No biggy but any theories on latest food refusal?

[jennyh]

Hello

Firstly, I know this is a stage and will naturally pass soon enough but for the time being its doing my head in and I'm also genuinely interested in finding out what might be going on, so bear with me!

On Thursday my 20month old woke with a fever, tonnes of snot etc and ate half her breakfast and a bit of lunch. Since then she has refused any meals and we have gone back to giving a bit of milk in the afterloon and getting by on a bite of apple, a mini breadstick, a bit of pur?e, chunk of banana etc throughout the day. She hates the table and highchair so we have tried to keep it relaxed and give her food in the buggy etc, managed to get her to eat a few spoons of yoghurt using a medicine spoon today, novelty value worked momentarily. She shouts and screams and writhes around which is part of a stage she is going through as we've noticed her getting a bit more wild and frenzied recently. I think her food refusal was initially a lack of appetite as she wasn't well but although she still has the snot etc I do genuinely think she wants food but something else stops her eating it. It's almost like she hates the feeling of having food in her mouth, she might open up and chew once or twice before spitting it out. I thought it might be a sore throat or ulcers or teething but can't see evidence for anything. She ate 2 cheese and onion crisps yesterday and has had some biscuits so I think she is ok with hard food. It feels behavioural rather than physical but I can't work out why or how to make it any better. We've tried eating with her which makes no difference, tried giving stickers and clapping after each mouthful which worked for a little while, tried doing nothing and leaving her to helpl herself whilst we 'ignore' her but she still won't touch anything.

She's going to nursery tomorrow and so will see if that kick starts her eating again and Obviously she wont starve herself but I'm just interested if anyone else has had is kind of thing going on. As she is my first obviously my experience not goes so far and this kind of thing is quite interesting as I am very aware of the current changes in her personality, just not sure what this is!?

Any good theories do let me know! In the meantime I will continue preparing lovely food and gritting my teeth and smiling when she throws it on the floor!

Thanks

[Shaggy]

Could she have a sore throat perhaps?

[Pickle]

I would guess at sore throat, or if she's mucousy it may be making her feel a bit sick. Things with a soft consistency may make it worse (nothing more unappealing than gluggy yoghurt when you've got a runny nose!).

Hope she feels better soon x

[Fuschia]

If this is only day 3, I wouldn't worry. In my experience being unwell can affect appetite for a week or more, let alone the times when a child stops eating properly for a while for no discernible reason.

I would just stick to offering small portions of simple food that isn't a hassle to make and you can share with her so no waste ...

Nursery will probably say she seems to

Be on the mend

[jennyh]

Yeah I do think she is still under the weather but its almost like a game at the same time, like you say I will keep trying small bits every so often. She just continues to surprise me at the moment with all the changes and I guess I'm thinking more than i should because that natural instinct to want to feed your child and see them healthy is so strong. Thanks everyone!

[oimissus]

teething? I hadn't quite realized what a drawn-out process it was, but at 2.10 yrs Miss Oi is still teething, and at different times there have been very few indications that she IS teething, until we've spotted a tooth or ruled out everything else.

I guess I would still sit her down at the table (maybe time for a booster seat? - that could make her excited about sitting at the table in her new grown-up seat) and offer her little bits and have a couple of toys too, keep it relaxed but still the routine of mealtimes, and give her multivitamins. Is she having cereal for breakfast - that's fortified too. Oh, and reading a billion stories over and over through gritted teeth has got us through many a tricky meal.

[jennyh]

She may be teething, just waiting for the last 4 molars to come through but can't see anything although she has been drooling like a dog for weeks. Doesn't seem in any noticeable pain though which is a good thing! We just tried a little picnic style lunch where my husband and I both had sandwiches on plates on the floor and she sat between us with her own grown up plate with a few nibble bits on and she ate a few little things before she lost interest and wandered off. Sadly our place is too small to have a proper table and chair set up so we have a gateleg table that comes up when it's mealtime and we have fold out chairs, she could potentially sit on one of those. Making it less formal did seem to help a little, also giving her the choice to eat roaming around the room was quite useful today. We usually do books and have toys, games etc as she has always been a pretty rubbish eater but these ploys aren't working at the moment!

[MrsLL2b]

I was going to say possibly teething too. I think my daughter is doing the same. I also wondered if my daughter was just getting really bored of having the same meals all the time! I usually batch cook for her and freeze it in portions,but I haven't really changed my repertoire since she started eating food!

Two things she will always have which your daughter might go for as the cow and gate apple and pear pur?e but in the pouch rather than the pot. Tesco do their own brand kids yogurt in the same thing. It's not like the frubes it is a proper pouch with resealable lid so you can put it back in the fridge if they don't finish it. She can suck it out rather than having to squeeze it.

She also seems to like things she can dip like fruit into yogurt or grilled chicken strips into mango chutney etc.

Like you I'm trying to just be relaxed, offer her more variety and trust her appetite. I am trying not to do too many snacks though in between meals as I do think that affects how much she will eat at mealtime although I appreciate it's better to get snacks into her than nothing at all.

[oimissus]

if she's been drooling for weeks I think she's almost certainly teething. I think as long as she's her usual self active-wise then she's fine.

Have you tried soup on her? A bit of Heinz tomato always goes down a treat, and I've recently discovered spaghetti hoops and related items - Peppa Pig, Thomas etc. I was very fussy about what I gave Miss Oi to eat, but these things do come in so handy at tricky times and it's not every meal so I think they're fine.

[Strawbs]

Mini strawbs justmdidnthis exact thing for near on two weeks as has a nasty nasty bug and the only thing I could get him to eat was Ella's kitchen pears, to put it in perspective he has refused to bed fed with a spoon for about three months now so I was more than a little surprised so I put it down to a sore throat.. After two long weeks and two trips to the a&e he is back on track and back to eating only with his hands.. Won't touch the pears now!! Little devil.. Hehe

Hope you rise this bug out quickly.. X

[shaunag]

Our lo goes through phases of this and I'm convinced it is teeth as like you said she seems to be hungry,but then after food goes in her mouth she spits it out again.occasionally I try calpol 30 mins before meal times when i think of it and it does seem to work (at least sometimes)-she will go off food for a few days but then eat like a horse so i try not to let it worry me too much.also don't know why but toast always seems to go down well-don't know if it helps soothe itchy gums?hope the phase passes soon.x

Ps we have a little table and chairs where lo has all her meals now as she hated her high chair-she loves sitting at it and it might work for your lo.i always sit down and eat with her and she seems to respond better to this too...

[jennyh]

Hello!

Surprise surprise she legged it into nursery yesterday and ate 2 bowls of breakfast and all her lunch and tea! :) I watched through the gap in the door and she didn't even bother to wait for a chair to sit on before tucking in. Suffice to say at home in the evening she was a little minx again and kicked off at the mere sight of the dining table. I am thinking of adjusting her highchair so she learns to climb up and down safely (we have the tripp trapp) and may also get her a mini table and chairs in the hope of giving her some of the control she seems to want. I think that everthing is becomming a game of willpower for her but its helpful to see everyone's point of view. I am going to try and be more adaptable and relaxed about it as I feel that she is at an age where she is learning some of the important lessons and I don't want her to feel that meals are a struggle. Finger's crossed!!!