Not eating his bloody food...

giftgrub

Our almost 2 year old is apparently on some kind of protest, he refuses to eat at almost every meal.

He used to love weetabix with bananas and honey, no more, spaghetti and tomato sauce was always a winner.

we've tried everything, even the old cheese on toast, which was always a fallback isnt working anymore.

Is this a control thing on his part? should we not make a big deal and just wait til he's hungry?

sometimes you just want to shove it down his throat...

cynder

I never did force feeding, im totally against it. i was force fed a few times as a child:(

They will eat when they are hungry, if they like it. Their tastes change so one day they like it, the next they dont.

giftgrub

The whole shoving down the throat thing wasn't meant to be taken literally by the way...

ghosttown

Our little boy gets like that occasionally. Went off weetabix for no reason after seeming to really like it. But changed to hot milk and he's back on.

Tried a load of other cereals in the meantime, the only one he took to was Special K !

Maybe he secretly has access to sweets ?

Another good thing is cheese strings, i would leave some out, he'll eat when he's hungry as pointed out.

Aruba08

would he eat off your plate?? My 20month old would eat anything i am having. He learned a lot of new tastes that way

BengaLover

Keep all meals confined to the table, and dont provide food anywhere else, ie the front room, at the coffe table etc.
Give him his prepared meal at the table and allot a reasonable amount of time for it to be eaten.
If its refused, take it away, and remove him from the table.
If he is asking for food and hungry, return to the table.
That way he will learn that at mealtimes, unless he is sat down at the table, he will lose out.
Dont comment negatively or make an issue of it if he refuses to eat, cos he will quickly learn that it will get him attention.
Praise every mouthful he eats and avoid asking him what he wants, instead, you choose for him.

meg3178

giftgrub wrote: »

Our almost 2 year old is apparently on some kind of protest, he refuses to eat at almost every meal.

He used to love weetabix with bananas and honey, no more, spaghetti and tomato sauce was always a winner.

we've tried everything, even the old cheese on toast, which was always a fallback isnt working anymore.

Is this a control thing on his part? should we not make a big deal and just wait til he's hungry?

sometimes you just want to shove it down his throat...

It is very frustrating, especially when you think he may not be getting enough nutrition.
Maybe the easiest thing to do is to get him to help you with making his food, i.e putting his own toppings on a pizza base, with chopped ham, cheese veg etc and then he will want to taste it.
When my daughter was small, I found she became overwhelmed when she saw a full plate, so I would put a little on my plate and a little on hers, then when we both finished that, we could add more to our plates. Please don't worry, children often change their eating habits, just keep to a time routine and eat at the table, this phase will pass.

Nevyn

It's control, the start of the battle of wills between him and you.
He is learning he can assert some control and it's the start of it.
When kids are hungry they will eat, try not to let him snack or turn meal times into a warzone.

Dades

Our #1 (2.5 yrs) is starting to assert herself at dinnertimes too.

We try to let her choose her dinner (using the power of suggestion) and tell her she can have a treat if she eats enough dinner. Treat is something like half a banana or some grapes!

james098

I think we all go through this problem from time to time, my little man is just 3 and very head strong as a stay at home father (mother works full time) it always makes you think would it be different if it was mummy giving him the food or have I cooked it right ect but I think its just a case of he will eat when hes hungry I try not to give too many treats the thing is hes above average in size so I know hes not lacking

CK2010

tbh, i wouldnt do anything! what i mean is i wouldnt bother trying too hard. if a big deal is made (good or bad) a big deal it becomes.

i found that at that age my girl loved finger food. wouldnt touch anything called dinner! so things like breads, cheese, fruit, veg, roast potatoes even.. anything thats easy to pick up- as long as they're eating it doesnt have to be a slap up meal, as long as its healthy enough 'snacks'. (and dont worry she uses a fork now!) so many people worry that allowing finger food will discourage them using their fork but tbh if they're getting food and are healthy does it really matter how they eat it! its all an experience for them. so let it be a good one that they have some control over instead of something that causes trouble everyday.

sometimes if they've been given 'mushy' foods all the time they'll crave some hard food. and vice versa. its the novelty of it for some kids.

they all go through their own eating habits, as long as they're eating something then theres no need to worry really. he'll always eat if hes hungry. but if he is eating well say things like 'thats nice isnt it?' 'is it tasty?'- dont sound like you're praising it as such because then it becomes an issue, a big deal, just keep it light and happy cause food is an enjoyable thing.

also try to limit drinking before meals, if hes full from drinking he wont eat.

its easier when they're older cause you can talk more about food and discuss favourites. play llittle games like what does it taste like- you know, if hes eating something yellow ask if it tastes like banana, things to get him curious about foods. its a while since my girl was two so i dont remember how advanced she was or how capable she was of understanding these things. but you'll know how much he 'gets' and you can adapt games and discusssions to his level. getting him to help with shopping and cooking is great to get him excited about food. and doing lists with colour codes- green veg, yellow fruit etc.

also dont be afraid to say things like 'heres some carrot sticks for being so good'- my girl would much rather fruit or veg to sweets and would see them as rewards. its not like he knows any different so use good foods as treats too. its only when hes older that he'll realise!

also if theres no treats to want then hes not going to ask for them. so if he knows theres chocolate in the press hes not going to want the veg on his plate.

thats all just my opinion and obviously everyone does things differently, theres no right or wrong-obviously. just dont be too stressed over it, hes not going to starve.

lynski

I found asking them to help really gets them interested. Help is bringing the veg to me for chopping or grating cheese, beating eggs, making cupcakes before dinner to cook while you eat and have as a treat afterwards.
Anabel Karmel website has lots of recipes. also do you sit with him for meals? my daughter will always eat more when we all sit together, even if it is only part of it, I'll have little 'dinner' with my 2 and full dinner with oh when he gets home.

ClareVisitor

I would second the eating together thing if at all possible and also for everyone to eat the same thing rather than having one thing for the adults and one for the kids. Our oldest will say he doesn't like something without having tried it and then wolf it down once mummy and daddy are eating the same.