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She will not eat any form of vegetable

Hi,
My 23mnth old daughter has never been a real good eater. She is very fussy. My main concern at the moment is dinner time. She will not eat any form of vegetable, i have tried hiding it in her foods making nuggets with vegetables in them ect but still pushes it away. I still offer it to her most dinner times still. The only thing she will eat and dinner is pasta and a bread roll and still wont eat it all.

Her eating during the day is not that fab. She has porridge or toast for breaky which she eats and some baby vitamens, a banana for a snack which she will eat half of. for lunch she will have sandwich and yoghurt yet again doesn`t really eat much of. I do give her differnt lunches on different days but just to much to list. In the arvo she will have grapes. She may have a biscuit or fruit stick through out the day but thats only because i feel she is hungry from not eating. I have tried giving dinner to her at lunch with no success. She still has one bottle of s26 toddler at night. Some days she will not eat all all.

I`m really worried that she is not getting enough goodness.

Leann...
Answer: Hi There, It sounds like you have tried all the usual options and it may be worth chatting to someone about this. I have a fussy eater and it can be very stressful getting them to eat. I would recommend seeing a nutritionist, dietitian or naturopath who has experience in this area. The sites below all list their accredited practitioners, so you can look up someone local. Chat to them about fussy eating and get an idea of how much experience they have in this area. www.daa.asn.au www.nsa.asn.au www.atms.com.au Other options to consider are paediatric speech pathologists and deglutionists (swallowing experts). The gals at the No Fuss Feeding Clinic are excellent. I have two links below for you. Sometimes things luck tongue tiedness or enlarged tonsils and other oral issues can be at the root of the problem, you just never know. Aussie: www.nofussfeeding.com.au NZ: www.paediatricfeedingdisordersclinic.co.nz/index.htm In the meantime I personally believe the best way to move through fussy eating is to do as you are, keep offering, go with it and try to avoid the battles and get them involved in food as much as you can. Grow food, pick it from the garden and shop, prep and so on, it is a good way of reducing that natural suspicion. My checklist, which I think you will probably have tried is:
  1. Persisting with offering the healthy stuff even if it is rejected
  2. Sneaking in the good stuff where you can which makes avoiding the battles (no-one wins those ones) easier
  3. Getting them involved
  4. Offering a healthy supper down the line if dinner is rejected and your toddler complains of being hungry
  5. Trying to use the foods they do eat as a basis for making other food/meals that are more likely to be enjoyed. For example cream cheese on a bagel, pasta with bacon and a cream cheese base, bread and butter pudding made with calcium enriched milk such as soy or rice, try sweet potato chips etc.
  6. Swap lunch and dinner if that helps and make meal portions achievable (small but healthy).
  7. Check milk or other fluids aren’t interfering with their appetite.
  8. Remember that food rejection is a normal behaviour for most toddlers and preschoolers.
  9. Repeat the mantra "this like all things in infancy and childhood, will pass" and it will!
I have a tip sheet on fussy eating on Huggies that might have some pointers, but again I really think it would be best to get some help with this, the link is: Picky Eating Also, I think the Jessica Seinfeld book using purees is a good idea, but I reduce the sugar, use olive oil and don`t add salt, I also have a recipe book based on my fussy foodie. So I hope in there you can find something helpful and wish you the best, it will pass, maybe not soon, but it will. All the best, Leanne
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Answered: 29 Jun 2009