Has anyone else had experience of a toddler who just won't eat?

Question

My son is nearly 20 months old and has a really bad problem with food.

Currently the only things he will eat are toast and Heinz Lentil soap. He refuses everything else.

He still breastfeeds occasionally, although I've cut him down to just a short feed in the morning and a bedtime one. Even this didn't seem to increase his appetite for food.

He literally only eats one meal a day and thats usually just soup or toast and maybe a yoghurt. Short of tieing him down and forcing the food into his mouth I can't get anything else down him.

He is not autistic. He is bright, healthy and active and I'm giving him ABIDEC vitamins to make up for what his diet is lacking but I am so worried about him getting ill because of his terrible diet.

I don't know what I did wrong - I weaned him onto healthy foods like fruit and veg, he just became more and more fussy as he reached his 1st birthday and has ended up like this.

Has anyone else experienced this, and did your child recover?

Answer 1

biggest thing is not to stress! get the blender out.

my little girl went through a faze when all shes eat was pasta and tomato sauce.

you wouldnt believe what you can hide in tomato sauce, meat, sprouts, cauliflower, lettuce. if we ate it it went in the pasta sauce.

try making your owwn soup with the blender and ifhe wont go for that start slowly adding other things to the lentil soup, have you tried your own lentil soup you can leave the salt out that way. ( he might not like it i know they have set tastes) if you can get a whole meal in a blender you know that theyre having all the nutrients they need and you can chill and start to gradually add new things.

they tend to eat what theyre friends eat too, so you can have friends round for a tea party or something.

its really hard but try not to worry, neve eats me out of home now

Answer 2

As long as you know that he is medically okay, I wouldn't worry too much about it.  My son who is now four spent a whole year eating only Kraft Dinner.  I was so worried, but I kept making him up a plate of whatever I was having for dinner, and he wouldn't eat it, only the KD, but I just kept doing it.  Eventually, he started to have a small taste of the other stuff on the plate, and then eat all the KD.  I just kept on offering him other options, and now he eats pretty much everything that is put on his plate.  He tries new foods, he doesn't have to eat them if he doesn't like them, but he does try them.  As long as he is healthy and active, I'd try not to worry too much.  I would just offer him other food choices, as well as the soup and toast, and I believe he will start to try them.  I know it took me over a year to get mine eating a balanced diet.  My little guy is a very small child and it doesn't take a lot to fill him up, so maybe yours is just full off of what he is eating.  Just give him lots of choices on his plate at meal times and snacks, and see what happens, but just be patient, I hope this helps.  Best of Luck.

Answer 3

He will eat when he is hungry.  If he is not under weight for his age, he is fine.  I wouldn't stress over it too much.  All kids are different.

Answer 4

yes and what we do is

give him baby milk at bedtime

that way it fills him up and gets all his full vitamins

Answer 5

My nephew is four in November. I must admit, I have always been worried about what he did'nt eat!!! He has never sat down and ate a dinner (let alone snack) with the family. What food is put in front of him he will dismiss. His only saviour has been McDonald's chips and Quavers!! The doctor and specialists' have said he is extremely healthy and active for his age!! Try not to worry. Your son is obviously getting all the nuetrients from what he IS eating. xx

Answer 6

it is fine don't worry cos he will play on it just give him what he will eat it is better for him to eat some thing then nothing at his age it is natures way of stopping children eat things that are dangrous to them so just feed him what he will eat and slowly he will start to get intrested in other things as he grows

Answer 7

Although he is still little try inviting a slightly older friend over for tea, if he sees them eating he might just try something or ask one of your friends to invite him over for lunch (not with you), it's amazing what they will do if they think they are being treated like a "big boy".

Answer 8

I would check with your doctor.  I had a friend whose son would only eat one or two things as well and for him it was a texture issue.  If your doctor says he's healthy just keep trying to add new things and eventually he will eat better.  My 15 year old went  would only eat pb&j when he was about 2 1/2.  It lasted about 2 months.