3 year old just never eats

6 answers /

Last post: 13/04/2023 at 7:46 pm

ALLI K(2)783480
Alli K(2)783480
10/04/2023 at 8:55 pm

I’m currently at my whits end with what’s currently going on.


my son was born a month before the first lockdown and everything was fine (apart from the world ending).

he had reflux but was fine once on solid food and my gosh he ATE WELL - that is until we all got covid in summer 2020 when he was 6 months old. He’s never eaten the same since. He has absolutely NO appetite in anything whatsoever unless it’s snacks and rubbish ones at that! I’ve tried making our own healthy snacks for him but he knows what a chocolate digestive is and he knows what he wants when he wants it!

I've tried repeatedly to explain to the doctors I cannot get him to eat a normal balanced and healthy diet but there response is always “no child has voluntarily starved themselves to death so he’ll be fine” and I’m so fed up.

he doesn’t like fruits no matter how I make them or whizz them up! He will only eat peas and sweetcorn in terms of vegetables and if eating a meal with rice we’re lucky if he has a mouthful. I’ve got him to cook with us but again at the end he refuses to eat with us.

he doesn’t eat at nursery unless it’s a biscuit and yogurt- never the main meal at lunch time! No matter what I cook or how I cook it he just literally eats a few biscuits and yogurt a day and that’s it!


he’s now been complaining daily of stomach pains and I’m terrified that’s physically he’s not an ok child due to never eating decent meals!


hes very much a snacky child and we’ve also tried to work that to our advantage and create smaller snack sized dinners that he can graze around but it absolutely never works. I’ve got an 11 year old daughter who never had any issues with eating so ofcourse this is beyond stressful! I love him so much I just want to make sure his little body gets all the nutrients it needs!


im sure covid messed him up - I think he can smell and taste but obviously I can’t be 100% sure as he’s only just now started to talk.


sorry for the rant

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GU C
gu c
11/04/2023 at 6:35 pm


Hi Alli,


We've moved your thread into our drop-in clinic - baby and child health board, so you can get the advice and support you need

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TRACEY B(344)
Tracey B(344)
12/04/2023 at 5:54 pm

Hello Alli


I can see you have tried many things to encourage your LO to eat. You have done well trying to improve things so far.


It is possible that COVID had some impact on him. Perhaps when he is older he will be more able to communicate his likes and dislikes better verbally so you will be able to work things out better with this understanding. This is something that will help I am sure.


I wonder if it is worth taking a step back here and trying to remove 'eating' the food out of the equation and perhaps look at food as a 'learning' idea.


If your son was involved in the shopping for, selection of and self scanning of it in the shops this may enhance his interest in food a bit more.


Getting him involved in the cooking of the food too will help. Allowing him to explore what it feels like, the textures, smells etc will help his sensory perception of foods as he becomes more familiar with them.


Eating and enjoying food is only part of it, so perhaps if you built on other ideas around food, his confidence and motivation to eat may naturally increase too? What do you think?


Have you had his growth and development assessed at all recently? If you haven't I would ask your HV for their support so they can check him over to ensure he is thriving within all of this. If he isn't then your HV could step in and perhaps decide if any onward referrals could be made to a Dietician etc who may be able to offer more support?


We do have quite a bit of information here that may also help. When you get chance look here:


https://www.netmums.com/child/how-to-deal-with-a-fussy-eater


Within this link there are also related articles that will also allow you to explore our information more that is on the same topic.


Do come back to chat more if you'd like to, we are here to help.


Best wishes


Tracey HV

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ALLI K(2)783480
Alli K(2)783480
12/04/2023 at 6:32 pm
In answer to
Tracey B(344)

Hello Alli


I can see you have tried many things to encourage your LO to eat. You have done well trying to improve things so far.


It is possible that COVID had some impact on him. Perhaps when he is older he will be more able to communicate his likes and dislikes better verbally so you will be able to work things out better with this understanding. This is something that will help I am sure.


I wonder if it is worth taking a step back here and trying to remove 'eating' the food out of the equation and perhaps look at food as a 'learning' idea.


If your son was involved in the shopping for, selection of and self scanning of it in the shops this may enhance his interest in food a bit more.


Getting him involved in the cooking of the food too will help. Allowing him to explore what it feels like, the textures, smells etc will help his sensory perception of foods as he becomes more familiar with them.


Eating and enjoying food is only part of it, so perhaps if you built on other ideas around food, his confidence and motivation to eat may naturally increase too? What do you think?


Have you had his growth and development assessed at all recently? If you haven't I would ask your HV for their support so they can check him over to ensure he is thriving within all of this. If he isn't then your HV could step in and perhaps decide if any onward referrals could be made to a Dietician etc who may be able to offer more support?


We do have quite a bit of information here that may also help. When you get chance look here:


https://www.netmums.com/child/how-to-deal-with-a-fussy-eater


Within this link there are also related articles that will also allow you to explore our information more that is on the same topic.


Do come back to chat more if you'd like to, we are here to help.


Best wishes


Tracey HV

Thank you for the reply!


I base my food shopping days around him so that he can always be with me and pick some items up and I speak to him about the different items, tastes and smells to try and engage him abit more with food. We also love cooking with him but he just has no interest once it comes to eating it!


he does have issues with his tonsils and ears (he needs his tonsils removed and grommets put in but that’s around a year wait at the moment) but I do think I’ll have to take a trip to my health visitor as I really feel I’ve exhausted everything I can possibly do to encourage him!

if it wasn’t for snacks he wouldn’t be eating at all but obviously we want him to have normal and better meals not just biscuits!

thank you again for the reply

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CHARLOTTE S(1155)
Charlotte S(1155)
13/04/2023 at 6:44 pm

My Ds is about the same age, rarely eats a meal and is the ultimate sweet tooth snacker.

So my advice is only around how I have managed to expand his diet.

Thankfully he has always loved fruit.

The game changer for us was a plate that had separate sections. Putting a couple of things that I know he likes and then a couple of other bits that he wouldn't normally choose. Mostly things he can pick up. He can use cutlery but I find he eats more when it's finger food.

Another thing that seems to work is leaving the room, still in ear shot just in case and poking my head round the corner. I think he could feel my anxiety around him eating.

Still not the diet I would like but better

I hope you find something that works for you both x

1
NIM(2)
NIM(2)
13/04/2023 at 7:46 pm

Hiya,


My boy will be 3 in August and I have a similar issue. It’s been made worse by the fact that he stays with family whilst I’m at work and if he’s refused his food, they go straight into giving him junk! It’s beyond frustrating.


Thankfully he likes his fruit, and cucumbers…although the HV advised being conscious of the sugar content in fruits.


We are pressed for space and my children were not eating at a table. However, I have now managed to create a small space and so my children (three of them) sit at the table and eat together. It doesn’t work all the time but it has helped a bit and he does eat albeit usually small amounts.


My boy is growing and reaching his milestones so I’m not overly worried, but I know how you feel!


xx

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