My Daughter Won't Eat!?

Question

My daughter is pushing 2 years old.
And for the last month or so it has been
almost nigh impossible to get her to
eat dinner. My mother has her durring
the day and afternoon and as far as i know
she eats . But my mom said that she is even
eating less there too.
Is this unusual? I dont feel any teeth comming
in at all. I dont know whats wrong.
Also she doesnt appear to be acting
abnormally or sickly.

AH!!

Mothers AND Fathers Help!

Answer 1

My daughter is 20 months old and we have the same problem. You need not worry if she does not appear to be sick and is not loosing weight. At this age, children stop growing as rapidly as they did when they were younger. Thus, they need less food than they did before. Keep offering her food and make sure she is taking a multivitamin with iron (follow the dosing instructions on the bottle). I have learned that sometimes it is necessary to trick my little one- I bake zucchini bread to offer to her (I reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe) so that I know she is getting something nutritious although she does not know that there are vegetables in her muffin. Offer your little one baby yogurt (YoBaby makes yummy yogurt for kids) and string cheese sticks- kids love them and they are a good source of protein. Also at this age, kids love to be on the move and are nto very good at sitting still sometimes at the table. We often put small bowls of cheese, yogurt, meatballs etc on a table in the living room. Our daughter will run and play and come back to "snack" at intervals. We prefer a family meal at the table- but sometimes this is the only way that she will eat. You might try this too. Keep trying- your little one won't starve and will eat when she is hungry!

Answer 2

It's normal, my son is 2 1/2 and he does this from time to time and did it a lot when he turned 2 (it was like he knew that it was normal, so he did it). My pediatrician actually made mention of this being normal during his 2 year check-up. They always tell you not to let your kids snack, but I let my son snack as long as it is a healthy snack. He loves to snack on fruits, cheeses and crackers and I just let him. The truth to being healthy is to eat small healthy meals more often and that's what we do. He is very healthy...I have noticed some cellulite on his cousins bottom who doesn't eat very healthy and my son has no cellulite, no extra weight and is not in any way underweight.

It may also be due to the heat if you live in a warmer area, I know I don't feel like eating when it's hot outside.

Answer 3

Hi.
children make hell lot of excuses 2 skip food.but remember 1 thing here.itz scientifically proved that children tend 2 feel their belly as full when u want 2 feed them the stuff of ur choice.but try giving them nething of their choice..they'll always have space 4 it.so thatz kids' mentality.now that ur baby is 2 yrs old...she started developing a taste of her own.so try giving her some stuff of her taste...she'll have it.now u may worry abt the nutritive value of the food..but c kids constantly change their eating habits...so after a while she gets bored of her present taste..then start giving her the food u want 2.she'll definitely like it.also add finely boiled n mashed carrots,beans etc..2 her food 2 make food look attractive.k.
when all this doesnt work...take her 2 a doc..2 check whether she has ne complications in taking in n digesting food.k.but dont forcefully rub ur taste on her.k.otherwise she'll start developing an ill feeling 4 the food as well as 2wards u.so b careful.k.

Answer 4

Give her some baby castor oil to cleanse her stomach and follow directions on bottle. She might be having trouble teething and she might be swallowing lots of saliva. You could treat her with jello as a dessert, kids like it and its good and soothing for stomach. Also give plenty of water in case you are in those areas where its very hot. You should ask the pharmacist also for baby gum gel to rub her gums since she should already have some teeth.

Answer 5

I can tell you that all three of my kids have done that very same thing around that age. Actually my youngest will be 2 the end of Sept and hes doing that now. Its normal. Mine have lived on mac n cheese and waffles! Then they get tired of it and go on to something else. They are starting to push boundaries at this age and this is one thing they can control. Dont worry, this to shall pass. I give mine a multi vit on the advice of their doc. He said it would increase their appetite and it does seem to help some.

Answer 6

try finding anything that she likes...even if she eat's only mac and cheese every meal, at least she'll be eating something. My son is 4 and he's has the same tendencies to eat one week and the next it's a chore for us to get him to eat...oh yeah don't substitute sweets such as candy or soda...get her to drink shakes or juice. Try ensure for children...those kids can be very trivial! Good Luck!

Answer 7

Is she cutting her molar teeth? Or is she being bottle -fed, in which case she may develop an aversion to chewing and swallowing? Was she unwell for a while before this? Is she developing a fear of separation from you?

Answer 8

well for one it is normal, obviouslly you would know if something is wrong with your child, let her eat when she/he is hungry forcing her to eat would just take longer for the child to eat again just stages they go through my daughter is the same age she does it too as long that they are gettin enough liquids in them there is nothing to worry about........ when they are ready then they would chow like crazy ... maybe the child is teething and it will pop out when you think that she aint teethin...

Answer 9

The truth is children never starve.

Give her a meal and if she doesn't eat it. Then don't force her. But don't keep trying her with other foods either.

She will eat when she is hungry.

Answer 10

Its natural for kids to avoid food. They tend to like playing more. Dont worry. It gets settled as they grow.