We are an Indian family living in Germany. My son is 4 years old and never liked eating. He does not have any favourite food. He has always been underweight and there has not been any underlying issue. He goes to German daycare and food is different and spiceless so we always have to make different meals for him. Secondly, since he hates food we always have to spoonfeed him to maintain his weight. He does eat my himself a little food with his friends in daycare. I am really tired of spoon feeding him. It takes 1 hour every evening to feed hum.Is there anyone who is on the same boat as me? When will such a child with no interest in food start eating by himself? And at what age i can stop making special meals for him?
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He may need intervention from outside sources at this point. I still occasionally feed my 2 when they are exhausted but they were in single month ashes when they stayed eating by themselves. They are nearly 3 and nearly 4
If he doesn’t have a favorite food why are you making special meals? Did he go through the “I do it myself” phase? At the daycare does he feed himself? Is it a retire thing? Feeding others in Indian culture is pretty common but how much emphasis and celebrating are you putting on him being a big boy and you can do it? I’m wondering if it’s just a habit that you need to break. Are you veg only? Many questions..
Hey I’m not sure but if he’s chronically underweight or it’s negatively affecting his health this may qualify for avoidant restrictive food intake disorder and could be a sign of sensory sensitivity to food. I’d consult a professional at this point. Check out myarfidlife on Instagram to see how this one girl handles her extreme arfid, you may get some tips there.
Have you tried putting him on your lap while you eat so he might get jealous of your food and then eat from your plate? Can you make a less spicy version of your traditional dishes. Because no offence but that weird meal you described serving him sounds off putting 😂 and I know Indian food tastes amazing. I’ve heard of mothers making like “baby” versions of their dishes with some spice but not as much. Plus he’ll get used to it eventually.
Can you get him involved in meal planning and prep? That might pique his interest.