He's suddenly got fussy

[maybebaby]

Austin's recently started refusing some foods. He used to eat anything & everything you put in front of him but there seems to be another thing he won't eat every day now.

He will only eat cheese sandwiches for lunch, he just pulls a face and won't eat any other sandwich, or eggs or beans.

He picks at his dinner now & if I dare give him something 'new' or that he hasn't had for a while he won't even touch it (I gave him cauliflower last night & you should have seen his face )

Is this normal? Should I be forcing him to eat everything I give him or just letting him eat what he wants (he's had a cheese sandwich & a pear or banana for lunch EVERY day this week)? Should I let him go hungry if he won't eat his lunch or give in and make another sandwich?

This parenting business is tricky

 

[Tina & Gabs]

Hi Hun

I think this is pretty normal. I wouldn't try and force him to eat anything he doesn't want as this could have a negative effect.

I have found that Gabs can go off something and then a couple of weeks later she likes it again.

I think when they get to that toddling age they get a bit bored with eating and just want to be running around and playing.

As long as he is getting some sort of variety in his diet I wouldn't worry too much.

Good luck

 

[maybebaby]

Thanks Tina, that's reassuring. My OH is really fussy when it comes to food so I'm a bit worried it's going to rub off on Austin. Hopefully it's just a phase & he'll start eating properly again once he's old enough to bargain with

Thank you.

 

[Becky]

I remember this stage with my daughter, its when they start to realise that they can control what goes on around them.

The key thing is not to give in to their demands otherwise you are setting a precedent that they can do what they want.

If its a food that you know he likes and has eaten before then I would just tell him that there's his lunch and there's nothing else if he doesn't eat it. He won't like that to start with but he won't starve himself although he might not eat it at first he'll soon learn that you are the boss and not him.

Lucy will still on occasion say she doesn't want/like something but we tell her that she doesn't know until she's tried it and try and give her lots of attention when she does eat and ignore her when she's being a fuss.