1yo ds eating habits.

[moopoint]

I know I shouldn't be posting in aibu but I'm at my wits end. 15mo ds has always been a fantastic eater. He would literally eat anything and eat all of it. Gradually he's became more fussy, refusing the obvious stuff like broccoli. I just put this down to his tastes changing. However, the past few weeks he's been eating less and less until the past couple of days he's barely eating anything at all, still happily eating his breakfast though and drinking milk. He did eat properly at nursery Monday and Friday.

This morning he ate most of his porridge but that's about all I could manage to get him to eat. He refused lunch and dinner. Obviously I've not given him any snacks today. Most things he eats are homemade and I've tried feeding him, giving him the bowl and spoon to feed himself and giving him finger food.

Nothing is working and I could honestly cry/scream please help!!!

He'll eat when he is hungry - stop stressing.

It's a phase. Don't make a fuss just offer food (a mix of things he will eat and new things) and he will eat when he is hungry

They don't keep up eating loads and loads like they do when they are really little either, it slows down quite a lot.

Is he filling up on milk before meals?

Look at his intake over a week not daily.

Don't stress. He won't starve himself. Don't spend loads of time making home made food for him because it's soul destroying if he rejects it. Just give him quick and easy or whatever your having and chill!

The main thing is not to stress over it, he will sense your stress and it will become an issue.

Keep offering the food at mealtimes as you normally would, don't offer snacks or puddings in between unless you are happy with his intake of "normal" food and most of all, don't shout or punish.

My own DS was a food nightmare for a couple of years when he was a toddler, but looking back, I can see that I made the problem much much worse than it really was.

With regards the snacks some people prefer eating little and often so I wouldn't completly discount the idea of snacks if that is what works for your LO just make them healthy and part of a balanced diet.

It's so hard not to stress. I will try though. He will put it in his mouth but then spits it out and laughs. He literally used to eat anything in sight!

He's messing about because he isn't hungry - give him no attention at all. Cheeky thing

Either completly ignore the messing around or at the first sign of it remove the food but just with a "ok your not hungry mummy will put it in the kitchen then" no fuss made. He will eat when he is hungry.

I know it's hard, it's a phase most children go through but the vast majority come out the otherside when they are ready.

Do you eat with him? I find ds eats better if I am eating with him. He has days when he eats less but I trust his appetite generally ( still worry though :)

Don't give him his own food - put extra on your plate - then let him help himself. Used to work with ds!

I don't eat with him really, he's only just getting the hang of feeding himself so it's always been easier to feed him first. Will try eating together and just having extra on my plate. I'm longing for the days that 'not eating your chicken means no pudding!' Will work. Although I get the feeling he'll just reply 'fine then!'