Bad eating habits?

This is my first foray into the toddler section! I’ve been wondering for a while if I’m potentially creating meal time problems with Anyssa, and after reading through a few food related threads I think I could be creating some bad habits...

Anyssa has a massive appetite and I think would just keep on and on eating if I let her. She is quite communicative, and says “num num num” when she’s hungry, signs “more” and asks for her favourite foods by name or sign, and points to other things that she wants when she’s in the highchair.

Since she started solids she has been eating her mush (meat and vege) and then having fruit as finger food to follow up. So, obviously she’s learned that yummy fruit (and now yoghurt) come after the mush.

I’ve been persisting with the mush up until now, because she won’t eat veges and meat as finger food. But now she is turning her nose up at the mush and just asking for other things (mostly fruit). There are also quite a few other things she won’t eat – ie rice, noodles, pasta, and lots of things (like bolognaise sauce) that would make it easier to transition to eating family meals.

I have started letting her get away with not eating the veges, and doing things like squashing the mush onto a cracker to get it into her, and making it into balls that she eats as finger food, and letting her feed herself the mush (which doesn’t always work). I’ve also been moving on to fruit and yogurt when she won’t eat the mush.

So am I getting us into bad habits? Should I not offer her pudding until she has eaten her meat and veges? Do I need to persist in offering her veges as finger food and other more grown up/ normal food? Is she too young to worry about this stuff, and I should go with the flow?

Any help most appreciated, and sorry for the novel!

Deb

I just keep offering it to Tom and still follow up with fruit/yoghurt so that he has a full tummy.  I cant bring myself to starve him before bed time.  I also try and get veges into him at lunch time.  I dont fight him but if he wont eat them himself, I offer them by feeding him (and sometimes it works better if it comes off my plate).  As long as he eats some I am happy.

Have you tried things like chicken nuggets, fish fingers, or things like that? I have been feeding Oli tinned baby food (the Little Kids range) but whilst I am feeding him, I put the finger food onto his tray and let him help himself. Also have you tried the sweeter veges - Oli LOVES cucumber, and little chunks of kumura, but I have also been trying him on those little cherry tomatoes.

 

Interesting - thanks everyone. Sounds like there are a few more tricks I can try.

Tonight I put some cauli, brocolli and carrot on her tray first, and she wouldn't even try it! I got some nice (crap and gluten free) sausages today, and she ate that. I haven't tried chicken nuggets and fish fingers because she is still gluten free.

When she saw that desert was still not forthcoming, she ate some avocado and tomato, and some cheese. Then I tried giving her the cauli broc, and carrot with white sauce on and that was a no go again. I guess we'll work this thing out!

She has a range of finger food for lunch rather than mush. I had plunket today, and she said just to do what ever works, and to hide veges in other things etc.

I also talked to a friend today, and she said if her DD wouldn't eat her dinner she would give her a bath, and then offer her dinner again after - that usually worked.

sorry, another book length post!

What you're doing doesn't sound that bad to me. The only thing I would do different is to offer "courses" in different meals: eg she might have a bolognese (only) for lunch and then a custard/fruit for afternoon tea.... just a bit more spread because her tummy is still so little.

Does she like finger food? It's probably time to have as much ff as you can, e.g. soft boiled veges/meat (fish fingers, small pieces of chicken, etc), pasta - I know you said she isn't into rice and pasta much but have you tried macaroni cheese on her? I haven't seen that one fail