1. First of all, to be honest, why would you feed him? How much does the child need this and how much do you need it? What about the inner fear “My baby will be hungry”? Believe me, it won't. If a child is hungry, he eats. A healthy child will not starve for ideological reasons; this does not happen. It happens that the child does not feel like eating. If you don't want to, don't. If you want, you will eat. 2. If a child has no appetite, the parents’ task is not to stuff him with the required amount of food, but to work up his appetite. Exactly what to “work up” - in the air, physical activity, outdoor games, etc. If a child is sick, he doesn’t need a lot of food, the body is already weakened, and then there’s the extra food to digest. 3. The clean plate society is violence against the individual. Don't force your child to finish eating! Well, what do you need these 2 spoons of porridge? In adults with food addictions, the satiety signal does not work. People eat and eat and eat. If your child doesn’t want to finish eating, this signal still WORKS for him! And it turns off when the child clearly understands: I don’t want to eat, but my mother said I MUST. This means that we will turn off the internal signals as unnecessary. 4. Food cravings are possible if they are healthy. That is, if a child doesn’t eat eggs because he doesn’t like the taste, that’s one thing. If a child does not eat everything green because he does not like the color, this is overindulgence. It is difficult to accustom a child to “unloved” foods, but it is possible. First, give it a “just try.” Secondly, just give it a try in different versions (fried/baked). Thirdly, change the combinations (chicken and peas don’t go well, but they go great with potatoes). And fourthly, if nothing happens, then leave the child alone and try again after a while (in 6 months).5. Just because a child wants to eat is not a reason to feed him. Unexpected, right? But I am always for everyone to feel comfortable in the house - and not only for children, but also for parents. Of course, it’s not difficult to feed a child if he comes home from the yard hungry. What if there are three of them? And everyone will eat when it is convenient for them? What if they also clean up after themselves this way/that way, carelessly? Would this be convenient for you, as a mother? I personally don't. I believe that the child may well wait until the next meal and sit down at the table with everyone else. And nothing bad will happen. That is, if he did not want to have lunch at 12, then wait for afternoon tea (at 4). and not demanding soup at 2 o’clock is possible. An acceptable regimen for any healthy person over 1 year old is 4 times a day, tomorrow, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner. 6. Sometimes a child does not want to eat because he is thirsty. What we're talking about: children need water more than adults, but mothers sometimes forget to give them just water. Not juice, Fanta or anything else, but water. If your child is thirsty, give him water; firstly, it won’t kill his appetite, and secondly, it’s healthier. And compote AFTER a meal, like a dessert. 7. No snacks. Sometimes you look at mothers with their children - the child has an apple, a candy, or a carrot in his mouth. And juice and cookies. The child does not have time to just get hungry! Food is not a synonym for love, not a symbol of care. No one will tell you that you are a bad mother if you don't take a bag of snacks with you on an outing. No need. Best regards, Sofia Pimenova