A review by ecooper99
My Child Won't Eat!: How to Enjoy Mealtimes Without Worry by Carlos González

5.0

Ever since I failed miserably at breastfeeding, I’ve been immensely worried about starving my child. And I had good reason to be. For the first few days of her life, I did, unknowingly, starve her. So as she grew (and grew and grew and grew) on a diet of formula (to which we later added solids), I found myself anxious on those days when she didn’t eat as well as she’d eaten the day before — or as well as I’d have liked. I remember pleading with her to finish her bottle when she was just 3 months old, while she cried and turned her head and made it clear she just didn’t want any more. After reading this book, I’m confident I will never have those power struggles over food with her again. Does that mean I won’t worry when she eats less than I’d like? No. But it does mean that I’m going to let her choose how much she wants to eat. My job is to offer a variety of food. Hers is to select the food that appeals to her and eat as much as she chooses. Dr. Gonzalez makes it clear that babies and toddlers will not starve if they don’t eat much by our standards, and reminds us to follow our children’s lead, rather than forcing or cajoling them into eating what and how much we think is ‘optimal’.