Totally at my wits end ....AGAIN!!!!!!

Okay so I typed this all out last night and decided not to post but now I NEED to vent my frustration!

Damn having a fussy eater - bain of my life! I'm so bloody over it.

No one ever believes me because he is a big boy, doesn't look overly starved or anything.

Right from the word go solids have been an issue, he didn't really start taking puree properly until 8 months old, 10 months we seemed to have it down to a fine art - he was still on pureed foods and finger foods and fine with three meals.

But ever since day one it has been an uphill battle, we seem to be going round and round in circles, he still can't take anything 'chunky' or 'textured' ...infact he's gone off puree and anything given off a spoon completely! I'm not allowed to feed him at all now.

So I chop/dice foods, give him a variety of foods every day, it is the MOST stressful task, it absolutely eats away at me - what am I doing wrong? I feel so inadequate.

Heres a typical meal time for you:-

Sit him in the high chair- sometimes that task alone ends up in tears!

I will give him his food and next thing I know he's biffing it across the room or organizing it into piles, taking it out of the bowl and then putting it back in one by one, smearing it on his tray. Just getting him to take one bite is an accomplishment in itself.

I've tried fruit (he has NEVER liked fruit), veges (he used to eat them with no hassles but not anymore), frozen potato specialties and vege patties, crackers, biscuits, meat in diff forms, cheese (only thing I can guarantee he will down), breads (another thing he will sometimes eat), pasta (he will sometimes give it a go, macaroni cheese is a fave)...you name it we've tried it. He drinks that V8 vegetable and fruit juice so I guess that is ONE good thing.

I cringe just going to the supermarket because I know half the food that goes in the trolley won't be eaten, instead it will be played with or thrown immediately on the floor.

I have tried talking to our Plunket nurse several times, and spoke to my Dr about it briefly at his 10 month jabs (so quite some time ago now). I never get taken seriously BECAUSE he is above 95th centile for his weight (which I put down to the breastfeeding because it's not like he is eating large amounts of food). I always get the 'Well he is a healthy wee chap and growing beautifully so theres no real cause for concern'

So where to next? Maybe the loony bin for me perhaps?

We will have the odd days where he might eat a bit, others he won't down anything but he breastfeeds fine. I'm only b/feeding him once before his nap and during the night. Even when i lesson b/feeds it doesn't make a diff, he's stubborn (like his mother yes!) and fussy as hell!

Please tell me I'm not the only one UGH!

Have tried that with his little plastic table and chair, he just keeps standing up and walking away

My sisters nearly 2 year old doesn't eat, the only food she can get into him is liquid food via a bottle. He even freaked out when she had to get some different bottle tops that were a different colour and refused to use them for a while. He won't even touch food, and I mean he won't touch it with his hand let alone put it in his mouth. If offered food via spoon, finger etc then he clamps his mouth shut and turns his head. She has tried everything and has had practically no help off of her health visitor (she's in the UK) or her gp. Health visitor said to take his milk away and starve him till he finally gave in but she couldnt' bring herself to try that and the gp apparently said that under 2s are ok just on formula. Personally I wouldn't have taken that crap and would have demanded to see a paedatrician.

Her boy is also a good size which I think contributes to her not getting taken seriously, if he was failing to thrive then she would have gotten help for him by now.

sorry this is not want you want to hear but we have always had this problem with Bailey and now 4 years later and still battling but i guess it is getting somewhat better

Would he eat something like porridge or weetbix with EBM? Jack likes to feed himself with the spoon, I scoop it on for him and he puts the spoon in his mouth, would this work? Or making the food together, maybe making it a 'fun' activity? Jack often likes it when I eat with him.

I feel for you. I know it is hard when you have a problem but no one seems to help you with the answer, or doesn't take you seriously. I hope you find some answers soon

I've tried weetbix ...not to mention nearly every cereal on the market. Porridge, cheerios, cornflakes, rice bubbles, special K, muesli, nutrigrain was last weeks attempt ...oh and those weetbix crunch. He just wasn't interested!

I actually find it depends on his moods as well, I wonder if his teeth are giving him hell at the moment.

I just wish Plunket would offer a bit more support.

Other than the solids issues Lucas is a perfectly happy & healthy child, developing fine and what not, always laughing and getting into mischief. A real joy and such a character. It's just mealtimes that seem to be the problem

Hugs Steph, I find it so frustrating that people judge others without really trying to understand. Sometimes you just need people to listen.
I had the hardest time with Tasha as a baby (she was just really hard work never slept/ chucked up all the time etc etc) and for some reason the rest of my coffee group had little angels. So unfair but my MIL helped by telling me I was doing a great job with an extremely trying baby and she would know she had five boys (that made me feel so much better).

PS by the look of your smiley little man he couldn't be in better hands, he's just gorgeous. Your a great Mum all you have to do is believe it!!!!!!!

Hugs.

As you know Elle is also a fussypants eater. Admittedly she does eat a good breafast of weetbix, fruit and milk though. She has big texture issues so if it looks or feels slimey or unusual she won't even try it.

I've started doing lots of little things to help her and it is starting to work.

Here are some things I did/do:
Firstly, remember it is your job to provide healthy food choices and his choice whether or not he eats them. Just serve up the good stuff every day and eventually he will eat some of it...it may take a long time though!

Each morning I fill a tupperware lunch box (the one with lots of compartments) with various healthy snacks - some she like and some that are good for her/new etc.For example, I put in a sandwich, a rice wafer, rice crackers, dried fruit, pear slices and one biscuit. I bring out that same box everytime she is hungry. Once she has had lunch I leave it out on a low table and she picks from it throughout the day. It took a week or so and I found she started to try the other things in the box and as a result she now eats carrot sticks, dried apricots and dates as well as her other snacks.

I put complan and/or milo in her formula once a day.

I bake muffins made with iron enriched baby cereal and formula instead of milk (breastmilk would be fine too).

I finely grate courgette and carrot into loads of things as you can't taste it and it is basically the only way I get veges in. This works especially well in an omlette which is Elle's fav. I've started sneaking shreaded chicken in there successfully now too!

Elle has also varied her diet a bit since she has started to eat some meals with friends. It's amazing how much they like to copy other kids!!

When I serve her dinner, I put some of what I am having (if it is shepards pie or something I blend it up with a little milk) + carrot sticks + peas + some bread or crackers. At first, she would just eat the bread then leave but after a few weeks she started trying the other things and will now eat carrot, red capsicum, rice and meat pureed with vege and milk.

Since doing this, Elle has become more interested in food (some days) and actually ate a good dinner 3 times this week!

If you are really concered, USANA do an excellent multi-vit that doctors recommend (the others from the chemist etc are not really worth the expense).

You will get there :)

What food does he like ?
maybe you could write a list of ones he does like, that he will eat and start off serving him food along those lines, then with each meal introducing a new one

Its nothing you're doing wrong, my sister has two kids and her eldest has eaten without any trouble at all, her youngest who is the fussy one started on purees fine then went through what she thought was just a stage of not wanting it which has just never ended.
I agree with leaving stuff around the house, sometimes Spencer won't eat his dinner but will quite happily munch on a leaf he finds on the floor