my son wont eat!!!?

Question

I have a 2yr old that will not eat anything i try to give him....and ive tried everything.i feel like hes starving and it makes me so sad.I dont know what to do.This has been going on for a LONG time.I at least try to keep him nurished with milk...and i give him fruit snaks and little things liek that.I cook 3 meals a day and snacks and he wont eat.Can someone help...what should i do?

Answer 1

If he really won't eat anything but a few things, get a pediatrician to make sure it is not a juvenile acid reflux problem. With some kids it can be quite severe.... on TLC they featured a child who would only eat two things (both very unhealthy) and the mother was freaking out (obviously!)... doctors could not figure out why he wouldn't eat. She took him to a specialist, and all it was was acid reflux.

Answer 2

He is filling up on milk. While milk is good for him it doesn't provide all the necessary nutrients his growing body needs. Are the fruit snacks your giving him actual fruit. If it's actual fruit then that fine but if not you might want to cut back on them.
Cut back on the amount of milk your giving him. It might take a couple of days try not to worry to much. He will be fine. When you make his meal try to have small portions with different colors on it. Something the will be easy if he wants to grab with his fingers. Also try not to have the foods touching each other on the plate.
My two year old didn't want anything to do with broccoli until I told him that people eat broccoli when they pretend they are dinosaurs eating trees. He loves it now. I also tell him what each item is on his plate.

Answer 3

I had a similar problem with my daughter. Problem is, she was having too much milk & filling up on that, so she wasn't hungry. She LOVED her bottle & I couldn't get rid of it without a temper tantrum.

You need to be REALLY firm. Kids at 2 years shouldn't be having bottles. They should be eating normal food like adults and only having 2 cups of milk a day. You need to cut the milk right back and give him more water. He'll eat if he's hungry.

Do you feed him with the spoon yourself? My daughter won't feed herself but if I put the food on a spoon & do "aeroplanes" she'll at least try it.

You need to make it fun, not a chore. Even if you sit on the floor in the loungeroom & play "picnics or play "restaurants". He may see that eating at the table is when Mummy gets upset and frustrated, so try ot make it into a game. Have you taken him to McDonalds? If you get him to eat chicken nuggets & chips there, you could make your own healthier version at home. Maybe join a playgroup where they take a snack. If he sees kids his own age enjoying food he may be more interested in trying it himself.

Just try to give him a variety of foods - plain stuff, not fancy stuff. Bread & butter is good. Lamb cutlets or bits of chicken & beef. Don't put sauces, etc on them, kids haven't developed the taste for these things yet. My girls didn't really like apples, etc. but loved banana & watermelon. They've now 4 & 6 and are much fussier than when they were 2. They always loved a heap of vegies mashed together (potato, carrot, pumpkin & broccoli) with grated cheese over the top. Even if he only eats a little bit, don't give in to him and give him milk as a reward, read him a book as a reward instead - or go all out and say you'll let him do finger painting if he "tries" the food that mummy has cooked. Never reward behaviour with food or in this case, the milk.

Don't stress out if he's not eating actual "meals" but instead is snacking all day. There's nothing wrong with that as long as they're healthy snacks. Don't be making muffins & pureed fruit, just chop up carrots, fruit, chunks of tasty cheese & dry biscuits. Just really plain stuff.

Kids go through growth spurts and it may be that at the moment he's not going through one, so is not as hungry. Make sure he gets lots of exercise, play running games and go for walks in the park, to get him hungry as well. Sitting in front of the television all day is not going to require energy, so he probably won't feel hungry. Go on outings, and don't take milk. Just a bottle of water and some healthy snacks. My kids favourite is still raw carrot sticks - and they're so cheap and easy!

Good luck.

Answer 4

My 2 yr old daughter was like that too, she barely ate anything except milk and fruits and snacks. I went to a nutritionist and she told me to feed solids first and then liquids. Always offer your son solids first especially in the morning when he's the most hungry. I would also recommend cutting down on the snacks but keeping the milk to 16-20 oz a day. You can also add pediasure to your milk to make sure your son gets all his vitamins, if he doesn't like pediasure then vitamin drops in his milk. I know it's a battle but everyday slowly add a bit more solids to his meals until he gets a good appetite. Good luck!!

Answer 5

I had similar problems with my children,saw the doctor and was told to relax, he will not starve himself. If he is having milk, fruit, bread he is getting nutrition.
a lot of stress comes from the fact that we have had it drummed into us since our own childhoods that we must eat 3 meals a day at mealtimes,regardless if we are hungry or not,because it is mealtime. And we were taught to eat everything on our plate and tough luck if you didn't like peas ......
I rlkelaxed with my children, none of them wer aneamic or undernourished, thogh I did worry iwth my daughter as she seemed to refuse to eat a lot of things.They went through fads of course,peanutbutter breakfast lunch and tea, but I kept offering other foods as well. Some children need to graze during the day,small pick me ups throughout the day, and if nutritional ,like fruit etc rather than a biscuit or chips, then they are getting what they need.I still offered the meals at mealtimes, but didn't worry if it wasn't all eaten becasue I knew that they would have a snack later.
so keepo ffering but don't stress about what he doesn't eaat, jsut make sure what he does eat isn't rubbish.
good luck
been there LOL

Answer 6

My son is 21 months and he too is very picky about what he eats.He loves his milk and constantly asks for his ba ba.What he will eat is cheese,any cereal with or without milk,any fruit,and mac and cheese-thats about it,He hates all meat,veggies,any other pasta.
I actually took him to the doc to have him weighed and my doctor told me not to worry-alot of kids are like this and that as long as he gains about 4 pounds by his 3rd birthday-he is right on track.I still worry-but he is active and happy.

Answer 7

Cut back on his milk. Make sure that you are giving him a multi-vitamin every day. You can give him an Ensure drink once a day. Look at what he is eating on a weekly basis rather than daily. If the situation persists call your doctor.

Answer 8

my son is about to turn 3 and he's exactly the same, he wont eat but he'll snack when he wants to.
you just have to remember that even though its really hard and we may think that they're not eating enough, children will not starve themselves, they will eat when they're hungry.
i've found that my son is more willing to eat if i serve up things like chicken nuggets(veggie nuggets are also available).
the other option you have if you think he is not getting the vitamins he needs you could go to your pharmacy and get a childrens vitamin such as pentavite which is what my chemist recommended.
hope this helps, i know what you going through.

Answer 9

i am having the same problem. My little man is 16months and he wont eat anything i try to give him. He will snack on things but he wont eat veggies, he eats fruit mostly and he doesnt even want his milk often. Its scary, i dont know what to do either. Ive noticed my little boy has lost weight too, so its really scaring me. Goodluck with it all aswell xx

Answer 10

Give him milk in the morning, if possible put cornflakes and give. If he eats try different flavours of cornflakes.

Make him run in the house, or outside in ur presence, so he will be tired and hungry.

In the afternoon give him rice and dal mashed with little salt and lemon juice, Keep it ready and wait for him to be hungry and feed him warm. The lemon taste will be liked by him. It also contains Vitamin C.