My Child Refuses To Eat: 10 Reasons Why & What You Can Do To Help! Parents always want to ensure that their child is eating a balanced diet and getting the right amount of nutrients from the food. However, as parents, you need to understand that a child's appetite is not always reliable. A child can be picky about what he/she wants to eat and, many a time, will refuse to eat at all and as stressful & frustrating it may seem, 'food refusal' is absolutely normal!