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Last night I posted a little before and after of dinner for my son. I’ll share it below for context:
That was dinner, and those few bites of cucumber was all that he ate. Nothing after the meal either!
I don’t think I’ve ever received quite so many likes, responses, or shares on a story. Ever!
For all the moms stressing about their littles not eating much for a meal, please know you are not alone. The most common response was something along the lines of “thank you for sharing – I always stress about how much my toddler eats but it’s good to know it’s normal.” SO SO many moms dealing with this. And yes, it IS normal! Appetites fluctuate. Teething + sickness can impact things. Etc. etc.
The second most common response was how do we handle this situation. It was too much to type out in a story, so I’m writing this little post up!
It varies a little, but this is my general strategy: if I’m serving something new or something questionable, I ALWAYS serve it along 1-2 safe items that he likes and usually eats. For this particular meal, the spaghetti with sauce was something I wasn’t sure he’d like/eat, and the cucumbers and strawberries were the safe foods. He has had spaghetti with sauce before and liked it, but I still knew it was questionable.
I gave him foods he likes and eats regularly, so I know that if he is saying he is all done, he’s truly just not hungry. I don’t offer other things myself.
Sometimes he will reject the entire meal/some of the meal and HE will ask for something else. He isn’t talking yet, so idk if he’s asking for something specifically. If he asks for something else though, I do give that to him, but in that case I am not preparing another meal I’m going for easy, quick, and nutritious. Fruit, veggies, or some healthy snack that is already prepared. If we’re all sitting and eating a meal, I’m not going to get up and take the time to prepare a whole new one for him, but I’ll grab something quick.
For me, it’s a balancing act of not wanting to create the habit that they can demand whatever they want, while also not letting them go hungry. You have to think about what you feel comfortable with and what works best for your family!
A lot of moms were stressing about their littles being hungry. My son, even though he is limited in speech so far, has no problem figuring out how to tell us he wants food. If yours can do the same, you have to trust they will let you know if they’re hungry 🙂
I just collaborated with Solid Starts (!!!) for their help on a very similar question. What do you do if your toddler refuses their meal, and immediately asks for a snack. This is their answer!
I hope this helps/gives you an idea of how to handle. IMO, there’s no right or wrong, just figuring out what works for you and your family. Good luck!
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