My 14 Month Old Doesn't Want to Eat Dinner!

Don't worry it is a phase. She will heat when she is hungry but don't give her any snacks if she won't eat her dinner. If she is hungry let her know she must eat her dinner first. Good Luck

If she is not losing weight, then I wouldn't be too concerned. My pediatrician always told me when I was having problems with my son that it may look like they aren't eating enough, but by the end of the week it all evens out. You could also try giving her Carnation instant breakfast or Pediasure. (I said Carnation first because it's cheaper :-) )
See if she'll drink that. They are both loaded with vitamins and they taste like milkshakes...sort of.

Welcome to the world of Toddler-dom. My 26 mo old is the same way. He'll eat everything and anything at my Mother's (she does my daycare). He'll even try new foods, but at home no chance. Most nights he ends up eating a PB and J. It depends on my mood on what I do. Last night, I didn't feed him. I gave him what was for dinner, he didn't eat and I didn't give him anything else. Sometimes, I give in. But the truth is, they will eat when their hungry. And if we were strong enough, we'd just follow through and not give them anything else. As long as they gain weight then they are thriving and it really isn't an issue. P.S I didn't give him anything else last night...My hubby gave him peanuts before bed, because "We just can't feed him." He wanted chocolate for dinner, I don't think so.

I have a 2 1/2 year old boy who used to eat everything when he was supposed to. That stopped about a year ago and all he would eat was chicken, noodle soup and oatmeal. He sometimes won't eat all day (he does drink his milk and juice). He just now is starting to eat more foods but still skips luch or dinner a lot. The doctor told me it was normal for kids to do that and not to worry. I added a multivitamin to his diet which he loves (it;s a gummi worm) He is a very active, healthy child who eats almost nothing some days and eats all day on other days. I gave up trying to make him eat dinner. He'll get his plate, he'll sit down with thr rest of us, sometimes he eats and even has seconds other times he wont touch it. He is growing, gaining weight like he is supposed to and is happy. What more can you wish for?

Hi J., this is E., I have three kids, they are 9, 6, and 2 yrs old. My 2yr old was a wonderful eater, and any time you sat him in his chair he was happy to eat. For the last few months he is terrible eater and will snack and loves juice. It sounds like your daughter is getting all she needs with having at least two meals, especially if she drinks milk, all drinks are filling so the only way I get my son to really eat is to limit the juice cups before dinner. What he really likes is cubed cheese and yogurt, even for dinner! Whatever works at this point, he is healthy and happy so there is not much else I can do. I find that kids are always changing, like my other two kids may like something one day, I buy it again and they don't like today! I will offer a vegetable and meat to him at most dinners to see if he will at least try it, but he doesn't try it most times. If you don't keep trying I feel they will never acquire a taste for it, for example, and I'm not lying, my daughters like brussel sprouts, I hated them as a child.........but they love them, and that's only because we encourage our kids to just try one, or we say "you need to eat three pieces" before we excuse them. Some people do not agree with making children try things but my daughters are good eaters, and as we grow our tastes change and so do theirs! I love brussel sprouts now! Hope this helps a little, give it time.....I'm sure she'll be just fine!

I wouldn't worry about it. Both of my children are the same way. They eat really well in the morning and at daycare I'm told they eat well, but when dinner comes they don't. I think by that time of night they're just not hungry and probably tired too. If she's eating at other times during the day I dont' think you have anything to worry about.

I'm am actually writing in response to your description of yourself. I am currently working with women and families who would like to spend more time with their children. My husband and I have a home-based business that we are currently expanding. Just this past July, I was able to quit working and spend all of my time with my now 11 month old twins. It is obsolutely wonderful! If you are interested in hearing more about this opportunity let me know. I hope to hear from you soon!

Few ideas....

My daughter Madison won't eat really good when she is teething, I might only get her to some fruit and a snack all day, the doctor said to be happy that she is eating something and make sure she gets enough fluid for the day because baby's don't have a good appetite when they are in pain. Is she cutting any teeth? But this only lasts a few days not weeks for me.

When she gets home from daycare try not to give her alot of milk, that fills her up so when it come dinner time she is not hungry. My mom had a problem with this with me at this age (she tells me all the stories from my childhood--I was her first and had lots of learning experiences from me) I wouldn't eat and the doctor asked her if she was giving me milk or juice 3 hours before meal time and she said yes and he told her to stop that and I will be hungry and will eat, and after I ate then I was allowed my drink. I still to this day I eat my whole meal then have a drink, I don't drink during dinner--kinda funny how that works!!

Let us know how it goes, good luck!!
C.

My mother said that I only ate 2 meals a day when I was small (not a problem anymore! hehe) Anyways, I was glad she told me this, because my son around 14 months also stopped eating dinner so much. Sometimes he does, but for the most part he just wants breakfast, lunch and maybe a snack or 2. He is now 2 1/2, he has been growing wonderfully (95th percentile for height and 80th for weight) So, 2 meals a day doesn't seem to be hurting him. I still put dinner in front of him, and most times he just picks at it, but once in a while he will eat it. I figure the habit of sitting down for dinner is probably just as important as eating it at this point. They need to know that people eat at certain times, so that when they do get hungry in the evening (cause they will eventually) they understand, at least on some level, that there is another meal other than the 2 they had earlier in the day. Consistancy on our part is important, because they can only do what they can do.

So, no worries, I am sure your daughter will outgrow this eventually, just don't plan on it to be anytime soon.

Its been a long time since I have had a little one at home, However i do remember when my second child was around 18 months old he would not eat much of anything at all.The advice his doctor gave me was' let him eat when he is ready. Just try to put out heathy things for your child to choise from. If you make a child eat when they are not hungry it promotes over eating. My son is now 15 and some days he eats almost nothing and other days I swear he has a hollow leg.

Is it possible that she is getting teeth? My daughter is just about a yr and the only time her appitite is low is when she is teething. She does drink a lot more during that time too, the sucking motion soothes the gums.

I have a 17 month old daughter who won't eat dinner when she is too tired. Sometimes I give her a late nap like from 4-5 just to take the edge off so she can focus to eat. When my daughter is tired she has no patience for the high chair or food in general. Also, try reading a book to her while you shovel in some food. That also works to distract our daughter. We have "food" books that are disgusting and just kept by the high chair to get through meals.

Good Luck!

Is she teething? Both of my boys were very picky eaters. Now at 4 and 2, they eat just about everything. My pediatrician has always told me to look at what your children eat in a one week period rather than stressing out about what they eat on a day to day basis. I am sure she will come around. Good luck!

Hi

I have a 3 year old and 19 month old. Both have gone through phases where they eat more or less. Kids really are supposed to be born with an inborn ability to count the calories they need and not eat more. Over time of being told to finish their plates or eat just so many more bites, they lose that ability and end up eating just because there is food available. It's hard when you think they should be eating and must be hungry - especially if you're not really seeing her eat because it's when you are at work. It's pretty typical for them to cut way back on food around 1. I remember my pediatrician warned me when both of mine hit that point to expect them to get picky and just not eat very much at all. That's why they monitor weight, length and head circ so carefully especially in those early years. It's normal for slight variations from visit to visit, but if there is a dramatic drop in percentile or if your child ever actually loses weight, then you will know you need to look more into the food issue.

Since they eat so little at this point, it is good to give them VERY small portions of several different foods for each meal. That way you can get a wider range of vitamins and minerals into their little bodies. Offer a mini buffet with a couple different colored veggies (even just one bite of each is good) and fruits along with dairy, grain and protein foods. If your child is a snacker, you can integrate some more high nutrient foods into snack times instead of waiting for more traditional meals. Also, take advantage of her hungry times of day and off as much as she wants of healthy foods. Then if she doesn't touch dinner, you'll know she already ate a great breakfast, lunch and snacks in between. If you are specifically concerned with nutrients, you could try pediasure as well. My cousin's little girl had a lot of problems with eating (due to a swallowing issue as a result of a stroke at birth). She was way off the charts and never ate all day basically. For a while she would only drink and they'd give her half & half mixed with pediasure to get her bulked on fat and calories while also including the nutrients. Now she's 3.5 and up to about 25% and eating little bits of most anything. She's still not a big eater, but she maintains her percentile with a normal diet - no supplements anymore.

Good luck - try to relax and trust her to eat when she's hungry. Keep in touch with your pediatrician and alert them immediately if you have ongoing concerns or anything changes.

H.

HI J.!
I WISH I HAD THIS PROBLEM!! BEING A MOM OF 4 VERY HEALTHY BOYS I DID GO THROUGH YOUR DILEMMA WHEN MY NOW SEVEN YEAR OLD WAS THREE.I TOO WAS EXTREMELY WORRIED BECAUSE HE ONLY ATE AT DAYCARE HOWEVER MY PEDIATRICIAN HELPED EASE MY WORRIES..IS YOUR CHILD LOSING WEIGHT?? OR IS HER WEIGHT PRETTY MUCH STABLE? I KNOW IT SEEMS HARD TO HANDLE,BUT KEEP IN MIND HER TUMMY IS A LOT SMALLER THAN OURS AND AS LONG AS SHE'S NOT MALNOURISHED SHE WILL EAT EVENTUALLY. I HOPE THIS HELPS GOD BLESS.

Ok, first off hello. Secondly, just wanted to post my reply, my girls (i have 3 1/2yr old twins) went through that stage. our peds told us that as long as they are eating somethings all day long (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack) then they might not be hungry for dinner, they will eat when they are hungry. we actually stopped giving them the snacks in the middle now they eat three full meals a day. (we had the problem of not eating lunch) we were always throwing away their lunch.

My three year old son still goes through phases of not eating dinner or breakfast. Not in the same day usually. I believe its a phase or slow down in growth. I look at this like this--as an adult, sometimes i'm not hungry at every meal, every day. usually if he doesnt eat dinner, i make sure he has a healthy balanced snack before bed like cheese, crackers and strawberries!