Hi , it's my first time on here , so hope ok to post !!!

          Looking for some other people's experiences of food phobia in toddlers - not really sure what it is etc !!!

 Brief history is - have 19 month dd - severe colic and reflux from birth , couldn't tolerate being b/f so moved to bottle - not much better ! Used colief , which great .  At 2 months , another health issue resulted in her being tube fed for 2 days . then reflux meant she was sick constantly , prescribed range of milks and meds , some of which left her severely constipated and one milk appeared to digest so quickly , that she was still sick , but seemed to be bringing up pure acid and screaming !!!  Til recently she was still severely cnstipated - going every 3/4 days - screaming /blood etc , been advised to go dairy free - so now on soya milk/yogs and trying to limit milk intake in other products and havign dirty nappy every day !!!

 Our prob now is that she will only eat "baby" food ( we give her the 12months + ones , just purely to amke myself feel better !!! -) She will also eat crackers , chips , biscuits , choc , tinned spaghetti ,yogs , pureed fruit pots ,bread sticks +raisins ( sometimes)   But no "proper" solid food - however small I cut it up and won't even physically touch fruit / veg . H/v is dealing with it and says not to worry , but jsut wondering of other people's experiences . H/v has suggestred a food phobia ?  When she refuses food we don't make a big thing out of it , so she doesn't get a reaction , jsut seems that she'll look at  her dinner and won't even touch it / try it . A couple of times has obviously "fancied" the look of it - and will then dip her spoon in to get the tiniest amount possible , then uses her tongue to "test" it out !!

      until last week she was still having a bottle in middle of night , but have now just gone cold turkey and if she wakes she just gets juice , but doesn't seem to have made any difference - will eat quite a bit of what she does like , so weight ok , but just no " proper" solid food - won't even eat beans /mashed potato .

               Just wondered if anyone else had  exp of food phobia - what it is / symptoms etc ?

                               Thank you !!!!

    

Hi,time for bed.I'm Jo.I have 6 kids between 9 and 12 months
I have a four year old who doesn't eat white food.He is very particular about what he eats and even now will only eat one kind of fruit,apples,and there mustn't be even a trace of skin.There are lots of foods I just avoid,though now he's four I have started just cooking the food,putting it in front of him and taking it away if he doesn't eat it.We eat as a family most nights and I'm hoping we'll get past it eventually.
Your little girl has obviously had serious feeding problems though,from what you say about when she was a baby.I think all you can do is keep offering her food,and not make a fuss if it's not eaten.If she's eating baby food,and it sounds like from what you say above some other foods,she's not afraid of food itself,(some won't even have it in their mouth)maybe she's just choosy.If you say she eats lots of what she does like maybe you can sneak a few new things in amongst it.Worth a try.
My 12 month old eats little from a spoon,it all has to go on her tray,and she shovels it in by hand,not pretty but it's better than nothing.It's suprising what she puts away.It started with biscuits and cheese,bits of soft fruit,now it's anything she can get her hands on.She'll eat,as long as she does it her way.Will she eat off your plate,or similar foods to you where suitable
If nothing else baby foods are usually pretty good,at least you know she's eating.

Hi , thanks for that !!!!  She is generally ok health wise , has lots of little things , am anout to go back to drs as seems as though she may be allergic to few things , not massively , but just enough to irritate her - makes her itchy etc  and she is very active !!!

     Now h/v involved am bit more relaxed ,do just now give her her food , then remove it if doesn't eat it , we have moved food times around so that she will get  the pudding that she would normally have after dinner mid morning / afternoon ,  had stopped snacks as thopught would fill her up , but been advised that they will keep her appetite stimulated , but think also I then know she's getting enough food , but she doesn't associate not eating her dinner to getting a pudding anyway(  she will only eat smooth puddings - but thankfully , if I hide it in a yog pot I am able to puree berries up and add to a yog !!!)

           Was able to hide cheese and tom puree in tinned spaghetti yesterday and she ate it , but often she seems to "know" somehow that I've altered her food , even if she not seen me doing anything , and then point blank refuses to touch it !

   Think my prob at min is people finding out she eats baby food , had few comments on lines of "She STILL eats baby food" and "did you not wean her on everything so she gets used it to it ?"  or "if she was mine she'd just go hungry til she did eat it " just me being oversensitive I suppose!!! Joys of being a mum !

             Thanks again for reply !! xx