Help! My DS doesn't like anything!

bklyninri

I don't know if it is just a phase, but Owen seems to not want to eating anything these days unless it is cheese and bread.  He has discovered that he can throw his food on the floor and keeps doing it.  Dinner last night was unbelievably frustrating.  

Any suggestions on things to do about a picky eater?  He is underweight and so I am not allowed to just go with the theory of if he doesn't eat, he doesn' eat.

Any suggestions on ways to get him to stop throwing the food on the floor?  

Please tell me this is all phase.... 

Adb6283

Sounds like a phase that all my friend's LO's have gone through at some point.  G has gone through a couple phases where she doesn't eat for a few days and then will suddenly go back to eating fine.

If he only wants to eat bread and cheese, can you maybe puree some veggie and spread it on the bread to beef it up - like toast it and then spread it?  I'm thinking carrots or squash or something?  I've done that with carrots on bread for Gianna - kind of makes a pizza - wheat toast, carrot puree, and then you could do cheese on it too if you wanted.

Just keep giving him a few different things as well - could be that maybe he isn't hungry at the time you are feeding him or something.  I say just keep offering, eat while he eats so he sees you eating.

Regarding the floor thing - I think that's him playing with his food and learning, so I don't know if you'll be able to fully stop that at this point.  I know G tends to play with her food when she's full, so maybe when he starts putting it on the floor, remove him from the high chair and try again in a half hour or an hour or so?

ked77

My underweight little peanut is an extremely picky and frustrating eater too!  Meals have gotten better, but I can't say they are frustration free unfortunately.  She loves throwing her food on the ground, especially since we have a dog that loves to eat it.  I've gone with the 'no reaction' theory, I don't make a big deal I just calmly say 'no throwing' and I remove the food tray from in front of her for a few minutes, then give it back and she usually will eat it instead of throwing it.  Who knows if it's working but at least not all of the food ends up with the dog.  

For dinner she will literally only eat mac & cheese.  So I dice up some chicken & broccoli and toss it in and she eats that.  She also likes the Yobaby yogurts.

How old is he? M really didn't start eating 'real' meals until she was over a year old and even then she was still drinking a lot of milk.  For us, it's been a long and frustrating process, but it is definitely better than it was 6 months ago so hopefully it will keep improving. 

Good luck! 

bklyninri

Thanks!

Some days it is definitely better than others.  Yesterday I was just exhausted by the whole thing.  My babysitter told me this morning that he had a very big lunch yesterday, so maybe he just wasn't hungry.  I do try to mask a lot of things.  Sometimes it works.

It is good to know that I am not alone...so thank you!

DomsMom09

I could have written your exact post!!! My son throws food on the floor constantly.  We stopped letting the dog in the kitchen when he's eating, and that seems to help a little bit.  I also will take the tray away, or take all the food away for a few minutes and say "No throwing" and then give the tray back and food 1 piece at a time,  to him after a few minutes.   Our pedi said that it is important for meal times to be happy and calm, so if you get frustrated its time to end the meal and try again later.   They also told me that at the age of 1, their calorie needs decrease a bit and they will slow down eating by dinner time.  They get most of their calories from bfast and lunch and not to be surprised if dinner is a few bites and thats it.  Just keep offering a variety of foods and try to stay positive even when he doesn't want to eat.  

micheleNYC

Since about 18 months every meal is a struggle with Ben. He wants toast, yogurt, chicken nuggets, and maybe some fruit occasionally. That's it. He hates pasta (gasp!), sometimes eats pizza. 

All of our pedis (MN and NY) have said between ages 1-3 their caloric needs really plummet, so if he's hungry he'll eat, if not, don't worry. If they aren't underweight there's no real concern. Just keep offering things. Each night Ben gets his choice of 3 things, and I'll usually try to get him to eat a baby carrot or some fruit along with it.

But he eats a huge breakfast (yogur, toast, waffle), usually a good size lunch (still working on WHAT he's eating), and loves milk. And takes a daily vitamin.