growl, he is obviously hungry but wont' eat any of my food!!!

I might try a roll of luncheon meat or something - haven't tried that before. have tried pasta - no go, hates vegies at the moment, won't eat anything freezer type meal... seriously, I'm running out of food ideas!!!!!

I think I'll make up some of my fried rice tomorrow - he might eat that - it was usually the most successful meal... (albeit not the most healthiest - but its with olive oil so at least his hair will be shiny!!!)

[Footsteps]

mel,
you are NOT a crap mother you are doing amazing iv been reading this thread with interest coz my 2 year old nephew is a very very picky eater and i wanted to see if theres any tips i can pick up to give to my sis, iv just phoned her and im gona phone her back in a hour and ask if theres anything she does to help...i'l come back on then and let you all know what she says that can help.
Really you are not alone..my niece is 1 and eats great so its not a reflection on you.
take care hun
rach xxx

[{sarah}]

If it's biscuits he like Mel, have you tried rice cakes & things like that?

Just so you know you're not alone, Zander asked for plain bread this morning, ate 3 bites then said "I don't want this bread now, can I have watermelon" Hes been going on it for nearly half an hour & it was only a few pieces

[Arimeh]

Thanks Rach

Sarah - he had one little bite of toast this morning, went into the kitchen and asked for biscuits, then chucked a tantie cos I said no.

He likes rice cakes and corn thins, but I'm just worried about the nutritional value of these foods if that is all he is eating... i'll try the pasta with cheese on it again tonight, and fairy bread for lunch....

I even had the thought that maybe he is filling up on too much milk (even though he only gets 3 sippy cups a day and hardly ever finishes them) so this morning I put 1/2 a cup of milk on his table for him - he has taken a couple of sips - but not drank heaps.

Watermelon for breakfast is a good choice - especially in summer

[MrsFabuloso]

Have you tried letting him help you cook? Maybe if he's part of it he might eat something? I have recently let Lily stand on a chair and 'help' me. For example, When I make sandwiches, I give her things like some cheese, peice of bread and a spoon or fork and she can do what she will with it. Or at dinner time from a salad she gets lettuce, grated carrot and cucumber slices and a bowl or two. There's usually a free flowing sippee cup of water or milk in there too and it all ends up drenched, but she often tries some of the food I give her before she ruins it! And even then she still eats the soggy bread or whatever (ugh!!). But even if he doesn't eat any of it, at least he's having fun with food rather than it being stressful or having to eat it if he doesn't want to, kwim??
Good luck!

[squidipa]

He likes rice cakes and corn thins, but I'm just worried about the nutritional value of these foods if that is all he is eating...

you can buy multi grain corn thins have you tried these??? maybe dehydrated fruits also??

[squidipa]

Big hugs sweet You are not a crap mom Not at all your doing your best egtting inventive what more could be asked of a mother. I have never had issues with eating really my 7 year old was and still is extreamly slow but once i worked out what eh wil eat we had no issues I dont say this to make you feel bad so plz dont take it that way, I do however remember my brother and i remember all the tears and heartache and worry on my mothers face cause he would not eat anything AT ALL! He is thin like my step dad but solid as well and now loves his vegie's and meat

Not to say its the right thing to do but i used to offer the same meal for the 7 year old till it got it that he had to eat it. Not all things are great tasting but they are good for you. So last nights dinner would become breakfast warmed up. In the end after some skipped meals he did eat it and i learned that maybe that dish wasnt the best to give him.

Me i hardly eat meat except for chicken no im not vegetarian just not keen on red meats I do tho try to seek protien form other area's like eggs.

Have you tied quiche or maybe tuna patties, if he eats bickies maybe make a oat and fruit bickie. We have this recipe for fruit balls and its great its all dried fruit processed together with a splash of condensed milk and we roll into balls and the kids love them rolled in coconut so easy you could make it with him and he would probably eat it then.
I have found cooking the meals with the kids helps them to enjoy the eating as they are proud of what they have made.
We also make vegetarian spaghetti bog so the kids can do this, mind you my kids are older but i even can get the 3 year old pouring and stirring OFF the stove of course before going on the stove. Cook ya pasta , then get drained tin tuna put i a pot add pasta sauce and stir. Then warm on stove and once pasta is cooked and drained pour on top. This you can have cold too.

We also do zucchini cakes ya see the word cakes thats what makes them go yumm. My daughter calls them "mutant muffins" its egg grated zucchini bacon onion grated carrot even tried it with grated raw pumpkin cheese and bake i can give you recipe's if your interested mel let me know tis k if you dont want them.

Another dish i do is roast all my vegi's individually to retain flavor then after throw in pot add pasta sauce and stir and thats it YUMMO!!! kid will eat things they didn't know they liked like small roasted pieces of egg plant or turnip parsnip even the hubbie eats everything and he is the worst person when it come to vegie's

good luck sweet let me know what dr says.