I have a wonderful 17 month old son, but I can never get him to eat dinner. He goes to daycare during the week and has breakfast and lunch there, and they say he eats really well. He will eat things there and I will try it at home and he won't even try it. He'll look at it, lift up his plate and say "Done." I cut out all of his snacks before dinner in case maybe he was getting filled up. Even on the weekends, he eats breakfast great and lunch pretty good, but when it comes to dinner time, he doesn't want any part of it.
I know he's not starving and I figure if he is hungry he will eat, but I just feel like he will be going to bed hungry. I've tried giving him exactly what I make for myself and I have even tried making him something that I KNOW that he likes (grilled cheese, applesauce, meatloaf, green beans, etc...) to no avail. Am I making a mountain out of a molehill or is this something I should be concerned about?
I would not worry. My now almost 4 year old son has been the same way. They eat well at daycare because they know that there are no choices. That is all there is to eat. At home - they know that just behind the pantry door - there are many things that they would rather eat. It is normal as a mom to worry - but don't sweat the small stuff. (BTW - I am the mother of 7 and have learned that lesson well!)
Dear J.,
I have 4 kids and all of them went through this phase. Don't sweat it. I worried also, but I found offering a healthy snack 45 minutes before bed time not only assured that he wouldn't go hungry; it also relieved my mind.
J.,
Don't worry about it. If he is not hungry, then let him be. We have been so brain-washed as a society to clean our plates, and then wonder why we are all so fat. Encourage your son to eat healthy food when he is hungry, and respect his internal message when he has had enough. Often, too, little ones go through times when they eat less for a while, in between growth spurts when they eat everything in sight.
Just listen to your son, and provide good food when he wants it.
Best wishes,
K.
Is he having alot of fluids before dinner? Alot of the time they are filling up on milk and juice before dinner and then they are just not interested in sitting down for dinner. I have a 5 and 3 yr old that would not eat hardly anything and we discovered it was becaus they had to much fluid before it was time to eat so we cut out drinks except water befor dinner.
Hi my name is J. and I'm a mother of 3 and all of my kids went through this. I've talked to doctors about it. They say not to force the issue. Just keep offering him the food. It is probably just a stage he is going through. Trust me when they are hungry they will eat. He will come around.
My son is almost 2 yrs. old and is going through the same thing. There are days he won't eat at daycare either and I feel he has had nothing but milk and the 2 snacks they give him at daycare. My doctor suggested we supplement with pediasure and sometimes I feel like he fills up on that instead of eating because as soon as we get home he wants a sippy cup and then won't eat dinner. He just went to the doctor yesterday. He has gained weight and is growing in at a steady rate so the doctor isn't concerned. He is around the 50th percentile on everything. She said we can still use the pediasure and that it is just a phase he is going through. I have started to try and have something (other than a snack) ready when we get home so that I sit him down with food and a sippy and he then eats a little bit along with drinking. She said the only thing to watch is that he isn't filling up on junk food. I think she would rather he not eat than eat snacks (Teddy grahms and such) which I agree with at this point. I would offer him what you are eating. If he doesn't want that, maybe offer one other thing that you know he has eaten in the past. If he refuses that, don't offer anthing else. Don't worry about it too much. I'm sure both our children will be fine.
C.
Hi J., I am just curious to know if he eats well at day care because there are so many others eating too. Then at home it is just you two and it's not as interesting. My daughter is 20 months and she doesn't go to day care but when we eat at my moms for dinner (she is a foster/adoptive mom and has 6 other kids from 10yrs to 8wks old.) she pigs out and then at home she is the worlds worst eater. I seriously wonder if maybe that might have something to do with it. Company. I don't know....could be a crazy idea, but it's possible. I think though as long as he is growing and happy he is probably ok.
Best of luck, T.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. You're right, if he's hungry enough, he'll eat. jsut don't get into the habit of fixing something for the rest of the fam and then fixing him something else, just so he'll eat. then he'll have the upper hand and you'll be setting yourself for a lot of trouble later on. fix him a plate of whatever you're haveing and if he eats , he eats, but if not, no treats or snacks later. and when dinner time rolls around, put him in his high chair and have him sit with the family while everyone else eats, don't let him get down until every one else is done. my little girl has days when she'll eat till i think she's gonna pop and other days she just picks like a bird. it all balances out. and if he eats good the rest of day, it's not gonna hurt him.
My son was the same way. He was the best eater daycare had but at home forget it. I talked to his pediatrician about it and they told me not to worry as long as he wasn't losing weight. Not sure about your daycare but at my son's they also had snacktime in between meals. My son will be 5 in January and is slowly getting better about eating at home.
Hi J.
I have 4 children and the 3rd one, my son, did the same thing. He was a great breakfast and lunch eater but not much on eating supper. We all ate as a family too. He is 17 yrs old now and still not much of a supper eater. It seems like after 4pm he just doesn't eat much. As long as the child is healthy and getting the nutrients during the day I would not worry.
D.
