Is she eating enough?

[*LittleMissSummer*]

This is my DD's diet.

Breakfast:

Can vary from a small bowl of bananas and grapes to a small bowl of weetbix or tinned spaghetti on toast. On average she will eat it all.

Lunch:

Is either hot chips (either take away or frozen) a sandwich (ham, vegemite or cheese) she usually picks at them maybe having one or two bites

Dinner:

I give her a small plate of whatever we are eating. Generally she doesn't eat a lot maybe one or two bites.

Snacks:

Can vary from oranges, bananas, grapes, museli bars, biscuits, chocolate or yoghurt. Mostly she will have a few bottles throughout the day.

Everyday its different. She will have days where she grazes all day or days where she only wants milk.

Her diet is very limited because she is such a fussy eater. I worry she isn't getting everything she needs. She doesn't look unwell or anything.

Does this look alright or should i be pushing more foods onto her?

[MamaPan]

in all honesty i would drop the things that are empty calories and try to boost some other stuff she has. i wouldnt worry about the volume but i would make sure she is getting a taste for things with nutritional benefit. if there are only heathy things on offer when she is hungry and feels like it she will eat them...

so in my opinion i would drop the spag on toast, hot chips, chocolate and include more things like eggs, cheese, vegetable sticks etc (assuming no allergies). if breakfast is the time she eats the most try some good stuff out then - homemade mini muffins, eggs, frittata etc.

[PumpkinZulu]

I agree. I think the volume is good but the actual food in offer has a lot of empty calories that just wouldn't be keeping her full or giving her everything she needs. I'd try to make your own, it must be hard having a fussy eater, but things like biscuits, chocolate, hot chips, muesli bars and tinned spag, although easy, are just nothing foods itms. Like, baked sweet potato, parsnip and potato wedges, homemade spaghetti on toast with whole meal spaghetti, Bircher muesli, fruit and veggie muffins etc. are good substitutes.

[*LittleMissSummer*]

Thanks.

I'm not too happy with what she does eat but in all honesty i offer it because i know she will eat it and i want her to have something. I've had to slowly introduce new foods to her, so the other night she tried boiled egg for the first time and took a bite and spat it out. I will try scrambled or an omelette very soon. I've offered her cheeses and shes not interested. She does like some vegies so we often have vegies for dinner, 6 nights of the week its something and vegies. She loves fruit so she has alot of that.

I'm not much a baker so haven't offered her muffins or anything. I've bought a few recipe books so will give some a go.

[No.5]

DS is a fussy eater too. He also grazes during the day and won't eat much at all (unless it's sandwiches - he'll eat half a loaf of bread in one sitting). He also likes curry and recently has started eating mince (has taken me over a year of trying for him to eat it!)

DS eats a lot of crap too but because he's such a fussy eater it's hard improving his diet. I'll be at a loss when he goes to school next year because other than sandwiches and a banana, god only knows what he'll eat..

[Eenee]

She probably doesn't eat other foods cos she knows you will give her what she wants. I agree with the previous posters about dropping the foods with empty calories she is better off eating nothing then them. Dd doesn't eat something one day but I'll offer it to her another and she will. Try putting a variety of healthy foods on her plate if she eats it she eats it if he doesn't she doesn't, try not to worry to much. She will eventually eat it and will eat if she is hungry.

[*LittleMissSummer*]

Its so tough isn't it!

I'm hoping the older she gets the more foods she will try. Its just getting her to try something new is so hard so we have to be really persistant. It was hard just getting her onto solids to begin with.

[Miss.B]

Hun, I understand you offering her the foods you know she is going to eat, even if it's ships. My DS is now 2, and since birth to around 17-18 months he was an excellent eater. Then he went down hill fast, and he only had a handful of foods he ate/liked. Now his appetite has gone up ever so slightly, but he is still slightly underweight for his age/height (he is above average in height). He weighs 12.2 kg. So for the last 4 or so months, I have been giving his multivitamins and omega 3 to make up what he's not getting in his diet. I also suspect he's low in iron, we'll be having bloods for that soon as he hardly eats meat and green veggies. When he starts eating better, I will stop the vitamins. Try offering your DD more nutritious foods, like carrot sticks, celery sticks dipped in vegimite, crackers and cheese, cottage cheese and avocado mashed up on its own or on bread, lentils, pasta with mashed up veggies etc. My DS is currently obsessed with pizza shapes, I'm only giving him a couple a day as a treat (he'd eat half the box if he could ).

[Miss E]

There's a motto I heard somewhere which I remind myself of almost daily...

'you can't control how much they eat, but you can control what they eat'

I think the reality is that with a healthy toddler they won't starve themselves, so it won't really hurt her to withhold those foods that are just empty calories. I've also read (and seen with DS) that it isn't uncommon for toddlers to only eat one big meal every three days and then graze in between. The other thing to keep in mind is that if she does spit something new out, it's a good idea to continue offering it to her time and time again because chances are she will grow to like it. I remember reading when I was first starting DS on solids that you should try each food up to ten times before discounting it.

I'd also consider limiting her milk intake, because it is possible to give them too much dairy at this age. Maybe do a search and see what the maximum recommended amount of milk/dairy is after 12 months - I have feeling that they shouldn't have any more than 3 serves a day.

[Jellyfish]

Apparently it can take up to 10 exposures for a toddler to decide whether they like something so don't just offer it once, keep offering so it becomes more familiar. If they are hungry, they will eat so we only keep things in the house we are happy for her to eat, no junk and then she can have anything because I know it is good. They don't choose nothing for long. The more she is given bland things like hot chips, the more her taste buds and perception will be altered. Model good eating yourself and it helps if they see other children or people they respect eating similar too. Even if she doesn't want a salad sandwhich, sit in front of her eating yours. Sometimes even reverse psychology works here... 'oh you don't want that? Lucky me, guess I get double!' can suddenly see them wanting it. Let her eat from your plate or do shared meals from a communal bowl/plate. Involve her in the process from picking things at the supermarket to cooking to serving, letting her dish out her own not only motivates her but teaches good motor skills. Make things a bit interesting or fun like a bread with a face from tomato, carrot, some lettuce hair or whatever. This also provides an oppurtunity to talk about the items as you eat them! I'm not sure if she would be old enough yet but never too early to start explaining why we eat things such as letting her know that a lot of vegetables will enable her to jump higher or dance for longer.

I think the main thing is not turning it into a battle, in the end you can't force them to eat so give it a go and if she isn't keen then just try again later. I like Miss E's quote!

[MamaPan]

I know how hard it can be to have a fussy eater - DS2 is shocking! he is also v tiny so i know how stressfult hat can be too - he is 12 kg now and will be 3 in july.
that said, i think this is more the reason to be removing empty calories. you will be surpirsed what she does like - my ds has some strange tastes - salmon with pesto was one of the first things he ate. zucchini slice is another fave. things i thought he wouldnt like. if all that isa round is healthy even if they eat a limited range or quantity you know it is all good. Miss E's quote is a winner!
I am happy to help you out with some easy recipes if you like (there are also lots of posts about it) and many of the suggestions above will really help
I also agree to cut down the bottles/cups of milk.
FWIW my DS2 ate NO vegies until a few months ago despite them being present at every meal and DS1 being the vege king. he then deiced one day he likes corn on the cob and has eaten it every day. a fewe months ago said he likes peas and now eats them. a week ago he declared he would eat mushrooms. and now zucchini. he decided and then it is in... so having it around def eventually helps.
I know it is stressful, serach on my posts and you will see i have had my ups and downs but truly make sometimes foods sometimes foods and eventually she will eat something you can be proud of.
I also really agree with looking at what they eat over, say, a week - def not each meal. the fact she eats bfast is awesome - make it really count. DS2 had months bfast was pretty much the only meal - he ate 2-3 eggs each day with grated cheese.

I did also have my son on incremin for a bit which boosted his appetite and got him more into a habit of eating....

[Trillian]

The one thing that stands out for me is the amount of fruit she is eating! I'd be looking at cutting back the amount of fruit because she doesn't *need* that much - don't forget that as good as fruit is, it is also high in natural sugar and for a little one like her it's probably too much fruit in a day. I reckon you'll be surprised at what she will eat if there is nothing else on offer to her so perhaps for a week you could try and slowly replace one thing from her diet with something else. As Jellyfish and Miss E said, it can take a few goes to gt them to take new foods so you have to persevere and not assume that because she spat it out on the first tasting that she is a fussy eater and doesn't like it. There is also not much protein in her diet apart from milk so maybe try to add some meat - even if it's just a chop bone or sausage? Maybe even try a spag bol? I'd not worry about the cheese - not all kids like it and she is getting plenty of dairy from milk and yoghurt. Another thing is that she may be filling up on milk, therefore she can't fit in much other food. You could try cutting back her bottles by about 50mls at first and see if that helps. At her age, she really doesn't need much milk at all and a common problem with 'fussy' toddlers is that they are just full of milk. Even if you think she isn't having much, having several full bottles of milk a day would be enough to make her feel full for ages.

[Loula]

This is my DD's diet.

Breakfast:

Can vary from a small bowl of bananas and grapes to a small bowl of weetbix or tinned spaghetti on toast. On average she will eat it all.

Lunch:

Is either hot chips (either take away or frozen) a sandwich (ham, vegemite or cheese) she usually picks at them maybe having one or two bites

Dinner:

I give her a small plate of whatever we are eating. Generally she doesn't eat a lot maybe one or two bites.

Snacks:

Can vary from oranges, bananas, grapes, museli bars, biscuits, chocolate or yoghurt. Mostly she will have a few bottles throughout the day.

Everyday its different. She will have days where she grazes all day or days where she only wants milk.

Her diet is very limited because she is such a fussy eater. I worry she isn't getting everything she needs. She doesn't look unwell or anything.

Does this look alright or should i be pushing more foods onto her?

Sounds like my ds daily diet!

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

hun it can be really hard with fussy kids and everyone has given you some great advice.
DD1 used to eat anything you put in front of her and now i have big problems with getting her to eat her dinner, she will graze all day (given the chance) and would sometimes demand certain foods which really weren't great for her.
At the moment the things i do to try and get her eating a bit more of the good things:

1. Buy 1 pack of biscuits for the week, if they go they go and that's it - NO MORE
2. Plenty of fruit & veg - the girls eat fruit like it's going out of fashion, they will also help themselves to carrots in the fridge and even though DD1 wont eat them i ALWAYS serve her vegetables in or with her meals. DD2 will eat veggies, DD1 wont.

3. Salad - i make a salad, pick out the things i know the girls eat and put majority of that on their plate PLUS a tiny bit of the rest of a salad, DD1 is finally starting to eat lettuce as that's what BIG GIRLS eat and she's a 'big girl' now

4. Fail Safe Meals - i've recently found i generally have 2 fail safe meals - bolognaise and Taco's / Wrap's - in the bolognaise i hide zucchini, carrots, onion, capsicum and sometimes peas & corn and the girls don't even notice and Taco's i just find they like building their wrap or taco so they eat it.
Where possible i include 1 fail safe meal a week (if not more) but i refuse to stop cooking the things we all need because they wont eat it, if they don't eat it they don't get anything else.

5. Involve them - i ask DD1 what she wants for tea, she often helps make it. We have chickens now and since getting her own eggs she will actually happily eat an egg or use it to cook things.

These things don't always work, DD1 still eats less at dinner time than most kids i know, she's a giant PITA and at times wont even sit at the table, so if she doesn't come to the table or refuses to eat she goes to her room or must leave so as not to distract DD2.
It's a work in progress but we are getting there, Taco's for dinner tonight too

[Charlotte91]

DD is a fussy eater, also her diet is pretty limited at the moment due to her health issues.

Breakfast for us is: minimum 1 weetbix (just warm water as she has minimal dairy atm). A handful of dry Plus cereal and if she wants more than it's half a piece of toast.

Lunch: small tin of baked beans and Continental Noodles. Mega cheap meal, under $2 a packet and DD and I share. It's the only dairy she has.
Another favourite is avocado on bread soldiers or cruskits.

Tea: whatever we are eating, or a bowl of broccoli/beans/cauli, but if all else fails then she has something with pasta like leftover spaghetti.

Snacks: Dates are her favourite, dried fruit, a peach, grapes, cruskits, Clix, boiled/scrambled egg. She likes muffins and biscuits but I'm yet to find a recipe that doesn't upset her tummy.

DD eats alot of fruit, but that's because she medically has to.
DD is a skinny little rat (also medical) and I always make sure there are some Clix or dates on her highchair so she can graze all day.

ETA:: Will she eat things like carrot sticks, maybe buy some dip for her to try with them.

[Little Chicken]

I live by the motto that a healthy child will not starve itself if food is available. With mine, they eat what we eat, if they don't eat it, they get nothing else, and I mean nothing else. If they want dessert, generally it is a piece of fruit. The fruit bowl is accessible all the time, but anything else they have to ask for. They have generally, one sweet biscuit a day, the rest of their snacks are rice crackers, cruskits, and fruit. They have one or two milk drinks a day, but they always have access to a drink bottle of water each and help themselves to them.

Don't despair, my eldest turned into a fussy eater but still managed to grow and devleop normally.

[*LittleMissSummer*]

Thanks everyone you have all given me so much advice and also some reassurance. I'm always wondering if i am doing a good enough job. With my PND i was really slack and gave her foods that were easy for ME rather than her so over the last 5 months ive really been broadening her diet but keep coming up to a stand still with certain things she won't eat.

The zuchinni slice reminded me my mum has been PESTERING me to make this recipe of hers as my brother the king of hating vegies loves it and she thinks DD will like it as it doesn't taste healthy

My mum also said the trick is hiding whats good for them in foods. So as ZF said with the spaghetti and even the tacos or wraps they don't see the healthy side of it (all the vegies and salads) while my DD is a bit young to understand it all yet.

Starting shopping day i will choose a few different things and try her on them. I also will cut some of her milk out. Thats just my "if all else fails" have some milk so atleast her belly is getting full.

[MamaPan]

GREAT!
I also have a drawer in the fridge which is free access and is full of stuff I am happy for them to eat - they love having some control. it usually has cheese, yoghurt, vege sticks etc. they can also help themselves to the fruit bowl. they are a little older than her but something to think about for later