My Almost 3 Yr. Old Hardly Eats. HELP !!

My picky eaters loved roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. Put the chicken in the oven and let it cooked (really reasonable meal too). Even at that age my boys said it smelled really good. I'd sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder before cooking. They've always loved mashed potatoes too. You need to give lots of things a try. How about pasta? My eldest loved pasta with sauces (meat, alfredo) and my youngest only wanted olive oil or butter and salt. You can get fun sizes and give those a try (shell, penne (my kids loved to slide them on the tongs of their forks). Try Annie's mac and cheese for something with cheese. They have the small shell with an alfredo sauce or the one you can make in the microwave (little tubes). Does she like beans (good protein). My kids liked garbanzo beans. I'd toss them with a little Italian dressing and put in little cups (like ramekins) . They'd scoop with small spoons. I think when things are little and in small containers with small utensils the kids tend to eat more (try Target). It doesn't' overwhelm them. Try humus. If she likes vegies, she could dip in a bowl of humus. Again, it is made with garbanzo beans and will give her a protein.

I wouldn't worry too much about how much she is eating, my now 7 year old was the same way though my now 5 year old wasn't though they both would rather eat cottage cheese or spinach that candy so I can't beat that. Both of my boys are very healthy and are not big eaters though find them when they are hungry and you have just what they want like steak and potatoes then they eat so fast that my food gets cold getting them seconds and thirds. Anyway I wouldn't worry too much, she won't go hungry and at least you don't have the worry of her eating too much. Don't force her or she will grow up learning to eat even if she isn't hungry and then you will have to worry. Good Luck!

They eat when they are hungry. They don't starve themselves and if you make a big deal out of it, it will become a big deal. What about leaving out a dish of foods she likes, like fruit slices, quesadillas, etc. and she'll snack as she gets hungry. Maybe she's just too busy to eat. She'll eat when she's hungry. They always do.

P.,

I don't really see the problem, sounds like she's doing fine, as long as she stays hydrated, too. If you're worried she's skipping a snack, try giving her a yogurt, or yogurt drink you mix yourself, or cereal bar or rice cracker, or even some chocolate (in Europe we eat bread and chocolate together, the kids love it!). The cheese or chicken quesadillas are a great idea, too! I'm not being very helpful, but it doesn't sound so bad either. See your ped if you're really worried, but the way you describe her eating sounds like she's doing just fine.

Fried green beans. I take frozen green beans boil them in water until tender. Drain and pat dry. Then I dip them in beaten egg and roll in seasoned bread crumbs (this makes a very thin coating so that it doesn’t soak up too much oil.) Deep fry for about 15 seconds (just golden). Drain and dust with parmesan cheese. My daughter has no clue she’s eating green beans when I make them like this and she absolutely loves them.

Picky eaters run in our family so we have seen it all. Several of the things I've found most helpful include:

1) Reassurance from doctors re: how nutrition works so that I realized (in our case) there was nothing to worry about.

2) Books by Ellyn Satter about how to have a healthy relationship about food with your children - what's the parents job and what's the child's job when it comes to food.

3) "Expectant praise" - I tell my children they will learn to enjoy more foods as they get older - and I tell their picky eating friends the same. Relaxing some about this and letting them know that over time, they will experiment more has worked much better than stress, nagging, pushing foods on them, etc.

4) "HALT" Are you Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired? Some children don't realize they are hungry - or tired, etc. They just get cranky. It takes a lot of growing up for kids to get that they need to eat.

My kids are 11 and 13 now and eat a lot more foods but still are pickier than "normal" kids. They are healthy and will undoubtedly improve in their eating further, as I did - I was the ultimate picky eater, for years.

Hope this helps.

Little kids really do eat so very little! Just make sure she has a variety of healthy foods.

Find this book: "Feed Me, I'm Yours!" by Vicki Lansky - all sorts of fun ways to make good food appealing for your little eaters. My sister bought herself and me a copy after she checked a copy out from the library for the 4th time. It's great, got all kinds of recipes and ideas and tips for all kinds of foods for your little ones (and not so little ones too)

Most of all, dont stress, continue giving a variety of foods, be creative. A few things of different things in an egg carton or tray of small containers work well. Dips (ketchup, salad dressing, whatever) works wonders in gettingthem to eat a lot more stuff. Cut food in different shapes, esp finger food sized pieces. Let them use toothpicks (if your child is ok with it, mine is 6yo) or straws or whatever to pick and eat their food.

for some reason I can't follow your post very well, so I'm going to answer what I think you're saying (sorry, I don't think my brain is working very much any more). If she's eating fruits and veggies, protein and dairy, the only thing that is really missing is whole grains. Yogurt and cheese and chicken are all protein which will fill her up more and have her go a longer period of time without eating. Some kids don't need snacks to get through the day, so 3 meals will suit them.
Also, if you have no problems with your girl eating veggies, I wouldn't deep fry them.
Congrats on your new addition.

I wouldn't worry, I think you meant quality over quantity since she eats fruits and veggies, and not a lot of junk, but eats less often. She likes food it seems, so I wouldn't worry about how often she eats as long as she is eating and her weight is within normal ranges. Kids eat when they want to eat. My son will take 4 bites and say he is done at every meal. Sometimes I have him eat more, sometimes not. Kids will let you know when they are hungry and she seems fine. As for different foods, I would look into kid receipe books, sneaky chef, google fast healthy foods for kids etc good luck

If you child is growing normally and follwiing her growth curve-then whatever she is doing is fine for her.

And as long as she is eating fruits and veggies (which is not always easy at that age!), if she wants a cheese and chicken quesadilla 3 meals a day, 7 days a week...who cares? If she is getting her nutitional needs met, no worries. When she gets bored of that, you'll know and she'll move onto something else.

If you are worried about it...make yourself an interesting variety of foods and invite her to tkae a bite (actually I tend to indicate that I do not really want to share-that usually sparks their interest more-but she might be too young for that). My kids are much more open to trying new things when it is not on their plate the first time they see it.