My Daughter Is a Year & a Half and Lately, She Has Become a Very Fussy Eater...

I am hoping it is just a phase- my 17 month old son is going through the exact same thing, something I did not experience with my first son who is now 6 years old. At first I thought it was due to teething but it has gone on for over a month now off and on. Sometimes he will chow down something that the day before he spit out like I was giving him a spoon of raw garlic- lol! So what I have been doing is trying him on whatever I would LIKE him to eat. If he does not want it when I offer it to him, I try ten minutes later for a total of 1/2 an hour per meal. If that totally fails, I wrap it up to try the next day and give him baby yogurt instead- if that fails as well which it does once in a while, I give up and give him a bottle, in the hopes that he will get through this phase soon! I have friends who's children have gone through this phase- some refuse to eat anything except one particular odd food item for a good length of time and all of their kids grew out if it at some point and are still healthy. I never 'force' him to eat anything he doesn't want to eat but always make him at least try a bit of everything- don't want to give him an eating disorder later on in life:) Good luck!

My daughter is a bit younger but is doing the same thing. You can put a liquid baby multivitamin in the milk. Or a scoop of baby rice cereal in the milk too. I do that on occasion. I hear that it is normal, and that their weight gain tapers off around this time anyway, and so does their appetite.

My son is almost 17 months and is going through the same thing. According to our pediatrician, this is a very typical "toddler" phase, that usually starts around 2 years. My son will eat any kind of fruit and pasta (especially mac n cheese), sometimes a hot dog or cheese (but he's picky about the type too!). He hasn't gained any weight since he turned 1, although he's gotten taller and is getting a decent amount of calories. According to our ped. as long as they are having a decent number of wet and messy diapers each day, and you're having them try different things, they'll eventually grow out of it! Keep offering and hang in there! :)

I have a 6 year-old and a 4 year-old. They both went through the same thing at that age. My ped told me to watch their bowel movements and as long as those were normal, not to worry. I was also told to leave things out that they could get on their own all day. Now I have the bottom shelf of my fridge set up with yogurts, string cheeses, and fruit that they can get up and grab themselves. I've always been afraid that my kids would grow up with my lack of self control when it came to over eating. So, I make sure that they have a good variety of foods to choose from on their plates every meal, and when their tummy says they're done, they're done. If they are hungry at bedtime, I give them a glass of milk and put them to bed. So far it works. Both of their growth rates are right along the line where it's supposed to be. They are both still on the light side for weight, but it's where they have always been and their ped says it's normal.
One note though, I have noticed when they get a lot of sugar they don't eat very well and since we've got the holidays started, I have to be on my toes with what's around. Even at birthday parties, if they see a cake, they won't eat their food, so I try to keep that out of sight during the meal.

My now 22 month old is the same way. We cut back the milk to twice a day and he is eating better. The doctor said quit the snacks and junk food (crackers, fruits, etc). We make his plate and leave it down low on his table. He nibbles and comes back to it all day. Sometimes he doesn't eat during meal time, but will eat when he is ready. The other rule is he eats what we eat or he does without. Per the doctor giving into him and making special meals will make it worse. He will eat when he is hungry and he will not let himself get too hungry before giving in.

I have been doing this for 2 months and he is getting better.

How is your's and your hubby's bone structure and metabolism. Meaning do either of you gain weight easy? You have to realize that you and him pass on your metabolism to your children. I would just keep trying to get her to eat and allow her to drink her milk 3-4 times a day.

I had one child that went through a nothing but cheerios phase.... another that was vegetarian for years. One that would only eat birdie bites and one that would die if a veggie touched her tongue. (she would gag bad)

As long as when she goes to the dr and she does not cause the dr alarm... I would just relax and keep trying. It is never too late or early to try the one bite method.

Where no matter what whether the child not like something or just not want it they still have to have one bite.

My kids did not gain much weight then either. There's something about being up on their feet and always on the go that helps them burn off the calories, so no weight gain is the result. Maybe you could check with your DR on a children's vitamin just to be sure she is getting all her vitamins. If the DR is concerned about her lack of weight gain, he could recommend some other ways to help her bulk up, such as giving her Ensure for Kids or something like that. I wouldn't worry about it too much. They eat when they are hungry.