My little boy is 13 months and is a fussy eater.all he eats it chesse,yogurts,bread,fruit,.I try to get to eat homecooked food and he just clumps his mouth shut and if i put (dare i say ) some food from a jar on there to he eats a little more.Even when he has eaten more food i have always offered him cheese,crackers and friut afterwards it is now like he knows if he refuses his food he gets the food he likes anyway.Has any one got any ideas on how i can improve this? Breakfast is always good it just lunch and tea.How do we get Suppernanny to answer questions on here

I'm not an expert in this kind of thing but I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that you have to present a new food to a toddler at least 20-30 times before they will consider eating it, so don't worry 13 months is still very young and so there's plenty of time to achieve the results you desire.
I'll ask my friend (a qualified nanny who often works with children of this age) and see what she would do

Hi, try not to worry about it too much - at least he is eating and from what you say his diet seems fine. If you become stressed about eatin g then he will pick up on it. Why not try and add something different onto his plate? Put it there and don't say anything - he may just try it. Don't worry either about the home cooked stuff either - he will try this when he is ready. What about french toast, cheese on toast etc - these are home cooked as well!

The main thing is that he is eating....just try and be patient. He won't starve. And brill that he is eatintg fruit. My 8 month old loves red and yellow peppers, straight from the fridge, cut into strips!! Think this is because she likes the feeling on her gums!

Another suggestion is to let him feed himself (ie home cooked stuff) - it makes a mess but some kids hate being spoon fed.

Hi,

Thankyou for your advice and suggestions,I will give them ago.I find it hard not to get worried when i am feeding him and i am sure you are right he picks up on it.So time to relax i think.

Hi, my son (almost 2) is also a fussy eater, was never really big on food, or milk, or eating full stop. I offer him a variety of new / different foods regularly, rather than cutting out things he won't / doesn't like. This way I think he will at least learn to like the foods. I just make sure he always has some things on his plate that he does like.
I tried the whole, eat this or it's nothing technique, but i just worried more about him going without anything. So I give him a snack at about 2 of some fruit, or some cheese and crackers and make sure he keeps his energy up.
He doesn't have a big appetite and he is petite for his age, but he is very active and full of beans.

At least things your child is eating are reaosnably healthy, it could be worse.

Like its already been said, its important to not make too much of a fuss, if your child sees you getting stressed or upset about it, or spending too much time trying to feed them other foods, they are more likely to continue being fussy, as they are getting a reaction and attention form you.

Its hard to come up with solutions when they are still so young, you cant really explain to them why they need variety, but this will be an option in time.

Also, when they are older, it is easier to get them more involved with food, encourage them to helop you prepare it, if you have a garden, grow some veg that they can help with. If the food is appealing to a child in some way, they are more likely to eat it.

Another thing that may help, although you could do this already as far as I know, is eat at the same time, and the same foods as your child. You are the main role model, and if they see you are eating and enjoying the food they also have, it could be encouraging, and even offer them pieces from your plate first if this helps.