Not Eating

My son went through a phase where he would rather drink than eat. A friend advised that I limit his milk and serve him each meal. If he didn't eat, I was not to provide extra milk to compensate. After a couple of tantrums, he began eating again. He still (8 years later) would prefer drinking to eating, but has developed better eating habits because I insit upon it. As his mom, I feel it is my job :) hope that helps... Best of luck to you.

at 27 mos milk is not the perfect food. it is good for toddlers but they need all food groups in their diet. don't give him milk until he has eaten that way he does not fill up on it. the bottle is really not the best thing for them to drink out of at this age. we threw ours away and for our little one it was out of sight out of mind. a lot easier than you think.

Okay everyone seems to be reading your post differently. Yes, they change eating habits, but the problem I see you are having is more in take of milk from the bottle. I am assuming the actual milk intake is not your major concern, just that he was off the bottle and now back on it again. My guess is that it may be your mom. Your private baby sitter was probably pro active about getting him off the bottle, however your mother coming from the older generation may think that the bottle is easier, that it's ok for a 2 year old to have a bottle, or maybe he asks for it and she is a softy :) She is his grandma after all :). The bottle is probably helping him through his transition and soothing him. I would talk to your mom and try and pick her brain to see how the bottle got started again. See if you can get her to slowly start slipping in a sippy cup every other feeding. Is she giving him the bottle during nap time, is this something you want him to do while going to sleep, etc.... He will start eating again, probably not a big worry, but I would address the bottle thing if it's bothering you. If you are ok with it, then let it go. He will drop it eventually, especially if you put him in day care. Peer pressure is an amazing thing. Plus I don't think I have ever seen an adult walking around with a bottle :). Good luck!! Hopefully I read your post correctly.

well, i am pretty sure you are supposed to stop all bottle usage at 1 for dental and development purposes. this according to pediatric journals. especially with milk. Parenting magazine states that giving them milk or juice in between meals fills them up and doesnt allow enough nutrition to come from foods. Juice should only be given at mealtime since it sits on the teeth and causes decay, so drinking it all throughout the day causes more exposure. You might have to do a cold turkey switch to sippy cup with water. Kids are betterat change then adults, hewill be forced to deal with it and after a couple days, will.

My 33 month old step-daughter is having a similar problem. We found out recently though that her primary diet with her mother consists of french fries, chips, cookies, and other junk food. Now that she spends more time with us she is only willing to eat these foods and is attempting to make up for the lost calories with milk. We've been watering down her milk and this has helped her desire to eat in my husband and I's presence. I don't know the diet your previous sitter had with your son, but maybe they weren't all that healthy food choices. We also noticed that the more we tried to entice my step-daughter to eat the more she would reject food. We have found that simply making foods available and easy to get to, (apple slices, peach slices, yogurt, cheese sticks) she is more willing to just randomly pick up some good food and eat. Just remember no child will starve themselves, they'll eat when hungry enough. Good luck with your son.

Has he already gotten his two year old molars? Sometimes we forget that they get teeth so late and that could be the problem. I also would suggest that you really get him drinking out of a sippy cup. It sounds like he is very comfortable with the bottle and so it is easier to give him it than to force the food issue.

Hope this advice helps.

I'm a little confused. Are you saying he's drinking 2 or 3 times more milk than he did from the bottle? If so, the milk could be filling him up. I went through this with my son. Even when he switched to the sippy he still wanted milk, milk, milk. He wasn't eating much at all. So you could cut back on milk and it also helps to switch to low-fat, 2%, or one of those if you're using whole milk.

If I was wrong about that, then he might just be distracted by the change. The sitter probably had a strict schedule and he got used to it. Now that he's at Grandma's he might be distracted and just not think of the food.

L.

That's a toddler for you, their appetites change all the time. They could want nothing but PBJ for weeks and then act like it was poison. My almost 5 year old still goes through this.
He has long periods of time where he eat fine, then it's more to drink that usual, then it's not much to eat or drink.
When you see a spike in their food intake that means they are going through a growth spurt and need the energy that the food provides to get through that process then usually after the growth spurt their diet tapers off a bit and then goes back to what you'd call normal.
He's fine though, I'd try weaning him off that bottle though and get him in a sippy cup, also alternate the milk with water. They need that too to stay hydrated.
On my sons 2nd birthday the bottle disappeared completely. We had worked at getting him used to the sippy cup before that though.
Good luck and don't worry.

My daughter is 2 1/2. When she was a baby, she would eat anything. Now she keeps getting pickier and pickier. I notice she eats more when she's going through a growth spur. When her growing slows down, she eats less. I think once kids turn around 2, they slow down on growing. You may also want to ask if your mother is offering the same foods as the sitter.

Hi G.,

Toddlers appetites change all the time and many things can influence it. He could be getting new teeth, or just the change in routine could have made a slight difference. But most toddlers eat a lot when they want to and nothing when they don't want to, but usually get the required nutrition over the course of a whole week (or day). I wouldn't worry much unless he starts losing a lot of weight. Milk is pretty much a perfect food for kids anyway, so as long as he's drinking lots of milk, I wouldn't worry at all. One question, though... does he really still drink from a bottle at 2+ years old? Have you tried a cup? Most kid at this age are interested in being "big" kids and mimicking what adults do, so it's a great time to lose the bottle for good.

Have a great day,
K.

Hi G., my son was the same way. He drank only milk forever. My doctor said not to worry about it as long as I was giving him vitamins to supplement. As long as he stays on his growth curve and is still gaining weight and growing, he will be fine. At two children learn about control. He probably has figured out that with "grandma" he can refuse to eat and cry long enough that she will give in and just give him milk. The change probably does have something to do with it. I think simply start being a little frimer with mealtime and experiment with different things. My kids are grazers, they rarely eat full meals and mine are 8, 5 and 5. It drives me crazy, but they are who they are. Best of luck. Try Gummie Vites, kids love them and you know they are getting thier vitamins. R.

i truely think its just an age thing... if u want u can not give him anything to drink till he has finished half or sum of his food... and also if u want u can give him snacks with all drinks so he sees that every time that he drinks he will eat also... kids are so resielant with things in life much more than we are.. i dont think it has to do wit the day care changing... kids appetites change so much this probably will not b the first time that u have concerns wit his eating habbits.. if it gets sever call his doc... i hope i helped...

If you are having to try to wean him off the milk bottle again, try putting only water in the bottle. And Grandmas do things their way unless you are specific and adamant. Tell her the "doctor said"....... Also, both my boys go through phases where they eat like they are starving, and then don't eat hardly a thing for days. It's just the way they are :) Don't stress! Best of luck, Jen

Ok, I'm confused--is your 27 month old still drinking from a bottle? Or are you just referring to him drinking milk as that? It just seems really old to be drinking from a bottle.

So as far as the habit of drinking from the bottle--get that boy on a sippy--he should be fine on a regular one or even one with a straw--which he might really like--I know my son loves the straw ones and he's about a month older than yours. :) He's also old enough to start introducing a cup (under supervision of course). We do it at meal times--and fill the cup only a little so it's harder to spill and easier for him to handle.
If you are worried that he is drinking too much milk--then stop giving him milk and offer him water instead. If he doesn't want the water, then he's not that thirsty....
I know he's a toddler, but remember, you are in charge of what he gets to eat--he is only in charge of what and how much of that he will eat. Don't let him control this (what he gets offered to eat drink). Can you tell I have a toddler too?
As far as his appetite--toddlers do go through different times where they eat more than others. Has he cut his two year old molars yet? If he is cutting them, that would explain him not wanting to eat and suck more on a bottle since that is probably more soothing for him. Besides that, it could be anything, but really nothing to worry about--just keep offering him healthy foods (don't give him just junk because you know that is all he'll eat), and he will eat...

It is normal for todlers to go through periods where they cut back there eating. Because Todlers grow at a slower rate than an infant there eating habits slow when there growth slows and picks back up during growth sperts.

Hey G.,

I would say that the change definitely has something to do with it. My guess is that it's just a comfort thing. The bottle is probably his coping mechanism. I don't know how recently he changed from the private sitter to your mother, but it may just take a little more time for him to adjust. Maybe as he slips into a solid routine, he'll start eating more again. Hope it works itself out soon! Good luck!

S.