Suggestions for getting a toddler to eat dinner

[~Kim~]

Skeetaboat, sounds like the average 2.5yo. And you guys sound like you're doing a great job.
I'm also not a fan of battles at dinner (shame DH is - meals are so much more peaceful with ihm on night shift).
Mine's a bit older than your little guy, but when she was smaller I offered an alternative, and it was never really planned - it was just what I had.
Now she's older, she knows if she doesn't try to eat some of what is offered she goes to bed without - no big deal though.
She tells us if she has had enough. I offer veges etc throughout the day too.
It's a stage of testing the boundaries - and no child will starve themselves.

[skeetaboat]

Thanks everyone for your advice and support. I feel much better about it all now. I will try dinner at lunch and stress less about the evening

It's so nice to have a place to come to for gentle parenting support and affirmation.

[Nelle]

Keep us posted on how you go.

[SammyRo]

DD is a fair bit younger, but we took part in a 2-step study on solids and nutrition (step 1 was around 5-6months and looked at starting solids, and step 2 was around 14mths, and looked at the toddler stages) Anyway, one of the key messages was "parent provides, child decides" So basically, if you're offering a healthy meal, and they don't want to eat, then don't stress - no child in a loving, caring family has become malnourished after not eating one meal. You might worry that its been a couple of nights that he's gone to bed with no dinner, but I'm sure he'll be fine! If he's really hungry, he'll eat, and by being consistent that there's no other option, he might only go another night or 2 and then start eating because he'll know that thats all he's getting! And don't forget that kids are a lot more in tune to their hungry/full signals - I know I'll eat because its lunch/dinner/afternoon tea time and that has nothing to do with whether I'm hungry, whereas DD will only eat when she's hungry.

I think the idea of a bigger meal at lunch might be good too.

[Nai]

I used to give DD1 a 'tasting plate' for dinner and she just ate what she wanted from it - I would do different things each day but there would be a selection of pasta, cheese, fruit, vegetables, chickpeas etc presented like an antipasto platter. She loved it but would choose to eat different things depending on what she felt like.

Now she loves 'helping' to cook dinner so involving her in the preparation also really helped her eat more - they are less likely to refuse something they have helped to make.