So, what do you do when your child refuses to eat?

Speaking from experience, it's a very long, painful road.

Does your child eat nothing at all?

i was a mean mom, i told them they can't get desert unless they ate. and they can't say they don't like it with out trying it. they used to be like that towards veggies until i made a big version of pot pie from thanksgiving leftovers and tossed the california mix of veggies in it. they ate it all up.

I am a mean mom! I send them to bed hungry. If they absolutely refuse to eat they go hungry until the next meal and the same food is offered again. I have had to do this a handful of times. I also play games. Good thing my 3 yo hasn't figured out what I am doing yet, but my 6 yo niece has. I make them take 5 big bites (small ones don't count), then 4 medium sized bites, then finally 10 baby bites. They work on the counting and they eat their dinner. It is a win win in my house. Sometimes, but rarely, this doesn't work and I have to revert to my tried and true methods.

Im the same way as Coala my sons been grtten picky lately so what we do is say "if you dont want to eat that you get nothing else that includes special drinks and snacks till that is gone" same thing if he doesn't eat he gets it for breakfast. Tough love but it works lol

We do the bring the food out for the next meal and eventually they will eat it. They do not have to clear their plate but they have to eat a reasonable amount of everything on it. I cook regular family meals and do not cater to their preferences or wants.

Oh, that's completely different then though. Mine can't eat anything other than a liquid diet.

Count your blessings :)

And you've gotten good advice here. Good luck

They don't get anything else until the next meal time. I serve a well balanced meal, and I avoid things they truly don't like, but I'm not a short order cook.

We use the 3 bite rule. You must try 3 bites of what is on your plate; if you don't like it, you fix yourself peanut butter and honey on whole grain toast with a kiwi or apple. Even my husband is expected to follow the rule.
If you cave now, you will forever have a picky monster on your hands. I promise that your child will not starve. Parents who cave are part of the reason why one half of American children are both undernourished and overweight. One third of children born in this century will develop type 2 diabetes.
Keep offering a variety of healthy foods; stop buying junk foods until the picky phase has passed. Make sure that you are setting a great example by eating a variety of healthy foods.
Make sure that he is drinking plenty of water, so he does not get dehydrated

Sorry you are struggling!!
Try to take control out of the picture. (So that you are not giving him something to push back against.)
The sooner you accept (and convey conscious acceptance) that whether he eats & how much he eats is fully his choice, the better.
This doesn't mean only providing his favored foods, but it means not nagging, not urging, not getting mad/being upset or trying to control through punishments or rewards or withholding approval, etc.
Don't react to his emotional responses, his complaints or his whining. Don't "ignore" them, either. (That's a more passive rejection, an attempt to control by withholding responses so he'll stop.) The goal is to be able to tolerate that he's upset & critical, and to accept his perceptions even if they don't ring true with you ("You never make food I like" or "I never get to have what I want" & similar "never" & "always" statements.) Don't engage the validity or point out