3 year old not eating

[numnum]

Just a bit of advice on what you do with your fussy eaters??

My 3 year old seems to have gone off everything.

At the moment I've decided to not make a fuss and not let meal times drag for hours. if she doesn't eat she doesnt get pudding also I've stopped daytime snacks and treats in between meals. I'm also limiting the amount of liquid she gets before meals and with meals. It doesn't seem to be working

Even things she loved like a digestive biscuit she'll keep in her mouth and wont swallow. I gave her grapes which she loves and she sucked out the middle and spat the skins out

I'm worried she's getting a phobia of chocking. SHe keeps putting the smallest amount of food in her mouth adn starts saying shes chocking, when she's clearly not, but I'm going to keep an eye on her eating patterns

[grasscarp]

I wouldnt go down the route of if she doesnt eat she doesnt get pudding. If she eats pudding why not let her eat it. Also why limit snacks and liquid. This is not a battle of wills it is a child and if she is a bit faddy right now withholding food is not going to cure it. I would just carry on more or less as before, and if she doesnt eat one thing offer something a bit different next time.

[ummmm]

How many adults do you know that don't eat food? It's a phase...

My daughter lived on ham, cucumber and yoghurt, for about a year at that age. She eats everything now...

She'll be 20 soon :-)

[ummmm]

I don't agree with Grass...

[grasscarp]

What dont you agree with ummmm. I have brought up children and if they didnt eat one thing they ate another. I was trying to say not to punish or withhold things at age 3.

[FredPuli43]

Don't think the advice has changed since my mother's day, in the 1950s. The old Scottish doctor, a spit for Dr Finlay of fiction, took a brief look at the infant and said to her "Stop your worrying. There's nothing wrong with the bairn. He's not going to starve himself to death!"
And so it proved.

[ummmm]

Offer something else and they'll think they have an option.

[ladybirder]

As long as you don't do what my mother did to me which was what I didn't eat at one meal would be served up cold, at the next. And numnum if I didn't eat my dinner I certainly didn't get any pudding.
Thank goodness I never had fussy eaters. Mine ate what was put in front of them.

[grasscarp]

OK ummmm. I am not going to argue but if you got it down to ham cucumber and yogurt I am sure that is not all that you were offering!

[DaisyNonna]

Offer something else? OK if you can afford the time and the money.

[micmak]

When my son was about 3 he refused to eat anything but crisps. I spoke to the doctor about this. He said, You eat everything he use to like then give him a plate of crisps. Don't offer him your food, just crisps. He also said it won't last longer than a week. It lasted 3 days.

[mandy22]

if this has been a sudden change could she have a sore throat?? may be it hurts to swallow?

[I.Don No]

it's always a good idea to keep an eye or two on situations like this but always remember that a healthy child will nor starve itself.

[China Doll]

In my household it was eat it or go hungry.... there were allowances made for food that it was known we really didn't like (middle sister didn't like cheese and I hated mash to the point it made me cry if I had to eat it) but otherwise it was like it or lump it. We're all older and eat most things now.... although I will still cry if you try and give me mash! :c)

[tamirra]

My grand daughter is now 4 he has ever had a proper meal, she was under the hospital for reflux as a baby and being under weight, the dietican told us to give her what she wants when she wants it, and to fry as much food as possible to get the fat onto her, the only foods she will eat is Mc Donalds, KFC and onion rings, along with omelettes, toast, tomato soup, spaghetti in tomato sauce, thats it, she weighs just over 4 stone, and she is as happy as larry, although we do give her vitamins, so dont worry she/he wont starve. x

[tigwig]

Sounds like she is attention seeking to me and wanting to be in control of the situation. Kids are very good at using food as a way of being in charge, mine excel at it! I would carry on making no fuss, praising her when she does it and just give her various healthy options. When my youngest doesnt eat a meal, I take it away and offer him fruit or another healthy snack later on instead. Some days it seems he hardly eats a thing but looking at the bigger picture over the week he nearly always makes up for it.

[Kassee]

This doesn't sound like a fussy eater - it sounds as though she has a fear of chocking. Has she watched anything on the telly about chocking - or has she chocked herself. Can she drink soup, or have yoghurt - she won't chock on that.

If she is doing the same, with food that she loves - I might ask the nurse or health visitor advise. But it is very wise not to make a fuss. Ask her why she thinks she will choke ?

Dr Finlay advise that "children don't starve themselves to death" is clearly untrue because we have anorexia where children clearly do just that. However, not at three years old. But this may be a fear of chocking.