how do i get my 3 year old to eat?

hiya hun,

sorry i cant give you a good answer but heres a few ideas. 

but shes a good age to get her involved in choosing and making food, like pizzas/fruit salads, get her excited and make it all fun, as hard as it is try not too look to bothered and when she has 'finished' see if shell eat a little more if not let it go staying as calm as possible,

Id give your health visitors a ring, but as a general rule if shes happy and healthy her appetite should pick up soon my son seemed to eat next to nothing for a few weeks and then didnt stop eating for a fw days.

best of luck xxx

Hi

I have the same problem but my little girl is only 16 months she will have a bite of food then either run away or scream or holds her breath. she has tones of energy and is putting weight on but I can't understand how as she sometimes only has like half a weetabix the whole day.

I have been told by people it's her teeth or she's just being fussy just try her with new things and I feel so bad when she doesnt eat and im running out of new things to give her as her old favourites she won't eat. 

least i know my little girl isnt the only one who can survive of thin air then, Cheese was her favourite so as long as what i gave her had cheese on it , she would attempt it but now she has decided she hates cheese so im really stuck, all she will eat at the moment is ice cream and i know its a bad habit to let them get into, having sweet to replace savoury healthy meals but im getting a little desperate..

Clinics,families and health professionals just say she'll grow out of it and she will eat if shes hungry enough but this started just before her 1st birthday and shes now coming up to 4!

i Have been told her tonsals are big but theres nothing medical they can do, she'll just grow into them but im sure thats the problem as to why she hates eating so must..

its amazing how little they can survice on.  is she sleeping through the night?  if she is she's probably getting enough for her, like you say she has bags of energy so can't be starving. does she drink a lot of milk or juice? if she's drinking lots that could fill her up, so maybe try reduce amount? or offer her a drink after she's eaten so she's taken something

 hope you find something that works for her

Hi hun,I have a friend who's 3 boys hardly eat,she has seen a dietician and psycologist,they advised her to let her boys eat whatever they wanted! Which I thought was mental,but apparently the reasoning behind it is,if you make mealtimes an issue or a struggle you'd give them food phobias for life. One day 1 of her boys had half a petit flous yoghurt and she was distraught and rang the professionals-they said that was fine. Because he asked for it then said he was full. Sure enough next day he ate 2 of them.

I doubt they will ever eat'normally' but they've stopped gagging/retching and spitting stuff out at least.Must be a worry for you,have you asked to be referred?

I have the exact opposite problem-my lads are right pigs-they refuse nothing,but want more all the time,size of me and big man I'm not suprised tho ,Love food we do!

Hope all gets sorted Molly x

Hope you both get the help you need.

Glad someone's listening Molly.Sometimes it's like banging your head against a wall just to get the right people to take your concerns seriously.Who'd've thought a speech therapist though?

hi anna i had the same problem with my daughter at 2, she was at her worst with her eating and would wake up for up to 7 bottles of milk a night, i finally broke the habit when i got pregnant with my son as i just couldnt take gettin up and down all night, i  bought her a "special" beaker and through out the bottles, she had her milk while i read her story then i filled the beaker with water put it next to her bed and just refused to give her milk, i had a reward chart for successful nights it was REALLY hard but after just over a week of very sleepless nights she slept through! she is still a terrible eater but is amazing now at night, she likes goin to bed and i dont here a peep out of her till mornin.

hopefully she'll be a good eater soon to...