Is it normal that my child hardly seems to eat anything?

While it may seem that your child is not eating nearly enough to sustain his or her growth, it’s actually quite normal for preschoolers to have trouble sitting still for meals, or to be very fussy about what they will eat.

The best indication of whether your child is eating enough is his or her health and growth. If your child is growing normally, and not having any health problems, then there’s probably nothing to worry about.

If you’re thinking of trying to force your child to eat, don’t. This can make the situation worse, and in most cases, the more you try to force your child to eat, the less he or she will.

Rather offer your child a wide variety of healthy food options, and let him or her decide what to eat. Make sure you’re setting a good example by eating a healthy diet too, and your child should follow suit. It’s been proven, in fact, that left to their own devices, most children will eat enough to keep them happy and healthy, so your intervention is not really necessary.

If you’re worried that your child isn’t eating the right foods, then keep a food diary for a week, and review it. You may find that there are a few changes you can make, to snacks and meals, that will make your child’s diet healthy, or you could try adding a children’s multivitamin to your child’s diet just in case.

However, unless your child is sick, or not growing properly, there’s very little cause for concern, and you don’t need to involve your doctor.