My 23 Month Old Is on a Food Strike

I kind of respectfully disagree with Amy.

I have a son who eats ANYTHING--and I mean anything. I never made him special meals. I am not a short order cook. I do cook and I do prepare healthy meals for all of us. He always ate what we ate for dinner. 99.9% of the time he liked it and ate it. He's 7 now. He asks for shrimp at McDonald's.

Personally, I wouldn't cave by making him special meals, but I wouldn't put him top bed hungry either. Make sure there is O. thing that he likes for sure at each meal.

He can always have a bowl of cereal before bed if he is truly hungry.

Food should not be punishing or rewarding. It should feed the body. Good luck!

My advice, having now a 13-year old and almost 18-year old who are adventurous eaters is LET IT GO. The more you stress about it and try to get him to eat other foods, the more of an issue it will become and take on greater importance in your lives. Just continue to offer what he likes in smaller quantities as well as other foods on his plate and let him decide. Let him see you and your husband eating the other foods and liking them. And wait. He'll come around.

I have seen families in which this became a huge issue and now the kids are teens and STILL only eat a very restricted range of foods, mostly white carbs. The parents eat everything, are adventurous, grow their own food or buy all organic but the kids eat pasta and bread and a few other things. Those parents lost the fight. So just relax and don't stress about it.

L.

I would suggest you pick up the book "Your Child's Weight: Helping Without Harming" or another book by Ellyn Satter. Though the title of the book may sound like it is for parents with over (or under) weight children I recommend it (as a naturopathic doctor and a mother) to any family I see struggling with issues surrounding feeding their children. Ellyn Satter's advice is simple: the parent is in charge of the what and the when of eating and the child is in charge of the whether and how much. You prepare a meal for your child that has some parts that you feel certain your child will eat and will also make you feel good at the end of the day and some parts that you would really like them to eat but aren't sure that they will. They choose whether they will eat it and how much and that is that. Some very finicky eaters will refuse to eat for a while (which can be VERY hard for parents to deal with) but eventually they will eat what you prepare if you are consistent with your message. Hope that helps.

We're kind of going through the same thing right now with our 23 month old boy. But in difference to Amy, we let his food sit out until bedtime, giving him the whole night to change his mind and eat. Right now as I type this, his food is still sitting there. He wanted to go outside this evening. We reminded him every time he asked to go outside that he had to eat his dinner first. He kept saying no. So he'll eventually learn. I'll wrap his dinner in Saran Wrap and give it to him tomorrow if he doesn't eat it soon.

A tip though, taste his food. It might be too spicy,too hot, too salty. My son tonight didn't eat one bite, even when I offered him ketchup on top. So I don't know what the deal is. Just being a toddler boy I think. Probably a phase. Perhaps teeth are bothering him if he hasn't gotten them all? I am trying not to worry.

Put the meal on the plate and, as much as possible, ignore him. I mean don't keep talking to him and trying to entice him to eat the food. When he has finished the cheese and 'fries' and is asking for more, simply tell him he can have more after he's finished the other food on his plate. Again don't make an issue of it. Make the portions small enough that it won't be too discouraging to him to have to eat that part he doesn't really want, but don't give in for more of the cheese and 'fries'. If he has to get up from the table a little hungry because he totally refuses the veggies, he'll begin to learn to eat better. It will likely take some time, so don't get discouraged, but unless there is some other health issue that would negate this method, I agree that a child isn't going to starve himself.

Dr. William Sears, an amazing pediatrician, talks about 9 Simple Steps in a great video he made for Juice Plus+. One of the suggestions is simply to prepare a "nibble tray" by using a muffin tin and filling it with 9-12 different nibbles like mini carrots, kidney beans, cubes of cheese, bites of fruit, broccoli trees, a dollop of natural nut butter, whole grain crackers, grapes, grape tomatoes, fresh or frozen berries, hummus, sliced potatoes, raisins---anything that he might like to nibble on all day. Set it out and encourage grazing. You child may just be very sensitive to the change of seasons and may have changing tastes during a growth spurt. See if the temperature of the food makes a difference in what he'll eat. Sometimes cold juices or hot soups are accepted when they are room temperature.

Hi Momma-
This probably sounds completely harsh, but it is what my mother used to say about my sisters and I: they'll get hungry.
And when a child gets hungry, they will eat. But if they are not truly hungry, like full on hunger, must have food now, then they get picky. I see it with with my sister's boy and I know I've spent a number of days in front of a cold dinner plate, "refusing" to eat what was prepared. But it really is true- I got hungry and ate it, and so will he. Just make sure he is still getting plenty of fluids.
Or, you can call other things french fries and see if he will eat them....anything crunchy- radishes, carrots with peanut butter.....
Hope that helps. And don't give up. He will come around.
-E.

Advice from a pediatrician: As rough as it sounds, a healthy child will not stave himself. So provide the food that you want him to eat and if he is hungry, he'll eat it! She gave an example of someone whose child would only eat Cheetos and she said "Well, who is in charge and who is buying the Cheetos?!?" So just keep offering him healthy options and eventually (I know the eventually is the rough part) he'll get past the demanding french fries and cheese! Good luck!

Oh, and another helpful thing to remember is to not look at what he's eating in a meal or a day but rather over the course of a week - it may be more well balanced than you realize.