https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 02 Jul 2026 09:53:30 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357089 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 13:38:21 +0000 yoursilverlining 2357089@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The peer pressure of daycare helps a lot of things - eating included. If LO sees a friend eating something, she'll eat it too, happily! - even if it's something she won't eat at home. Food is also easy for them to control, and can be especially fun as a manipulative tool if it gets a reaction out of you, or if you'll always break and give her what she wants when she holds out long enough. Kids are smart, kids are jerks :silly: </p> <p>If LO won't eat at home, I don't make a big deal out of it and I don't let her have dessert or any snack before bed when she realizes she is hungry, because that reinforces that my rules don't need to be followed and that I can easily be played. One thing that works to get LO to eat is to cease all activity upon her "being done": I'll say, "ok looks like it's bedtime then since you're done. Let's go to bed then" and stand up and go to get her plate. 95% of the time, she'll eat immediately, in order to be able to stay up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357080 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 13:24:17 +0000 Bubbles 2357080@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't have any advice but can commiserate, my LO eats a bit of a wider variety of foods at home but will not eat anything new ever - wherever or whoever he is with. I feel like I am doing all the right things but nothing seems to help! Mostly I stay very chilled out about it but sometimes it is SO frustrating and really gets to me. I usually stick to offering him leftovers of mine and DHs diner when he's not getting his favourites, so at least I haven't gone through the trouble of cooking something extra! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357078 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 13:22:49 +0000 lavender 2357078@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>That was my older DD and now younger DD (who's 22 months). I don't worry about it, because she's eating well at daycare and eventually they will eat when they get hungry. My older daughter was like this from 20 months till about 3 1/2, she's just starting to eat all her meals at home! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357070 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 13:18:03 +0000 Mamasig 2357070@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS1 is like this. I'm told he eats great at daycare. But at home, just yogurt, fruit, chicken nuggets, and French fries. Very rarely will he eat what we eat. I don't like it, but I also don't want every dinner to be a battle. I just think he'll grow out of it. I mean most teenage boys eat tons, right? Also, he's growing fine so it's not hurting him. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357062 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 13:05:56 +0000 Kemma 2357062@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So i read somewhere that toddlers and small children only have three things they can control - eating, toileting and sleeping - so maybe this is E's way of asserting her "authority"? And without meaning to sound horrible, is it possible that it's her way of getting your undivided attention and she enjoys your reaction?</p> <p>I think you probably need to be consistent and set out some new rules for eating, explain them and stick to them. You know she's eating ok away from the house so you might just need to tough it out for a week or two and be consistent until she gets it. Janet Lansbury has a really good podcast about it that you might find helpful! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357059 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 13:03:56 +0000 Applesandbananas 2357059@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: I felt like crap for awhile but once I realized that he eats 10 really balanced, excellent meals per week at daycare, and that I'm not feeling him complete and utter garbage at home (he eats a ton of fresh fruit), I got over it. He's healthy and hopefully he gets over his unwillingness to eat other stuff. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357051 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 12:50:07 +0000 Cherrybee 2357051@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Well.... if it wasn't for E, *I* wouldn't be eating breakfast (I've always skipped it) and lunch would just be a bit of toast or a supermarket pre packed sandwich. The healthy food is in aid of her! I only cook dinner because DH likes to eat a meal every night but he isn't home until 6pm and that's the start of E's bedtime wind -down. So we usually eat after she has gone to bed. We could eat earlier at the weekends but its such an unpleasant experience with E (she cries to get down from the table and if we let her she misbehaves - takes her nappy off or jumps on the sofa - until we give up eating too. </p> <p>Oh, by the way, she will eat fast food in the house or take away. Its just food I've cooked that's a problem. But she wont eat tinned food or ready meals I've heated at home..... *shrugs* </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357032 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 12:29:38 +0000 Foodnerd81 2357032@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: can you just stop making food just for her and only offer what you guys are eating? If she's not going to eat it anyway... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357029 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 12:27:43 +0000 Cherrybee 2357029@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Applesandbananas: Me neither, I guess. I just feel like a piece of crap feeding her the same throw-it-in-the-oven rubbish. Especially since my SIL makes all her own toddler food and my in inlaws come back with tales of how much food E's (younger) cousin eats and what a wide variety. "Ooh, avocados! She LOVES avocados". Yeah, well, she would, wouldn't she. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357024 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 12:19:37 +0000 Applesandbananas 2357024@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: my LO eats like a champ at daycare but turns his nose up at home, most of the time, to all but chicken nuggets, yogurt, and pouches. I know he's eating a bigger variety elsewhere, so at this point, I humor him. I always offer a bit of what we're eating in addition to his go-tos. Weekends are a bit frustrating in this regard, but it's not a hill I want to die on, you know? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357016 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 12:11:59 +0000 Cherrybee 2357016@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: The worst bit is I hate cooking, I hate cleaning up afterwards and I really hate planning our lives around food. Its bad enough that I have to think of meals for DH and I to eat, but having to think of things to feed E as well drives me nuts. The temptation to let her eat nothing but oven chips (fries) is so strong but I know its the wrong thing to do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357012 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 12:06:58 +0000 Foodnerd81 2357012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree it's best not to make a big deal about it. But I also think it must be so annoying for you! It would drive me insane even if I knew she was eating enough elsewhere. Sorry you are still dealing with this. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2357003 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 12:00:34 +0000 Cherrybee 2357003@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catomd00: She's 2 and 4 months. I don't really mind that she doesn't eat in the evenings but weekends drive me nuts. </p> <p>I've dealt with this for nearly two years, you think Id be used to it. But today it has made me crazy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2356998 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 11:54:26 +0000 catomd00 2356998@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't make a big deal about it if she's eating fine throughout the day elsewhere. I'd be consistent about offering what everyone else is having and if she chooses not to eat it, so be it. When she's hungry enough she will eat. How old is she? It's pretty common for toddlers to eat small dinners if anything at all. My 20 month old does the same thing. We know she's eating well during the day so we just don't worry about it. She doesn't get unhealthy snacks or treats though if she doesn't eat . </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-wont-my-child-eat-home-cooked-food#post-2356994 Sun, 15 Nov 2015 11:50:42 +0000 Cherrybee 2356994@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>She eats everything at nursery, apparently. Pasta Bolognese, fish pie, bean casserole, fruit sticks, wraps..... She eats fine at my inlaws - toast (she butters it herself), veggies, roast meat, home made fish cakes, fruit &amp; custard.....She will eat if we take her to a restaurant - huge portions. We just recently returned from two weeks in an all inclusive resort and she ate well there. </p> <p>But, at home, she only thing she will eat is chips (potato fries) and cake. This has been the case since she started solids. </p> <p>We've tried all eating as a family, letting her sit on a big chair, buying her her own little table, letting her eat in front of the TV - nothing works. </p> <p>Its really getting to me. I just cooked her some pasta and veggies in tomato sauce and she wouldn't even try it. So far today, she has refused breakfast, eaten two jam sandwiches (at a birthday party) and has now refused dinner. </p> <p>What am I doing wrong?? </p>