Not eating !

[reAllytee]

Ok im at my wits end.
My DS who is 18mths hasnt eaten dinner for the last week & i am offering all various types of food from a meal to finger foods with no results.
He is also often skipping lunch or only having a few bites of his sandwich & thats it this has been going on for a few weeks on & off.
A few months back i felt that maybe he was filling up on his morning or afternoon tea so cut those out unless he was really hungry & really wanting them.
His usual day is :

Brekky - Weetbix, muesli or porridge & some toast.

Lunch - Sandwich, tub of pureed fruit, dried fruit or piece of fruit.

Dinner - Meal like a casserole or meat & vegies otherwise some finger food like vegies.

Snacks - Are all varying like fruit either fresh, pureed or dried, vegie chips which i make etc.

He has never been big on meats so luckily he loves vegies so ive always been able to keep up various types to keep his levels right. He also doesnt like milk products so wont eat cheese or drink milk but will have yoghurt or custard at times.

Im just really at a loss as to what to do with him for dinner especially when he has hardly eaten during the day, i know most toddlers go through these stages but i dont know what to do if he doesnt eat do i just send him to bed without anything ????? This happens every few months & i go insane !
Thanks for your help :)

[the pero clinic]

Dear Allyoo,

It’s not unusual for parents to feel anxious when their toddlers seem to suddenly lose their appetites. If you feel that your little boy is otherwise currently healthy, it may just be a typically occurring change in his appetite and growth. Healthy children and toddlers are very good at eating when they are hungry, and not eating when they genuinely aren’t hungry.

As hard as it may be, it is therefore up to you to just recognize and treat this as a normal stage. That means not getting anxious or upset around his eating (particularly in front of him!), and avoiding all forms of bribery or ‘encouragement’ to make your son eat more.

Parents can often fall into a trap, at times like these, where unhealthy food choices are offered in an attempt to get their child to just eat ‘something.’ This can quickly lead to young children learning to continue to refuse healthy foods, and wait for the junk food to be brought out.

Alternatively, parents can react in the opposite way and restrict snacks – even healthy ones – to encourage their kids to eat their balanced meals. This, however, can mean that children regularly go without eating for long periods of time and their metabolism slows down, resulting in lowered appetites and lethargy. In other words – they are just too tired at the end of the day to eat their dinner!

It looks as though you son is still eating a good variety of healthy foods. Keep it up! Continue to provide a variety of cereals, fruits & vegetables, meats and dairy foods. Ensure you son is offered food every 2 to 3 hours to keep his metabolism going. Offer a choice of 2 healthy snacks to give him some control and variety. Finally, if he doesn’t eat all of his meal, respect that he just isn’t hungry at that time.

the pero clinic