My son will be 3 in July & does the same thing! He started about 6 months ago & it was a sometimes he would eat dinner no worries & others he would fight & not eat at all. This week he's started the not eating thing again & I make sure he has a good variety of food through the day ( I believe kids should eat every 2 hours or so so maybe an afternoon tea is a good idea) and then we try our hardest to get him to eat his dinner. We don't yell or force, that doesn't help, but if he doesn't eat it he doesn't get anything else & if he says he is hungry later then his dinner gets brought back out. It is a normal thing at this age so don't stress too much. Good Luck

Teshia

Just had a good read of everyone's answers as we have the same problem with my 4 y/o.  He eats weet-bix til its coming out his ears for breakfast, then morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea no worries.  But every night (or should I say most nights) - "it's yukky!" (unless by some chance it is junk food!).  Then we say, OK no treats, nothing else and he complains at bedtime that he is hungry and can't sleep!  Ideas anyone??

My youngest is still at 6, not into eating dinner. He will sit with us at the table, but he doesn't eat much. So I just give him bigger breakfast and lunch, plenty for morning and afternoon tea. If he doesn't eat dinner, it is no big deal.

Simply put, if he's not hungry, he won't eat. Just because you're hungry at dinner time, doesn't mean he will be. As for loosing weight, check with a doctor or child health nurse if you're concerned. They might be able to help you figure out something. Kids losing weight isn't just from not eating. Who knows, he could just have a naturally very high metabolism or a tapeworm???

Give yourself a break, you sound like you deserve it, children can't stave themselves and they will eat all they need, so stress less and don't make a battle of it or your toddler will learn that by not eating he is getting his way.

Good luck.

Jodi

HI,

I find if the children have a good afternoon tea then they seem hungrier at dinner.  It appears to stimulate the appetite.  I would try leftover dinners at lunchtime and easy to eat foods for dinner.

Soft finger foods like cheese, tomatoes, pieces of chicken etc.  Then some stewed fruit and yoghurt for desserts.

I'm not sure what time you have dinner, but sometimes 2 year olds are just too tired to be bothered with food.  So having dinner early may help. 

We've found with our children that it can become a battle of wills if we put any pressure on them to eat.  I sometimes think they like the attention even if it is negative.  So we would just show that we were enjoying our meal.  Sometimes the old games work like trains (of food)going into the train station, with the silly noises, works well.  We still do that if my youngest is too tired to eat.  She finds it good giggle.

If he is definately losing weight and none of the ideas work, you could increase the amount of food throughout the day.  So he is getting more nutrition overall.  Always offer  healthy foods first.  If you're concerned you could see the clinic sister for regular weigh-ins.

Good luck. 

Hhhhmmm, kids are funny when it comes to food.  Some nights ours ask for seconds, others it is a battle to get them to even try their dinner.

I think you need to get him seen by a child nutritionist about this.  Ask your gp for a referral.

I wonder if the dog is eating his food, then is he.......Nope, I don't want to know!

I'm there with everyone else.

It sounds as if he is getting plenty to keep him going.

Does he eat much for breakfast (does he wake hungry), if so you may be able to reduce this morning meal with similar at lunch time(ish) and you may find that he may want to eat something small for the evening meal with you.

Sometimes the day is quite young for the little ones and come tea time they are just nit interested in food.

There are many possibilities but rest assured he will settle into a better pattern as he gets older and as this happens make sure there is always plenty of fresh fruit around for him to graze on.

Pleased if it helps.

Robert

My 3 year old has been like this on and off for the past year. Sometimes he will eat at dinner time but mostly he won't. What I do is give him a bigger lunch and then give him something else to eat at around 4pm while he watches telly and then just give him a sandwich or yoghurt at dinner time.

If your son is happy and sleeps well at night then I wouldn't worry.

Amanda xxx

Hey there i wouldn't worry!!!! Lunch is supposed to be the main meal of the day so why dont you save what you guys have for dinner and give this to your child the next day for lunch...And maybe then in the afternoon when cartoons are on give your child some saladas or something.Just to fill him up a little he will start eating it when he gets hungry but for now i would give him his main meal at lunch

good luck tassie

I don't think I'd worry too much. Some toddlers are just plain picky, some days they'll eat one thing, the next they won't even touch it. My daughter is the same, she's 2.5yrs, is quite fussy and sometimes more likely to throw her dinner at the cat or squish it between her fingers than eat it somedays! Does your son graze throughout the day? My daughter does so thats why I don't worry. Kids know when they are hungry and will let you know. If you are truly worried (with him losing weight and all) you could take him to the doctor and see what they suggest.

my daughter hardly eats dinner, she is a bit of a chub. but according to the scale she is fine. she is 4 and 18kg. she loves breakie and lunch but come tea time she will pick a bit and leave it. she loves her meat and will eat that but nothing else. i give my kids a multi vitiam that i buy through the company i am involved in. they both love them.

personally i wouldnt force him to eat. i would give him some milk and send him to bed. if u have serious concerns i would go and see my gp.