Will I ever stop worrying about LO's poor appetite?

[barbarap]

Hello
Hope you don't mind me popping over from the Toddler section.
My 21 month old has a very poor appetite and I simply cannot follow people's advice to roll with it...
I wonder if I'll ever get used to it and stop worrying, i end up in tears most days and usually end up snapping at my girl and/or husband...
Did you have a poor, fussy eater and how do you feel about it now when you look back on those days?
Thanks a lot!
B.

 

[RachA]

I have a 3yo with a poor appetite. She has been this way since she was 12months. She is not fussy, she just knows when she is hungry or not. And if she's no hungry you cannot get her to eat.
TBH i don't worry about her - i offer her food and if you doesn't eat it i leave her. I make sure that 2 or 3 times a week i give her a dinner that i know she will eat.
It really does help to understand why your child has a poor appetite. Esther had a lot of problems with her teeth coming through and so wouldn't eat at all, apart from breakfast. Plus as i said about you knows when she's full up.

 

[smelly07]

My eldest is 7.5 now and she became an extreamly fussy eater around 16 months she refused all dairy - no milk, cheese, yogurts, wouldnt eat tomatoes, cheese, so anything tomatoe or cheese sauce based was a no,...wouldnt eat potatoes, pasta, hated vegetables........she would eat rice and bread carb wise and meat and fruit and raw carrots, she literally had the same foods constantly but she really did get better and she eats so much now honestly and trys new foods all the time........i think around 3 -4 ish is when things improved greatly..........now she eats me out of house and home.

My advice is dont stress or worry, children will not starve themselves offer her the foods she likes and as she gets older it will get easier - also you dont want to give your child an unhealthy view regarding food so getting angry/upset at meal times could cause problems - i know its hard but honestly try not to worry x

 

[karlilay]

Madi is very fussy. For instance, she will only eat a certain type of food, so she LOVES chicken nuggets, but she will only eat the tescos ones. If they look different to her 'normal' ones... she wont even try them. She doesnt eat a thing while shes at Preschool. She never eats breakfast, only dry cereal if im lucky and fruit, and hasnt drank milk since she was 11 months old.

I used to be like you, but now, i really do just roll with it. I make what she likes and hope that one day she will expand her appitite. Hope!

 

[barbarap]

Thanks for your replies. I'm really thinking of giving her the foods that she likes for a while and stop trying to raise the perfect child that eats all sorts...
She had mashed potatoes with peas tonight and devoured them and I actually had fun and enjoyed dinner tonight...

 

[RachA]

I would suggest you give her something she doesn't like so much with each meal. We always add some veg that Esther doesn't really eat. Since we've done that she started to at least try things even if she doesn't eat a lot of it.

 

[Lucasmum]

Lucas is nearly 6 and is still a fussy eater in stages, he can go for months eating anything and everything and other times he wont touch a thing

Like you I worried stressed cried and meal times could be horrific, he was always "under weight" according to the doctors but had never ending energy! In the end I gave up, if he was going through an only eating bread and butter stage then thats what I would give him, it wasnt worth the upset for either of us, probably not the healthiest way and it is giving in to the demands but it made meal times peaceful and happy again!

He eats a variety of things now and will try anything you give him but knows what he likes and knows what he wants, this week for example he has had curry 5 days running, he is happy active and still under weight, but we dont worry about it any more

 

[Mrs Doddy]

my lo can be fussy, I get stressed too but it doesnt help anything. I like another poster make sure that she has her favorites a few times a week and I know she eats well at nursery , I will offer her what she likes and add something different. She has never liked tomatoes but the last few times ive given her a cherry tomato she has picked it up and sucked out the seeds and left the rest lol .. but its a start. If she doesnt eat she will only get a yoghurt or fruit. She is slowly getting better. Im learning with my child to just ride with it whether it be food , sleep ect and over time she gets better. roll on her being able to talk so we can get out of her "why" !! its not easy in the meantime I know