Refusing foods....am I doing the wrong thing?

[clarey]

We have been having difficulties getting Eva to eat a decent amount of 'proper' food at mealtimes, even when I know she is hungry she refuses the dinner I have cooked but will eat pieces of bread or cheese or corn snacks if I try those
For example:
This evening I made pasta with a sort of ratatouille sauce which she is more than capable of eating either by hand or from me spoon feeding her but she turned her nose up and kept spitting it out....so I warmed up some baked beans which usually she likes and mushed them a bit so she would actually swallow something and not just play with them, but noooooooo you'd think I was trying to poison her she only wanted the bits of cheese OH had been cutting up for her while I warmed the beans, which is fine but not much of a dinner. She had a few bits of bread then too as I wanted her to have had more than cheese for dinner!

Am I doing the wrong thing in giving her what she wants, am I just encouraging her to be a fussy eater and think she can keep refusing things till I give in and give her yogurt or cheese which she loves?

We offer her a wide range of foods but I dont know if I should be doing this differently? Maybe I am just stressing over nothing, is this normal at 9 months? Arrrgggghhhhhhh lol

 

[valentine]

I'm a bit of a mean Mummy. If DD doesn't eat something, she doesn't get anything else! I do offer a wide range of foods, but not at one meal, if you see what I mean.

For example tonight she had macaroni - she loved it. Next week she might have macaroni again and refuse it. I just take it away (or more likely sweep it up from the floor where she's chucked it in a temper) and that's it. She does then get pudding I have to say, but only 'cos I worry about her fruit and veg/dairy intake - slightly mixed message - but if she refuses her yoghurt, she won't get fruit or vice versa.

I know your LO is a little younger than mine, but I have used this tactic since she was about 9/10 months and its working for us so far. Sometimes she'll eat ham, sometimes not. Sometimes meatballs are fantastic, sometimes not. As far as I understand it, it only gets worse as they get to be 2-3 years old, so remember patience is a virtue, don't make a fuss over how much they eat (if your LO is under one, most of her nutrition will still be from milk anyway) - she will eat what she needs and won't starve, I promise.

I hope that's clear!

Valentine Xxx

 

[xrachx]

to be honest i would just go with the flow, they wont starve themselves she is just finding out what she likes and doesnt like, dont make too much of a fuss as this could make things difficult if she sees a reaction she will pick up on that straight away, i have four kids and they have different likes and dislikes i never witheld any food either, if they disliked anything i just kept putting a little bit of it on the plate/tray just incase they wanted to try it again at anytime, they say it takes 10 tastes of any type of food before they decide whether to keep it on the list of likes as they are weaning so just think of it the other way around, good luck and dont get to stressed by it.x

 

[clarey]

Valentine - Thats pretty much what I aim for, but some days I get a bit worried that I am expecting a greater level of reasoning than Eva is capable of so give in and just try and find something she wants to eat!
Dont want her to be spoilt and think she will get something else more tasty if she just keeps spitting it out but maybe she doesnt think like this yet????

Rach - thanks I will try and not worry too much, the rest of tonights dinner has gone in the freezer for a later date

 

[Babylicious]

I'm another who doesn't offer anything else, he's not fussed with finger foods just chucks it and whinges until I spoon feed him

 

[Sage]

I dont offer anything else either if he refuses but its so sad when they dont eat and youve prepared a lovely meal for them I found my son didnt start eating meals until he was about 10months. he'd only eat puree before then, then at last for some unknown reason he started eating properly, he was just ready i guess. Although when he does stop eating i no he's either going to be ill or its a tooth coming.

 

[clarey]

Progress today!!! lol At dinertime she had a little bit of avocado I forgot about at lunchtime, followed by spinach and mushroom pasta which she wasnt too keen on after the avocado ran out but I persevered (despite being showered with green spit as she let me know how unimpressed she was with my culinary skills )......and she ate the lot!
Hurrah, I feel a bit less stressed, she also had a really good blw styleee lunch of cheese on toast and blueberries which she fed herself yesterday, it took forever but I think she like eating at her own pace while I had mine. I dont mind her filling up on milk later if she is still hungry so I am gonna chill and just let her enjoy exploring food. Thanks for your encouragement girls