If your 15 month old refused a perfectly good meal what would you do?

[Jellylorum]

I offer small portions of home-cooked food such as spag Bol, fish pie, mild chicken curry etc. Nothing radical, but most of the time he just drops it over the side of high chair or refuses to open mouth if I use a spoon. We did blw and haven't had this sort of issue before. Wondering whether to just get him down from table without having eaten or to fuss around offering cheese on toast or something I know he'll eat. Trying not to create a fussy eater!

[Indith]

I'd assume not that hungry, take it away and offer fruit and yoghurt for pudding add normal. If aye nothing I may offer toast later for supper. I don't see the point of making it a big deal with toddlers. Mine have all gone through phases of eating me out of house and home and others of seemingly surviving on air.

[CornishYarg]

I'd move on to whatever I'd planned to give for pudding then end the meal. I don't usually give an extra snack later as I'd figure he just wasn't that hungry.

[jumperooo]

Having the same issue for the last few months with my 16 month old. Will happily eat all her "favourites", but won't try anything new and rejects a lot of previously liked food too. It's driving me mad to be honest. She only ate her peas and a yogurt last night, so I thought tough luck and didn't offer anything else, then she was up for 4 hours in the night. She usually sleeps for 12 hours. Not sure if connected! Basically she's having the same three meals for get evening dinner over and over at the moment. Sigh.

[Tagz269]

Oh wow! This is like music to my ears!!! I am going through the EXACT thing with my 14month old.
She will eat ALOT somedays and then others not seem bothered! Stress.com!!!! And it's in our nature to worry as much as everyone says not too.
My dd has just stopped finger feeding and now is kindly (not) letting me feed her. She used to be so good!
And jumperoo she loves peas and yoghurts!
It must be this age I'm sure!!
I just keep offering her other bits if she doesn't seem keen!

[Jellylorum]

I'm definitely feeling reassured that other people are going through the same with previously good eaters! Hopefully it'll be a passing phase...

[PurplePidjin]

I assume mine isn't hungry or doesn't like it. Or the texture is bothering his teeth, he doesn't like big lumps when they're moving around, only finger food and smooth stuff.

If he doesn't want what's offered, I give him something else or mush it with a bit of milk or something to make it smoother. And give him cows milk to drink (he normally only gets water and weaned himself off the boob a few weeks ago) Sometimes I have to push him to take the first mouthful then he gets into it and eats up - he gets over-hungry just like he gets over-tired I think

They start realising they can control things at about this age, and also need less food so their appetite plummets.

[JuniperHeartwand]

But it's the same for adults too isn't it! Some days we're more hungry than other days. Offer the meal, they'll eat it if hungry. No getting into bad habits making separate/replacement meals!

[jumperooo]

My 16 month old has refused more meals than ones she's eaten this week. It's been going on for months. Sigh.

[BitOutOfPractice]

With children that young it's always a phase! :D

[TheresLotsOfFarmyardAnimals]

Ds is 20 months and went through this phase. We just took it away if he didn't seem interested. Breakfast was always fine but fussy otherwise. Back to normal and eating most stuff now.

I think it may have been teeth and insisting on using cutlery when he wasn't able

[IdaClair]

Nothing.

What is there to do?

Your job is to put good food on the table at regular intervals. Their job is to eat as much of whichever bits as they feel is necessary for their body.

[GingerDoodle]

I try to make sure DD eats either a decent lunch or dinner so usually serve something I know she likes (not hard as we normally have pasta for lunch which she loves). Dinner wise normally it just gets removed and yogurt offered when we've finished.

She's 17 1/2 months and been odd with food for the last week or so - as have a lot of my NCT friends babies of the same age.

That said if she's had an awful night and I'm desert for sleep I have been known to give her whatever she wants in the hope she won't wake up!

[slightlyconfused85]

Mine is 16 months and went through a stage about a month/6 weeks ago of always doing this. After some advice on here (and from my mum!) I just took the food away and offered her fruit as usual for desert. My theory is she seems to go through stages where she eats a phenomenal amount of food, and then suddenly seems to have grown a couple of centimetres taller. Othertimes, when she eats less, I think she is just not growing much at that time and needs less food. I am learning just to trust her, she knows when she is hungry and won't starve herself. Sometimes I worry instead that she eats too much!

[Teatimecakes]

I'm so glad it's not just me! My 17 month old will only eat carrots, toast and yoghurt this week - driving me buys as until now he ate everything and anything! So stressful!

[cazrico]

Take it away....offer it back after 5 mins....if no luck then throw away....no point in getting annoyed as at this children have no concept of a) you being annoyed of wasting food and b) them being hungry....after 5 mins children of this age forget and don't understand why u r angry...... After 30 mins offer yoghurt and healthly snacks....although I give in when tired and give Jaffa cakes....

[YokoUhOh]

Sometimes DS 16mo eats, sometimes he doesn't. Over the course of a week, he probably gets what he needs. If he doesn't each much dinner, I give it to him in the form of leftovers for lunch the next day.

[NigellasDealer]

if mine didnt want something i would take it away and not offer anything else other than what was already planned eg fruit or pudding.