Help My 2 Year Old DD Has Turned So Picky.

My daughter was the same way, and even now, at age 4, she is still very picky. She is slowly starting to try new things; recently, she has added eggs and quesadillas to her limited menu. It sounds like you are doing things the right way. Keep offering her new things, even if she doesn't try them. She may eventually. Also, dont't make the mistake of giving her a separate meal from the rest of the family. Good luck!

She'll get over it and she won't starve herself. Stick to your guns though because if you tell her no snacks or milk and you give them to her anyway she will continue what she is doing. You can give her a vitamin everyday and try to hide veggies in her food like blended veggies in mac and cheez
Good Luck!

Do not allow her to just have her favorites, put the new things out first, sit there and tell her that is what is for dinner, lunch or whatever. If she refuses then fine, take it away and proceed with your meal. If you allow her to be picky now it will esculate. I have had friends that waited until their child outgrew it and they just got worse. Now is the perfect time to talk to her about just trying things. I make my kids at least take a bite or two of new things. They can choose not to like it but are not allowed to say they don't unless they have tried it, it is "you don't know if you don't like it if you don't try it". Just giving your daughter her favorites is letting her control her nutrition, most kids would just love nuggets and mac and cheese. She will not starve, however don't let her dictate the meal plan or what is served. Be matter of fact, I never force my kids to eat, they can be done but when they come back hungry, dinner is in the fridge and they have to eat it before anything else. You can add ranch dip to veggies, my daughter loves ketchup on anything, even asparagus (I know yuck) but who cares if she is eating healthy. My son hates any type of seafood and fish, I allow him to not eat it as he has tried bites of it all, he eats other healthy stuff so I will allow him a few things he just doesn't like and that is fine. Don't make it a power struggle, however, keep her from snacking before meals, serve whatever you are making and she can either eat it or not, if not, she will not starve. Soon enough she will learn to try new things, eat what is for dinner. We ALL have gone through this at one point or the other so don't feel alone. Just be calm and cool about it, even ask her to help make the new thing you are trying so she gets excited about what she did. Good luck, kids do change their taste buds a million times just make sure she doesn't just eat her favorites all the time. The more spice and flavors she is exposed to the better eater she will be later. My friend has a three year old that is the same way and always has been, she always caves and gives her daughter cheerios as she is so worried about her being hungry, that will never solve the problem, promise she will not starve..hee hee...

I chopped up vegetables to go in the pasta sauce....I've also heard of pureeing them into spaghetti sauce. I make pumpkin pancakes. Jerry Seinfeld's wife has a recipe book about sneaking veggies in....

Let her help you wash, pick, break or sort the vegtables. If she can help with the preparation she might be inclined to taste some of what she is helping to cook... Reward her for her help. Tell her how important it is for her to help you and how important it is for her to eat the vegtables so that she can be strong to continue helping you. It sounds like she is getting the nurients and vitamins she needs. It is also important to get her to buy in at a early age about variety and good choices.

You've already received a lot of encouragement about not turning food into a power struggle. She will eat when she's hungry.

The only other thought to add is: quit serving mac n cheese, pancakes, etc. In our house those are once a month occasional treats, not staples, unless of course you're eating a lot of mac n cheese :-) I personally can't stand pancakes, so they don't get served unless my DH makes 'em. The kids get a variant of Kashi cereal for breakfast or peanut butter sandwiches on whole grain bread. Lunch is either leftovers or quesadilla with guac, etc. Dinner is whatever I fix and I love curries, seafood, grilled kebabs, stir-fry, and other flavorful things.

My kids could be quite picky if I let them, after all if I could get away with eating french fires and hashbrowns for every meal I would, so would they. Instead I make a lot of varied foods and the expectation is they will eat. We also try lots of ethnic restaurants and we don't order off the kids menu. (its usually cheaper for them to split an adult meal anyway).

Good Luck, keep persevering and keep up the strong will. She'll come around!

Feeding a 2 year old can be very frustrating. It is not unusual for a 2 year old to develop picky eating habits. I know this is worrisome for us as mothers, because we know that our children need to develop healthy eating habits in order to grow strong and be healthy.
It is important that you continue to offer fruits and vegetables in small pieces and interesting shapes and colors. maybe with a dip she enjoys. 2 year olds usually love to dip their own carrot sticks or cherry tomatoes, or broccoli "trees". Be sure the dip is also healthy...maybe yogurt, or low calorie salad dressing.
I would recommend cutting back on the pasta, toast, pancakes, mac and cheese, etc. unless they are whole grain. Otherwise they are so highly processed, they are pretty much empty calories.
It would also be a good idea to try the Juice Plus Gummies or Chewables, even if you have to crush them and add them to the applesauce. That way you know she is getting the nutrition from 15 different fruits and vegetables and 2 grains. Most children also start liking and wanting more fruits and vegetables after being on Juice Plus for a few months. The body's "cellular memory" makes them want to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin supplements are not as well used by the body as the Juice Plus is, because they are not in amounts that the body can absorb, and do not have all the other nutrients from the whole food. Juice Plus is whole food that has been juiced and dehydrated. Check out the clinical research on the web site for more information www.madjuicer.com , or send me an email if you have further nutrition questions. If I do not have the answer, I have several doctors and nutrition experts available as resources to answer questions for me. ____@____.com

It's an independence thing and totally normal. Just provide her with several options and let her eat what she wants. And look what she's eating over the course of a week, not just a day. If she's not getting enough of the required nutrients, go for the vitamin. But if you push her, she'll resist because she's two and they do that. Hang in there! 4 is coming soon! (I've heard 3 is pretty much just 2 with more words--ha, ha)

Just keep trying. I have a boy who has always been picky. He used to frown at veggies and fruits, but slowly he has started trying them all. He is now 6, and gets excited about green beans, corn, carrots, apples, bananas, grapes, etc. I thank our daughter for some of that. When she came along and started eating solids, she couldn't get enough of the fruits and veggies. I think that prompted our son to try them. We have two rules at meal time in our family. The first is, if it is something new, you have to at least try it. My husband is great at getting the kids to try food. The second is, if you don't eat your veggies and most of the other food on the plate, you don't get dessert. Eating and going potty are the two things that children feel they have control over, so when you seem less stressed about it, your little one will be less inclined to try to control it. Our kids just know that when we eat, that is the last time for food until the next meal. If they don't want to eat, we say, "ok, but this is it." It gets easier as they get older.

Hi K. -

Don't worry. Your daughter will start eating again when she is ready. It's quite normal and common for kids her age to be picky and not eat much. Keep giving her a vitamin supplement, and she will be fine. I tried offering my child just a small taste of new foods when she was a little older. There's no need to rush.

Take care,
S. Seastone, CHTP

When my dd turned 18 months, she had dropped significantly on the growth charts (she is not a picky eater, just not a big eater). Her doctor recommended Pediasure drinks. She said this ensured nutrition. They are expensive, but I give one to her when she hasn't eaten a lot and when we are in the car for long periods of time. Hope this helps!
J.

She sounds like a normal 2 year old, you are doing right, keep offering the foods, in time she will start to try them and as she gets older the bribery will work, but at this age they will "win" the battle.

Her diet sounds just like most kids her age, look at her diet on a weekly bases and not a daily bases, this will give you a better idea of how balanced it is, a tip from our DR.

So don't stress to much, they won't starve themselves and their bodies know what they need, offer the tried and true foods and then the new stuff, also find ways to add ingredients to the dishes she likes, the sneakier the better.

Good luck!

I also like the V8 fusion. Walmart has the best price for it that I have seen anywhere. My 4 year old likes juice and this is how he gets most of his vegetables. When we don't have his favorite foods I tell him that he doesn't have to eat it all, just one bite. If he doesn't like it then I will fix him a sandwich (which he loves) and if he does like it he can have more. He is a very skinny kid, but so is his dad. The other day he found my baby's pants and thought they were his own shorts. He put them on and they actually fit! They are a size 3-6 months!! Just be consistent in introducing new foods and she might surprise you. There are a lot of foods that I remember not liking as a kid that I love now.

My theory was when mine were smaller as long as they're eating they are doing ok. I asked other moms and health people, as long as they enjoy what they are eating let them eat it least you know they are getting something they enjoy, and she is taking a supplement. When she is ready she will start trying other foods. Some times with my grandson I can get him to try one bite, if he likes it he wants another bite if not he makes faces. I know he will like it when he gets a little older. He just turned 4.
So for now just feed her what she will eat. My nephew has a 28 mo old little boy and some days it seems like he is a picky eater and I tell him the same thing just feed him what he will eat and he will be ok. And he is healthy and pretty happy. He will tell you "don't want it" if he doesn't want it.
Good luck and go with your instinct when it comes to little ones, you will always know what is right.
My daughter 20 now. Ate fruits and veggies a lot and didn't eat a lot of meat when little.She did like fish and chicken when she ate meat, found out when she was about 7 that red meat gave her a stomach ache and gas. That's why she only liked fruits and veggies, she didn't drink milk either but ate cereal out of it then dumped it, I asked a friend about it, she ran a h food store, she said if she liked yogurt and ice cream she would get her calcium from that and don't worry she was getting enough and she had supplements also. Keep trying new foods but not too many at a time, eventually she will start eating new foods.

I think most kids go through this kind of a phase. I agree that food should never become a power struggle. I just give my kids good food & let them eat whatever they want to eat. If they don't eat enough veggies or whatever, the next meal that is mostly what they are offered. If they don't eat it, I don't even mention it - they just don't get snacks. Kids won't starve themselves - they will eat when they are hungry. We also have a rule that we have to try at least one small bite of everything on the plate. If they don't like it, they don't have to eat it. If they don't try - it's okay - but there's no dessert. Try not to worry - as long as you are offering nutritious food & not supplementing with unhealthy things your daughter will be just fine. Good luck!

You're on the right track. She's about the right age for this. Don't give in and give her food before meals, or make her own. She'll catch on eventually. Keep offering new foods. She'll come around. It actually sounds like she'd doing pretty well. GL!

I have a wonderful dd who just turned 2, but her pickiness and stubborness kicked in along time ago. She used to eat well until I had her tested for allergies. She had a few food allergies which some she has grown out of. So my dd wont eat veggies at all I went to target and the have soybeans in snack packs in the organic frozen sections and it has dora on it. She thought they were candy so she tried them and she actually ate them. Now she knows what they are now and she will eat them occasionally. I also get v8 fusion and flatearth chips these all give veggie servings as well as fruit depending on the chips you get. Fruit has never been the issue for me though.For awhile my dd told me no breakfast so I bought the breakfast shakes and that would give her the protein and calcium as needed. Yes I do know your pain my child will eat something one day and won't touch it again until she is ready. My dd is an independant child and it has to be on her own terms. I hope this helps and gl

Eating is an individual thing.
Do NOT turn it into a power struggle.
She will eat when she's hungry, the Doc says that it all evens out in the end.
Try to let go of the worry associated with what she's eating (mine girl is the same age) continue to offer variety of healthy things.

Welcome to mothering a 2 year old. I think this is just part of our mothering test. Keep offering her different things. You may find that her tastes change again. My oldest would eat peanut butter as a toddler, but now will not. Also, offer veggies in other ways. My kids will eat raw carrots, but not cooked ones. We also like to have a picnic lunch at home. With it hot in the summer and cold in the winter we picnic in the livingroom. Put out a blanket and make it fun. Little sandwichs or we make our own lunchables. You might even try smoothies. A little yogurt, milk and fruit in the blender. We also have the rule of having to taste eveything. Good luck.