How do you get a stubborn 2-yr-old to eat? When do I start to worry about it (how little is too little)?

Answer 1

Mine is very pickey as well. He is really put off by new textures if you can believe that. If you are worried ask your pediatrician to make sure, and try to find things that your child likes, and if it means that he eats only fig newtons and hot dogs for a week so be it. I also found that mine has started trying to grab things off my plate recently, so i always make sure that my plate is close enough for him to reach. My younger brother had a Friend growing up who would only eat things that were brown and white!!! He grew to be over 6 feet tall.....

Answer 2

When it comes to two year olds- eating can be a real battle! I'll let you in on a hint... don't worry so much! Toddlers have all kinds of different growing needs- sometimes they seem ravenous all the time, and other times they could care less if they have eaten for the whole day. It just depends on what parts of their body are growing and how fast. Your job as the parent is to provide nutritious foods. Your toddler's job is to determine how much, and if any, that he wants to eat. The more you make a battle out of eating time, the worse it will be. Relax, offer nutritious foods for him to eat, and let him at it. Just make sure that you are setting a good example... your dinner should be the same as his (just watch out for choking hazards, and cut them appropriately) and make sure that snacks are given at the same time each day to give that little power boost. If you are concerned that he is not eating healthy, or may not be eating enough, write down all the things he eats for a week. See if it balances out over that time period. Sometimes you'll find that the dinner he refused the night before was made up for by the two helpings of dinner three nights later. Make your portions a manageable size... sometimes toddlers get overwhelmed if there appears to be too much on a plate. A serving size for a two year old is two tablespoons of each item (such as two tbsp of mac-n-cheese, two of peas, and two of applesauce) He can always ask for more if he finishes that, but at least the plate won't appear overwhelming to him when he first sits down. It is ok if your child skips a meal now and then... making it into a fight will make him question what his own body is telling him. If you don't feel like eating, no makes you- so treat your son the same way. By removing the battle- you will win the war!

Answer 3

* Believe that your child will never starve if he is offered adequate food.
* Check your child's weight and its consistent upward curve....
* Go on seeking reassurance until you honestly believe that your job is only to offer good food, not to force it down your child.
* Share this process with any adult who shares the care of your toddler.
* Present his food in a form that is resaonably easy to manage and don't help him unless he asks or gestures for help.
* If he asks for help, don't scoop food straight from the plate into his mouth so that you are feeding him. Load the spoon for him and let him take it....
* Make him feel that eating is something active which he does because he wants the food, not that being fed is something passive.....
* Let him eat by any method or combination of methods: fingers and fists as well as spoon.
* Allow him to eat in any order or combination.
* Don't take too much trouble over your child's food.
* Don't ever use food as a reward, punishment, bribe or threat.
* Let the meal end when the child has had enough. If you have accepted that what he eats andh ow he eats it is up to him, it follows that not eating any more or not eathing anything at all is up to him too. Try not to weaken at the last moment and try to coax just a few mouthfuls down him.
* Try to keep mealtimes enjoyable.

Answer 4

This is an easy one. Have a friend bring their hearty eating 2 year old over, and sit the child directly across from your daughter at the table. Put food down in front of both of them and focus *all* your attention on the child that is eating. Praise the eating child lavishly.

This one works every time. You must have your friend praising the eating child at the same time. Completely ignore your non-eating daughter during this process. 2 minutes or less she'll be stuffing her face.

Answer 5

Toddlers mostly know how to gage how hungery they are as long as they are not given an over abundance of sweets. As long as you only give them healthy foods, just let them eat as much as they like and go on. They will eat when they are hungery and skip it when they are not. Leave out the snacks, they can either eat what is in front of them, or be hungry when the next meal comes along.

Answer 6

I worry about my 2-year-old as well, but as long as they are active and being themselves, there's no reason to worry. My son goes through stages of when he eats like a horse and when he barely has one tiny meal a day. I always worry, but he's healthy and running around like a 2 year old. If anything it usually tells me when he's in a growth spurt and when he's not.

Answer 7

I had the same problem with my daughter when she was one she was so picky i guess cause she was still sucking milk but now that she is not sucking milk she is eating more. when she was one and a half she was only weighing 23 pounds and i have seen 5 and 6 month olds weighing the same amount the only thing she was eating was hot dogs, grits, and noodles.

Answer 8

You only need to worry about it if your pediatrician is concerned about his or her weight gain. Toddler eating habits are hugely varied. Offer a good variety of foods (making sure there is at least one food on the table your toddler likes) and don't make a big deal out of it. My son is two, too - I let him "help" me cook - I do some of the safe meal prep at the kitchen table instead of up on the counter. Let him help pick out groceries, too.

Answer 9

if he won't eat, don't force him.mine son doesn't eat solids also.i give him pediasure for meals and his regular milk in between.i also make sure he takes his vitamins everyday.did you consult it to his pedia?if your doc says don't worry, then, do not worry.sometimes, we, mothers, worry too much about our kids to the point that we force to our children something we thought is "normal" like eating.but that would not be good because they might have a bad impression on food and might have even bigger problems in the future..

Answer 10

kids will eat whenthey nare hungry. You don't have to force feed them,,just look at all of the over weight people in the US. Just keep healthy snacks on hand ,,,,cheese and crackers, milk, fruit salads. yogart...etc. just let them eat as much as they want for the moment....they will be just fine.