Baby won't eat without sesame street - help!

[Maneks]

Dear lovely mums, this is a cry for help. I have a 20 month old baby boy who is completely hooked to sesame street and will not eat without it. Now I know this is a completely bad habit, and feel absolutely rubbish for not having done anything about it so far. I am a working mum, and after I get back from work, just find it easier to put sesame street on and get the dinner thing done for him!! However, off late I realise the extent to which he is addicted to it for his meals, and the harm this is doing to him. He goes to the nursery 3 days a week, and doesn't eat, or eats very little there in the absence of sesame street. I feel rubbish for being responsible for the situation he is in, and don;t know what to do about it. Your help will be massively appreciated! I should also mention he is quite light for his age:(

Thanks so much in advance
x

If he's light for his age, what are his centiles? If you work, doesn't he have dinner at nursery? What have the nursery said about him not eating?

The attention of your DS is focused on his sesame street thing, you should start to train him to eat without sesame street with him, he will get used of it just do it consistently.

Could be worse, could be Thomas the Tank!
Let him watch Sesame Street while you get food ready.
Then when it's ready, serve it to him in a different place, and sit down and eat with him at the same time.

Distraction is a good idea. Watch first, then picnic in a tent in another room? Make it an adventure.

Thank you so much for your responses. All very helpful. Have managed to get him off sesame street completely, or so I think! We've been having meals for a week without the videos. The new development is that he insists on feeding himself, and therefore will not eat anything mushy which I need to feed using a spoon! However, this problem I am equipped to deal with, and I am trying out new things everyday. Seems to be going well so far, fingers crossed! I am hoping that soon he won't mind eating the mushy things as well, but we'll see! Joys of parenting!