how can i get my 2 yr old daughter 2 eat a variety of foods?

Question

my daughter likes candy, pop, sausage, potatoes (except mashed) chips, ice cream, and you get the point. i want her to eat healthy foods. she doesnt like vegtables so she refuses them. eats bananas and apples but thats it 4 fruit. she doesnt eat meat except sausage and hot dogs. she spits it out. please give me some ideas on how to get her to eat better.

Answer 1

Well, I'm 14, and what I do for my nephews (ages 2-4) is I tell them how big and tall they'll get for eating the yummy foods that are good for you! Also, on meat, try just a little bit of sugar, i love that! So do my nephews! Just a little will do the trick!

Answer 2

It's great that you want to make sure your daughter eats healthier foods. Start off by (as many others suggested) buying healthier items. This may mean that everyone else also misses out on the junk, but that's probably a good thing. It's okay to have treats, just have them in moderation. Then, try to make sure that when you feed her veggies, you aren't just giving them to her straight. Add a little bit of butter or small dash of salt to the water when you make the veggies and they'll have a little bit more flavor. Some kids also really prefer to have their veggies raw, so give that a try. Try making fun snacks out of healthy food. Ants on a log (raisins on a celery stick spread with peanut butter) is the kind of thing I'm thinking of--although I realize that might not be exactly what you want to give a two year old. Try mixing things she likes with things she doesn't--put peas in with macaroni. A few peas are bound to make it down along with the pasta.

It also doesn't hurt to use the not-so-healthy food to your advantage. Establish a new rule in your house that unless you eat a good dinner, you do not get dessert (ex: one cookie). Then stick to it. You decide if she has eaten enough healthy things. If she seems anxious to earn the cookie but hasn't eaten enough, then tell her she needs to have three more bites of peas and then she can have a cookie. If she refuses, then I guess she just doesn't get that cookie--too bad!

At two, it's not really as important that she have a balanced diet EVERY day as long as her overall diet is pretty balanced. If she seems to be very interested in apples and bananas one day and sausage and potatoes the next, then take advantage of that. It's also okay for her to eat a lot at one meal and not as much at the next. Also, if she does a lot of snacking between meals, cut it down significantly. If she's truly hungry at mealtimes, she'll be more likely to eat what is in front of her.

And don't worry, she'll grow out of the pickiness eventually! Good luck!

Answer 3

First off get rid of all the bad for you food items that she is addicted to. Make sure that you make the food fun. Be excited over the food. " let me see what a big girl you are by taking a bite of that little tree, WOW! you are such a big girl" or something like that. also offer her choices; give her a choice between two or three healthy items. would you like and apple or an orange. If she responds negatively to it don't worry eventually she will change; just tell her that those are her choices. she may choose to go hungry just let her know that this is dinner/lunch/breakfast/snack time and that she will have to wait till the next meal time before she gets something to eat. it won't kill her to go hungry for a Little while. As long as you stay consistent she will come along. It is important that you do not give in to the junkie stuff she wants. Remember she is two, you make the choices of the kinds of food you want her to eat, and it is your job to make the choices healthy.

Answer 4

I'd really limit the candy and soda pop to almost nil, but let her eat the sausage and potatoes. Invite some of her friends over for say a peanut butter and jelly sandwich party.. include smashed bananas. Kids like to eat when there are other kids present... make it fun... have the bread cut into character shapes.. and don't worry- or make too much of her eating habits.. Relax.. she'll grow up to be just fine.
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Answer 5

Luckily you are tackling this issue while she is still too young to get her own food from the fridge! If you're willing to make the sacrifice, the easiest way for her to stop eating junk food is for you not to buy it anymore. Instead, fill up the fridge with foods that appear on food guide- try giving her vegetables and fruits she's never tryed before, and making dishes with the foods she "doesn't like." If she can't see the food in the meal, she will eat it without a fuss.

Fill up on healthy snacks like nuts, dried fruits, and other things. A new revolution is that companies are replacing unhealthy foods with better versions. Examples of this are oven fries, baked potato chips, real fruit gummies, frozen yogurt, etc. Keep your options open!

Answer 6

Don't BUY candy, pop, sausage, potatoes, chips, ice cream.....when she realizes they are not a choice, she will get hungry enough to eat the GOOD stuff you have in the fridge. You have to keep alternating foods, because one day they might love something and hate it the next. (Bothmy boys ate salmon now cannot look at fish. go figure.) Sometimes they would try something if they could dip it into ketchup. My second son will be 4 and he just started eating meat. I think the texture bothered him. But he DID eat cheese, yogurt, etc. so he got his protein. Good luck.

Answer 7

If you didn't give her the junk food in the first place, it wouldn't be an issue.
Stop offering her unhealthy choices. She may pcik and eat little (if anything) for a day or two. She will get hungry and eat when you give her. Just make sure she stays hydrated and drinks milk.

Answer 8

i have the same problem with my stepson he also gives me trouble to eat but u should do what i do i mix the food with stuff that he likes with thing he doesn't or also i try to tell him ok u don't like this certain kind of food i say no ice cream so he eats it until he gets used to it so try it and good luck

Answer 9

i kept mine away from all the junk so she'd enjoy the healthy food and really appreciate it when i would reward her with ice cream or candy. but then again, i don't eat that stuff so she eats what her mommy eats.

Answer 10

I DON'T HAVE THAT PROBLEM W/ MY TWO YEAR OLD BECAUSE I NEVER OFFERED THOSE FOODS. IF SHE DIDN'T LIKE A VEGGIE I KEPT OFFERING AT ANOTHER TIME . EVENTUALLY SHE GAVE IN. AS FOR MEAT HAVE YOU TRIED ADDING KETCHUP OR SALAD DRESSING. WHAT ABOUT RAW VEGGIES W/ DRESSING. MY DAUGHTER LIKES RAW VEGGIES DIPPED IN RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE