2 year old has stopped eating.....?

Question

is this normal?
she is still drinking but basically refuses to eat food i dont know what to do...

Answer 1

She will eat when she is hungry. Tempt her by leaving tasty snacks in easy reach eg raisins, banana, apple. Make a banana milk shake and put it in her beaker. Stand back and let her find her own way to the food. She'll not appreciate it if she feels she is being forced to eat it.

Answer 2

I would say it really depends how long this has been for! if it is just a day or so then be patient with her, make her vitamin packed smoothies / milkshakes to ensure she is getting some food down her and tempt her with little things such as fruit / her favorite biscuites etc!

There are many reasons a child of this age could turn off her food..

1)Is she bad complaining of an upset tummy at all?
2)her molar teeth are coming through and she is in pain
3) Has she had any trauma with eating recently, for instance did some food get stuck in her throat or ''go down the wrong way'' this happened to my youngest sister and she stopped eating solid foods for weeks when she was about three.
4)it could just be a terrible twos faze..

I would say to persevere with her, dont get frustrated or annoyed and dont make her eat. At her age she should be back to normal pretty soon, If it goes on for over a week then take her to the doctor to get checked out!

Answer 3

This has been going on for me now for nearly a year. I was told if he is hungry he will eat, he will not starve himself, its that there are suddenly more inter sting things in life to do. Don't make it an issue, and don't force your child as it will start to become something they are scared of. Make cold food, such as sandwiches, cheese snacks, sausage rolls, scotch eggs etc, and leave the plate on a level your child can reach, draw attention to it, but that it. Throughout the day they will take the odd bite, on and off. Don't worry about creating bad table manners, its important to get the food down their throats for now, and table manners can be established when they are old enough to understand.

Answer 4

Stopped eating completely? Or just doesn't eat like the shop vac she once was?

My son had a big appetite from about 9 mo to 18 mo and then slowed way down. After that we noticed that large appetites were related to growth spurts. He grew about 8 inches in that 9 months and then only 3-5 inches per year after that.

Your girl might also have an issue with teeth coming in; it might be painful to chew. Try soft stuff she can swallow and see if her appetite comes back.

Answer 5

Hi I have a 4yr old boy who started that problem when he was 2. He was referred to hospital but they couldn't do anything as he was the proper weight and he was active. You could give ur child small portions of food starting off, make the food look interesting eg:make a face on the plate with some of the food or else get ur child involved in the preparin of meals.

Answer 6

hey i have a 2yr old also. it is ok if they stop eating.as long as she is getting liquids in her which is keeping her hydrated, then she will be fine. I have concerns about my son, because he has stages where he will only want to eat certain foods consistently, but I have been told that is ok also.

so they will just go through there stages were they want somethings today & tomorrow they don't want it at all. So just make sure she is drinking, maybe think about giving her a kids vitamin & make sure she still has bowel movements.

Answer 7

i did that when i was 2 i stopped eating from the age of 2 till i was 4 all i would eat would be maybe toast or a piece of fruit. the docs told my mum 2 give me vitamins and make i was taking in fluids and that i would start eating properly again in my own time but they did regular checks 2 make sure i was ok and not losing 2 much weight etc. so go 2 ur docs with her.

Answer 8

It's never too soon to let a child make "some" decisions. Communication and trust will help solve anything. Start by asking your child/children, what "they" want for a meal. If they pick the meal, they feel it's especially for them, also they are sure to consume what they really have a taste for.

Answer 9

Children tend to smell food and analyse colours before they eat.What i suggest is get food with colour mixtures like mixed vegetables with diced chicken and mashed potatoes or 3coloured vegetables with finely sliced roasted beef...but remember not to overcook the vegetables as children don't like the smell of overcooked vegetable.when plating the food make sure it looks interesting and pretty looking shaped food will make children want to try the food.Make sure the food is well seasoned and not bland.try giving her soft food first and gradually mix it with normal adult food and finally eventually she isable to eat what we adult eat.If she still doesn't eat after all this effort,send her to the doctor for an appetite booster injection and get the appetite booster powder mix for the child.things will definitely improve....

Answer 10

My son was a bit faddy at that age one day he would eat all the time but a few days later he would not eat a thing if you have any worries contact your health visitor or baby clinic or gp