HELP! At my wits end.

I have a daughter who will be three in november and she's driving me crazy with her newest "thing." She won't eat! Nothing I make! Even if it's her favorite food, she refuses. She'll ask me to make her something (for example pb&j sandwich) and then turn her nose up at it and tell me she doesn't want it after it's made. I've tried making other things. I've tried making only her favorites. She will literally go all day without a single bite to eat sometimes.
When I try to get her to eat, she'll often take a bite, and hold it in her mouth and chew and chew and chew. So that she has a mouthful of food and therefore can't take another bite...but she won't swallow. She will do this until she eventually spits it out on the floor.
I've tried time outs. I've tried spanking a few times (because we do that and if you don't that's your prerogative, please don't judge.) I've tried the "you eat this meal and if you don't it's what you get for lunch and then dinner etc until you eat it" method. I've tried just letting her walk away and then trying again with new foods at lunch or dinner. BUT NOTHING IS WORKING. I feel like I'm starving her some days because she'll go to bed without taking a bite at dinner. What do I do? I'm so lost on this one.  

Honestly, if I knew there weren't other issues going on, I would stop trying. She will eat if she is hungry. The more you try, the more she is going to refuse. Make the food, make her a plate, offer it to her, if she says no. Say "Okay then" and then go about your business like it's nothing. Take the plate and sit it on the counter, and then sit down and eat yourself.

IMO... I would just let her go without. If she doesn't eat then she doesn't eat. That's how my parents did it, that's how my grandparents did it and it has worked out pretty well so far. She will eat when she gets hungry.

Quit trying. My daughter did the same thing around that age and finally DH said to quit trying at all. He said she will eat when she gets hungry. Sure enough she did. Pedi said basically the same thing. Obviously dont' starve her, but don't try so hard.

She'll eat when she's hungry. Dd went through that around her third birthday. I told her if she didn't eat what we ate all day then she would get a pb sandwich and a glass of milk if she decided she was hungry later. Took her about two days to realize I was serious coz I'd only offer her what I told her she would get. She's back to eating normally now

What can you do? Nothing. I would give her pedialite for now.

Both of mine have played that game. They've both gone to bed without eating because of it.

She'll eat when she's hungry, she won't starve. Don't give her a lot of milk or she'll fill up on that (we made that mistake with DD) and have healthy snacks available for her to et when she IS hungry ( baby carrots, string cheese, grapes, stuff like that)

She'll eat when she's hungry. Put it in front of her and if she doesn't eat don't make a big deal out of it. Only prepare one meal for the family, don't take requests. If she asks for food during the day give her a small snack like a banana or granola bar, but not a whole meal.

Maybe this is her way of asserting her independence. As I see it, it is your job to offer the nutritional foods she eats, but it's her job to do the eating. She will eat eventually.

Stop making it a battle. Kids go through phases of eating a lot and not eating much at all. It's normal. Keep healthy options available and give over a little of the control. I keep healthy options within reach.

Quoting bazinga!:" Both of mine have played that game. They've both gone to bed without eating because of it. She'll eat ... [snip!] ... DD) and have healthy snacks available for her to et when she IS hungry ( baby carrots, string cheese, grapes, stuff like that)"

That's basically all she ever gets anymore. She'll eat a snack of carrots at lunch time because she'll refuse her sandwich. Or she'll eat a string cheese and some grapes but refuse everything else all day. And we don't do very much milk. A glass with breakfast, one with lunch, one with dinner. Otherwise it's just water. She doesn't really even like milk.  

I make my kids a plate. If they dont want to eat, they put it in the fridge and eat it later if they are hungry.

I totally feel your pain. Except this has been going on since right before or at one years old. Pickiest eater ever. If you find out a way to get her to eat pass it along. lol

Don't fight her, hon. She won't starve.