What's the best way to get a picky toddler to eat his meal? Ours fights us and we have to bribe him. Help?

Question

Our two and a half year old son refuses to at his meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) because he'd rather play. When we sit down as a family he doesn't want to sit and eat, just play. If we talk to him he just says "no". Then if we pick him up and sit him down he cries and sees eating as a punishment. The times he does eat is when we leave a plate of food in the play area and he picks at it while playing and even then he doesn't eat much. He has no favorites for us to cook and the only thing he prefers is his orange juice. How can we get him to eat at the table with us without "forcing" him to eat with us?

Answer 1

Toddlers do this, and you just have to kind of ignore it really, or else they will be really stubborn. A child wont starve himself. Just offer him his meals, if he doesn't eat then fine, dont say anything. I wouldn't let him play though, have sit there until you're done eating even if he screams and cries for 20 minutes, totally ignore him. When the meal is over tell him we're all done now and let him down. No sweets throughout the day, just his milk and water. He'll give up and eat. .

Answer 2

there are a few things that i do with my own child who wont eat and would rather play.

In first attempts i get him to help prepare some "spiderman" or "turtle" food. Another favourite is "Lightning McQueen sausage racers" and "Mr Potato Heads" (we cut other harder food into arms and accessories and eat them with a boiled poatato). We colour the mash potatos and cut bread with a cutter into spider shapes. He then feels like he can eat his creations just like his super heros. I have found this method very good, even though sometimes it is rather lenghy and messy. I have even resorted to making a "Web" out of mashed potato and pumpkin and put over a meal that i have cooked so he will eat.

I also make "junk" food like pancakes and muffins but i add puree vegies and fruits onto them so at least he is getting some sort of good ness. He loves his special chocolate pancakes which has puree spinach and potato in them.

Lastly i just have snack size foods on hand for him. He always eats when he is hungry and he is happy to have a sandwich or carrot sticks or apple quarters. He soon gets boared with this and wants to join the rest of the family.

My only other suggestion is try to limit the orange juice as it can cause tooth decay. If he has to have it make it 50:50 with water. and gradually wheen it down til it's just water. It really is a faze this age go through he will soon come around and start eating "normal".

Good Luck.

Answer 3

Stop with the in between meal snacking. You are letting him control when he eats and it is you, as a parent, who should be controlling mealtime. No food while playing!! Absolutely none. If you are more consistent with your meal schedule then he will eat. Cereal and fruit for breakfast... doesn't eat. Sandwich and milk for lunch... doesn't eat. Chicken and veggies for dinner... guaranteed to eat it because he's hungry by now. Tomorrow follow the same routine and by the end of the week you have trained you child how and when to eat a proper meal.

Answer 4

if hes so connected to playing then make it a game. didnt your parents ever play here comes the choo-choo train or the plane to the tunnel? put some food on the fork/spoon and fly it around his head and be like here comes the train! open the docking sttion so he can refuel! and then you feed him whatevers on the spoon. im sure it will tickle him pink with delight. but if that dosent work then you need to restrict his play time through the day if the night before he dosent eat. if he wont eat breakfast then he cant play until lunch. if he wont eat at lunch then he cant play till dinner. give him every chance to redeem himself. no breakfast? well no playing til lunch but if you dont eat at lunch you dont play til dinner. wont eat dinner? then he dosent get to play at all that day or til breakfast the next day. he neds to see his actions have reactions that effect him directly. best of luck and congrats ^_^ perhaps do that method and if he sits at the table and pouts try playing the game to make him forget the situation for a while.

Answer 5

Say,"OK, you don't have to eat" And put the food in your fridge.
The next time he says he's hungry, get the food out and warm it up. Eventually, he'll have to eat it, until then, don't let him eat anything else until its gone unless it is absolutely necessary.



Or....
Make it a game.

You and your wife close your eyes and hav him eat something. When he's done, you guys try to guess what he ate.



Does he have a favorite super hero? Tell him that you can be as strong as Spiderman, Superman, ect. If he eats.



Good Luck!

Answer 6

he will not starve to death, but I would not leave the plate down for him to nibble. He will learn quick that he has to eat with the family at the table...... cut out some of the juice, that can cause rashes etc plus make him feel full....especially orange juice.

Answer 7

enjoy it. some quality time for adults. its devlopmental. I try to feed my toddlers before my husband comes home and after they are full they sit at the table and nible on food. Put his food at the table and just try to get him to join you 2 nights out of the week and build from there.
Hey how about join him in the playroom.

Answer 8

skip the fighting. put small servings of food on the plate and give him a cup of water. if he doesn't eat, so be it. make sure he has 5 small meals a day and healthy snacks in between. he's a normal kid, but your discipline measures need some fine tuning. enroll in parenting classes.

Answer 9

My little cousin is just like this. My aunt and uncle decided to give him something to do while he eats. When he eats, they give him a toy car to play with or maybe something new that he hasn't seen before. Just distract him and he'll eat.

Answer 10

Do what I do to my 5 year old sister!If she won't we don't force her,she just has to go sit on the stairs.Natural curiosity about what we are doing in the Dining Room,persuades her to come back and eat,so she can know!