my 3 year old son doesnt eat any suggestions???

[law3]

my son has always been a fussy eater, he wouldnt eat lumps as a baby and would only eat certain foods, even at 6 months old. Ive tried everything, making food into shapes, faces etc, letting him help to prepare food etc.

He was refered to the hospital when he was a year old, he had blood test taken and the result came back normal.

a year and a half later he still wasnt eating and he was refered to the hospital again, only to discover that he had been severely anemic the first time i took him and the Dr had read his result wrong.

He has been on medication for 6 months but his eating hasnt improved.

thanks for the encourgement Elli, i cant believe it!!

This morning he had cereal (with milk 1st time ever) without timer just sat stiring it, timer on and it was gone!!!

Just got back from the shops and he told me he was hungry and has just sat and ate a crumpet with choclate spread.

Im pinching myself, surely it cant be this easy!!!

I could kiss Coppertop and of the course the timer!!!!!

Stop feeding him "any suggestions".

That's FANTASTIC news about your ds eating! I'm sooooo happy for you. You must be absolutely thrilled! Woooooohoooooo!

Great news that you have made progress! I have a ds the same age and he used to drink loads of milk. He had to give up his bottles when we forgot to take them on holiday with us and it's amazing the difference it made to his appetite (he won't drink milk from a cup now ). Added bonus is that he is now sleeping through the night as well [smile}

Can't do long posts so this will be in several parts.

Ds is now 2.10 and has always had problems with eating. He used to go days at a time, though he has now improved so that he eats most days. The problem that caused him to not want to eat has been solved but breaking the habit of not eating has been hard.

Sounds like you have now got a technique that works for you. We found it was trial and error to found what worked for ds.

We still play with food a lot (with no mention of him actually eating it) as ds used to get distressed at the sight of food, or things to do with food (cutlery, high chair etc). He shops with me and makes things, but we don't mention him actually eating it and this seems to take the pressure off him.

Disruption to normal life still results in a lack of eating but tends to be restricted to that day now - which is huge improvement.

Glad to see you've got him to eat somethings.

Just here to offer sympathy and tell you that progress will be slow but your ds will improve and things will get easier

And if I had £1 for every person who told me a child will never starve themselves (ignoring all evidence to the contrary) I'd be a rich woman by now

Ds also loves having his photo taken so we take pictures of him eating and put them on the wall. That also encourages him to eat something.

With ds we have found that eating itself is no reward, so we have to find something to reward him with - photos, stickers, a story. But he has come a long way.

boo hoo, the novelty seems to have worn off. dinner last night and breakfast, he didnt want the timer on and didnt eat anything.I dont pressure him, he tells me he doesnt want to eat, i say ok and we all continue chatting etc as usual.

His eating habits seem to go beyond fussy. Basically he eats breat and yoghurt most days, other days he might eat strawberrys, grapes, choco hoops, pancakes, crumpets, chips, smiley faces and choclate spread. That is ALL he eats week in and week out and has done for the last 2.6 years.

My fear is nothing will change if i dont keep on trying or am i making things worst???

Try not to worry about it. If he's OK and growing and having his iron deficiency seen to, chances are that he'll grow out of it. Mine was fussy (not as much so as yours)but as soon as she started school and saw other children eating normally and in a routine, she improved dramatically.