Is he eating enough?

[CurlyCallie]

My 20mo boy used to eat us out of house and home, he literally wouldn't stop grazing all day and still ate decent sized meals for breakfast dinner and tea. On average he'd have for breakfast a bottle of milk, 1.5 weetabix with milk, blueberries and a little honey, a yogurt and maybe even half to a slice of toast. A snack of raisins, then cheese, ham, bread (he doesn't like sandwiches so he had it separate lol) cucumber and a pack of kids (organix) crisps for dinner. Then maybe a bowl of fruit and a piece of cheese as a snack then either chicken nuggets and chips (or something like) or cottage pie or stew (or something like) for his tea, then a hot chocolate before bed.
The last couple of weeks we've been having power struggle as my mum calls it where he's refusing to do anything I want him to. That means he won't play the toys I get out for him he cries for his other ones, won't leave the house when I want to kicks up a fuss to get his coat and boots on etc but more worryingly for me he won't eat, don't get me wrong he won't let himself starve but for his breakfast he wants dry cereal to pick at in a bowl, for his dinner he'll only eat one piece of cheese and tea I'm lucky if he eats 3 spoons or whatever we're having!
Now he spends one day a week with my MIL from dawn till bed time and she and my FIL both are amazed at how well he eats! They often comment on how we afford to keep us all in food the way he goes through it and he never ever refuses anything from them! They've also never ever seen him so much as cry let alone tantrum. He had such a day as this with them yesterday and now this morning he's kicked up a tantrum because he didn't want his favourite cereal?! I've sat and cried over it it's so frustrating to me 😭 he IS however more than happy to live off gapes and strawberries, so my question is - is a big bowl of strawberries alone an adequate breakfast for a growing toddler? I'm taking about half to a full punnet not just one or two but I can't see it being all that filling for long?

Is anyone having similar issues with their LO?

Pulling my hair out here!!

My DS is 22 months and he was going through a period where he would barely eat anything at weekends for me but would eat in nursery but not a lot, he wasn't getting enough vitamins or calories I had to attend dietitian with him, he also wasn't drinking enough fluids for his height within nursery since his fluid uptake he is eating great and only gets milk in cup in the morning around 5am back to sleep then breakfast at 8am, snack at 9.30am, lunch between 11-12pm then naps for two hours then big bowl fruit at 3pm and dinner at 4.30-5pm then pudding at 6pm then evening milk before bed, I was getting tantrums to start with not wanting breakfast etc, not wanting to get ready etc, he was basically just playing up to try wind me up but now he's in a routine and sits down to eat no problem, I put strawberries in his cereal as he loves fruit, or I tell him you'll get fruit after breakfast

Thanks crazylou, did you start the new routine after you saw the dietician? Do you think that's what helped x

Seriously, stop worrying. He sounds absolutely fine.

Yep. Sounds like you have a toddler on your hands.
Fussy eating- check
Behaving better for grandparents-check
Tantrums- check
Expecting you to be some sort of mind reader-check
Expressing general dissatisfaction with the service- check

I don't think you need to see a dietician. It's common for kids to start to be fussy at this age. It sounds like your ds ate an awful lot previously and he might just be adjusting to not growing quite so much this month. Or he might just be being a toddler.

Thankyou,

I don't think he needs a dietician as such just maybe a stricter daily schedule when it comes to meal times? I'm only worried he's not having enough to fill him and enough nutrients as his empty days seem to coincide with his naughty days, but there's nothing I can do to coax him 🙈

Maybe you're right about the growing thing I'll play it by ear x

Ds is 19 months and pretty much exactly the same. He's gone from eating everything in large quantities to apparently only eating marmite on toast, ham and tuna pasta in about half the quantities.
He's my second toddler so I can assure you that whilst frustrating it is completely normal! It will pass

Hmm, bear with me as its a long time since I had an under 2, but - if its about control, how about getting into a habit of sitting him up near to the table or worktop while you 'dish up' - get him to put some of the cut up fruit into your bowl, some into his, and also have other bits there 'for you' but that you know he likes. 'What are you going to choose today'. Make very little reaction to what he chooses, just praise for a good job. Also, maybe have 'his bowl' and a spare/extra bowl 'for whoever wants it' within his reach, and which has some of 'his type of foods' in, that he would eat at grandparents, and pretend to be not watching/busy (but of course there).