16 month won’t eat dinner

[Harvey19]

Hi

My lo has never been the best eater but he did use to enjoy some dinners usually rice based like chilli or curry and rice.
Gradually over a few months he’s just got so much more fussy. It drives me crazy and I feel stressed when it comes to dinner time, I guess mainly because I don’t want him going hungry. (He’s never slept great at night so guess that makes me worry if he wakes hungry)
I’m not sure what is best to do, I’ve given in and let him watch something on my phone while he eats dinner which id rather not but that use to work and he would eat what I fed him but now that doesn’t even work just pushes my hand out the way. If he doesn’t eat his dinner I’ve been giving him some shreddies, fruit and yoghurt or baked beans as I know that he will eat these which he does straight away.

His typical day of food is

7 am - shreddies or multigrain shapes and fruit such as grapes
8.30 am - 4oz milk
10.30 am - half a banana
12ish depending on one or two naps a day
Peanut butter sandwich (depends on what mood he’s in and he is funny with his main for lunch such as bread, crumpet etc) blueberries, triangle of cheese, few crisps, yoghurt
3ish - small snack raisins or some rice crackers (tried to make this a small snack to encourage him to be hungry for dinner doesn’t work)
5ish dinner time usually refuses any meal even finger type foods such as sweet potato fries or fish fingers
6.30ish 8oz milk

Sorry for the long post just hoping someone may have a suggestion on how to help. I feel like it is a phase but it’s been going on a long time and I don’t see it getting much better

Could you try swapping the big meal to lunch time and the sandwich to tea time? That's how nurseries would feed them.
Also, at 16 months, does he still need the morning bottle? If he is also having milk with cereal, yoghurt, cheese etc could you try giving him a 360 cup of water or cow's milk?

I agree with the above advice - drop bottles and make lunch a hot dinner.

I’m guessing at 5pm he doesn’t eat with you - as in, you aren’t also eating?
My DD eats a lot more if I have a small plate of the same stuff and eat with her. She’s now 20 months and eats dinner at 6pm and we just have our dinner then with her and it’s a lot easier. I know 5 is quite early for you to eat, but maybe try a small plate if you don’t already?

It seems like he’s eating every 90 mins or so all day, no wonder he isn’t that hungry at meal times.

Can you give him some veges as snacks to make you feel better about his diet? Eg avocado or quickly microwave some carrot sticks, peas or corn or other vegetables sticks
Definitely try the hot meal in the middle of the day. Another option is dinner at a different time eg 4.30.

Thank you for all of your replies I really appreciate it.
We have tried eating with him but it doesn’t seem to make a difference he just isn’t interested.
I think i will drop the morning bottle today and try doing dinner at lunch time instead and see how we go.
Thanks!