Toddler appetite

It's fine if he chooses not to eat. Power struggles at this age are normal and trying to coerce or force him will make mealtimes a battleground. You just have to roll with it. Let him decide how much to eat, you decide what to give him and when.

One thing you can be firm on is trying the food. He doesn't have to like it. He doesn't have to eat it. But he does have to try it. We call this palate training - even if he just licks or sniffs it a few times, that's a win. You're creating exposure and familiarity and that's the goal.

You'll find this behaviour quite normal because kids are naturally neophobic (wary of new foods). It's like that feeling of being in an unfamiliar restaurant, where you don't recognise anything on the menu, and don't know what to order. It feels like that to kids, x100. It takes time, exposure, and patience to work through it until unfamiliar foods become familiar.

I should also add that an important part of this method is absolutely no substitutions. He doesn't want breakfast? That's fine, but he doesn't get to fill up on animal crackers all morning. He'll realize very quickly that not eating equals going hungry, and that hunger is actually an important factor in kids being willing to try new foods. It's important he comes to the table hungry, so try to limit snacking before meals by at least a couple of hours. And no switching out for more palatable meals if he doesn't eat, or he learns that refusing hard enough will get him something else.

Don't be afraid of giving "beige" foods like crackers for snacks, as a complement to the actual food though. These types of foods get a bad rap but often they are the most palatable for kids, and they're fine as long as they're not the bulk of his diet.