Only Eating a Few Bites Can't Be Enough...

Well, when my husband was in Nursing school, we were going thru the same problem with our daughter. It just so happened nutrition class coincided with her lack of desire to eat.

In class, my husband learned that as long as your toddler eats the equivalent of at least ONE FULL, WELL BALANCED meal during a three day period, their nutritional needs are being met.

Kind of hard to believe, and NOT what many parents want to hear, but there you have it. I have even heard of some parents getting upset with their family doctor because they want the doctor to tell their kids to "finish all of every meal, if you want to grow up big and strong." --------not necessary.

Hi A.
I am experiencing this issue with one of the kids I sit for during the day. He was eating everything, now is very picky and pouts when I mention lunch. I started giving him smaller portions and he seems to want more after he eats that. So basically I agree :) Good Luck.

I agree with others not to worry, although I surely understand it is hard (my dd has always been picky). It's hard to believe, but the bigger deal you make about it and the more you have emotion about it, the more you will create a bigger problem than you already have. If you go to the doctor and he is not gaining weight or growing, then you might do something different but otherwise he's really fine! He's just getting busy and interested in other things.
When my dd was 2 she wasn't gaining weight so I started giving her those supplement shakes (Pediasure) and relaxing my standards of what she could eat, per the doctor's orders. But now I am SORRY I did that! Because that created a taste in her for the more unhealthy stuff and that's all she wanted then (I'm talking fried stuff like chicken nuggets and hot dogs, which I swore I would never feed my child LOL). Now she is 5 I got back to my original goals of eating healthy (most of the time at least) but it was a struggle every night until we wrote out some "rules" and said she'd have to go without food or dessert all night and spend dinner in her room by herself if she didn't follow the rules (one of the rules being that you would eat what was served without complaining,etc.). I used to give her choices, and that's fine, but then I got really sick of negotiating EVERY SINGLE MEAL! My sister lets her kids have the option of PB&J if they don't like what the family is eating, so that's an idea too (I can't remember why that didn't work for me, either because my dd never wanted PB&J or because I felt she needed a vegetable at least! I don't recall!)...
anyway, all that to say don't worry about it, because you might create a bigger problem later!
Hope that helps!
Blessings,
Lynn

Been there done that! I competely understand how you feel!

I have a two and a half year old that used to eat everything and became very picky right around his second birthday. You are doing the right thing by continuing to offer him a variety of foods. Just give him small portions so he is not overwhelmed and give him more if he wants it. If you see he does not eat a lot at dinner or lunch, have a snack that you know he will eat available to him later. My son LOVES dry cereal- I try to choose somewhat healthy, lower sugar cereals like Cheerios, Honey Chex or Frosted Shredded Wheat. Raisins, granola, and string cheese are other nutritious snacks that are pretty kid-friendly.

Another tip is to watch how much milk he drinks- they can fill up on milk and then not eat as much. Our doctor clued us in to that one.

Hope this helps and good luck! :)

-E.

A.,

Be Carefull at giving him choices i did that and i know have a some tht is a pickey eater. But i was like you i did not want my son to starve. But you are right they will eat when they are hungry make sure u have healthy snacks available when he wants a snack. If you are worried about it you can give him some pedisure to help make sure he is getting all the nutrients he needs. i wish you the best of luck.

Hi A.!

When my son went in for his 15 and 18 month check-up, my pediatrician always asked how he was eating, and I said the same thing both times: he loves everything, even his fruit and vegetables. And both times he warned me that around 2, children usually become picky eaters. But never label him a picky eater, and don't let him hear you call him that.

My son eats, but I do have a hard time keeping him in his chair. I have opted to take the tray off and pull him right up to the table with us. He will sit longer, but never as long as us. I don't fight with him. I can usually get him to take a few more bites. Then let him go. Whenever he doesn't eat a whole lot, I make sure I offer him healthy snacks: raisons, Gerber Fruit Bites, cheerios, cut up fruit. And he hardly ever eats his snack in his chair. I usually let him sit in a regular seat at the table, or we're on the floor in the living room.

Good luck!

My 2 year old son is like that. He eats a little at a time, but he is healthy. Since he started walking, it has been that way. I have four boys and so far three of them have turned out that way. I was told by a nurse to leave pretzels or some other snack at his level and he would get enough durning the day.

A.,

my daughter is just a little over 2 years old and she is just like your son, she was a very good eater, ate absolutely everything and wasn't shy about asking for seconds or even thirds. Now I am lucky if I can get one good meal a day in her. At first I thought it was because she was sick, that she didn't eat that much, but after she got all better, and it still continued, I consulted her pediatrician. He said that it is a phase that kids her age go through, and not to worry about it. It could be that she will eat one good meal a day or even worse, so we think, one good meal a week!!! He also said that we shouldn't "force" her to eat, cause that would only hurt us in the long run, with her not wanting to eat or even try. She snacks a lot during the day, so I try to offer her lots of healthy food, she loves apples, cheese, dry cereal, anything inbetween. I hope th doctor is right and this is only a phase and will grow out of this. Hope this helped. Good luck to you and your family :)

Trisha