2yr 8mth meal refusal. Its driving Me CRAZY.

[thirdtimemum]

My 2.5 yo will never eat our cooked meals at dinner. In fact he wont even attempt  to pick up his fork and even try his meal. No matter what I cook, whether it is his old faves, he just doesnt seem to have any interest at all, although he goes straight to pantry saying he is hungry???  I just dont understand.
 
 I hate not offering him some something else, so I normally cave and give him some yoghurt, custard or fruit, but I feel that is only teaching him he can get what he wants, so lately I have been sending him to bed with out anything (which is killing me).

He wakes really early in the morning (when it is still black outside) demanding breakfast straight away, and at times he has eaten up to 5 weetbix.

I am at a real loss at what to do, he eats cooked meals at child care not a problem, but when it comes to meals at home, he just won't.

HELP PLEASE
XOXO

[thirdtimemum]

In the last few months he has dropped his day sleep, although I am convinced he still needs one every 2nd/3rd day, but he does not want to know about it, until we need to go somewhere and is is asleep in the car within secs. Have tried to put him in his bed after he falls asleep but he wakes up very determined not to sleep, but at the same time if he has a sleep it is at least 9ish before he has settled to sleep at night???

Do u think this might be a factor???.. maybe he is just too tired by dinner time??

[Shiv52]

Tiredness definately could be a factor.  At that stage with my DD I used to give her her cooked meal at lunch time and then do more lunch type foods at dinner and that was much more successful.  Is that a possibility?

She is at nursery now so getting lunch at school so we're back to cooked dinners and she's not eating well at dinner at all again. 

What is his wake up and bedtime?

[thirdtimemum]

He goes to bed at 7 and awake 5.30/6.00. No matter what time he goes to bed he still wakes early.

Thanks 4 advice might give cooked lunch a try. Altho not sure how that will go. Have 3 children all still home. Days are pretty flat out lol. Will certainly try tho.