Food and the little man who said ’no’
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: Toddler Times
Forum Description: Is bubs growing up and getting into everything? How do you train them to use the potty? When do you start feeding solids? Share your tips and advice here!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=37345
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Topic: Food and the little man who said ’no’
Posted By: mummymonster
Subject: Food and the little man who said ’no’
Date Posted: 06 January 2011 at 6:55pm
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DS is 17mths, I'm starting to wonder if he's starting his terrible two's early, or OMG what if he gets worse?
His favourite word is 'no' or to be more accurate 'no no no no no'. He refuses everything, at least once, before giving it a go. Like you go to give him his bottle (he LOVES his bottle), and I get 'no no no no no' with shaking head and bottom lip out. At least once or twice, then he takes it off me like a starving man who's just found food. At dinner tonight, everything was 'no no no no no'. Eventually we got him out of the high chair and after many more 'no's and complaints he ended up on my lap and stole my lamb steak. Apparently cut up bits of food are most offensive and he can only eat it in large chunks off my plate. While he was eating the lamb I tried offering him some of his cut up lamb 'no no no no no' and spat it out. He finished the lamb steak approx the size of his whole hand. This is not the first time cut up food has upset him. He wants to eat just what we have, including the presentation and he wants to use a knife & fork too. We haven't (yet) given him the chance to use a knife on his own. He's just not coordinated enough. How do I break the 'no' habit? Do I just start giving him whole sized food? (I feel it's a choking hazard, isn't he too young for that?) ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Replies:
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 06 January 2011 at 9:54pm
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Go ahead and give him the whole food, as well as a fork at least. He may be happy with a fork and spoon or two forks - one for each hand - instead of feeling like you have to give him a knife. He's at a very independent age and it's not so much about saying no to you as trying to be a big boy (which will help you in about 5 months' time!!). You may find that he tries the grown-up sized food a bit too tricky and then asks you to chop it (in which case, do so), but having tried and then asked will boost his self-confidence with growing up and trying new things.
With things like the bottle, if he says no, put it up where he can see it and just say "okay". He'll probably ask you for it right away, once he realises he isn't being made to have the bottle against his own will. Of course there's some things where he doesn't have a choice, like bedtimes perhaps or sitting in a carseat. But when it's just a growing up thing, I say run with it. -------------  |
Posted By: E&L+1
Date Posted: 07 January 2011 at 8:42am
DD is just starting to learn no at 14 months 
She has been getting whole food for ages and copes really well. She only had 2 teeth until boxing day which hasn't hindered her at all. I have started giving her a fork on occasion as she keeps trying to pinch mine and getting upset when I won't give it to her. DP is worried she'll poke her eye but she is much more co-ordinated than he gives her credit for. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 09 January 2011 at 11:05am
| get one of those little fork, knife, spoon sets from the baby factory or warehouse. my kids all had them, the knives arent sharp at all. |
Posted By: crafty1
Date Posted: 10 January 2011 at 7:00pm
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It sounds like he is exerting his independence a bit. I'd avoid going head to head with him and as above just say "here's your bottle" and leave it where he can get it. You're giving him his independence but avoiding that battle.
I'd also give him a knife and fork (kiddies one) and whole food. You can always cut it up for him. The whole no thing is just a stage, my boy went through it and it only lasts a wee bit and then they're onto some other equally annoying phase lol. My advice is not to get into battles about it if you can avoid it, the best thing at this age is to use distraction and making things fun and save any discipline for the biggies like hitting/biting etc. The terrible 2's do start early, but they seem to be bad for a couple of weeks and then fine for a while, then more pushing and asserting then easing off again. Nigel Latta calls it rattling the fences just to check that they are still there. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: mummymonster
Date Posted: 10 January 2011 at 8:06pm
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Looked at the Tommy TIppie cutlery set in the supermarket today $19! I'll have to go the warehouse and see if I can get something cheaper.
He wants to eat at the big table now too. No doubts he know what he wants. It's earlier than I planned (for the sake of the carpet) but I may have to move him to a booster seat sooner rather than later. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: millymollymandy
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 10:01am
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My 17 Month old says "nope" constantly and wants to eat with our cultery all the time. I just give her a small fork and let her go for it, and so far so good. She sits at our table in one of those Phil and Teds little high chairs, which works fine, shes up with us which she likes, but is secure. There's a plastic mat under that part of the the table, and that which does get on the carpet does come out easily.
I'd give him the whole food, he'll probably eat it in his hands biting stuff off as he goes. DD seems to also use no just for the sake of it and doesn't really mean it half the time. I ignore it most of the time, most of the time she good at saying what she does want anyway. |
Posted By: mrsbt
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 10:31am
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You can get the knife, spoon, fork set cheap at $2 shops.
My oldest boy (31/2 now) went through the no cutting phase so we would either cut some up in the kitchen so he didn't see it and cut ours or just give it whole. Now he often asks us to cut his for him... My second son who has just turned 2 says no all the time yet adores his food, so I just say that's fine and push the plate a little away from him and he promptly drags it back and starts eating again. Sometimes when we fed him a yoghurt he would say no and close his mouth so I would eat the spoonful and offer the next one at which stage he would quickly open his mouth so as to not miss out again. It's just a phase but another of those frustrating ones... ------------- 
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 11 January 2011 at 9:49pm
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*lurker* imo he's not too young... DD is 10.5 mo and been having whole foods for a few months now (although we do BLW...). I would have thought cup up chunks were more of a choking hazard than big chunks. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: mummymonster
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 9:19pm
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Oh for I have issues with my wee man.
I know it's just standard toddler stuff but he's my first and I guess I just thought I was going to be dealing with an angel - lol I gave him toast yesterday, only cut in half. He way trying to eat it flat side (so he could just eat the topping) but it wasn't working. I broke the piece in half to give him easier access - he said  forget crying over spilt milk, broken toast is way worse the end of the world if you'd believe DS.------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 9:36pm
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Sounds like you have a feisty little one!! Hopefully you can channel his strong opinions and he'll be a great mover and shaker in no time. ------------- |
Posted By: millymollymandy
Date Posted: 12 January 2011 at 9:47pm
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DD cried (threw tanty) tonight because I'd mushed up her fish pie and it didn't look like ours! Pheeeww!!! Then it was too hot and then she didn't want help then she did. In the end she cleaned up the whole plate!
I think your boy is totally normal! |
Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 13 January 2011 at 12:36pm
LOL Jake likes to eat toast that way and he opens sandwiches and eats them that way too... he is just exploring and having fun with his food, all good
We also give him his own grown up fork and he has exactly what we have for dinner, except meat because he doesnt really like it so we give him biggish pieces of softer meats (like sliced codl meats or fish or chicken) and very thin slices of harder meats (like steak, lamb, pork etc) as he wont chew it other wise (little monkey). Mean mummy breaking his toast LOL Jake gets quite angry if I mess with his food too LOL -------------   
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