Is there some sort of food regression at 2?

[OnNaturesCourse]

I can vaguely remember my 1st born getting "fussier" at this stage but my 2nd born is flat outright refusing to eat anything that isn't toast, plain biscuits or cheese.

Send help as dinnertimes are proving to be a nightmare.

Also - eldest is 6, and gets quite annoyed that usual dinnertime rules (try everything, no throwing food, shouting etc) are not being applied as strongly with younger sibling as we don't/can't force eating. Anyone else had similar and how did you handle it? We've explained age differences and expectations etc but I can see it still gets to them.

Im so glad im not alone with this . My daughter just turnt 2 a few days ago and now suddenly shes gone from eating everything to bairley eating a thing and being super fussy about what she will eat. Ripping my hair out over this even her favourite foods seems to be a no go. How long has this been going on for you ?

Oh gosh yes, my ds was great to wean...ate absolutely everything then at 2 he started refusing foods one by one until he was down to bread and butter and fruit.
It improved very slowly over time and at 10 he is a completely normal (but not adventurous) eater.
I think at that age they're generally just beginning to realise that they have agency and they test that out in many different ways 😬

Lots of children do get fussier around this age as they start to develop preferences and test their power in controlling their environment. This applies to food and lots of other things (clothes is another common one).

The key is to remain calm, don't let it become an issue. At every meal offer something you know they will eat alongside something they won't. Present food, leave for the duration of the meal and then tidy away with absolutely no comment. No encouragement, no bribery, no punishments, no rewards, no praise.

Things like not throwing the food and not shouting are different because they're behavioural issues not food issues so deal with those however you would normally deal with unwanted behaviour.

Been like this a few weeks now.

The behaviour is usually down to being made to sit at the table while we finish. There's just no interest in food whatsoever.

Glad it's not just me pulling my hair out.