Hello!

She used to have a great appetite, but at 8 mths, she suddenly went off her foods. Now all I can seem to get her to eat is Vegemite on toast, ham or cheese sandwiches. She will eat chicken & other meat, but no matter how hard I try, she won’t eat any fruit or veg! I have even tried making them into sauces & she won’t eat it, as she prefers finger foods instead of sloppy foods. I’m trying to get her away from bottles which she refuses to give up & it feels like a battle of wills all the time as I refuse her bottles in an attempt to get her to eat her food. Or the other is she won’t eat & then hassles me out for a muesli bar or cookie instead. I never had this issue with my other 3 & I’m at my wits end on what to do to get her to eat. Help!


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  • Maybe when she loves her meats so much you could add fine grated veggies to her meats (mince balls, sausage rolls, meat pies) and maybe you could bake some bread with veggies in it using lentil or chickpea flour. These flours are also perfect to make home baked crackers.
    Besides this I would keep offering and don’t allow her to eat a too large amount of toast with vegemite.


  • First step, cut out any rubbish foods you’ve been feeding her, ‘just so she eats SOMETHING.’ And keep offering healthy, different foods at meal times. Toddlers are stubborn, but they won’t starve themselves, she’ll eat


  • just keep putting health foods on her plate even if she is not eating them one day she may just have some good luck


  • The important thing is to keep offering healthy choices with every meal. Children often vary what they eat depending on their growth stage.


  • At eight months, she will eat what you provide when she is hungry. Don’t buy or make cookies etc. Will she eat quiche? Vegetables can be added to make savory pancakes. If she is eating fruit and if she is drinking formula she will be getting her nutrients.


  • Maybe arranging the healthy foods in a fun way on a plate; eating the same healthy foods together often helps; I make up sweet and savoury muffins with hidden fruit and vegetables too. Hope some of these ideas help.


  • Have u seen all the awesome decorative ways to present food/fruit? Maybe get her a funny face plate?


  • Try an blend it up in other yummy food


  • hopefully it is just a phase and will pass soon!


  • It’s probably just a phase. Don’t give in to the hassling otherwise she will think that if she doesn’t eat her meals she’ll just get a cookie later..


  • *sorry I meant to say milk in a cup if she’ll have it as they tend to drink less in a cup than bottle.


  • Just keep trying. They all seem to go through it. I’m not sure how old she is now but if she’s having milk maybe try food before milk as it can fill them up. I read recently that toddlers will not eat as much at night if they know there is going to be milk afterwards (before bed) so we reduced the milk (he was having a cup full before bed) and our 3 year old started eating more for tea. Good luck!


  • I’m sure it’s only a phase that she is going through so try letting it go for a little while and substituting with a vitamin & mineral supplement for the time being in a toddler cup with water or the natural juice of the fruit.
    Also try making the fruit fun by cutting it into shapes or putting them on a skewer like a kebab.
    If it’s a textural thing maybe have her seen by a paediatrician as a friend of mine can’t get her son to eat anything other than the baby food purees which she also struggles with and he is 2 now. he doesn’t like to touch food at all :(
    Good Luck.


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