todler not eating!?

Question

hello! i am a mother of three boys aged 5, 2 1/2 and 16 months, and i cooked healthy balanced meals, but my 2 year old wont eat anything. and i mean anything, apart from drinking water, or cereal with milk. my other two eat fine. we all have breakfast and dinner together, hubby, the kids and myself. The two youngest go to nursery, where they cook fresh on premises and the baby eats well, but my toddler, wont finish any meal.just a 1/4 of it they write in his daily report. so any advice abt what to do?. went to GP an said chilren go through these stages, but i dont think is normal since he is also underweight. any avice?. thank you

Answer 1

Always make sure he has a choice - eat it or go hungry. Never offer any snacks or alternatives. He won't starve himself to death.

Answer 2

There are a couple things you can do - one is that no child ever starved to death when three meals a day were offered so relax about it, two is try to bolster his meals if he drinks milk well then make him some instant breakfast to drink-it provides about 1/4 of daily nutritional needs. It will be high calorie for him also giving him energy for the day as well as a good start (I used these for breakfast as they did not eat well early in the morning). Feed him the same food as everyone else is having but only give him one or two teaspoons full so he can have the experience of finishing up and asking for more. Dont forget to praise him for that. Maybe he has a small appetite -try more outdoor time, more exercise type play such as bike riding and running around. That might jump start his appetite. You may also check to see if he may be teething in those last really big teeth in the back where you dont see them-if it hurts he isnt gonna eat well.

Answer 3

i know you must be really worried, but children do go through this. it takes children roughly seven times to try a new food. you don 't explain how you act when you ask your child to eat these foods. maybe he feels pressured. often if the children sense an atmosphere then they won't carry the task out. if he gets shouted at or sternly talked to which i know might happen when you are concerned about his health, he won't eat as it will upset him. give him really little portions. cook things like pizza from scratch and hide the vegetables behind the cheese and tomoato.

also i think you need to talk more to his nursery. ask exactly what he eats, you say he eats only a quarter of the dinner. ask what part of the food it is that he is actually eating. then maybe if this is the only food he is eating, concentrate on that food for a while then gradually introduce other foods after time.

often at nurserys, lunch is a busy time and they might not be giving the time/support he needs there. ask that when it is lunch someone sits with your child and supports him closely with his meal. i work at a nursery and we do that with many children.

if it continues and you continue to be really concerned for his health, you need to take another visit to your gp and explain the severity of it. if they refuse to listen maybe you need to get a second opinion from another doctor. good luck.

Answer 4

Hi try not to worry alot of toddlers are like this. My son is exactly the same, just wont eat a meal. I give him apples and bananas to snack on, if he wont sit down to a meal try and give him healthy snacks throughout the day. At least he's getting some goodness into him then.

Answer 5

try buying a kid friendly cook book. Some of the meals are so cute and decorated and fun for kids to eat. My daughter would NEVER eat scrambled eggs at daycare or at home, but when my daycare lady added green food coloring and put some ham in it- then read Green Eggs and Ham to her, she gobbled it all down. If you are that worried about your child's eating habits then you should be able to make time to conjure up these meals. Walmart, target, and even Barnes and Nobles or any other type book stores have kid friendly recipe books. You can even google it online. But I guarantee once you make these meals look funny or kid friendly - he will be putting on a few pounds.

Answer 6

Have healthy snacks to hand to tempt him between meals or maybe he's just hungry at different times of the day. Dont make it a big deal for him or anyone else or your other children may pick up on his ways. You could have him watching or helping you with some simple food preparation and he may be tempted to try new things. Otherwise I think he will grow out of this phase and its causing you the most problems

Answer 7

Feed him permanently on cereal I can think of a lot worse things that a two year old can have a diet of , make sure he gets 3 bowls of cereal a day to stop the underweight thing. My daughters 2 and wont eat anything thats good for her she would eat chicken nuggets and chips permanently if she had her way

Answer 8

Siblings can be so different can`t they my two are so different too my eldest is so outgoing never shy eats everything i put in front of her my new daughter the complete opposite very shy crys when anyone looks at her and i mean anyone even small children as for food she refuses to eat anything she does not want to eat so i thought right no choices here! she eats what everybody else eats whether she likes it or not so every meal i cooked for her got blended and since no problem! as she can`t pick out what she does`nt like she does`nt know what she`s eating as for your little one that won`t be so easy as i would guess he just would`nt eat it at all you don`t say whether he does`nt like the food he`s given or whether he just does`nt like eating but i would think as long as he is eating something even 1/4 is better than nothing at all don`t pressure him try not to make it an issue or he will be getting the wrong type of attention and do it just to get your reaction and reaction off everybody else like "go one just eat this" or "please .......... you`ll get pudding" or even shouting its all attention, if you give him his food and praise him for eating as much as he can even if is not alot lots of praise is the key, hope this helps you good luck.

Answer 9

toddlers do go through stages where they wont eat for days, even weeks... be sure hes getting a vitamin & iron suppliment, sometimes the suppliments alone will increase his appetite. never force him to eat, or get angry when he doesnt, this will only make him fearful of meal-time. let him drink whole milk, even if the rest of the family drinks 2%. try light/healthy snacks. some that work for me: whole wheat crackers w/peanut butter, celery w/peanut butter, Carnation Instant Breakfast, strawberry smoothies, yogurt, whole steamed greenbeans w/ranch. he will eat when hes hungry, let him snack or "graze" all day. be sure hes getting enough water to stay hydrated.

Answer 10

Maybe you could try making the food look more attractive. Make sandwiches shaped like animals. He's probably just being fussy. He will grow out of it but don't offer him snacks or sugary foods. I've just done a childcare project for my junior cert and i learned all about fussy eaters. I hope he starts eating propaply soon. Good luck :)

Answer 11

I would ask your GP or Health Visitor to refer you to a Dietician.
However they can take a good few weeks to give you an apointment so if all he will eat is cereal...give it to him!!
At least then he is eating something.
Ask your nursery to give him this at meals time aswell.
Still offer him other foods thou, but dont force it...you will just make him even more anxious.