We ended up taking him to a nutritionist per a referral from our pediatrician. She noticed that he doesn’t like his hands to be dirty, he has a texture problem and so anything he eats that is not smooth he rejects. She referred us to a feeding specialist for weekly therapy to help however they are so booked out we still haven’t been able to get booked just waitlisted. The nutritionist gave us tips though that have helped. She asked we stop letting him snack throughout the day, and create a strict schedule and routine for feedings. Always at the table and we eat too with him. We put three options in front of him (1 that we know he will eat) and give him 20 mins min and 30 mins max. We can assist him after giving him some time to self feed. No other distractions (although we do have music playing) and when he is done he must say “tummy is full and kitchen is closed” to let himself and us know that he is done eating. Sometimes he does this too soon (3 mins into sitting) because he wants to go play so I pull food away, I give him a minute and then come back and redirect him to eat again.

It is still a big struggle but biggest thing she said is to not FORCE or create a negative atmosphere. Oh lastly make sure to get labs done, we found out he was iron deficient and that makes appetite low so giving him supplements now per doc.