If two year old won't eat dinner.....

[GertyD]

Do you give them something else before bed?

DS2 2.4 has started being fussy, and refusing all previously loved food and demands toast, cake and biscuits instead.

Of course I don't give in, so for the last three nights he has gone to bed without eating.

Has anyone else done this? Does it work. It is only dinner that's the problem. Breakfast and lunch is fine.

You could try giving dinner earlier? He might be too tired.

I'm extremely laid back and just give them something else. Bread and ham and cheese or something plain like that. Even some yoghurt or plain cake. It's really not worth having a battle about especially if they are eating well the rest of the time and you say breakfast and lunch is fine.

So maybe make lunch the main meal?

I have a ds aged 2 and a dd aged 11. I just let them eat what they like and give them lots of choice - including chocolate and cakes, fruit and veg etc. Something of everything so nothing becomes the forbidden fruit as it were.

I would allow toast or fruit

Some on here would tip the meal over the dcs head

I don't want to turn food into a battle, so I give whatever pudding they would have had anyway (fruit, yogurt etc). Or some plain toast. I wouldn't make an alternative meal though.

My 3 DC are good eaters but they all go through fussy stages sometimes.

I just give cereal or fruit a bit later if DS seems hungry.

I'm the same as you Fairylea.

I just give Dd what she wants. As long as she's eating I'm happy. I don't stick to regimented three meals a day myself so I can't expect my child to!

I don't give sweets or juice really though.

I'd give something like toast, but nothing more exciting. They'll eat it if they're hungry etc. assuming it's something you know they like.

My DS1 has Asperger's syndrome, and from 6 months refused most food. From age 1 year to 10 years he ate porridge, Weetabix, peanut butter sandwich or toast, beans on toast, Fromage frais, apples and bananas. He is 15 now and eats everything. One day, aged 10, he just changed.

I spent his first three years fighting and getting nowhere. DS2 has no SN or behaviour issues so I rightly or wrongly I am assuming I can deal with this somehow.

Ds is generally a good eater so really I play it by ear depending on the situation.

If he's a bit under the weather/obviously overtired etc then I'll normally offer him something else, usually some fruit.

If he's just not eating and provided it's food I know he WILL eat then I just assume he's not hungry and leave him be. As he doesn't wake up hungry or desperate for his breakfast I think it just happens that sometimes he just isn't hungry! Jut like me

I do that. I give mine a say in what we eat b offering x, y and z but if they don't eat it then they don't get anything else and certainly no cake or biscuits. Works for me, you do get the odd im not eating that, im full etc but I play hardball

Yeah but something very plain, probably toast. Not crisps or biscuits or puddings.

Sometimes kids just go through phases of not eating much. My dd2 in particular could do that,sometime she would eat like a horse and other times just pick, but it used to worry me when she just picked or wouldn't eat at all. I'd still sit her at the table with us until everyone else finished.

I tried pretty hard to make mealtimes about spending time together and talking and take the focus off the food.

Although if your child likes and is demanding toast, I'd be tempted to do porridge instead!

OP, there are lots of NT fussy eaters around!

But it may just be a short phase for your DS2. I believe the best way of dealing with this is not to fight with them. Try to act nonchalantly - 'oh, you're not hungry today?' - rather than make a big deal out of it.

I'd offer some toast/sandwich etc, something savoury, no cake etc. If she refuses that then she goes without.
It may sound harsh, but if I give in to her she expects the same everyday, she is a wilful little moo even at just 2.
If it's more than 1-2 days, I make lunchtime her hot meal, then give her sandwich/crisps/yogurt at dinner.

If she is poorly (as she is now with chicken pox) I will let her eat whatever she likes as long as she eating
She has chicken pox in her mouth, and yesterday ate a milky way bar, a handful of sweets, one crisp and half a mini potato waffle! Not ideal, but hey ho...

My step kids still do this as 8 and 10. They know the rules though, they either eat it or they go to bed without anything.

If it was "new" foods I would say give him some fruit or something but as it's things he has always eaten I would guess it's a battle of wills.

Don't argue or make a fuss, just quite flatly tell him he has a choice eat or go straight to bed and then let him choose. The more he sees that it doesn't bother you the less he will do it!!

Our 2 year old goes through eating phases - at the moment it's yoghurt yoghurt yoghurt... I would give him anything that isn't actually full of sugar - so I'd say yes to toast but no to biscuits.

Mine go to bed having eaten nothing and have seconds of breakfast in the morning!

I'm assuming they grow out of it at some point and trying to give zero attention.

Frustrating though.

Well my hv says give him nothing but I give him a banana. I also leave dinner out and he will now go back and try things sometimes

They say you should look at what they have eaten as a whole that day not just how much of each meal (have a funny eater) at the moment my DS is not eating breakfast but eating loads for lunch and dinner in the past he ate breakfast and lunch but no dinner he just goes through fazes. If he is refusing dinner I just take it away and if he's hungry I give him the most boring food I have.

Mine is exactly the same age as yours and I think they are still babies at this stage really have a good look at him when he's tucked up sleeping in bed and you'll see how young he really is, my gran always says we all seem in a rush to move our children on and we should ignore the 'milestones' and let them be (obviously unless they are really far behind)