What do you do when picky toddler refuses meal?

[Wugz22]

My 15 month old is so hit or miss with food. I get really frustrated when he refuses to even try something I just spend 15 minutes preparing for him. His just did this with lunch - a little cheese, some homemade carrot and apple puree, and I tried a recipe for these homemade tater tots I thought he would love. He spit the cheese out, threw the taters on the floor and locked up his lips at the apples sauce. I took him out of his chair before I got too frustrated with him.


Do you usually make them a whole other meal at this point or just let them deal with the natural consequences of being a little hungry today?

 

[Larkspur]

It depended what the consequences were for me! At lunch, I would probably just let him go hungry and have a snack at the usual time, and then serve something reliable at dinner, as I find they tend to make up the calorie difference then.

If it's a dinner, I found he would wake in the night if he didn't eat much. So I'd be more likely to give him something else. (I have a bunch of dinners I know he likes in the freezer, ready to go).

So, yeah. I usually try out new things at lunchtime.

ETA: I should add that it's pretty rare that he refuses a meal. So I don't think it has made much of a difference that I will make something else if he doesn't like his dinner.

 

[RaspberryK]

I have always served the same meals as we eat, he either ate them or not. I would always make sure there was one thing on his plate that he definitely liked. He was and sometimes still is hit and miss at one meal per day. If he doesn't eat much lunch he might eat seconds at dinner and the other way around. We have never really done "snacks" either other than a drink of milk unless meal times were going to be a long time apart.
Xx

 

[Marie000]

I also always made one meal for the family, and left lo to decide if she wanted to eat it or not. If she doesn't, then she has to wait until the next snack or meal to eat. I was always afraid that giving in to her fussiness would be a slippery slope.
It works well. She rarely refuses a meal anymore (sometimes she will pick and choose, but usually she's okay)
The only times she does refuse to eat is at grandma's, because she knows she'll get something else.

 

[MindUtopia]

Just don't make a big deal out of it and carry on. Just like us, sometimes they aren't hungry or they just don't want something. They'll make up for it later. I try to always offer a range of things with each meal, including things that are new or not usually eaten and things that are likely to be eaten, so there is always at least something that my daughter will almost definitely eat, along with things she can try and it won't matter if she eats or not. Like she loves peas and beetroot and olives but she isn't really a fan of meat or beans, so I'd offer those together. Also, if you offer things they don't like alongside things they do, they're much more likely to try the new or previously refused things because they seem more familiar when they're with things they're more used to eating. They'll never starve and it's completely okay to pretty much skip a meal as long as you're still offering snacks in between meals and milk or a snack before bed, there will be plenty of opportunities for catching up on calories later. I don't ever make a completely different meal, though I will offer more of things that are eaten (peas) even if she won't eat other things on the plate (like chicken), and I might offer an extra thing like a yogurt or some blueberries if she hasn't otherwise eaten much.

 

[shinona]

I wouldn't offer a whole other meal but I would offer fruit and yoghurt x

 

[_jellybean_]

Hi. We keep offering...dh read something that said that it takes a lot of times (offering food) before they will taste it/like it, so we keep offering.

We always make sure they have two veggies with dinner and always make sure they have something we know they will eat...you asked about being okay with them being a bit hungry. I'm not okay with that b/c I'd feel too guilty! So they usually have some pasta or a couple of chicken nuggets (you can buy frozen ones that are really healthy) or some whole wheat pizza or something like that.

Also wanted to let you know there's a great toddler section here:
https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/toddler-pre-school/

 

[Googiepie]

My daughter is 17 months and like yours is hit and miss with food. I make one meal and if she doesn't eat, she has to wait until the next meal. I used to get so frustrated and worried, but ever since ive started doing it like this Shes been eating a lot better.

 

[Mrs HM]

My DD is 10 months and will eat most anything, but my DS is 3 and he is and always has been quite fussy. I try not to let it annoy me but it can be upsetting when he won't even try something I've made for him. Like the others, I try to make sure there's one thing on his plate that he likes when I'm intorducing new food, but sometimes he'll just pick at even his favourites. If he hasn't eaten well he'll ask and be given a banana at bedtime. In my experience, he's just fussy and unadventurous with food. He doesn't really enjoy it like I do and eats for energy which is like his dad. I'm hoping he'll get better with age but we all know fussy eaters as adults so maybe not!

 

[smileyfaces]

Offer it again another day, dont give up assuming he doesnt like it. And no I wouldnt offer anything else, if mine dont eat what they are given they will not get an alternative meal, just perhaps a piece of fruit or something small. If you offer a different meal instead then they will continue to refuse food if it doesnt take their fancy.