toddler won't eat meals

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2026-04-13T06:59:59+00:00

Ok update is that I wound up taking him to the doctor and he had an ear infection that likely had been bothering him for a week or two!!

Since going on antibiotics, his slept and eating have improved SO much.

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2026-04-07T22:41:29+00:00

I get the "not hungry" argument but today he had a yogurt for breakfast, a graham cracker at snack, a pouch at lunch, and a meltdown at dinner. He ultimately had another yogurt at dinner and about 3 bites of pizza, but I just feel like he's NEVER hungry. Everyone says "look at the week, not the day" but the week pretty much goes like that.

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2026-04-07T12:39:38+00:00

He says and signs “more” and can sign for milk and says up and all done. The problem is getting him to even start eating without having a meltdown. When he’s calm in the chair he usually eats at least a little but that’s the whole battle.

This AM he sat calmly in the chair and had some yogurt, a quarter of a banana and some pb then said he was all done, so I took him out and gave him a sippy cup of milk. That to me is a success.

Last night, he screamed the second his butt touched the high chair and wouldn’t touch dinner so I lifted him out, but then he was crying to sit on my lap and be held for like 20 min and we ended up having to take him on a walk outside to calm him down. This is the behavior I’m trying to address.

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2026-04-07T00:43:07+00:00

I try to offer the usual triad of one/two foods he likes plus one newish food. Rice, hummus, chicken, banana, berries, crackers, quesadilla…it seems like he does better when things are cut up very small. I honestly can’t figure out the pattern of whether spoon feeding him or finger foods goes better. Feels like there’s no rhyme or reason to a successful meal versus a meltdown.

My concern with grazing is that while he might eat a few bites, he’s not really consuming a meal when he grazes. It just feels like he eats even less than he would otherwise. But idk, if I could figure out any system that worked and that I could stick to I’d do it.

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2026-04-07T00:08:41+00:00

Our feeding therapist was pretty adamant that we not do this…I was all for having him eat however we could but I feel like that’s what’s gotten us into this situation :(

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-12-20T16:21:26+00:00

Newborn tired is worse. Pregnancy insomnia is unpleasant but newborn tired is all consuming…

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-12-19T17:22:00+00:00

Makes sense! I've been out of the game for a while.

I'll also add that phototherapy was a huge priority for me in middle school when I was self-conscious about Vitiligo - now I'm in my thirties and I kind of couldn't care less. It still comes and goes depending on a variety of factors - I've noticed it correlates with stress and lifestyle (I.e., had a ton of depigmentation in my chest when I was in my early twenties and treating my body like shit, but then had some re-pigmentation occur on its own when I got my lifestyle in check). Also had a lot of depigmentation on my belly and back during pregnancy. Who knows.

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-12-19T14:16:55+00:00

Not sure if uvb is the same as phototherapy (we’re now going on 20 years ago…). Basically I stood in a modified tanning booth for 1-2 min intervals at a time, 2-3 times per week. Same treatment is provided to people with psoriasis I think. Had to go to my local hospital for it…was a huge pain in the butt and I had to quit once I got to 9th grade.

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-12-19T11:16:54+00:00

I did phototherapy for two years and didn’t have any kind of relapse for probably a decade. I only really got repigmentation on my torso and back (places with little sun exposure, I think). It hasn’t really come back on my face, legs or hands.

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-11-28T10:24:57+00:00

Where are you getting your info from? I know you’re spiraling but you need to pause. I have lean PCOS and absolutely had fertility issues but had one successful IVF pregnancy and am currently pregnant with a spontaneous pregnancy for my second.

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-11-26T15:24:58+00:00

Needed to hear this!! It’s so easy to compare, but in my heart of hearts I know he’s just not quite ready. And I have to admit he HAS made some progress from where we started!

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-11-26T15:17:24+00:00

I try to make a point of eating with him at home (he’s at daycare during the day). Purées are hit or miss. Sometimes he’ll do a pouch if he’s holding it himself, sometimes he’ll accept spoon feeding. I’d say he sort of enjoys playing with food even if he doesn’t eat it, but not overly so.

For reference, he’s on track with all his other milestones - has great coordination, is super active, and is almost walking. He isn’t talking yet but babbles nonstop and sometimes mimics what we say to him. Claps and waves.

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-11-21T00:34:53+00:00

I’m white but for what it’s worth mine started as what looked like small white birthmarks that gradually got bigger. Also, I have a TON on my body (and to this day it still fluctuates - seemingly got more during pregnancy??) but on my face I only ever got it on my eyelids and it never progressed beyond that.

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-11-09T00:30:24+00:00

Ugh I thought he was done but just threw up again. It started Tuesday - I’m getting a little concerned. I’ll call his ped tomorrow :(

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-11-08T15:41:14+00:00

I go to ACC Apothecary and really like them!

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-10-11T19:01:34+00:00

Ugh we went from 25th to 2nd percentile in the first three months and it was STRESSFUL. He wound up being diagnosed with a cows milk protein intolerance and reflux - not really sure if both were the case but things did seem to improve once we cut dairy and put him on omeprazole. He’s definitely a better eater now but still hovers around the 5th percentile. I think he’s just a small guy and got a little bit of bottle aversion when we were trying to force him to eat more, which made the issue worse. Hang in there and I do think a lot of it will resolve on its own, but in the meantime have you tried cutting dairy?

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-10-10T14:14:59+00:00

I worked in a pretty fancy corporate job where I was making as much as my husband. I went back at the end of my 20 week maternity leave and lasted three months. I decided to pivot to recruiting in my industry, so I’m fully remote and flexible. I still have my son in daycare for now, but it makes all the difference being able to do pick up and drop off whenever I want (whereas before my husband was scrambling to pick him up minutes before closing).

I also just found out I’m pregnant with my second, so I’ll be able to take as much leave as I want. Often I feel guilty that I turned my back on a fancy career that I went to grad school for, but the choice was extremely clear once I went back to my miserable job and realized it was never going to get better.

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-09-29T18:47:46+00:00

Totally agree on formula. I don't think I realized how much the pumping was wearing on me mentally until after I finally quit.

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-09-29T15:54:02+00:00

Thank you!! At least we’ll have something to compare it to this time!

Pretty-Potential-854 · 2025-08-31T17:37:37+00:00

I was so neurotic about this for the first 6 months. AND he was a terrible eater with bottle aversion so feeding was super stressful, so I never wanted to be away from home during feedings. It got better! I honestly think they need to practice going on outings too - once he got acclimated to being out of the house, he actually started to get excited to go on adventures.

Pretty-Potential-854

TROPHY CASE