27 Month Old Appetite Dropping Off? Normal?

This is completely normal at this age. Up until this point she was growing at such a rapid rate that she needed all those calories. Their growth slows down dramatically after 2, so their caloric needs drop off dramatically. It is good that she is listening to her internal signals and not eating when she is not hungry. Follow her lead. Most adults are not able to even feel the signals since they overeat on a regular basis, but kids are very intune with their bodies. Follow her lead, you will notice a considerable increase in how much she eats when she is having a growth spurt. I can always tell with my kids when they are growing (they eat and sleep so much more). They tell you not to even worry if your toddler has a couple days where they aren't eating well, you just need to look at what they are eating over a course of a week. Right now she is still eating at least one good meal a day, which is teriffic, but it may get more dramatic as she gets even older, and she may go several days barely eating a thing, and then have a day where she eats like crazy. Also as they get more independent, they don't like to take as much time to eat as they have things they want to explore and play with. It is actually a good sign that she is on track and developing normally.

Yes, I noticed this with both of my girls around that age. My older daughter went from being a tall and fat baby to a tall and thin girl! My younger daughter was obese as a baby but now that she is almost 3, she just looks "sturdy." I think the reason they eat less starting around 2 years is that they just aren't growing as fast as they were from birth - 2 years. Therefore, they need less food to maintain their weight. As long as she looks healthy, I think what she is doing is pretty normal.

Hi K.,

I just wanted to emphasise on Teresa B's advise. Never force a child to eat or finish a plate because they know better than anyone else their needs. If you think like me that the major rule of a mother is to make beautiful, healthy and happy grown up adults, then concerning the food, introduce as much as variety as possible.
My daughter is nearly 7 and she has more and more interest in different food (sushi, mac n cheese, fish, burgers, some vegetables,...) It's so wonderful to see her building her own tastes!
Bon Appetit

Dear Kristin,

My now 8 year old daughter did this. It turns out that she just isnt much of a breakfast eater. Also I would notice dramatic drop offs in her appetite just prior to a growth spurt, then she would eat a ton! There is no reason to worry, we have all heard that eating many smaller meals is actually better than having 3 larger ones. Just make sure to have healthy snacks available when she is hungry. Children will not starve themselves, so relax, and enjoy not having to make a huge breakfast!

Oh and for the record, my five year old daughter is th complete opposite! She has to have 2 eggs a day and toast to start her day! Kids are so funny!!!

Good Luck!

Happened to my son, too. He suddenly went from eating the entire salad bar to only eating white things (pasta, sandwiches, apples, bananas, yogurt,...), which lasted until he was almost 3. Quantity dropped substantially, too. Except, he'd have days now and then when he'd polish off a family sized container of cottage cheese or yogurt in a sitting. My pediatrician pointed out that they aren't really changing much in size between 2 and 4, so this is all fine.

Good news is that at least in our case, thanks to preschool's healthy snacks and cooking lessons, my son is back to eating what we eat. (He's almost 4) He still eats much less food than he used to eat as a baby/toddler, but same variety.