Dinner time tantrum please help

[Bugaboom]

So my 2 year old ds has started being very awkward at dinner. Refusing food he usually eats and asking for toast/fruit/yogurt instead. I've been fairly relaxed with this but now we're in a rut. Health visitor today told me to be stricter at dinners. So tonight he has a favourite dinner of fish, sweet potato, peas and refusing it. Now we're having a full blown tantrum with him refusing even a bite and demanding strawberries. Been going on for 30 mins
Any suggestions?

[LairyPoppins]

Don't make hm eat it.

Don't let it become any more of an issue.

Say 'fine, but that is all there is' and let him get down.

Don't give him an alternative.

Milk if normal before bed.

[Bugaboom]

Thanks Lairy. He would usually have his dinner followed by fruit and yogurt. No milk before bed. I don't want to give him the fruit and yogurt as that is what he is having a tantrum about but can't have him go to bed in an hour without anything since a satsuma at 3.

[Suzietwo]

You actually can. Speaking as someone who got this very wrong, you're best off doing nothing and letting him learn what hungry feels like.

[LairyPoppins]

I'm with Suzie. In this event I would offer milk before bed (to try to avoid a sleepless night for me if he woke hungry) but no food.

I have 4 yo DTs and have only very rarely had to use this tactic. The rule is they don't have to eat their dinner, but there is nothing else.

[Bugaboom]

Ok thank you. Feeling like a bit of a crap parent right now. He's calmed down, I'll get on with bath time and offer some milk

[LairyPoppins]

Best of luck.

This parenting lark looks a lot easier from the outside

I was a brilliant parent until I had kids

[Bugaboom]

Same here! Before I had him there was no way a scenario such as this would have happened with my perfect parenting

[unrealhousewife]

As others have said don't let it become more of an issue, let him choose whether to eat the food on his plate but don't let him choose what you put in front of him.

Eat with him if possible and cook food that he can smell while it's cooking.

Add chicken or veg stock to things like spuds and rice while it's cooking.

Use trickery!

[Rhubarbgarden]

You have my sympathy. My two year old is exactly the same. I'm trying so hard not to make an issue of it and let him leave it, but it's sooo hard.

[unrealhousewife]

Keep letting him leave it, keep serving it up, learn to smile about it and focus on something else while they are eating. One day they will just put it in their mouths without noticing.

And get that olfactory system started with cooking smells!