Just a phase?

DD turned 2 at the end of March. We've just got her sleeping in her own bed, she's slept through for the past three nights.

But she's fussier with food than ever. She asks for things specifically and then won't eat them. She devours weetbix for breakfast, then she'll have some sultana bran buds for a snack, but I struggle to get anything else into her. She's asked for some lunch, I've given her a toasted cheese sandwich. It's still sitting there and has been for about half an hour. Last night she got excited about dinner because we were having risotto and she loves rice. She ran to the table, asked to be put on the chair and sat down and peered into her bowl. She didn't touch it. She likes rice cakes, with cream cheese and avocado, but she might ask for them for lunch, and then not touch them for hours.

Pasta is out. Cheese sticks are out. Yoghurt is out. Fruit? Forget about it. I've tried to make things look cool, ie cutting sweet potato into stars, etc. Makes no difference. She likes party pies :doh: and chicken nuggets - I made our own, even minced my own chicken, but she won't eat them. She wants the packet ones. Fish fingers are okay. Mashed potato is okay.

Please tell me that if you have an older child that was fussy as a toddler, now loves food! I'm trying to give her variety, but should I just stick to what I know is a winner? Mash every night? I really don't know what to do. I don't know if the new change in sleeping has thrown her in other areas.

A is fussy with foods at the moment too hun, i think it's a 2yr old thing, but i would love to know it all changes too :hug:

Yep DD2 is exactly the same! Will pick at things, will ask for things and then not eat them :rolleyes:

I do recall DD1 being similar but now she will eat just about everything - she even tried porridge again this morning and claims she likes it (it has been in the yukky list since about 2.5yr) so wonders will never cease.

DS2 (22 months) is going thru a crazily fussy stage - rarely eats dinner... and many of his faves dont get touched anymore... i am trying not to worry about it.
DS1 was never fussy at all - more fussiness creeping in now with watching his peers e.g. he suddenly claims he 'hates' zucchini bikinis! (always loved zucchinis before)

I'm gonna join y'all...I've got a 2yo white food bandit too....random successes but many more failures. Actually posted on facebook a couple of weeks back when he actually ate 4 consecutive meals, I was so excited.

I also remember DD being like this. She's a great little eater.

I'm not a fan of always familiar, nor am I a fan of you eat what you're given or nothing else. We eat a really wide variety, but I always make sure there are familiar elements. Like rice for example.

Hmmm, so it seems to be a common age thing then.

After I wrote the OP out, she came up to me and asked for yoghurt. I nearly fell over while going for the fridge and she ate the lot. But she didn't touch her sandwich.

She refuses to use cutlery of any sort, considers them a drum stick rather than a food server. Wonder if that's got anything to do with it. She doesn't want to use her hands, but she doesn't like her cutlery. The only way she'll eat yoghurt is if I feed it to her.

Yep -- i'm going with everyone else! Does my head in!!!
DD1 will sometimes use cutlery but only when she actually eats something.

My now 15 year old was the worst eater when he was little he would only eat nutella sandwhiches and hot milo he was under weight he was below the lowest percentile on the growth charts and in one year had only gained 100 grams our peadiatrician sent him to see a gastroenterologist (spelling) as they suspected celiac disease anyway to cut a long story short after bowel biopsies ect the specialist ended up finding no reason and said children can live on sandwhiches and cordial with no ill effects so just let him have his nutella sandwhiches and milo and he will eat when he is ready i was worried by the lack of vegies and fruit so got him childrens vitamins and eventually he tried food and started to eat more and more it took years before he would eat properly and reach a normal weight but he did and now at 15 has an expensive pallat like good cuts of meat and eats most of what i cook he just was not interested in food (wish i was like that) so try not to worry they will eat when they are hungry.

Thanks. Ferrals, that must have been scary with having to go for tests! Glad to hear he eats well now.