Thursday, April 17, 2008

From a good eater to a fussy eater

The Seniol and I are having a hard time since last week trying to feed Lil' General. The atmosphere is tense often resulting in our tempers flaring for no good reason - it's just the frustration and helplessness at not being able to make LG have anything. He was always known to be a good eater if not a great one - finished his servings without much fuss if he was hungry. Lately, I had taken to giving him his meals only when he was hungry without forcing him even if it was time. The past 5 days have been crazy as he has been predominantly on a milk and porridge diet with little intake in the form of solids. I've tried everything possible - his favorite, new foods, small portions, different settings, alone, ajwain water - nothing seems to work. The aversion at the sight of anything that resembles food is so high that we are surprised - this coming from a kid who wanted anything and everything that was on our plate.

It just got worse since yesterday after my parents left. He was quite attached to my mother and every time she leaves he gets upset though doesn't show it or probably doesn't know how to express it. The emptiness is all too evident this time - she stayed for over 21 days the two were a rocking a pair - they bonded so well that he cared little about my presence while she was here. He would wake up at 6:00 a.m. and keep looking at the toilet from his bed for my mom to come by. Once she switched on the lights of the bathroom, he would get all excited and cling to her and both of them would sit in the balcony and gaze at the morning-walk people and dogs and generally have a good time while his lazy parents slept for another 30 mins.

What helped a bit was 3 packs of baby food that dad brought along. They were flavored yogurts - blueberry, banana and peach and LG loved it. It's over now. Moreover, I can't just put him on a diet of off-the-shelf baby foods in India - for one, it is not easily available here and secondly, it is ridiculously expensive. As a last resort, we requested a friend who lives in the city to get us 3 bottles from 0-zone this morning.

I can't quite figure out what's bothering him after mom left - if he's missing her and dad, or if it's the heat or just his growing up and changing tastes. Whatever it is, this phase is definitely not one I would like to remember as part of his growing up.

4 comments:

Monika said...

Hey! I came across your blog while secrhing for tips on increasinf the iron intake of my 4 year old. I love the way you write & LG souns so cute & so much fun.
I am sorry that he is going thru the fussy eater stage. My son has been a fissy eater almost throughout. My sympathies.

L said...

Thank you. LG has been getting better over the past two days and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way. Would you have any advice on what worked for you while your son was fussy?

Anonymous said...

My little one (around 1.5months younger to LG) is turning extremely fussy from a good eater over last week. Any suggestions pls.. feel bit helpless when he refuses anything n everything.

L said...

Dip,

I can totally relate to how you must be feeling. It's a tiring exercise trying to feed during this phase.

My suggestion - try Gerber baby food. It is available in Ozone, Aundh. Works a little expensive for a daily food but that's the only thing that worked for me. And yes, try not to store Gerber for too many days. Get and consume as you and when you need it. My unopened bottles spoiled in a span of two weeks.

Another suggestion: try reducing his/her liquid intake for a few days especially milk. That might increase the appetite partially leaving some room for solid food.

Hope this helps.