he has always been fussy but he would eat, now he just has like one teaspoon if you are lucky, for ages he would eat baked beans and pasta, and now he turns his nose up he wont eat fruit yet the rest of us are always eating fruit he will drink a fruit smoothie thiugh and he has a bottle of soya milk for breakfast and after tea i know this is to much but at least he is getting some vitamins he hasnt lost weight but now he is eatting less he is contispated so i have to give him fig syrup to get him going again help would be very much appreciated on this subject do you think i should take him doctors and i have tried involving him in making food for the family but little progress has been made and we have tried child friendly food but this hasnt had a effect.
2007-10-12 09:52:26 · 9 answers · asked by flowersinthewind 5 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
Just hang in there and don't let him fill up on junk or juice. He won't starve, he's just excerting his will...totally normal phase.
Don't cater to him either. Make your normal dinner and be sure there is at least one thing he likes - don't make him something separate, and don't worry if he doesn't touch much. At two, our son would eat like a lumberjack one day and barely eat a slice of cheese the next.
If it persists, you can take him to the Dr. just to be sure he is still growing properly.
2007-10-12 10:55:54 · answer #1 · answered by eli_star 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My 2 year old recently went through this, he even resorted to squealing and throwing spoons at the waitresses at a recent weekend away!
We have firm rules at our tables. Your brekky, lunch etc is put in front of you and you are praised for sitting nicely. ANY attempt to touch the food or eat it is also praised. Any attempt to throw the food isn't accepted and the plate is moved away. We go over the moon at every mouthful (kids love praise!). If the food isn't eaten or pushed away after a minute or two of no interest the child is taken from the table and left to roam for a few minutes.
We then try again (2nd attempt) with the food. It helps if everyone else is eating and making yummy sounds and being involved in the praise too! If no success, take down from the table again.
3rd and final attempt. Repeat as above but if no success explain that breakfast is over, remove food and DO NOT RE-OFFER IT. They have had every attempt to eat but have refused. Unless they are poorly and have a genuine reason there are very very few who will starve themselves. The next time they eat will be at the next mealtime. Your little one IS drinking smoothies and they are getting some milk. Feel free to offer fluids but not to fill them with juice.
This has worked EVERY TIME for me, within a day the fuss gets smaller until it is non existent. Children are smart. Children are intelligent. Children learn quickly. Children like to be the centre of attention and lots of praise when they are good or doing something you want and no attention when they are doing something you do not want works fantastic. Eye contact is VITAL. ANY attempt to help set the table, help make the dinner (even mashing potatoes) helps them to feel important. Kids usually want to eat what they've prepared themselves but don't expect too much from a 2 year old.
If you child is at the stage where they can make a choice - you help them identify what they would like. For example - only two choices at this stage - would you like a cheese sandwich or a ham sandwich? This gives THEM control over what they want but, wait a minute, they're still eating what you want them to.
Hope this helps! It certainly helped my sanity to be consistant with my little one as he spent a lot of time screaming at the dinner table no matter where he was!
Speak to your health visitor if they are still being awkward, go to mumsnet.com a fantastic resource. Many mums & dads have and are going through what you are. You are not alone.
Kerry x
p.s; PRAISE is a wonderful parenting tool, you may feel a bit ridiculous but it works wonders!
2007-10-12 10:22:56 · answer #2 · answered by kezzie_jane 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sorry to say this but he is fussy because you have prob made him that way. please read on.
if your son turns his nose up at food do you then give him something else? because if you do thats wrong.
it may seem harsh but if a child does not eat his/her tea and is given something else they will learn that they can keep refusing untill something better comes along. but if he refuses and you let him go hungary for a few hours and then tyr him with the same food again he will learn not to be fussy.
and as he get older say 4-5 if he refuses to eat his tea then he goes to bed with nothing.
he will soon learnto eat when he can and when its offered.
my son is 1 and lactose intoralent but he eats anything now, he only has organic home grown food, but he will eat chilli, curray, and even anchovies he loves em!
2007-10-12 10:06:36 · answer #3 · answered by rossminton2002 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't Worry!!
All 2 year olds get fussy about their food and your always amazed they are fine and healthy despite the attitude.
Offer a 2 year a variety of things, like cheese, crackers, small pieces of carrots, peas, apple, cereals like cheerios or even pieces of egg all on one plate along with their cup of milk.
Some of it they will eat, some will get tasted, some will get thrown on the ground and some will cling to their face.. but its all part of they 2 year old syndrome.
2007-10-12 10:02:35 · answer #4 · answered by Tapestry6 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You just have to persevere and try everything. Even stuff you would not normally feed him if its healthy. Dried fruit and so on. Plenty of water or juice should help constipation. Unless he starts getting over tired and listless or losing weight hell most likely be ok. Loads of kids go through this - mine was on rice pudding and baked beans for about 6 months.
2007-10-12 09:57:58 · answer #5 · answered by jeanimus 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Try getting him around other kids of an age and let him see them eat and eventually he will do as they do, just make sure that they aren't fussier than he is, he will eat when he's hungry don't get too stressed about it as he will pick this up and associate it with food. Good luck
2007-10-12 10:06:41 · answer #6 · answered by lilly689 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OMG my son who is almost 2 will not eat neither!! But I went out and got those pediasure drinks or you can just buy walgreens brand thats what i did..You get like 8 small cans for 8-10 $ He wont drink them unless i let him drink out of a straw..There just like ensure for adults but these are drinks for kids that supplement food..well i hope this helps ya..good luck!! :)
2007-10-12 10:04:36 · answer #7 · answered by Nikki 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This is perfectly normal. If you make a fuss of him not eating then he will see it a way of getting attension, so just dont pay much attension to him not eating and after a couple of he will be eating his meals again. a child of that age will not starve himself.
2007-10-13 02:35:54 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Welcome to the terrible twos!! he is exerting his will over you - offer good wholesome food regularly - trust me, no hungry child will refuse food!! Make it his favs but don't go over the top with this! And DON'T give in and offer biccies or crisps!!
2007-10-12 09:58:01 · answer #9 · answered by Sal*UK 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋