How to improve slowwww eating in a toddler. Not picky eating.
My 3.5 y/o daughter is the slowest eater on this planet. Dinner can take 1.5hrs… with constant encouragement. And she doesn’t even finish most nights. She’s not very picky. It’s not due to taste. It seems like lack of hunger/interest. Maybe control? But she’s actually a very calm, agreeable kid in every other situation.
She will eat at reasonable pace only if she has missed the previous meal. She does have low iron 12 (up from 6). So I would really like to increase her food consumption. She’s 32-33lbs. She’s slim but chubby cheaks and healthy in appearance.
We have tried a visual timer. We have tried just ignoring it and if she doesn’t eat she goes to bed hungry. We tried bribes with dessert. We’ve yelled and done all the wrong things too… the timer worked for a week or so.. kinda.
Help. Dinner time is a nightmare. Would love to have a meal without someone being grumpy as hell. Or it ending in tears.