Fussy Eater?

Question

My son is only 20 mths old he hardly eats a thing i am so concern that he does not get all the calories and nutriants he needs,at his age. Please someone help with my dilemma i have tried most thing to get him to eat.

Answer 1

My son was exactly the same. He is now 11 and still very fussy but will eat what's put in front of him - its taken years! The worst thing I did was make a big fuss of it. If your son wont eat whats put in front of him then just whisk the plate away and thats it. No snacks in between. He wont die of starvation - I was told not to put rusks into the bottle but I did and it wasn't a problem but obviously you do it at your own risk. Rusks provide a lot of nutrients and vitamains anyway. So the last bottle at night which was the only one left at 20 months had a rusk in it which helped the sleeping. Otherwise you are going to have to be quite strict. At 20 months, your little angel has worked out this is getting mileage out of you so he is probably taking the mickey a bit as his taste buds haven't developed that much! You can by liquid vitamains if you need to sneak them onto food. Otherwise, use natural stuff like oatmeal spread onto toast in a light sprinkling and full fat milk and whatever else you can do. But if you make a fuss and go through a million different things each mealtime you can guarantee he will enjoy your pain every second! My second child wasn't fussy and she eats anything and if she leaves food I just remove the plate but she gets no puddings. They cotton on quick if you stick to your guns.

Answer 2

At his age he should be getting whatever you eat for dinner at least. Meat, veg, fruit, carb - the same as on your plate. Make sure there is at least 1 thing you know he will eat but then if he doesn't finish his plate and indicates he is done then he gets down. if he wants something laterhe can have whatever he left on his plate.
For breakfast or lunch try and give him things that are nutritious and filling. A grilled cheese sandwich is my 2 year old's favorite, as well as pasta with butter and parm cheese . Or even yogurt, fruit, and a muffin bar - doesn't sound like much but that is a good lunch for her. Pancakes, cereal, polenta, turkey sausage, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, fruit and cheese are all regulars for breakfast around here. My 2 year old usually eats a bigger breakfast, then a small early lunch before nap.
All kids go through a picky period. While you want to give them some choice don't indulge him too much by letting him eat the same thing every day for all 3 meals and snack. Offer him a variety even if it isn't something you think you would like. And offer breakfast for dinner, and dinner for lunch just to mix it up sometimes. keep trying and eventually he will expand his pallet a bit. He might always be a bit picky but make sure he knows to at least try 1 bite of everything (that might not come until he is older).
If he really won't eat anything then just make sure he gets a few cups of milk and a baby vitamin (check with your doc first).

Answer 3

About 90% of parents owrrty over their fussy eaters. As long as he is getting healthy checkups you can stop worrying. Is he gaining weight and height like normal? he may not be eating what you consider normal, but I can tell you kids go thru these stages and literally live on air. I don't know how they manage to make it thru, but they do. Remember that childrens tummies aren't that big. They are as big as their own fist. That is what size our stomachs are suppose to be, but in this society wehre there is so many problems with obesity their tummys have enlarged and stretched out so much. I say stop worrying. He will eat when he is good and hungry. In the meantime just make sure he is getting plenty of water or formula or milk. Some children stop eating so much because they are allowed juice which in turn fills then up not allowing for anything else. Be happy your jkid doesn't eat like a pig and wind up obese and with health problems the older he gets.

Answer 4

The most you can do is offer a wide variety of healthy options, and the rest is up to your toddler. I think part of the problem is we have 'adult' rations in our head and forget that for a toddler rations can be very small, and that's ok. My daughter is quite particular with what her tastes are on a certain day, so it sometimes takes several options to please her. I've learned to keep several veggies/fruits handy to see which one she prefers. Today she'll love corn but tomorrow she wont want to look at it, so I'll offer peas. Although normally she scarfs them down, she says no so I get out some green beans. These she eats up until they're all gone! It's always a continuous cycle with her. Kinda cracks me up, a 22mth old knowing EXACTLY what she wants to eat.

Answer 5

Try pureeing his vegetables and mix with whatever sauce he's having with his meal eg mix the veg puree in the tomato sauce and pour over the pasta.
Use mashed potatoes as a base. You could mix cheese into it. Try McCain potato happy faces and pizza fingers. The spaghetti shapes are great and you can get them with most of the favourite characters.
My grand daughter wouldn't look at peas until one day I put a pea in between my lips, pressed my nose and of course the pea disappeared into my mouth. That's all she needed! She's eaten them ever since. It's really trial and error.One day they love scrambled egg, the next day they wont touch it. Their taste changes so much it's worth trying something he didn't like before again because next time he might decide he likes it!
My sister lived on sugar puffs for months when she was small and worried my mother sick.She went to her grandparents for a holiday and they called her the cabbage queen because she loved cabbage so much. There's no accounting for kids!
Hang on in there - you never know, you could have a cabbage king in there somewhere!

Answer 6

Keep a food diary for a week and note down ALL the snacks he has - you may be surprised! Otherwise try giving him a multivit supplement - we use Minadex for little one, but haven't given it for ages cos he eats well. Offer good wholesome food regularly - he will eat if he is hungry! No healthy child refuses food for long. Make sure he is getting milk at breakfast and eveningtime (we give cereal and milk as a bedtime snack) but above all, don't stress it in front of him! |They pick up on how you feel about this. Good luck - stroppy little things are toddlers!!

Answer 7

As long as your child is growing normally i would not worry, what we think is a little meal is fine for a 20 month old child, if your child has 3 meals a day with 2 healthy snacks in between and he drinks milk and other fluids he is perfectly normal.

Answer 8

If I had a nickle every time my son wouldn't eat at that age (and even now at 7yrs old) I'd be a rich woman. Make sure he gets what he needs via juice, milk, ensure, ect. He will eat when he is ready. Just make sure to keep healthy stuff ready for him. Also, if he sees you eating healthy things and enjoying them he will want to try them too. Don't get discouraged, almost all us moms go through it at some time.

If it gets to extreme though and he begins to get weak and lose weight, get him to a doctor.

Answer 9

Toddlers never starve to death because they won't eat! If you make a fuss then he will make a fuss. Mealtimes become a battle ground because you are both dreading it. If you ever watch house of tiny tearaways she always picks up that a child has eating problems because his parents have insecurities or problems that they are projecting on to him. Maybe you should google her, get her book or see if she has a dvd- you maybe able to find a some really sound advice from her.

Answer 10

I find that my son prefers interesting looking food. I cook cauliflower in coloured water so it turns putrid shades of red and blue lol Sounds gross but he eats it! Also I try not to give him the same carbs meal after meal. Like rice then potatoes and then pasta.
Also giving lots of praise or making a game of eating works. It can get messy at times but its worth it if they eat x x