Not eating dinner

tazmm18 · January 2014

DS is 18 months old and doesn't really eat dinner. He has always been a good eater at daycare. He eats everything that is served and even sometimes has 2 and 3 helpings. He also eats anything they serve even if it is not popular with the other kids. But when it comes to home he is not a very good eater. No matter what it is we have for dinner he has no interest. He will take like 2 bites and say he is done. Even on the weekends he never really eats a real meal but rather grazes throughout the day. He will have a cheesestick here, fruit there and some yogurt or something. He does always eat breakfast though.

I am wondering if it is just that at daycare there are set times for eating and that is only when the food is available whereas at home the kitchen is always available. Or he eats so much throughout the day that he isn't hungry after that. It doesn't seem to be affecting him as he is healthy weight but it bothers me since it doesn't seem normal. Anyone else have this experience or advice?

GrantHenson · January 2014

I wouldnt worry about it. My little girl is the same and from what I read it is a more instinctual way for them to eat.

LSU628 · January 2014

Any possibility that by the time dinner rolls around he is tired? DS eats way less, if anything at all, if he is tired and cranky.

ELF4321 · January 2014

If he isn't waking up hungry at night, he's probably eating enough during the day.

ASmallWonder · January 2014

Like Lala said, dinner is the least eaten meal of the day for toddlers. Plus at daycare he's got the monkey see, monkey do thing going on. They often eat better when their peers are eating. Don't look at his diet in terms of each meal or even each day but as an overall idea of what he eats.

chefnicole22 · January 2014

My DD is doing the same thing. She eats everything at daycare, usually with second helpings, then when she comes home she just doesn't want to eat. She'll take a few bites at dinner, then she's done. She doesn't usually wake up hungry. Even for breakfast she likes to be awake for at least an hour before she will eat.

I think it's crazy that she eats everything at daycare, even her veggies, but if I give her anything green at home she refuses it. At least she eats it there...I guess like what PP said, it's because she sees other kids doing it.

Aurora_Borealis · January 2014

It sounds like you have a very normal toddler. Most kiddos that age eat very little for dinner.

DD is hit or miss with dinner. Sometimes she'll eat a full meal, others she takes 2 bites and says 'all done.' I don't worry about it since I know she eats well at breakfast and lunch.

rsideemd · January 2014

Our pediatrician said as long as DD is eating one good meal a day, then there's no reason to worry. But if you're really worried about it, she suggested giving DD one of the Pediasure drinks. It's completely normal to skip meals or only eat a few bites.

tazmm18 · January 2014

Thanks everyone. I feel so much better hearing that this is normal and others are experiencing it too. He never wakes at night so he must not be hungry.

Caseyk1127 · January 2014

This is my son exactly ... He eats 4 servings of each meal at daycare. At home just in the last month he's stopped eating. The only difference is we don't allow grazing and he eats the approximate same times on weekends as he foes at school. I figure it's just a phase and he won't starve himself.

zbeesma86 · January 2014

DD usually eats a 2 big meals then a small one. Just depends. Sometimes she eats a small breakfast and a good lunch and dinner. It's always different.

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