Everything has gone t**s up with my 3yo!!

[fxmummyduck]

Everyday I'm now feeling like an epic failure of a mother!!! There are certain things with my 3yo that are driving me to lose my s**t I know I'm in a negative space with them but I don't know how to get out of it.

Firstly my pretty good eater is now eating next to no variety of foods anymore. We're down to 3 options for dinner, maybe 2 for lunch and 3 for breakfast. He used to eat all sorts. I'm so stressed at dinner time now my dh has to sit with him because I can't.

And potty training. I've already written a thread on that so I won't go on about it again, but we're stuck with that.

Getting dressed has turned into a battle, and the real threenager attitude is a nightmare.

I know he's really good in other ways and I'm lucky (he doesn't really throw tantrums often) but I'm really worried about his eating. Just now I gave him one plain goldfish cracker to try and he threw up. There are many occasions like this but it is a new thing with him right now.

I don't know what to do.At least Last night after a lot of persuasion from dh telling him a story about superheroes we managed to get him to drink a fruit smoothie so he at least had some fresh fruit. I know toddlers are picky but if he keeps rejecting foods he used to like we'll be down to nothing soon!!!

Arghhh! I need a timeout of my own right now.

 

[SucreK]

Hugs!!!! That sounds so stressful and I understand why you need a break! Do you ever read Janet Lansbury? I think this article is great: https://www.janetlansbury.com/2016/...trol-how-one-parent-replaced-fear-with-trust/

Good luck to you and your LO!!!

 

[fxmummyduck]

Yes I do, I really like Janet Lansbury I think my child must be the only one that hates it when I empathize with him while he's having a tantrum!!! Lol! That was one of her other articles. I'll read the one in the link, thanks for that.

 

[Foxybabyhg3]

I can relate with the eating issue. DD used to be great, would eat most vegetables and anything you put in front of her really. But about 8m ago she did a 180. Wouldn't eat veg at all. Luckily still ate fruit. She'd only eat the meat at meal times. She's very petite as she was a preemie that got very poorly so she's still behind on the growth charts even for her adjusted age. She's on the 9th percentile adjusted and off the chart with actual age. Still wearing 18-24m clothes at nearly 4. So any periods of not eating has my anxiety levels through the roof. Even 2 days a week of barely eating at all. Luckily the last month she's started picking up veg again, carrots, cauli, swede, peas, still refuses roast potatoes lol. But hopefully it'll be the same with your LO. They go through phases, tastebuds change over time. I just don't make a big deal out of it at the dinner table. I'm learning not to push her.
She's been the same with clothes and dressing. Had a meltdown last week over her "broken" jeans. They were a pair of Levi's with deliberate tears and frayed bits. Then she refused the brown suede boots, and has lived in pink boots since December! In the house, refuses clothes altogether. Runs round naked the entire weekend (indoors only!), but I've stopped worrying, as I'm confident that will pass too. They're 3, trying new things and understanding more about choices. Try not to worry, it'll get better

 

[sarah34]

My 2.5 year old used to be a great eater but has recently started refusing to eat too. I find explaining to him that if he doesn't eat he won't get anything else and actually throwing it away when he doesn't had helped but I think it's like a lot of things. They realise that they have choices now, like choosing whether to eat the carrots or choosing whether to listen to you. I make sure that I do something for dinner that I know he will eat at least every other day like pasta so he doesn't starve but if he won't eat then it gets thrown away and he doesn't have anything else. You can't force him to eat so just keep trying. Xx

 

[sarah34]

Also I have taken my son out without a coat in winter cos he wouldn't put it on, low and behold he was saying he was cold after 5 mins so on went the coat!