Children Eating?

Question

What are the best tips and tricks to get a fussy 2 year old to eat a proper meal ?

Answer 1

my son wouldn't eat steak in steak pie he said he didn't like it but he had never tasted it so i told him there was 2 kinds of chickens 1s with white feathers to get white chicken and 1s with brown feathers to get brown chicken. why not try the alpha-bites and spell his/her name out i also did that. mines 8 now so it's been a while sorry if it's not much help

Answer 2

When ever my 2 year old won't eat i use 1 of 2 options.

1: "Ok, you can be done but you get nothing else" and the plate gets put in the fridge for when she's hungry.

2: Get out a dessert and say "Oh, this icecream is good! Yummy!" and when the child wants some say "Oh, I can't give you any because you didn't eat your dinner. Would you like me to reheat your dinner for you so you can have some icecream when you're done?" that way it was the child's idea to eat. The kid will eat so fast if she wants that icecream.

Make sure you keep the portions small and don't force the child to eat. They are pretty good at controlling what they need. Just don't fall into the trap of allowing snacking to pick up because she didn't eat her meal.

Good Luck

Answer 3

Feed them proper food !
Dietry habits start when you are very young, if they eat a family meal with you that is what they will do for life. As soon as you introduce junk as an option they will start to want it every mealtime.
My kids all had Macdonalds etc as a treat but ate the family meal even from being tiny i.e. they had same as us except blended as babies, very rarely had packet or jar foods.
It is so easy to make an extra portion and blend it, makes a few 'ready' meals... and this way they get a varied palate.
A child will not starve, it is impossible for them to go without food for more than three days..they will eat if ignored , make a fuss and the battle begins.
Overall offer the family meal if they decline say 'fine' and discard it..do not offer an alternative. Eventually your child will eat, trust me :)

Answer 4

I have a friend who had real problems with her 2 year old not eating a full meal, and her Health Visitor gave her a few ideas to try:

1) Set a timer for 30 mins. They have 30 mins to eat the food, and anything left at the end goes in the bin, nothing else is offered.
2) Offer really small portions, then make a fuss of them for finishing their food. Gradually increase the portion sizes
3) Check their swallowing reflex - do they take a long time to chew their food? If so, might be worth getting them checked to see if they have lazy muscle control - sounds daft, but this is real!

Answer 5

You eat the foods too. Let them sample off of your plate to see that its the same foods. Offer it more than once because they say that often kids are not open to accepting new foods on the first try but maybe after 3 or so attempts they will try it. Also, try to avoid the snacking closely to dinner time. This will keep them hungry enough to try the new foods.

If all else fails, maybe you can do like Christmas Story "Randy how do the piggy's eat" LoL. Sry i think that movie is HILARIOUS and that part is so cute.

Best of luck. Also, talk to your childs pediatrician about maybe starting vitamins to make up for anything his/her diet may be missing.

Answer 6

You won't. This is a stage that they all go through while asserting their independence. They want to control something and their eating is the best way to start. Place out several healthy foods for them to come and get at will. It is not worth the fight to make them sit and eat regular meals, yet. Have you heard the phrase "pick your battles"? This is not the one to pick, you will both loose. They are still a baby, it won't be long before they join you at the table (normally around age 3).

Answer 7

make sure everyone sits around the dining table together and eats the same meal. make sure there are no distractions like tv or radio and don't make things into a big deal, if s/he doesn't eat her food don't make a big deal out of it just ask him/her to try at least some of it and try to explain that you wont be making anything else and you wont be giving any snacks. Most kids do this and although sometimes there are genuine things that kids don't like don't give up, try cooking things in different sauces etc even if your child isn't eating their food, make sure they stay at the table untill everyone has finished. I give veg silly names so it makes them seem more interesting and I cut things into shapes. Also make sure your portions aren't too daunting, a 2 yr old doesn't need a plate piled with food, it just puts them off entirely if they feel they've got to work their way through a mountain of food.

Answer 8

therego2 answered this very well. I would just add that it can help to eat as a family. Sometimes (if you have the time ha, ha, ha, i know) a fun meal that they can mess with / help make, can help, like fajitas, and finger food like a brightly coloured salad mixture, eg peppers tomatoes etc. Above all DONT MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT. If you relax and ignore the food problem it will generally go away. If it you really think somethings wrong ask your health visitor to have a look at them.

Answer 9

Try fun shapes or colors or playful ways of setting up the meal. My wife and I found these chicken nuggets shaped like stars and moons that my daughter loves. We also got here involved in the cooking when we made mini pizzas and she loves those. She is starting to expand her eating horizons because we are trying to make the meals a little more fun for here like stacking green beans and then devouring the model we have made. Usually kids will get into things more if there is alittle sense of adventure in it or fun. Try it never hurts.

Answer 10

Hi, im a mother of 6. All my children eat healthily. They have no choice. I put a plate of food in front of them and they have the choice to eat it or go hungry. When you have such a large family you dont have time to cook something for one child and cook something different for another!!
Another trick is to disguise the food. For instance, one of my children say they dont like mushrooms, so when i make a shepards pie i cut the mushrooms so finely they dont even realise that they are in the dish!!

Answer 11

Present the meal. Serve small portions. Ask them to try it. Don't beg, plead or otherwise bribe. Don't get upset if they don't. It is a power play. When the child is hungry they will eat. Don't offer substitute meals. Don't force them to eat something. Be consistent.