A little help if possible.

[Kate0904]

Hi everyone.

Having trouble with my 19 month old. He won't eat ANYTHING. He lives on about 4 foods. Anything else he spits out, chokes on or just screams. He wasn't like this before, he ate everything but since starting day care he has stopped eating at home. He eats well at playgroup.

I honestly dont know what to do. I keep offering him foods but he would rather go hungry than eat. Some days when he is at home he will consume only some cucumber, half a banana, a few biscuits and if I am lucky some fish fingers.
He isn't under weight, far from it but I do worry he isn't getting enough food. Any ideas? Or do I just keep offering it to him in hope that one day he may eat again?

 

[noon_child]

At that age it's better to look at what he has eaten over the course of about 5 days rather than just one day, as some days its nothing, other days far more and it evens out. Also we do have a rather inflated idea of what a portion size is and need to re-educate ourselves. So a portion is what fits in to the palm of your child's hand. So half a banana is probably 2 portions of an energy and fibre rich fruit.

Also if he eats at daycare but not at home it shows he can and will eat but is sometimes choseing not to. This might be for a variety of reasons:
1) Is daycare food sweeter? My daughters nursery used a lot of sweet root veggies like swede but very little green veg and they also had puddings which she never usually had at home, this changed her taste preferences.
2) Is meal time at daycare more social? If meals at home feel like pressure to eat without any social interaction he may just want to get away from the table as quick as possible. Make meals about family time, but reduce the pressure to finish food or eat a certain amount
3) He has noticed he gets lots of attention from you when he doesn't eat and this makes him feel powerful and in control (who wouldn't want that?), so he pushes the boundaries to see what he can get away with. Can he get you to offer him biscuits or yoghurt for example
4) He is eating too much at daycare leaving him genuinely not hungry at home.

Teething, sickness bugs and the development of bitter taste buds all make previously "eat anything" kids far more "picky". It's normal, usually just a phase and usually lasts longer the more parents worry, stress and try to change things in order to find a "fix". Keep offering a range of healthy options and trust that if he is truly hungry he will eat at least some of these sometimes.

If you are genuinely concerned he could be making himself ill by not eating enough then visit a medical professional.