I have noticed my monster will only eat pasta sauce of a particular brand (she doesn't see it when I cook but can tell the taste difference honestly) , whipped yoghurt with frozen bananas , stir fry veg (not boiled/steam/microwave)and discover teriyaki chicken by accident. Often she only feels like milk and cold water.
We are blessed that as a fussy eater she will not just put anything in her mouth eg toys, bugs, detergent etc. It is really frustrating with all the trial & error but I have gained in the process being a better cook and adventurous with food & my husband is the one that benefits the most.

Bottom line is to all mums, keep trying with healthy food and keep up the great work!! Each child Is unique & special. If concerned seek professional help.

I've been reading a bit more about the concept of letting babies and toddlers just sit at meals with everyone else, putting food in front of them, but not requiring them to eat anything in particular (or any set amount of anything). They can nibble as they please, eating a little or a lot, with no comment made on what they eat. I wonder if this is more of a power struggle issue going on, and if she knew that you weren't concerned or anxious about what she ate, maybe she would just start eating what she's interested in? Once you've got her eating again, then you could focus a bit more on the training aspect. I would definitely avoid using the tv during mealtimes, though, as that is really just a distraction. If she doesn't want to eat with everyone else, then just let her look at a book or draw, etc. but still sitting during the meal.

I would also be concerned at how little she's eating/drinking, because it sounds as though she's really not getting any nutrition in. At this point, I would consider using a really good quality multi-vitamin and cod liver oil. Choose something that would be appealing to a young one, so that it doesn't create a fight but she's actually interested in taking it (ie. something flavored or with a cute shape, etc.) There are lots of very child-friendly supplements at any good health food store.

Please help if you can.

Katherine

I think it's a hard balance to make sometimes. Here's my story.

I do think that it is very true that young children's taste buds are very sensitive. I remember there were certain things that I could hardly eat when I was young. Sour cream tasted extremely tart and disgusting (I hated it-

though I love it now), tomatoes were very strong, bell peppers were also extremely strong to me, though now I think they are sweet! Spinach, cooked, I really couldn't swallow because it would make me gag so much. All to say, I think that children's adverse reactions to food are very real, and not necessarily something one can always overcome with mere obedience and repetition.

But on the other hand, I think that what my mother did was good. She was always having us try new things, and we always had to have at least a few bites. She didn't feed us our least favorite thing everyday, but would have it on the menu occasionally. It worked great for me. I turned from a very picky eater to one who always likes to eat new things! So keep up the good work of having your children try new things, I bet it will pay off for you and your children.

On the other side, I had a friend who's father would make him eat something he didn't like once a week for 6 weeks. It didn't work for him but only made me HATE the food with a passion. An example of forcing food gone bad. I think my mother's way was better. Introduce foods, but not force it all down.

Like I said, I think there is a balance there.

One in which I am just beginning to learn myself with my daughter Elena.

We have 3 kids (4, 2 and 7 months). I have always served the older two whatever the rest of the family is eating. And, while my 4 year old has an adventurous palate, like his daddy, our 2 year old is fairly picky. We have not figured out how to make him take a bite without forcing it in his mouth. He will sometimes put something in his mouth and then spit it out. And we do use the rule that you have to take a bite of everything on your plate. My husband and I are getting very discouraged with trying to get him to eat.