Toddlers refuse meals and bath without specific toys present

“Over the summer we spent fours days with my family. Our youngest (3 y.o boy) was not a picky eater at all before the trip. Sometimes it would take some convincing to start eating, but once he got going he was a machine. We used to joke about it. But in those four days I foolishly let my mom be grandma and give him something else if he wouldn't eat what was made. Almost four months later and every single dinner is a fight. No matter what we make he wants something else. Our old standard for n”

“My LO turns 1 in 2 weeks and I’m struggling with solids. It’s food he’s liked that he’s eaten before, but suddenly every way I try to feed it is wrong. If I put it in a plate, he flips the plate (suction does not help) If I hold the plate, he gets frustrated and hits the plate. If I put it in a spoon, he picks it up off the spoon and drops it, then eats empty spoon. If I put pieces on his high chair tray, he windshield wipers with his arms. This is most foods; noodles, cottage cheese, meatballs…”

“5yo wants her food hot, 2yo wants it cold, always and no matter the food. We have to heat up pasta, oatmeal, fish etc. in secret and then bring it to the right temperature for the 2yo by adding cold milk, water or waiting for it to cool down. 5yo likes a hot bath, 2yo prefers cold water. 5yo loves drinking cold water with ice cubes, 2yo wants it room-temperature. 5yo wants the AC even though it's fall, hates wearing PJs. This isn't a big deal, but it's such a silly everyday puzzle to”

“Just as the title reads. I have a 14 month old who is generally growing exceedingly well and has reached milestones. No issues with overall health or development. Drinks milk daily BUT some days, eating solids is NOT a top 5 thing to do. I feel like some days could easily be most days. Grant it, teeth are coming in. The bottom 4 each side.. I feel like I’m failing in this department 😩😭 Please tell me I’m not the only parent experiencing this. Are you going through this or have gone through thi”

“She is using sign language to ask to "eat" and then "more" but as soon as I give her anything she throws it almost immediately. She might take a tiny nibble. Then tosses it. She is sick, and getting her molars. I'm just so frustrated and worried she's not eating enough. She will not dri k cows milk or breast milk (except from the breast) but I am also sick and not producing much right now. Foods we have tried which they are all foods she has previously loved: Blueberr”

“While my son was defying me as I’m trying to tell him to eat his food, I get impatient with him and warn him if he’s not going to eat we’re not going to let him have dessert. He gets mad at me and I tell him it’s his fault for not eating. And that’s when he says “you’re stupid” in that quiet but sure way looking me straight in the eyes. I was perplexed. I was still mad but building up inside me was a smile and laughter. I had to look away. Then my wife laughs. submitted by /u/CBRyder”

“Solids are not going well for us. She is only accepting food being hand fed small bites or bites off an adult spoon and in the last few days she has started leaving bites of food in her mouth for like 10 minutes. She will refuse water/bottle during that as well so I can’t get her to swallow it. Anytime I put a piece of food on her high chair tray she just throws it off. She understands “no”, but has 0 interest in putting it in her mouth. This isn’t exactly a new problem. Ever since she was like”

“My toddler, almost 4 years old, is a glacially slow eater. The approaching cold death of the universe is almost faster than my toddler at dinner, even with foods that she really likes. It's usually 7 or 8 repeats from both my wife and I of "take a bite" before she takes one attempt at a bite. Any meal time can easily take 2-3 hours, if we insist that she eats enough. I'm at a loss. Do we call it at 45 minutes (or whenever my wife and I are done eating) and let her starve? Do we”

“My 2.5 yo daughter was baby-lead weaned, she picked up using cutlery fairly quickly (just a spoon) and then moved onto using the fork to pick things up. However since she has turned 2, she will eat one or two spoonfuls/forkfuls of food and then use her hands. And she will use them like shovels! Fistfuls of food, shoving it her mouth until she literally can't chew - this could be rice, pasta, sausages, chicken.. you name it. She also has the tendancy to mess about with her food too. Gravy din”

“My toddler is personally a little menace with it comes to him eating something different. He only willingly eats: Chicken nuggets, sliced up hot dogs, milk, carrots, chips and candy 🫩 We introduced plenty of foods to him when he was a baby, but he’s been outright refusing anything new. Continues to say it’s “yucky”. We used to be subscribed to Little Spoon, until he again, stopped eating majority of the items in there. I’ve even tried offering things I personally am eating to see if he wants th”

“My son is 14 months old and started daycare yesterday. Both yesterday and today he did not want to eat what they have there which are things he normally eats at home, but he did drink milk yesterday and some snacks and he ate bread and cheese that i brought from home for lunch with fruits today. He is also drinking water and milk normally while he is there. I'm assuming not wanting to eat is normal because it is a new environment, but does anyone go through the same thing? How long did your”

“I have 2 toddlers and I am struggling with food and what to feed them for lunch and dinner. Thankfully, I introduced them to veggies very early on so they have no problem eating greens like Brocoli and avocado. My daughter eats avocado every day. But, lately, they have been getting tired of the same lunch and foods. For my older toddler he has peanut butter and jelly for lunch and isn’t complaining but I need some ideas for snacks. We do cucumbers, goldfish, veggie straws, yogurt, and apple sauc”

“My 1 year old can’t stand anything going near his mouth. He actively pushes away spoons, sippy cups, etc. and even covers his face if his hands can’t stop the food. Maybe, on rare occasion, he’ll eat a couple of spoonfuls willingly, but nothing more and it’s unpredictable. He cannot eat a full meal and he cannot have multiple meals a day. He’s still on formula as a result - the only things he’ll let near his mouth are his bottle and pacifier. We have let him play with food for months - he never”

“My son is 3 and claims to be hungry all day! Today he has eaten all his breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack and it is now 4pm so i am asking him to wait an hour until dinner. In between all of these meals he says “I’m hungry”10+ times. Sometimes I offer him more of what he has just had and sometimes I straight up say no you can wait until the next meal time as I just don’t believe he can actually be hungry! Do you think he can really be hungry all day? He would eat all day”

“Son is 14 months now. Recently he’s getting picky with his meals. Sometimes he’ll try a bite if it’s something new, and then start refusing it after a few bites. Sometimes he just straight up swats it away without trying. Obviously the mom in me wants to then give him something I know he’ll eat, so he’s not ‘starving’ (I know he’s not actually) but here’s the problem. My husband seems to think that this is ‘giving in’ and letting him ‘win’ and if we keep giving him whatever he wants after refusi”

“Example: he tells me he’s all done with dinner a bunch of times. I say okay bud! Time to clean up. We get out of booster seat, clean up, I put his plate in the sink / throw in trash and he suddenly wants “MOREEEE!!” And tantrum. Not just this but in any aspect. Wants to go inside. Sure no problem! Starts cleaning up to go inside. “NO STAY OUTSIDE!!!” Annnnd tantrum. How do you navigate this? Some situations im ok (such as: food still on plate, of course you can have more if still hungry, but if”

“My boy is 20 months and has gotten pretty defiant about most things, which I know is totally normal. I’m just not entirely sure on how to approach him not eating dinner. After letting him sit in his high chair while we finish eating, should I immediately make him something he will eat? I don’t want it to become a habit of him just not eating dinner cause he wants something else. I was a very picky eater but I don’t remember how my parents handled me not wanting what they made. What is your appro”

“Should I be annoyed or impressed by his resourcefulness? I spent some time this morning making my 2yr old son some scrambled eggs, toast with butter, bacon strips, and his favorite juice. This little jerk hasn't touched it, and is instead digging cracker crumbs out of the couch cushion (that I did not know he put there...) and shoveling them down. I thought he ate those crackers last night as a snack. I guess he stowed then away knowing he'd want them in the morning. Kids are weird, man.”

“When it comes to bath time or mealtime, my son always needs to have his favourite things with him. Last week, it was all about dinosaurs. We would say, “Hey buddy, it’s time for dinner,” and he would yell, “Wait! I need T-Rex!” Then he would show up at the table carrying five dinosaurs. This week, he’s completely focused on farm animals. Bath time cannot begin until all his animals are there with him. It’s fun and adorable, but also so much work—especially because my daughter is the complete opp”

“Mealtimes have always taken place in the same areas, around the same times, and with the same expectations, but our toddler can’t seem to accept not being handed their food directly. For example, if I pull something out and it needs to be reheated, they’re upset when it goes in the microwave whereas, if I’d just served it to them cold, they’d be fine. Another example, say they’ve asked for more but something has to be cut up, they’re upset while it gets cut up but would be totally fine receiving”