3y/o will not eat

[Sionc]

I'm really concerned, my daughter who is almost 4 has recently gone off any solid foods. She eats only yoghurt. We've tried her with everything, ice cream, chocolate, all of her favourite foods and she just won't touch them. She's been a good eater all her life. This has been going on for over a week after she had tonsillitis, the doctor has said it's just a phase but it's really starting to concern me. Should I just let her drink milk and eat yoghurt until she grows out of it. Should I keep trying her with food, making a big deal out of it etc. Or just see if she grows out of it. I'm really struggling with it and I'm worried she's going to get ill.

Firstly, I'd check that nothing still hurts. Probably not the problem, but worth asking her how her throat is feeling. It could also be that she's still associating eating with pain, even though she's better now. You could try saying something like 'I wonder if you're remembering how much your throat hurt when you were ill' or something like that at a meal and see what she says?

In terms of food, I'd keep offering, but absolutely not make a big deal out it – go the complete opposite, food is there, but no pushing her to try anything or even praising her if she does. Talk about anything other than the food. I'd also make sure there's always something on the table that she will eat so that she's not stressed about it. If right now that means yoghurt three times a day, so be it.

To try and expand the yoghurt a little bit, you could do 'yoghurt sundaes' for the whole family for breakfast or pudding – yoghurt with some different fruits, muesli, etc. for everyone to make their own combination. But again, I wouldn't say anything if she chooses just plain.