2 year old screams at mealtimes, refuses to eat

[nadja]

My son is 24 months old and has always been a good eater. Recently (the last few months or so) he has started having more and more episodes of getting really upset when it's meal tme. It was obvious to some extent that it was boring him, so we allowed him to take a book and read this while eating.

Things got better and he didn't even ask for the book much anymore. More recently however, especially at breakfast, he has become really angry and cries and refuses food, even though he is clearly hungry. We have tried ignoring it, talking to him, eating with him, playing with him, feeding him earlier/later etc. but he just gets more and more upset. The only thing that works at the moment is if I show him something on the ipad (like a fireengine driving around the block!!) at which point he just smiles and eats (I have to spoon feed him) until all the food is done. I feel like it might be a power game but not sure how to deal with it. If we don't give him any food he eventually melts down because he is so hungry, at which point he's even less likely to eat.
Anyone had a similar experience and how did you deal with it? Theo is generally a very happy boy and this is so unusual!

Thanks for your advice!
Nadja

[Hedgehog17]

Hi Nadja,

Does Theo have all his teeth yet, or is he still to cut his 2nd year molars? Teething these can cause a huge problem with eating as it can really hurt them to chew, even soft stuff  If teething is an issue, try giving pain meds 20 min before mealtimes.

It's not ideal to have to distract them with TV / books / iPad etc during meals as that can become a prop that you will struggle to get rid of later!

We have also found that DS wasn't making the connection between feeling hungry and needing to eat... it's obvious to us adults but it isn't to some toddlers  We've been really working on helping him to see the connection and it's helping. Last week he was getting so hungry and completely melting down to the point where I had to force a few spoons of mush into his mouth before he realised it was making him feel better - only had to do this on 2 separate occasions thank goodness, then he realised he needed to eat when he got hungry and upset 

Of course the main problem with toddlers is getting them to stop playing and come to the table... they can be much more interested in toys than food at this age, another one of those lovely developmental stages 

Don't worry too much about quantities eaten if his weight and height are stable and following his curve - they seem to be able to live on air! DS has for the last 3 months until the end of cutting his 2nd year molars, but has still managed to grow and need bigger clothes 

HTH