advice on getting a fussy toddler to eat

ziggy23

Hi guys
Am looking for some advice. My son is 2 and a half and has turned into such a fussy eater. He refuses point blank to try new foods, just looks into the bowl and pushes it away saying no. Getting him to eat dinners is a struggle ending up with both of us nearly in tears. All he wants is custard and yogurts. I think part of the problem is that my parents have had him a lot over the past few weeks as I wasn't too well, and they dote on him so much that they tend to just give him what he wants, but I don't want to say anything as they've been so good to me. Am I better off getting a bit tough with him and refusing him anything else til he at least tries what's put in front of him? I have him on Pharmaton kids as I heard it's great but hasn't made much difference to his appetite tbh. He also suffers frequently from Tonsillitis which I'm sure doesn't help. Any advice?

Thanks

Hannibal Smith

Hi Ziggy....I do the whole...if you don't eat you starve thing and put him to bed. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Some days he really isn't hungry, or is too tired but other days he's just being a rat!

I don't fight with him any more...I tell him it's his choice, but if he doesn't eat the consequences are x, y, z...I turn back to my own plate and see him begrudgingly put the fork in his mouth out of the corner of my eye

Your poor little one with the tonsilitis though

Lola92

I am much the same as hannibal with this. She has started to act up a little regarding her food lately but I try not to make a fuss, eat my own food and if she hasn't eaten much I will keep her dinner by, offer it again in a half hour and if she doesn't want it it goes in the bin but she won't get anything else. It might seem a little harsh but I am certainly not going to get in the habit of cooking two dinners because she decides to be fussy!

ziggy23

Cheers for the replies guys...yep think I'm going to have to go tough Mammy on him:D:D

Moonbeam

The rule in this house is that you have to try it,if you try a bit and really do not like it then it is fine you can eat around it.
My 3 year old would happily live on yogurts,cheese,sausages,potatoes and fish fingers.

TooManyDogs

My little girl is the same, she'll sit up to the table, see her dinner and 99% of the time say No Dinner and ask to go down. We don't make a fuss and just let her go down but she doesn't get anything else after that. I try to remember that generally she's had a good breakfast and lunch so that nutritionally she's fine. I also cut out any snacks after lunch time because I noticed that she wasn't that hungry at dinner time, that has made a bit of a difference. She's mad about pizza and pasta so I compensate for the bad dinner days by making the pizza and pasta from scratch, that way I know there's no crap in it and I can hide about 5 different veggies in the tomato sauce. I make ravioli and put spinach and cheese in it so I know she's having green veggies because for some reason green veggies are the work of the devil as far as she's concerned.

I think toddlers are one of the most frustrating creatures put on the planet, give me a dog any day

3DataModem

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

Hi Ziggy....I do the whole...if you don't eat you starve thing and put him to bed. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Some days he really isn't hungry, or is too tired but other days he's just being a rat!

I don't fight with him any more...I tell him it's his choice, but if he doesn't eat the consequences are x, y, z...I turn back to my own plate and see him begrudgingly put the fork in his mouth out of the corner of my eye

Your poor little one with the tonsilitis though

Agree so much with this.

My two do the very same. So it's just a case of put it in front of them, and get on with our own meals.

The rule in our house is no confrontation or stress at the table. Sometime ms we break the rule, of course but my kids will use it as an opportunity to flex their personality, if given the chance.