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Parenting

17 month old and dinner time

10 replies

shrimpysmummy · 17/12/2016 20:26

Hi, I just wondered what others would do in my shoes. My daughter is 17 months old, she loves breakfast and lunch, sandwiches, cheese, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, raisins etc, eats yogurts, bananas, just trying to explain she will eat quite a wide variety of things for lunch and breakfast but for dinner she takes about three or four mouthfuls and then will not under any circumstances eat any more, this started happening about two weeks ago. I think at just 17 months she is too young to explain she can't have anything else until she eats what is in front of her, I just do not think she would understand and would go to bed hungry and not sleep, she dropped her bottles about 6 weeks ago both morning and evening. I have been giving in and giving her something to fill her up which I know she would eat, brown toast with peanut butter. What would you do if your 17 month old refused the dinner you put in front of them? First time mum so I'm not sure! Thank you.

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Thed0gs · 17/12/2016 20:37

Following this with interest. My daughter is also 17months and I could type your post to the letter!

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SortAllTheThings · 17/12/2016 20:39

Does she feed herself or do you feed her?

Could be that she's just had enough food during the day, could be that she likes the sweetness of the fruit and refuses dinner, could be teeth, could be because it's a Tuesday. Smile

Just keep offering, give lots of different options, let her eat from your plate sometime if you've got something she's not had before. You don't really need to do anything, but letting her have something small before bed is fine at this age.

What time does she have dinner?

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Sparrowlegs248 · 17/12/2016 20:40

I give the main meal at lunchtime, and the sandwich/snacks bits at dinner time. Works best with ds who is the same age.

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PurpleTraitor · 17/12/2016 20:41

Nothing

It's my job to provide dinner. Her job to decide if she wants to eat it (at all, or how much)

Believer me when I say I know that is easier said than done, because I've done it and sometimes it's ridiculously hard!

But really, nothing. Food offered, available, that's it.

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Pinklady1981 · 17/12/2016 20:44

Hi my 17 month old is a bit like this at teatime at the moment. I try and give him things i know he will eat. He loves roast dinners. If he doesn't eat his tea,he does have cows milk before bed so at least i know he has a full tummy when he does go to sleep. He is also teething at the moment so he is a little off his food. Just offer food that you know she will eat x

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FATEdestiny · 17/12/2016 20:47

At 17 months old age won't wake in the night because of hunger. Thirst possibly if dehydrated, but not hunger. Night wakes are about comfort not calories at this age.

It is entirely possibly that she just isn't very hungry for the evening meal. I would just serve her a portion, leave her to eat as the rest of the family eat and then I have a go with her fork/spoon to get a bit more into the toddler. But once it's refused, I assume toddler if full.

If toddler is full I wouldnt offer anything else, just a drink. If for any reason child hasn't eaten enough, she will be hungry in the morning so will make up for it with a bigger breakfast.

For what it's worth my 2 year old ways bigger portions for breakfast and lunch and a smaller amount at dinner time. If variety of meals concerns you, try moving your main meal to lunchtime instead of teatime.

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NiceFalafels · 17/12/2016 20:48

Cut out the snacks. Or at least stop giving them to her a couple of hours before each meal. She probably isn't hungry so isn't eating.

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IrnBrufan · 17/12/2016 21:09

My daughter is 18 months and exactly the same. A lot of my friends are all going through this too.
I don't believe in making multiple dinners if she doesn't eat, if I make her something I know she likes and she just chooses not to eat it then she doesn't get anything else. We try to find ways of distracting her to get her to eat a bit more then when she's done with it we just let her out the highchair and don't pander to her. But if I've given her something that I think she genuinely doesn't like, I give her toast.
If she doesn't eat much at dinner I just give her a bigger drink of milk at bedtime, could you not reintroduce a bottle at bedtime until you get through this period?!

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shrimpysmummy · 21/12/2016 17:29

Hello, sorry for the delay coming back on here! Thank you for all of your advice. Irunbrufan, unfortunately she won't take a bottle anymore, have tried a few times recently and she flatly refuses it! She has (for now!)got better at falling asleep without it as an aid though which I guess is no bad thing! Nice falafels- i have cut out the afternoon snack- still no joy! Confused. I will try moving her evening meal to lunch, at the moment she is poorly again with a stinking cold and another suspected UTI so isn't herself so I guess perhaps once we are through the other side she may feel more like eating. Cheese and beans she will eat for dinner! Better than nothing! sortallthethings- she feeds herself. She never really wants to pick off our plates, I put pieces of carrots, broccoli etc all sorts out but it gets pushed to the side before she has even tried it! I will persevere! Thed0gs - how is it going for you? I spoke to the HV today and she said she wouldn't be concerned and to offer something else...who knows!

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Thed0gs · 23/12/2016 17:32

Hi Shrimpy, still hit and miss here. We had a few days of eating her evening meal, but not tonight. Dd was fussy over fish pie so she's just eaten some pear slices, strawberries and grapes!!

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