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4 year old fussy eating
hello I’m new here and I’m desperate for some advice. I have a four year old who for the past 18 months has been an incredibly fussy eater. All he will eat is a cheese wrap (although for the past week he’s refusing cheese), bread with nothing on, bagels (with butter), plain pasta and chocolate. He will not eat anything else and if he does try something he gags and spits it out. He’s a slender child he weights 2 stone 2lbs and hasn’t gained weight since he was just over 2.
I have been to see doctors and health Vistors on several occasions who both tell me it is a phase he will grow out of.
He will not eat a vitamin he gags on it and will only drink water so I cannot hide it in any drinks.
I have tried involving him in the cooking, making faces from the food, praising him for putting a new food to his mouth, making little posters about healthy foods and why we need them, watching videos on food and why we need them. We eat meals together me him and his dad and we sit together to do this. I have also tried letting him choose his own foods.
I never tell him
off or show signs of frustration as I don’t want to cause him to be anxious about mealtimes. He will go to bed hungry if it means he doesn’t have to have anything new. Of course I then make a bagel as being hungry isn’t nice.
Any advice you can give me I’ll truly be grateful I’m struggling to manage from the worry of it now. Thank you in advance.
I have been to see doctors and health Vistors on several occasions who both tell me it is a phase he will grow out of.
He will not eat a vitamin he gags on it and will only drink water so I cannot hide it in any drinks.
I have tried involving him in the cooking, making faces from the food, praising him for putting a new food to his mouth, making little posters about healthy foods and why we need them, watching videos on food and why we need them. We eat meals together me him and his dad and we sit together to do this. I have also tried letting him choose his own foods.
I never tell him
off or show signs of frustration as I don’t want to cause him to be anxious about mealtimes. He will go to bed hungry if it means he doesn’t have to have anything new. Of course I then make a bagel as being hungry isn’t nice.
Any advice you can give me I’ll truly be grateful I’m struggling to manage from the worry of it now. Thank you in advance.
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Replies
I firmly believe in this situation and for the benefit of you both long term, you need to be cruel to be kind.
Make him what everybody else is eating, sit him at the table with you all. Make no fuss what so ever - even if he does try it. Carry on as normal so you do not draw attention to him.
At the end of the meal, take the plate away.
Dont worry if he hasn’t eaten anything just do not offer anything else in it’s place.
you need to try this everyday for a while, as things won’t change over night. He will soon associate that if he doesn’t eat what he is given, he will be hungry.
He won’t let himself starve!
I really hope this helps as I know how frustrating it can be as a mother! My nearly 4 year old was exactly the same but now he is very confident in trying new foods.
GL xxx