21 month old and food :( - advice wanted

[Floweryfields]

Can I ask what is quorn?

[angelaartsstudent]

A vegetarian meat alternative....comes in mince, nuggets, schnitzel, pieces, strips, sausage rolls, pasties, lasange, sausages and some other forms. Freezer section of Coles and IGA. The texture and taste is just like chicken breast but it's made from a mushroom based protein.

[MrsFabuloso]

To me it sounds like your little one actually eats fairly well. I was told by a paediatrition to take a look at what toddlers eat over a week, not a day and think of their diets like that because they have little tummies and are still getting used to foods, tastes and textures. If you provide her with healthy food, model a healthy diet and don't force her to eat anything, she should be fine!! But in saying that,

We have had the same issues with DS, and have had for a few months now. DD went through a little bit of a fussy phase, but DS takes the cake. I was really worried ans stressed about it for a while too, but have stopped stressing and accepted he's not like DD, who will try mostly anything. DS will eat all the junk you could feed him, but put something healthy in front of him and he will starve rather than eat it. I have given up trying to please him, have stopped stressing and if he goes to bed without having eaten for 3 hours or more and I can hear the water moving in his belly, well then so be it, he chose not to eat the food put in front of him that he absolutely devoured last week and had 3 servings of. He obviously likes it, and isn't so hungry that he would eat decent food. I feed him what we eat at dinner time, mostly for the rest of the day I will give him a choice of 2-3 things. Often he will choose something, but still not eat it anyway.
I can rely on the fact that he will eat some sort of fruit in a day, usually at least a whole small apple and small banana. He will drink a large cup of milk each day (more if I gave it to him) and he will eat a bowl of cerial and a wholegrain peanut butter sandwich a day. Plus at least 2-3 cups of water/diluted juice. All up when you think of it, that's actually alot of food for a little tiny tummy considering your tummy is supposed to be the size of your fist. I also give him a multivitamin because he doesn't eat much meat and I'm worried about iron and vit b intake. But he's healthy, runs around like an idiot every day and is growing and learning normally. He's happy and poos at least once a day, does a million wees a day and is not skin and bones. Really hun, try not to worry!

[angelaartsstudent]

My sister would do that - rather starve than eat what she didn't like.

But she is 23 and still won't eat fruit or vegetables that aren't potatos, so she's a rare case! :-D

Showing that you "don't care" works, as mentioned above...esp when dinner is literally thrown in your face.

[Miss.September]

Showing that you "don't care" works, as mentioned above...esp when dinner is literally thrown in your face.

And thanks to your advice tonight ladies, we did exactly that. Cooked the roast, put DD's plate down in front of her and she immediately asked for yoghurt. Answer was no. Tantrum. I asked her if she wanted her dinner, she asked to 'get down' so we got her straight out of her highchair. She stood there for a minute, then walked back to the table, took a handful of pumpkin and ate it!!!! We put her back in her high chair and she ate three large pieces of pumpkin!

[MantaRay]

Well done hun, that's awesome. I bet you're feeling much better now!!