A lot of toddlers have small appetites, don't enjoy mealtimes, and don't let anybody else enjoy them either. There are some physical reasons like a natural slowing down of growth in the second year, but the main reason is that the adult world is unrealistic and tactless. We give toddlers their favorite foods reluctantly as snacks, serve foods they like less at mealtimes, and then grumble because they reject the meals and bully for the snacks. Try offering those beloved french fries instead of potatoes sometimes, or some ice cream instead of dessert. Keep the more boring foods for between meal snacking. Your toddler can feed himself, and it's a big step toward better mealtimes if you stop trying to spoon in food he doesn't want. Let him use a spoon and his fingers, choose what he'll have on his plate out of whatever you plan for the meal, and eat exactly as much of it as he wants, and then get done. Don't make him eat foods he doesn't want. And don't persuade him into eating just a bit more. If you truly leave it to him, he'll have no grounds for a fight, and believe it or not, over time he'll select himself a perfectly reasonable diet! Don't take my word for it though, because I don't know your child. Start your "leave his eating to him" campaign with a check up from your pediatrician.
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