Seeking Moms' with Toddlers 18-24 for Feeding Hints

Glad to see I am not the only one!! My son is almost 3 and did not used to be like this. I don't know what to do either, but I am told it is completely normal. LisaM

You may have to just let her go hungry for a day for her to
get the point. Tell her in the morning that what is put in
front of her is what she can eat, or she can eat nothing.
It won't take long I promise. Everyone has to eat sooner or
later. And as long as she's not underweight, she'll be just
fine. My second son was like that before I realized I was the one fueling the fire. It took one day and going to bed hungry. He woke up the next morning and ate like a refugee.
Best of luck!
Jen M.
Mom of 3 boys under 6 years old.

Is it textures that she shys away from? If so it maybe it will just take time. All Mom's worry about how much their toddlers eat - it is totally natural. My daughter was in the 10th percentile when she was a toddler and 90th for height. She just wanted to move and walk and explore more then eat at that time. I worried a lot but I just kept offering her healthy choices and eventually around 3ish she would sit through a meal - or sit long enough to get nutrition. Our Dr suggested the carnation breakfasts and so forth but she did not like them so it just took time - she ate when she was hungry and she did not eat when she was not hungry. It is best that they learn when they are full on their own - they will be a healthier adult. We have never pressured her to eat/clean plate/ 2 more bites and so forth - when she was done she was done. No biggie. She is now 5 years old. still in the 90th percentile for height but is in the 50th for weight so we are very happy.
Good Luck!

My oldest was a "grazer" as well as a picky eater and a nutritionist suggested that I place a variety of foods in small amounts on an egg carton (washed, of course) or some other similar type of container. As long as he was getting a variety of foods and maintaining/gaining weight, I was told not to worry. He is 9 years old now and was just diagnosed with Celiac disease. We didn't know about this disease back then and it turns out that he's been having symptoms of this since about age 1. I had to practically fight to get him tested for it. I think many times he didn't eat because the food he ate didn't make him feel well, he just didn't know it. I'm not saying that's the problem, but just that you should be aware of this condition. Chances are your baby is just going through anormal phase, since it is pretty typical for toddlers to refuse foods. Afterall, he's testing his independence and learning about his world. Kinda hard to sit still when there is so much to explore! Good luck.

I have almost 23 month twins and they have good days and bad. I used to be so worried about how much they weighed and how much they ate. I talked to my pedi because they were only in the 10 percentile for weight.

She reassured me that even though they were low it was okay. My husband and I are short and small so they will be too. Also, as long as they are getting a good variety they are ok. Some days they only want only fruit and the next day only veggies and that is ok. Also they don't have growth spurts like when they were babies and between this age and 3 is the worse!

As far as milk we give the carnation for the extra calories. We can't give too much because it will fill them up and then they won't eat. For toddlers they only should get 1/2 packet in 1 cup of milk (not mentioned on the box, I wrote the company) and they have some other provisions.

I also read on www.wholesomtoddlerfood.com that it is normal for them to eat one good meal a day and the rest they will nit pick. She also recommends looking at what they ate over the course of a couple of days instead of each meal. It also mentions that what we see as a portion is usually too much for them. They typically eat 1/4 of what we eat.

Check out the website she has some great pointers. It made me feel at ease after reading and confirming with my pedi and now I just serve what I serve and they either eat it or not. I know in 2 hours they will eat again and I offer a veggie or fruit so they get the nutrients from it.

My oldest granddaughet was just the same, and at 12 still is- and a straight A student- go figure- she seems to know what is right for her body if she avoids sugar-k

This is normal. If you feel your child is a risk of starving to death see your primary. If your primary agrees they will help you with some options... such as hospitalization or a feeding tube. I know this sounds extreme, but I am just being honest. My husband and I have a 20 month old son and we joke that he lives off of oxygen. I have addressed this with my son's doctor and I was told it is normal. Try not to worry about it and just let her eat when she wants. She will eat if she is hungry. Try to offer food every two hours (awake time). Good Luck!!!

Is your daughter picky or just not eating well? Picky I can’t help with because I don’t have that problem, but not eating I have had months of experience dealing with.

I have a 16 month old that is not the best eater. One day she eats well then the next day she barely eats at all. I was so obsessed with getting her to eat it made her not want to eat even more. It became a battle every meal in my house. My husband and I would always say "please eat" when she wasn't and then made a huge deal (we might as well have had a party) if she was. We finally realized the more we talked about her eating the less she actually ate. Now we just give her a little food on her plate at a time and have a normal conversation at meal time and she eats if she actually hungry. Try not to make a big deal out of the eating situation in front of her.

I would say if your daughter has not fallen off her growth curve don't be that concerned. I've learned in the past few month that I shouldn't look at what my daughter eats on a daily basis but on a weekly. Some nights she barely eats dinner and most of her food is on the floor but when she gets up in the morning she eats a big breakfast. I think kids know exactly what they need and how much of it and we should let the guide us on how much they eat.

Best of luck!

Is she within healthy height and weight guides? Check with your pediatrician.
Try fixing cute food. Mini pancakes -which you beat an egg into. Veggies and fruit in little squares, grapes, strawberries cut in half or wedges. Cheese, anything she can hold with her hands. Does she like mac and cheese? You can add ham squares. This is probably a phase. Her supplment is doing some of the nutritional part too. My son only ate hot dogs and chicken for a loooong time. Good luck

My son is tiny (always was) at 26 months & 22 lbs... I will do ANYTHING to get calories in him. Cream cheese & butter on a bagel, vanilla carnation instant breakfast AND strawberry quik in his milk (took 5 months to get milk in him... keep trying :) cheese as snack, raisinettes, peanutbutter, cheese omlette w/ butter, fruit chews- The hardest thing is not eating what he leaves behind (because I was the one gaining weight)!

Try making her food fun. Cutting food into shapes really helped when I couldn't get my son to eat. Make a game out of meal time.

Why do you feel you need to supplement something for her lack of milk intake? If you're concerned about calcium feed her tahini or broccoli. A great trick is to cook up some broccoli, kale and other greens with a bit of cauliflower and put them in a blender with some tahini and miso paste (be careful to not make it too salty, a mild miso like chick pea works well) and then add some water and heat it up as a soup with some rice. You can also throw carrots in for other vitamins.
Another way to get nutrients in is to make a smoothie. Seriously this milk campaign is scary (check out www.notmilk.com) throw some almond milk (chock full of nutrients), rice milk, hemp milk (great for all omega 3 and 6), and then put a combination of nuts (make sure to add pumpkin seeds for zinc), ground flax seeds (also for omega 3 and 6), a few baby carrots, some raw spinach and even som different types of lettuce. Then add frozen banana, blueberries, grapes, whatever fruit you have around the house, even some nut butter (not peanut they are NOT nuts and not healthy). This will be yummy AND full of healthy stuff.

Hand her pieces of fruit or chopped pieces of veggies. Make a dip from a can of any type of beans, put some olive oil (fat), tahini (calcium, healthy fat, etc) a bit of salt, some herbs of your choice, a bit of lemon juice and even some zucchini!
Remember you are creating the taste buds for her future. If you start her off with loads of over stimulation you will help her crave all sorts of strong artificial needs later on, foods loaded with salt and sugar and chemicals, etc which we know are not healthy. Stay simple.

Then, breathe!!! Kids go through stages where they eat then don't eat, even in a matter of days. They will get the nutrients. If you force them to eat they will resent it later on. They will eat if hungry. If you notice a serious problem and the kid is passing out or something then it's a danger.

Maybe having your daughter help out with the cooking process would help. Making simple things like pasta and having her stir in butter and/or cheese, making pancakes and letting her stir.....sometimes making muffins or something that's easy for them to stir and feel like they are involved. Make a big deal out of it. She prepared dinner tonight or breakfast and we better make sure to eat it all because it will be the most fantastic meal yet!My toddler and other friends' tend to eat while making the food, so don't be surprised if she doesn't actually eat while at the table.....but at least she eats.
At times we pretend to eat her food and all take turns, too.....even the favorite stuffed animal. Good luck!

my son is 21 months and has days like that. Most days he will eat whatever is in front of him, others I feel like I have to force him to eat. I am working the same way I grew up, we eat as a family and you eat what is in front of you. If he chooses not to eat, he gets no snacks after dinner and goes to be hungry. I was always told that my mom does not run a restaurant and I was to eat what was prepared. I just always make sure that there is something that I know he will eat. He loves beans, mac & cheese and veggies like corn, so I try and always have something off that list with our family dinner. He used to love milk and then began to refuse to drink it. I make sure that he eats some yogurt and cheese during the day, usually with breakfast and lunch then maybe some ice cream or frozen yogurt after dinner, as long as he is getting the fat and calories that he needs!

Dear Stephanie and others on the same boat:

I have finally found a way to bridge the gap between what they should eat and what we do eat and my family is healthier. I tried all kinds of techniques but as you, my kids do not have a well balanced whole food nutrition and more often than I wanted, neither do we, parents.
So, speaking to friends and searching the internet i found the solution for us and it is called juice plus.
In fact, they are having a seminar on Thursday and Friday (8/20-21) in St. Cloud at 705 Florida Avenue (in case you live close by). Thursday starts at 7:30pm and Friday at 6:30pm. It is all about the benefits of whole food nutrition. you can learn so much.
The person I met also has a website but I am not sure if I can post it but you can contact her at ____@____.com, i am sure she will help you as she helped me.
Not sure if this is how you want to solve the issue but it sure cut out the fighting in our house and I am happy when and if they eat good food. My husband and I also noticed the benefits over the past several years! I dont remember the last time my kids were sick either!!
Hope this helps!

Hi, My 3 1/2 year old boy, is still very picky!!! i'm not sure when will it stop!!! but, what I started doing after he turned 1 1/2 (when started w/the pickyness) was to give him vitamins, i don't remember if it was flinstones or not, but they have them for 2 year olds too. Go to your nearest store and check I found them @ Winn-Dixie Supermarket. Also, I just found from Pedia Sure nutritional shakes the generic brand from Winn=Dixie too, cause they are very expensive, on chocolate, and my son drinks 1 a day. In no way that's his food for the day but i think about it as a little supplement.

His diet has changed much, he mostly eats rice (sometimes beans) and ketchup, chicken nuggest, sometimes spaggeties, mc and cheese, pancakes and sometimes eggs. He does drink milk w/chocolate quick (try offering her chocolate or strawberry quick in her milk too). The bad part is that he used to eat a lot of veggies, and now he doesn't everytime I intent on giving me any kind of veggies or something he doesn't want to eat, he won't eat it at all and if you push it in his mouth he throws up. So, we are dealing w/it...but talk to her pediatrician and keep on it, keep giving her veggies on her plate so she knows that will always be there whether she likes or not...
and mostly good luck!

I think you are doing the right thing with meals together. Just give her a little bit on a plate, but that's it. If she wants more, then give her more. My daughter (3 1/2) eats like a bird, but my son (5) devourers his plate.

I used to think my son was just so picky because there was a time that he didn't eat much. So, I caved into that and fed him only special meals. Well, that totally bit me in the butt. He now only wants specific meals and won't eat what we eat. If I could do it over again, I would keep my stance on what I gave him and not ONLY make chicken nuggets or grilled cheese sandwiches. He is now just a little more willing to try things, but it's still a fight.

Also, she might not be going through a growth spurt. Children that go through growth spurts eat so much more than children that are not. If I'm not mistaken, children around 2 only need 1,000 calories... which doesn't seem like a lot. But remember, she isn't 5'6" at 130lbs (who would need 1500 - 1800 calories, depending on activity).

http://www.uchicagokidshospital.org/online-library/conten...

Hope this helps :)