Toddlers eating habits

[EmmaJack86]

Hi

Sorry for long post

Really struggling with my 20minth old at the minute in regards to eating meals he's never been one for three meals a day but now really struggling to get him to eat two meals! He's fab at breakfast time and would maybe have a piece of fruit or a crumpet Alice f toast etc at dinner time but tea time really struggling some days he will eat brilliantly and other days I'm lucky if he eats five mouthfuls! He is a bit of a snack eat and likes things like breadsticks raisins apple slices etc but scared if I stop the snacking he then won't be eating enough! I've tried changing the time of when he has his tea giving it to him Earlier and later to see if it makes a difference! Not sure if this is all normal behaviour as he is my first! He also isn't a big drinker of milk will maybe have 4 ounces in a morning but will then have milk on cereal and he still has a bottle at bed but he has cheese and yoghurts so not over concerned in milk in take. He's a fab drinker and drinks loads of water during the day.

He weighs the same now as he did when he turned one but is mega active and has grown taller just don't know whether I'm stressing for no reason or whether it's all just normal behaviour and if he's testing boundaries etc xx

[KingIrving]

Don't give him anything to eat/drink except water in the two hours before dinner.
Some kids eat ALL day long. A bite here, a bite there, a bit of juice, a slice of apple and so on.....
It is creating a very habit of constant grazing. try to stick to a schedule.
A breakfast, a fruit for morning snack (if necessary), lunch, afternoon snack and then dinner. All food to be eaten sitting down. Not walking, watching telly, in the stroller and so on.
Try the two hours rule before the main meals. Anyone can be without food for two hours.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

I agree with King. Nothing for the 2 hours before tea, so if tea is 5pm I’d give a snack and a really big drink at 2.30 pm. We had to do this with our DD or she would eat literally nothing at tea.

As for milk, they only need 300 moor 10 floz a day, including what’s in cereal.

If he’s not eating at tea some days, he may just not be hungry. I’d concentrate on getting a good breakfast into him when you can and a good lunch. For snacks, try things like smooth nut butter on apple slices, hummus and raw veg, hard boiled eggs, breadsticks and cream cheese, cubes of cheese and cut grapes or cherry tomatoes. So things that have a decent amount of protein.

It might be worth keeping a food diary too. This should help you to relax if he doesn’t eat much of a single meal as most toddlers will eat tonnes one day and very little another, which is perfectly normal

The Caroline Walker Trust produce a great publication called Eating Well for 1 to 4 year olds which might help too

[EmmaJack86]

Thanks for your replies

His snacks or generally healthy snacks he would rather have fruit than chocolate etc or cheese and he loves bread sticks and cream cheese etc, some days he does eat brilliantly at tea like fish and mash or seeet potatoes etc but other days it's rubbish I think I just need to relax a bit about it!

Thanks though

[Crimbles]

No advice but wanted to say I could have written your post. I have the exact same problem with DD who is the same age. I am hoping it might be heat related and as soon as it cools down her appetite might increase. We had a bbq tonight and she managed 3/4 of a chipolata and some strawberries. That was it!!

I'm trying not to worry and hoping normal habits will resume soon.
It's frustrating though! X

[EmmaJack86]

That's what I keep putting it down too as well the weather ha ha fingers crossed it is!

Glad to know I'm not alone ha ha x