The kid won't eat without TV on.

Our little boy used to eat really poorly and was always quite thin. On the advice of the CB and pediatrician, when he was just over 1 year old, we stopped all the ‘tricks’ to get him to eat. With the idea that ‘he’ll get hungry eventually and then he’ll eat’. I found it really, really hard because he didn’t eat anything for the first two days, but then he started - without any tricks - to gradually eat better and better. He’s now 3 and still not a big eater, but he no longer needs any distractions. However, I would NEVER do this on my own without advice/support from the CB or doctor, so my advice: get help! Good luck!

Yeah, if you teach her other tricks, they'll always have to be there, and TV is now linked to eating. Even though she's skinny, it's still the hard way... Not fun, but otherwise she won't learn anything... She'll start eating on her own soon enough. Just make sure not to give her more snacks in between because you feel sorry for her, otherwise she'll still be full and it won't work.
Good luck!!!!

Thanks for the quick replies, ladies. I was already afraid, yes, that this is going to be the only way. But as you say, eventually she'll get so hungry that she'll have to. I'm really a softie when it comes to this, and my heart breaks when she's not happy.
But the longer this goes on, the harder it will be to wean her, I'm afraid.

Tomorrow I happen to be going to the CB, so I'll consult them right away.

Thanks again, I'll keep you posted on what they say tomorrow.

I'd also stop with the tricks. If kids get hungry, they'll eat. Even without distractions. And indeed, no tasty treats afterward, otherwise it won't work.

We just noticed that when the TV is on, our little boy doesn’t eat because he’s too focused on the screen But there’s not much you can do about that, of course.

So far, everything I thought “this is a problem” has just passed on its own. A friend of mine said something like “phases, phases, phases” and that was true.

If we happen to have the TV on when dinner is served, my partner and I just start eating, and then our little boy usually comes running over on his own, because he doesn’t want to miss out either. It’s the same when we want to go out and he doesn’t feel like leaving. We say “we’re going, bye!” and then he usually comes running. But not always, hihi. I mean to say that if we try to force our little boy to do something, it just creates resistance, and if we take a more relaxed approach like “then don’t,” he often comes around on his own. If we want to put him to bed and he refuses, we can make a big fight out of it where he gets really upset. Usually, we try again half an hour later, and then he does want to. Hihi, it sounds like our little boy is calling the shots, and I used to think that too, but we’ve simply found that forcing things only leads to arguments. But not with everything, of course. For example, brushing teeth must happen, even if he doesn’t want to. He needs to know that when we say it has to happen, it really will. But if he doesn’t want to wear his jacket in cold weather, we just go outside, and within a minute he asks for it himself. We just don’t engage in battles, you know? I know how it sounds, but this works best for us.

Not sure if this helps you, but good luck anyway.

You're right, there's no other way than doing it the hard way; eating alone without the TV on and nothing else. I understand you're worried because your little girl is already so skinny, but eventually they really get hungry and start eating. Maybe you think she's still too young for this 'hard' approach, but kids at 1 year old know exactly how to twist their parents around their finger. Within a few days, your daughter will just start eating without the TV on. Good luck anyway!