My toddler ate today...

[ArgumentativeAardvark]

2 spoonfuls of weetabix
A piece of bread and butter
3 spoonfuls of stew
Handful of blueberries
Handful of raspberries
Handful of peas
1 green bean

And has just announced 'All done' while eating her tea, when asked if she's full, she answers no but is refusing to eat anymore!

Sigh.

Anyone beat that and make me feel better?

[PollyPlummer]

Dts have done similar in the past.

At least she is eating lots of fruit.

[ArgumentativeAardvark]

Fruit and veg she will happily eat all day, it's anything of any substance that she refuses.

So do I give in and let her have some rice cakes/toast before bed or should I be saying that's your tea and that's it?

[PollyPlummer]

How old is she ?
I would just give her some toast if she fancies it.
Although she is having small portions her diet sounds pretty varied. I think toddlers can be grazers anyway. My 2 certainly are.

[Dirtymistress]

Ds1 ate Cheerios and coco pops. Half a pitta bread, iced bun and apple dipped in peanut butter for lunch, spaghetti bolognaise, a vat of yoghurt and a rice crispy cake for tea. He is phenomenally fussy and I am grateful if he eats anything at all.

[MyLifeIsStillChaotic]

DS2 (2.10yo) told me he would not eat the pasta made for tea and that he wanted Weetabix. He was told in no uncertain terms that the pasta was his tea and he could eat it or go to bed hungry. He decided (after 25 minutes of tantrums and sulking) that he would eat it.

[ArgumentativeAardvark]

She's 21 months. Variety wise I don't think she does too badly. It's just quantity really.

Also she won't eat potato's in any form whatsoever and I get so bored of eating pasta everyday. Made mash for tea, will be spending the next half an hour scraping it off her highchair and the floor, her hair, my hair.

[motherofsnortpigs]

Erm...a bourbon biscuit, a rich tea biscuit, 3 fish fingers and a small portion of chicken curry and rice. To drink, a beaker of diluted apple juice and lots of 'mum mum booba'. He is 23 months.

The 3yo didn't have the rich tea, wolfed down 7 fish fingers and declared he was not hungry for tea.

I think they both had a beaker of cocoa too.

[ArgumentativeAardvark]

Also I like the idea of apple pieces dipped in peanut butter. She loves apples so will have to try that.

[motherofsnortpigs]

It's a parallel universe here where dd1 exists almost solely on potatoes. If your dd sleeps through I shouldn't worry unless you are concerned for her weight/health.

[motherofsnortpigs]

I think I'll have an apple and peanut butter for my supper tonight - it served me well during my finals :)

[ArgumentativeAardvark]

I have a craving for apple and peanut butter now.

DD is not a chubby toddler but she's fine I think, no idea how much she's weighs as I stopped taking her to get weighed at about 3 months after a bad experience with the health visitors . She doesn't lack in energy so she must be alright!

[ShowOfHands]

DS has days where he barely eats and days where he doesn't stop eating. I think this is utterly normal. He's just getting over a cold and has mainly bf for a week and grazed here and there. You can tell he's getting better as he's eaten so far today...

A bowl of shreddies and milk, slice of marmite on toast, some blueberries
Wholemeal wrap with chorizo, cheese, peppers, cucumber and rocket, yoghurt, banana
Lasagne, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and half a jacket potato, homemade rice pudding and a piece of homemade flapjack

He's also had a packet of raisins, an apple, a bowl of custard, breastmilk, two beakers of water and 3 crisps which he stole from another toddler.

He's currently in the kitchen pointing forlornly at the cupboard and asking "snack?". DH is telling him no. He has changed to "more zanya (lasagne) peeeeeese dada". It's bedtime!

I am always happy to offer bread or fruit or similar before bed if they're still hungry regardless of food intake during the day.

[ShowOfHands]

He's 20 months btw.

[ArgumentativeAardvark]

Wow! Even in her best best days DD could never eat that much in one day. She's never been a big eater, even when she was just breast fed and then when she was just formula fed.

[NiceCupOfTeaAndASitDown]

check out the infant and toddler forum, very good for ideas of what to offer and really put my mind at rest when DS went through a fussy stage or pretty much stopped eating after being unwell. I personally won't let him go to bed hungry if he's happy to eat a slice of bread or something and I would rather that than him be waking us up in the night saying he's hungry. also if I'm planning on offering a pudding I do so whether he's eaten his dinner or not. that website has helped me to see it as another opportunity to get calories in rather than a reward. I think the latter in my own childhood really didn't help with weight and body issues

[starjules]

ooh where is the infant and toddler forum? that's just what I need!

[sharond101]

I thought I was weird for dipping my apple in the peanut butter.

[Maghag]

This has made me feel better. DD (19 mths) has the smallest appetite and drives me to distraction with food refusal. She's still eating the same portion sizes she was about a year ago.

Dinner wars last night - she says she's hungry and then will have two or three mouthsful and thats it. Major tantrums on asking her to eat more. Eventually let her get down, 10 minutes later she's asking for crackers. More hysterics when I said no.

Eventually she had some more dinner with some crackers. I would have let her go to bed hungry, are you sure giving her a yoghurt wouldn't encourage her think she'll eventually get what she wants?

[NiceCupOfTeaAndASitDown]

www.infantandtoddlerforum.org/feeding-toddlers-topics#.UYs-0ruXvd4

Maghag if you say no and then after repeated nagging/crying etc you give in then yes she will think that. IMO if you give her what everyone else is having or accept/offer a reasonable alternative without commenting and leave her to it and then clear her plate away with everyone else's and sometimes offer a pudding without a big fuss and other times not she will just learn that eating/refusing food is not an opportunity for lots of attention..it's just something families do together that should be enjoyable.

I'm finding I need to re-train my way of thinking over this (it's hard not to feel insulted when you've spent time in the kitchen preparing something that doesn't get eaten and it's hard not to worry about your child's intake) but I don't think children should be encouraged/expected to eat more than they wish and I don't think food should be used as a reward. That website explains it better than I can but small children don't generally starve themselves they know what/how much they need, all you need to do is offer a balanced diet and let them do the rest

[ppeatfruit]

Agree with NiceCup An adult has a stomach the size of a grapefruit then think how much smaller a toddlers stomach is!! It's hard not to repeat our parents attitudes of regarding certain foods as 'rewards' when they're just food after all .

[meandtheboys]

Yesterday DS2 ate

A cup of milk (7ounces)
Small handfull of cereal
Bowl of porridge
10 tea spoons of chicken and parsnip casserole
About 10 tea spoons full of lasagne
A digestive bisuit
5 grapes
1 strawberry

That's it. He's not fussy with what he eats particularly, he just gets bored of sitting still and having to eat.

[lola88]

2 tiny bites of toast
6 goodies crisps
3 apple crisps
a pot of jelly
a quarter tin of sweet corn

DS is teething that was yesterday today he's ate a half covered digestive which I gave him purely to get something inside of him :( (I did offer him lots of other healthy things btw)

It's horrible when they don't eat today the plan is 'I don't care what you eat as long as you get some calories' when he said no to quavers I knew I was in for a stressful day :(

[ArgumentativeAardvark]

That sounds like quiet a lot meandtheboys. I think we're in for another day of food refusal here.

[ppeatfruit]

Why is it so horrible because he doesn't eat much lola? (he did have half a tin of sweetcorn that's okay for a L.O.) Is he running about and sleeping well? If he is i wouldn't stress about it, They have days when they eat more than others, it's NORMAL and it will pass