I have a 2 1/2 year old in my care who does this at times. He's usually a really good eater but there are times when he just refuses. I think it's totally a control issue with him because those are usually the days that his behavior is horrible too. I put the meal in front of him and tell him to eat. If he refuses or says he is done I tell him again to eat. If he just sits there I give him about 5 minutes then I take the food and send him on to the next part of our routine (playtime, nap, etc). I don't try to force him to eat but I don't make anything else and he gets nothing else until the next meal/snack time. On those days he also gets nothing junky or sweet to eat. My routine for kids his age are milk for breakfast, water for lunch and in between and he can have milk at snack time if he asks for it. If he doesn't ask he gets water then too. No juice and no flavored milks here either.

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