Gone off dinner!

[tomtom1]

Over the past 2 weeks my 3 year old has refused his dinners! He'll eat bread, cheese & deserts, but meat and veg is a no no. I've tried all the tricks and games to get him to eat but he still refuses. Has anyone else experienced this and how did you get over it? I've tried giving a multi vitamin as he's not getting the nutrition but this gets sprayed accross the kitchen!

my dd has just started doing this too, she is nearly 5 and has gone from eating anything i give her to wanting nothing!

i am an evil mummy though and i make her sit there till she finishes but she is older than your ds and i know for a fact that she likes what i give her, i think she is going through a challenging mummy phase

oh, i have been giving smaller portions though, so she doesn't feel overwhelmed when she sits down for dinner with a huge plate :) have you tried that?

Ignore ignore ignore.

Serve up small portions - maybe 1/3 or 1/2 of what you would expect him to eat. Encourage him to eat in a very calm and understated way - no tricks, no fuss, no games. Pay the same sort of attention to him as you do to the rest of the family. If he clears his plate offer seconds, but don't make any deal of it whether or not he eats. If he gets down or is distracted, then give him one reminder to eat. When you are about to clear the table, give him one opportunity to finish his food. If he doesnot finish his food then clear the table without making any fuss.

Free access to the fruit bowl if he is hungry between meals (you may want to control what's in there - limit bananas!). Otherwise no extra food other than what you serve at meals and a little snack between-times.

He'll soon learn to eat up if he is hungery. And if he is not, then you have to respect his awareness of his own body's needs.

I have one child who lives on air, antoher who could eat for England but hasn't a scrap of chubb on her, and a third whose appetite fluctuates wildly but needs snacks whether or not he is eating well at mealtimes.

Thanks for your replies. It's hugely frustrating, although I don't let him see that! Any more tips would be greatly appreciated.