So we have a new phase in toddler-hood! It’s the “I don’t like it” at meal times phase! Burton puts a mouthful of food into his mouth, screws up his face, spits it out into his hand and says “I don’t like it”!!
 |
| marmite on bread with cheese is his new food favourite! |
Back in August I posted a piece about Burton being faddy about his eating and after reading the lovely comments I received I deduced it was me of his many phases. Meal times were starting to become very fraught especially the ones where daddy sat with us as he was taking Burton not eating his meals a little too far, I felt personally. I didn’t want it becoming an issue. As far as I was concerned, and still am, if Burton refuses to eat something I know he likes usually, unless he is ill, then he is told that there is nothing else so he either needs to eat it or that’s it. If it is something he has never eaten before, or he is unwell, then just one mouthful to try his meal is all I am asking him to do and would warrant having something he does instead.
 |
| that was ‘mummy’ |
Now in playing this game at regular intervals over the past couple of months Burton has wanted to draw smiley faces himself. Now back in February for the Colourful Me meme which as doing the rounds on twitter I had to ask Burton to draw me and this is what he drew – well he was only 18 months back then!!
However, a couple of weeks ago he started drawing smiley faces on a drawing app that I have on my iPad and he drew these
 |
| Burton’s grampy (complete with beard!) and Jenson |
 |
| my little artiste at work 😉 |
Anyway, after that little art attack, back to my post!
So basically, for the last couple of months his eating has been great again and he has been eating his meals by himself again using his cutlery and not his hands (!) and not complaining and only very occasionally grumbling about what is on his plate. That was until the “I don’t like this” reared it’s screwed up face last weekend!! I am hoping this is also a phase and although the good old smiley face game is still working, just about during this new meal time palava, I am wondering if it has had its day as it is getting harder to distract him from what I am placing into his mouth!
Oh well hopefully meals will return to some kind of ‘normality’ and no doubt a new reason not to eat them will crop up. Still on the plus side, at least Burton’s smiley face drawings have come on in leaps and bounds – always good to spot a positive for every negative!
What measures have you resorted to to get your child to eat their meals? Have you had the “I don’t like it” phase too?
** I have since discovered that cousin Ben did teach Burton the “I don’t like it” phrase -after spending time with him yesterday!
DAY 25
Thank you xx
The Boy is a right bu*gger sometimes with some food, but as long as I walk some grated cheese on top, or Philadelphia, we’re usually ok!
Brilliant drawing, far better than The Boy’s!
I usually say no sweets or treats and they usually eat. If it’s something he’s tried and really doesn’t like I will normally resort to toasted cheese but that’s it. If they don’t eat they don’t get anything else. They grow out that phase quick when they realise no treats x
We are still in the chuck it on the floor if it’s not pasta phase, but I have taken to mixing pasta into anything that we eat! Tonight chilli con carne and tomorrow ……roast dinner! Umm kind of joking about the last one although it might work! x
We are going through a “clamp your mouth tightly shut” phase. Z usually ears just enough to charge his batteries then tries to rip himself free from the hughchair! If I pull out a petit filou, though, he’s as good as gold, little cheeky monkey. I’ve once fed him spinach covered in yoghurt… Bleurgh!
Those faces are brilliant, I must try that with Jack – he says I don’t like it all the time. I think distraction is great, Jack will always want his tea before everyone else is ready to eat so I give it to him a bit earlier sometimes but he rarely eats it & usually comes back to it when everyone else is at the table, chatting away & not even realising he’s eating!
Not only is Burton a swimming genius he is also an artistic genius too!
x
Thank you I will let Burton know! At the end of the day sometimes I just have to do anything you can to get them to eat!! x
When B was smaller I used to give him a mouthful of yogurt followed by mouthful of savoury dinner until it was all gone! Well a mummy has to do what a mummy has to do! X
Don’t joke – I have puréed a chicken dinner and then served it with pasta for an before! Anything goes with pasta x
Yes we tried that but the smiley face game seems to work for us a the moment but one day it will stop and we will have to do something else x
Yes cheese on top of things will sometimes work with Burton unless he just picks the cheese off and wnt eat the dinner underneath! Boys!! X
Very simple idea – sounds like it’s been effective too.
What a fabulous idea, I am really going to copy that! We have ups and downs with eating all the time. I need to get Noah to practice face, i will be lucky if he can mange a circle!
I agree with you on this,I rink the more relaxed you are about what they eat the more likely they at to get over it.although I’ve been lucky so far and mine just seem to love their food, possibly a bit too much. If you fuss them too much they realise that’s a good way to get attention. Of course that’s only forminor fussy eating, I imagine a really extreme fussy eater is a different ball are.
By the way his drawings are brilliant, youve finitely got a little artist on your hands!