It was a scary time for his parents, siblings and extended family when they sought medical treatment and Teddy was hospitalised.

After a lengthy look into what was going on, the youngster was diagnosed with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder and anxiety.

What followed was extended stays in hospital in Sydney, with the Leeton shire community jumping on board to do what they could to assist the family.

Now, Teddy is on the road to recovery, much to everyone's relief.

"Teddy is seeing a paediatrician in Wagga and has had ongoing support from Westmead," his father Tom Barton said.

"COVID-19 has made things more difficult than they should be. Hopefully Teddy will be able to work with a play therapist soon.

"(However), with the help of psychiatrists, medication, therapists and time, Ted made an amazing recovery."

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The disorder Teddy was diagnosed with does not involve any distress about body shape or size, or fears of "fatness".

Although many children go through phases of picky or selective eating, a person with this disorder does not consume enough calories to grow and develop properly.

It does involve difficulty eating with others and the amount of time it takes to eat. In children, this results in stalled weight gain and vertical growth.

"Teddy's anxiety is also something we will need to be aware of, but knowing about it from such a young age means we will be able to help him more effectively work through any struggles that he has," Mr Barton said.

Mr Barton has paid tribute to all of the people who assisted the family whether through donations, kindness or friendliness towards Teddy since the journey began.

In particular, he said Leeton Preschool had gone above and beyond.

"Now Teddy's confidence and exuberance is back we'd like to thank everyone," he said.

"Leeton Preschool has been amazing.

"While he was an inpatient at Westmead we called to tell them we didn't know when we would be back and to just cancel his place.

"They told us they were keeping his place at no cost to us until he could return.

"Laura and Rachel (from Leeton Preschool) have been very accomodating and kind throughout the whole episode.

"Teddy's room leader, Libby has been fantastic. She has helped him transition back to preschool with kindness, understanding, and reasonable expectations."