I have a 2 year old son that doesn't want to eat regular food at the sitter's house. She sits him down to eat and he gets mad and then throws up after taking bites. He doesn't do this at home, only there and not on a daily basis. Any suggestions??? Help! He is my youngest and we never had a problem with our daughter doing this.
It sounds like something there is getting him upset and not necessarily the food. It's too bad he can't tell you. I don't know how you can find out, hopefully someone reading this will have some good advice.
If it were me, I would visit and watch unobserved at lunch time. That sounds so strange to me, since that kind of behavior is usually reserved for home, not sitters. Also, what exactly is she feeding him? If you can't visit unobserved, ask her to video tape lunch for you so you can see exactly what is happening and then go from there. Good luck!
Sounds like something is seriously wrong at the sitters house. Do you trust her completely and totally? Do you know her well? I would probably switch sitter for a while and see if it changes.
Stress or reflux would be my concern.
Also find snacks that are healthy and full of vitamins or a vitamin enriched milk with some iron rich snack.
Maybe hes doing it on his own too my kids do it sometimes cuz they dont want whats going on.
It sounds like he doesn't like going to the babysitter. Try sending some food from home and see if he still throws up his food. If he does, then maybe he's reacting to something that stresses him, but if he's fine, then maybe sending some food with him might be a better alternative. At least then he would keep his food down.
A couple of things to keep in mind. It is a power struggle. Children this age know that they can control eating, sleeping, and going potty. I think it is a control thing for him. I would have your provider tell him that lunch, or whatever meal is ready, is ready and he has the choice of either coming to the table to eat or sitting quietly with a book. Give him the choice of what to do. She also needs to let him know that this will be his only chance to eat until the next meal or snack. Children of any age will not starve themselves. They will eat and they also learn pretty quickly that they will not be able to eat between meals and snacks. Is the provider something new? I have learned that children who start in my care, I am a licensed home child care provider, sometimes will not eat or not eat as much as they normally would at the beginning. It takes some time getting use to the changes. Those are my suggestions, try giving him the choice to eat and see what happens. If there is no pressure to eat he is most likely going to eat with no problems.
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Hi C., I have 2 questions for you, first of all what kids of foods is she giving him, and is he making himself throw us in a rebelion type, or is the food she is giving him actually making him throw up. One more is this just a sitter or is this a licensed Daycare, I could better advice you with theses questions answered. J.
Ask your babysitter to be patient with him. Make sure she talks to him in a calm voice. Maybe they could eat the similar foods at the same time. Taking him through what he's eating and telling him how important it is to eat things that will make him strong.
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Our daughter is probably the finickiest eater of anyone I've ever known. So, I can completely understand what you're saying. Our doctor tells us all the time to not worry about it. Kids will eat when they are hungry. He tells us NEVER to push food onto a child. Always offer once during a meal, and if they say no, then leave it alone. They are required to sit there while everyone else eats and then they can be excused with everyone else. At some point, they will eat what's in front of them or go hungry. And it's our nature to never go THAT hungry. So, don't worry about it. Tell the sitter to never force food onto your child. Make them sit and watch and interact with everyone else during the meal. They have the one chance to eat and after that the meal is over. If you really feel bad and they want something healthy to eat after everyone else is finished, feel free to give it to them. My daughter will sometimes ask for fresh fruit or yogurt after dinner because she didn't eat anything during dinner. I usually will allow it, but without any dessert or treats of any kind. And if she doesn't get dessert, then no one gets to eat dessert in front of her. We don't flaunt it. The other night, she asked if she could have some of our salad (a first) and we gave her a little bit. She tried it and liked it. So, after 3 years of her incredibly picky eating habits, she's starting to explore other options, and our doc says it's because we don't force it upon her. She'll never starve.
But, if you're ever concerned regarding your child's health, like they aren't growing as you feel they should, or putting on the proper amount of weight, etc., then take them to the doc for his/her opinion. And a lot of exercise is great for a kid...not only does it keep them healthy, but it increases their appetite. We play outside with our daughter as much as possible (heck, we live in San Diego so why not?), so she gets hungry and wants to eat when we sit down. And we are now seeing her change her habits a bit...it's good.
Good luck! And hang in there! Cheers, C.
Pack a lunch for him to take to the sitters.
Maybe you could buy him a lunch box and let him pack a lunch from home. Make it seem special for him.
