2 Yr. Old with VERY Limited Diet. What Do You Think?

I have the same problem with my 22 month old son. He lives on pretzels, goldfish, yogurt, waffles, french fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, strawberries and grapes. Occasionally I can get him to eat a turkey hotdog or some mac and cheese. He will rarely try anything else. No pasta, no fresh, frozen or canned veggies, no meat. He won't even eat cake or ice cream! Very frustrating.

Here is what I do: I "smuggle" healty food into the foods he will eat. I mix jarred baby food carrots in his mac and cheese. Also I mash the yolk of a hardboiled egg into his yogurt. Sometimes I can sneak a slice of ham in his grilled cheese or put small pieces of broccoli into his pizza.

Jerry Seinfeld's wife has written a book on how to hide veggies in your child's food so he doesn't even know he is eating them. She suggests pureeing the veggies yourself but I just use jarred baby food.

I also discovered that my son needs to be distracted. I put bug stickers on the ceiling, wear funny hats, give him toys and sing songs to distract him. Sometimes I don't even think he knows he's eating. It's exhausting for me, but at least he's eating!!

Get creative! Good luck!

You mentioned therapy for eating skills. When I read your question, the issue of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) popped into my mind. All of the foods he eats are very cruncy (except the shakes). The fact that he likes fruits in the shakes but not by themselves is interesting - it totally changes their texture when they are all mixed together. Does he have any other "sensory" concerns - issues with the clothes he wears or sensitivity to touch? There is a book called "The Out of Sync Child" that gives a good overview of this issue and some checklists that could give you an idea if this is part of the problem. (I borrowed it from my local library).

I do agree with others on rules around limiting the snack foods too. But I would read the book first to see if there is an underlying cause - otherwise you will be setting yourself up for some major meltdowns!

My 2yo granddaughter doesn't eat meat very often, so we give her beans, lentels, all kinds of vegetables, whole grain pasta,brown rice, sometimes fish (NO SHELL FISH), yogurt, what ever fruit she's in the mood for and no worries about her diet. Talk to a nutrionist about what else you can give him. He'll be fine!

Hello K.,
I am so in the same boat as you. My 2 year old just turned two in january also. She used to eat everything and I mean everything. She also used to be in a 4t and now 3t is lose on her but I will get to that in one minute. I have been learning to let it go. My pediatrician says height/weight is fine and she looks wonderful. I have learned that forcing her to eat on set routine was making it worse. My daughter does not eat hardly anything all day. Basically cereal, eggs, waffles in the morning and thats if she is in the mood to eat. Lunch can not be the same time everyday because she will not eat and it is a waste for sitter or me to waste food. So instead of waiting the normal 3-5 hours from breakfast to eat lunch to feed her. I make myself some lunch which majority of the time it is what she may consider eating. So she comes over and we eat together. It has worked. Also your son may be different but here is a way that I figured mine was hungry. She would always want milk in her bottle and I would already know that she did not eat so I would make her something to eat, she would eat it and then she has her bottle. I know other moms are going to say kids need routine but my life right now does not run on routine and it has been successful for me at least right now. It will hopefully pass for both of us. don't stress yourself out and just put the food in front of him and see if will come and go while he plays. Trust me don't bribe with candy her grandfather did and it is so much worse now....Good Luck

K.
It's gonna be very difficult for you, a real tug of war, but you need to stick to your guns. Remove all the snack foods. The snack foods should be the reward for him eating what you would like him to eat. Start slow in introducing the new food...a little meat and veggies....and once he eats that, he can have 1 of his favorite snacks. Do this daily for a few weeks and he should get used to it. A little tough love now and again is ok. Remember, you will have your work cut out for you, so be prepared to tough it out. Good luck.

i would say stopping pretzels, goldfish, Gerbers Banana cookies, graham crackers seeing as most of that is pretty much snack food. May help. All kids go througneating/not eating phases if you just have finger food out that is in reach he should start eating more