My 2 1/2 year old has a massively off timing eating pattern. He does NOT like to eat when every one else eats. He gets "excited" when I'm fixing dinner, but when we sit down to eat, he doesnt want to eat and I know he likes it because he's always sayin what we are having. However, about 2 hours later, he eats. So he's gone from lunch time and 7-8 hours later, eating his dinner. How do I get that routine back to him?? Sometimes we make him sit in his chair until he eats, other times we just let him down because we know he will eat later.
kids eat when they are hungry. i am a strong beleiver in not forcing a child to eat (it creates over eaters). it is unfortunate that he is not on the same schdule as everone else but he does have a schdule that is consistant for him. maybe feed him very early lunch so by dinner time he his hungry again. good luck and God Bless!
The key is consistancy...if you sometimes give in and sometimes don't, he wont get the message that mealtime is when you eat. You may have to cut out the snacks between meals if you are giving them to him now so he will be hungry enough at mealtime. Water and milk throughout the day will keep him going like Rachel said and nothing with sugar or high fructose corn syrup in it...these things will affect his appetite...even fruit juice should be limited to about 6 oz a day and cut with half water if they are not big on drinking water alone. It may take a week of following the routine to see results, but he will eventually get back on board when he gets hungry. Toddlers are funny eaters anyway though, some days they wont hardly eat anything and other days you can't seem to fill them up, lol, that is how my 3 yr old grandson is. I keep baby carrot sticks and ranch dressing, pretzels, apples and I grill a couple of extra chicken breasts to have on hand and even if he doesn't want what is for dinner, he sits with us and can eat those things and get nourishment from them. Finger foods are great for your son's age where they want to touch and feel what they eat and feed themselves. Hope this helps.
I think what the other moms are saying is right on. Smaller portions of food is good too, that away they don't have alot in front of them and if they want more then they can get more. Cutting the afternoon snacks is a good option that may help alot with him eating supper. He needs to know when it is supper it is time to eat and not play. Missing a meal will not hurt him, he will learn to eat when you all do or he can wait till the meal. That is what we did with our kids and it worked we still have to do sometimes. Good luck!
Does he have a snack between lunch and dinner? My 2yo was doing the same thing. We cut out the afternoon snack and she is fine to eat dinner with us again. Now she just gets a snack before bedtime.
Hello there. I have a friend whose son won't eat with everyone else and won't eat what they eat. They let him run the show, he eats when he wants and he KNOWS he has the upper hand. He is older then my son, and he is scrawny and small due to poor eatin habits. With our son, we don't let him choose when and what he eats. He will eat when we eat and what we eat. Children will not starve themselves, so if he decides he won't eat a meal with you, don't give in. Let it go till the next meal. Children are much healthier and happier when meals are regular and eaten together as a family. My son is a great eater, but there are times when he is not hungry, I don't give him a choice and definitely don't give in. I hope you get the help you need.
hi M.,
i have a 20 month old little girl who is going through the same thing. she likes to eat lunch around 2 pm and prefers to eat dinner around 8 pm. maybe it's just one of those phases kids go through. i'm not sure if this will work for you or not, but here's what we do. we have a family dinner where everyone is at the table around 6 pm. i put her in a booster chair and put the food in a plate or bowl for her. i let her feed herself while my husband and i eat dinner. sometimes she will let one of us feed her a few scoops. most of the time she will just play with her food. then when she asks for a "second" dinner later, i feed her again before bath and bedtime. i pretty much let her eat when she's hungry. i figure she knows when she's hungry and will eat when she is. i know i wouldn't want to be forced to eat if i weren't hungry yet. as long as she is eating and is healthy, i'm okay with it. i hope you find something that works for you. good luck!
