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Hi,
My DD is 14 months, and I don't know if this is teething as the last few nights she has been really fussy eating dinner. Tonight I made her tuna patties and was throwing them on the floor.
For a few months now, she won't eat vegetables unless I grate them into food. This makes it hard as I seem to have always make a stew or stir fry and I am running out of dinner ideas!!!
Any suggestion on meals for a fussy eater?
I have definitely BTDT. DS1 is still not a great eater at 3 1/2. Luckily DS2 has always been a great eater!
My first tip is to remain calm. Don't react at all - just quietly take away the plate and say that the meal is over when food goes on the floor. Don't offer her anything else. If you do she will learn to always hold out for what she wants (I learnt that one the hard way).
Secondly, with the vegies, I just get sneaky. Pastas, curries and casseroles are great ways to throw in heaps of vegies. I can get tomato, capsicums, onion, zucchini, carrot and mushroom in a bolognaise! Just put as much in as you can. For snacks you can make vegie muffins with corn, grated zucchini, grated carrot etc. There are lots of things you can hide vegies in. I also have the Jessica Seinfeld cookbook and base some recipes on her puree idea. Pureed brocolli or cauliflower make the crumbs on chicken schnitzels or nuggets delicious - just mix the puree in with the egg when you're crumbing them. You can add pureed vegies to almost anything - check out Deceptively Delicious for ideas.
Finally, I would keep serving vegies on the side with meals, as she will eventually start eating them again. It's just a matter of serving them up each time. It can be frustrating, sometimes DS1 won't eat anything, sometimes he'll eat a little, sometimes everything. I've learnt to go with the flow. Easier said than done, but it seems to be the best approach. GL, I hope it gets easier soon.
I've been going through the same thing lately when my 2yo was sick, and even when he seemed to get better, his appetite wasn't big for a while.
I found it SO very frustrating because Cooper has always had a good appetite, and when he seemed better, he still didn't want to each much. But in the end I just tried heaps, and got so frustrated, that I had to just relax and just know that he will tell me when he is hungry. At 14 months, I imagine he will be able to let you know also either by being whingy or whiny, or in his own unique way.
He wasn't eating that much and definitely refused the vegies, which he normally loves, so I just gave him what I knew he liked. I heard on another forum about flaky pastry and putting fillings in it - you could do heaps with this. Cooper loved it with tomato sauce. MantaRay suggestion about Jessica Seinfeld book is a great idea if you want to be sure they are getting their vegetables.
There is another book called Frost Bite by Susan Austin which has awesome ideas for foods that you can freeze. This is really handy for any day, when you are exhausted, you can just take it out of the freezer and warm it up, and you're ready to go.
Another thing, when Cooper is really fussy, the only thing that he very rarely refuses is the Heinz food and other tinned products. Whilst i know the nutritional factor isn't that great, hey, if he ate it, I was happy with that. I knew that once he was over the sickness or whatever he is going through at the time, we would eventually get back to the nutritious foods he normally loves.
Good luck, hang in there.
Some great ideas there thanks girls!
My biggest problem is I get frustrated and this shows. DD will throw things on the floor and I get cranky (more cause its more cleaning for me LOL). Tonight I made up vegies and grated them and added them to a jar, but as I was getting the first spoonful ready, she started to cry and looked at it and cried more!!! I just don't get it!!
Today she ate her breaky fine (weetbix and banana) lunch (mini pizzas and fruit) and also had some snacks of yogurt and a museli bar. But when she didn't eat any of her dinner I just threw it out and said no more - which followed with tears and tantrums.
But I will defianetly get those cook books, I also need to get the toddler wrangling one (whatever its called) but heading to the shops tomorrow so will add them to my list. I might make a zuchinni slice tomorrow night and but some vegies on the side to see if she picks at them.
Its frustrating, I just have to keep calm, and if she cries and screams then I have to let it happen.
Thanks girls!
Hun, you will also find at that age that they really want to feed themselves. Have you tried giving her the vegies as finger food to hold and eat herself? That might help.
I know it's hard to stay calm, but if you can make a real effort to do it, you will most likely see a difference in her behaviour. GL. :hug:
What is the title of the Jessica Sienfield book?
Ok - update from tonight. DD perfectly happy before dinner time, I made a yummy zucchini slice, cut it all up sat her down and she threw it all on the floor piece by piece. She may have had 1 or 2 bits. I remained calm LOL, tried to ignore her eating as each time she threw it on the floor she looked for my reaction. When she was done I picked it all up, put in the bin and took her out of the high chair. I spoke with my Mum and she said I should have taken it away after she threw the first piece on the floor....so that my be another mistake I have done.
But she has gone to bed without a fight, she just didn't seem hungry. I don't think she is over fed during the day, she has this:
8am - 1 1/2 weetbix then 1/2 banana
10amish - yoghurt
12:20 lunch - sandwich and fruit
snacks today was a muesli bar, then some saltanas.
Lots of water inbetween.
And she ate all this with no hassle - just her dinner arggghhh!!!
Mum suggested maybe giving her her dinner at lunch time? What you think?
Flossie, the book is called Deceptively Delicious.
Swapping dinner and lunch can work - I did that for a while with DS1 when he was about 15months. It did make a difference for a while. It's certainly worth a try. As for whether to remove the meal after one piece goes on the floor - I don't think it matters too much. You sent the right message - you throw food on the floor and I'm not going to get upset and you're going to go to bed.
The other thing you could try is to not give afternoon tea, and not too much to drink in the afternoon. It might be that she's just not hungry by dinner time. And if she is tired, this is even more likely - they don't tend to eat well when tired. TBH my 3 1/2 yo still is often not very hungry in the evening. I just make sure he gets vegies, fruit and some meat during the day at least a couple of times during the week, to make up for the nights he might not eat much dinner. It often doesn't seem like a lot they are eating, but it can be for them, and they really don't need a big meal before bed.
GL, it sounds like you are definitely making progress. Well done.