how can I get my 3yr. old to eat more?

Question

Lately he's been a picky,PICKY,eater. He loves to drink milk all the time and if I let him he'll drink a gallon of milk in one day. He loves to eat grilled chzs, mac n chz; the typical junk food. Any moms have any ideas????

Answer 1

Relax and don't stress about it. All children go through phases like that. If he is normal weight and healthy don't worry about it. It's just a phase. You might want to consider introducing more healthy alternatives, gentle encouragement can be helpful but don't try and force anything on him because you will create more problems than you solve. Just make sure he has the opportunity to try a wide variety of foods and he will change his habits on his own.

Answer 2

I have a 2 1/2 year old who is the same way. Don't worry it is just a phase and when he gets hungry don't give him the milk until after he agrees to eat something. My son is the same with juice. I mean think about it the first part of their lives all they did was drink milk! I have found the Toddler Meals which come pre-packaged in the baby isle are great! Mac and Chz is not necessarily junk food, unless that is all he gets. My son (believe it or not) LOVES Broccoli! and green beans. Those are the only two veggies he will eat, so we kind of bounce back and forth between the two. He also gets a daily vitamin. If he is growing and thriving and your doc says he's OK. Then he's OK.

Answer 3

Well, first of all, unless your baby in overweight, full-fat cheese and milk is actually good for them, so that really isn't "junk food".
A lot of kids just go through stages when they would rather play than eat.
Meal time should be fun, but should also be in the most consistent, family-oriented setting you can manage. I mean, don't put him in front of the TV to eat. Have everyone sit at the table (even if it's just the 2 of you) with no TV on, and try to make it very close to the same time every day.
Sometimes tempting him with a special desert if he eats "3 more bites" or whatever might be helpful.
But if he decides he is full and is really adament about it, then take his word for it. Unless he is really losing weight or looking ill or there has been a very drastic appetite change, there is nothing to worry about.
Some days my 3 y/o granddaughter will eat like 6 kids and other days she barely eats anything.
But don't feel like milk and cheese are bad for him just because they are so fattening to us! Cheese is also a great snack for between meals.

Kids are just tooooo cute at that age!! :-)

Answer 4

First, stop worrying, all kids go through this and more than once;-) Secondly, quit offering your child junk food.. Grilled cheese is good, mac and cheese is good if not the boxed stuff make it from scratch.. It tastes so much better anyhow..

Use real cheese, not the processed slices..I had a hard time getting my son to drink milk when he was little, he just turned 18 and still doesn't drink much milk. But I would put a bit of choc syrup and he loved that, still does;-)

So let your boy drink 3 glasses of milk a day, I would not let him have more than 4. Sometimes you can get to much of a good thing...

Answer 5

my son, 2 1/2, is now finally old enuf to "bargain" with. Basically, I tell him -eat a few bites or you will go take a nap (which of course is the worst thing for him! lol!) He's old enuf that he knows what I mean. And I don't expect him to eat more than a couple of bites and I don't expect him to eat things that he doesn't like.

This works only at lunch and dinner (because those are "optional" nap times anyway - so if he refuses to eat, he can take a nap and it's needed anyway.)

You should have seen him chow down for a "birthday cake" (cupcake) - we have all this talk about going poo-poo on the potty and having a big "party" with what he calls "birthday cake" and I told him he could have a "birthday cake" if he ate all his dinner! That boy SCARFED that food down, chicken, green beans and mac & cheese!!! All for a half of cupcake with a candle on it!!! LOL!

At 3 years, you should be able to "bargain" just a little bit.
*just a note - my son never ate hardly anything until recently when I started doing this - we had to supplement with vitamins and shakes. Now he's eating much more instead of napping LOL!!!

Answer 6

Limit the milk drinks to after meals. Have attractive looking cut up food in the fridge such as fruit, sandwiches, boiled eggs, cheese snacks, healthy crackers etc & don't have an ounce of bad food in sight. If & when he gets hungary tell him to help himself to what food you have in the fridge. Small, frequent & healthy snacks are just as nutricious as 3 hearty meals a day. Unfortunately i've never found a way to increase the appetite of my 3 kids when they have hit the fussy eating age between 2-4yo. Hope this is helpful as it worked best for me.

Answer 7

I used to let my 2yr old drink heaps of milk all day and she would hardly eat anything because she'd filled up on milk. I started first of all monitoring how many milk drinks a day, then gradually reducing them and offering more food, plus water or 60/40 water/juice with meals, and then she started eating more. I used to worry that she was missing out on vital nutrients because she liked grilled cheese, and mac 'n cheese too, but I found a multivitamin for ages 2 and up that she likes that I give her every other day or so, so I stopped stressing.

I also used to put one of everything we ate (i.e. one broccoli floret, one piece carrot, spoonful of mash, bit of cut-up sausage) on her plate. We would encourage her to taste everything, but not push her too hard. She was allowed to spit out something if she didn't like it (and put it on her tray), but we praised her if she tasted it in the first place. Now she pretty much tries anything, and eats a wide variety of food - and still spits out what she doesn't like - but that is part of the process of getting used to tastes of different foods. The old "they have to taste it 10 times before they like it" routine.

Answer 8

Relax, my munchkins are also picky as hell!...the way I am able to satisfy'em is cooking different ethnic foods like Mexican, Thai,
Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and Italian.
Mexican ideas: quesadillas, eggs tostada, cheese enchiladas,
Thai: noodles with vegetables, spring rolls, fried seafood
Chinese: chow mein, veg. egg rolls, steam rice,
Japanese: sushi and miso soup
Italian: spaghetti (no sauce), veggie meatballs, garlic bread.

and the old American style: pigs in a blanket (hot dogs), turkey
with lettuce sandwich (use cookie cutters in different shapes)
also, the way I'm able to sneak up veggies is by cutting them in small cubes and funny shapes and leave them in the middle of the coffee table or in front of them when they're playing and just go "mmmm this stuff is heavenly!" I bet you 100% they'll eat their veggies and fruits!.


You can help support your child's healthy eating habits and physical activity level by:

Making healthy food choices for your own meals. Children notice the choices you make and follow your example.
Setting limits on your child's daily television and computer time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a limit of 1 to 2 hours' screen time per day.2 Sit down with your child and plan out how he or she will use this time allowance.
Making physical activity a part of your family's daily life. Take a walk after dinner. Consider "charging" 15 minutes of active play for every 15 minutes of TV time.
Eating together as a family as often as possible. Keep family meals pleasant and positive. Avoid making comments about the amount or type of food your child eats. Pressure to eat actually reduces children's acceptance of new or different foods.
Taking your child to all recommended well child checkups. You can use this time to discuss your child's growth rate, activity level, and eating habits with a health professional.
What causes poor eating habits?
Poor eating habits can develop in otherwise healthy children for several reasons.
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Available food choices. If candy and soft drinks are always available, most children will choose these foods rather than a more nutritious snack. But forbidding these choices can make your child want them even more. You can include some less-nutritious foods as part of your child's meals so that he or she learns to enjoy them along with other foods. Although in the division of responsibility it is your child's job to decide how much of a food he or she will eat at a meal, it is okay to limit dessert to one serving. It is your responsibility as a parent to decide what foods are offered and when and where meals and snacks are offered. Try to keep a variety of nutritious and appealing food choices available. Healthy and kid-friendly snack ideas include:
String cheese.
Whole-wheat crackers and peanut butter.
Air-popped or low-fat microwave popcorn.
Frozen juice bars made with 100% real fruit.
Fruit and dried fruit.
Baby carrots with hummus or bean dip.
Low-fat yogurt.
The need for personal choice. Power struggles between a parent and child can affect eating behavior. If children are pressured to eat a certain food, they are likely to refuse to eat that food, even if it is something they usually would enjoy. Remember, your responsibility is to provide a variety of nutritious foods. Your child's job is to decide what and how much he or she will eat from the choices you offer.

http://www.kidshealth.org
http://www.mothering.com
http://www.parenting.com
http://www.ivillage.com

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Keep giving him the good stuff. Have him try just ONE bite at every meal. He'll come around. Cheese and sauces help.