2-Year Old Won't Eat Grown-up food...m

This may sound a little harsh (and please forgive me in advance for everyone who disagrees!). My pediatrician (and many of the older family members--I cherish parenting advice from older generations, I really do), that if you do not offer the baby food, yogurt, crackers, etc., it is a FACT that he will not starve himself. Yes, it will get a little cranky and "loud" at first, but if it's just not available to him, he WILL choose to eat when he is hungry enough. You may see him skip ONE meal out of stubbornness (which I am sure will NOT hurt him a bit...) but he will come around and begin to eat what is available to eat. Again, I know it sounds harsh, but as long as you give into the behaviors that you don't like, you can't hope for it to change. I know food is at the heartstrings when you feel like you are starving him, but starving him would be if there physically was no food, not that there is food that he just isn't wanting to eat. I promise it will work with a day or two of willpower! Best of luck!

It sounds like most of the advice you're getting is right on. He absolutely won't starve. Prepare his meals and snacks and if he doesn't eat it, should wait until the next mealtime.

Just a side note: DO NOT fall into the trap that I have by preparing 2 meals. My 2yo will whatever we are having. When my son got to be 3yo and exerting his independence, I started fixing meals just for him. He is now 7yo and it's still a problem

I absolutely agree.. don't give him a choice. You won't hurt him, and he will eventually eat what is offered. If you back down, remember, he will remember that and every time you try to offer it again, he will scream until he gets his way. Be strong... my pediatrician says they will give in, and it doesn't hurt them to miss a meal or two. Instinct will kick in, and he WILL not starve himself.

My son, 15 months, had a problem with not wanting to eat different textures for a while so it was interesting to get him to eat people food. We tried a couple of different apporaches. First, we put all the food in a food processor and that's how we got him to eat meat. Then for veggies we simply gave him a fork. He loves having that fork in one hand, like a grown up, and picking up the food with the other hand. It worked. Now we just chop up the food in small pieces and he eats the same food we do. Good luck

Nova J is absolutely right, and so are a lot of other moms who have responded to this. He won't starve himself, and the fact that he IS eating it in other places signals to me that he knows that he can get what he wants from you and so it is a control issue. I only had one child in daycare (my first) and I had him on a limited diet at home because I thought that was all he would eat. But when I realized that he ate whatever they were serving at daycare (they gave daily reports for the one year old class that included what they ate) I started having him eat what my husband and I were eating. By the time my third came along I had the opposite "problem": she refused to eat baby food at all and I had to find foods that were soft enough to eat whole! Your son is throwing tantrums because you give in (I assume) even if you don't give in right away. So you may have to put up with tantrums for a couple of days but stand firm and let it be known in no uncertain terms that he is to eat what is offered. And it is a good idea to consult your pediatrician about his eating habits and let them know what you would like to happen, otherwise you'll end up with some vague advice like "they eventually grow out of it".

Just to let you know, my now 21 month old is going through a stage where she won't eat a lot of breakfast or lunch (maybe just a couple of bites, that's it) but by dinnertime she is so empty that she seems to eat twice her normal portion. So it's true that they won't starve.

A great book that helped us was Annabel Karmel's Feeding your Baby & Toddler. Try something new each week, use a multi vitamin, remember a fit is working for him to get what he wants, try not to fill him with snacks and junk just so he will eat and if savoury good baby food is working for now use it. You'll get there.

Personally, I would seek the help/advice of a doctor or nutritionist. Still eating baby food a year longer than most doesn't sound good.

I say that as long as he is getting the nutrients to keep him healthy, don't push him. Just keep introducing the table food to him by leaving finger foods on or near his plate but continue to feed him the foods he wants. When he is less hungry, try showing him the food again and see if it is more appealing to him.

Mealtimes should be fun and as long as there are not any medical issues that you need to address, leave him be for now. Eventually, he will realize that there is more taste to grown up food and that it is fun to eat them.

You may even try introducing sweet things to him as deserts. This may make grown up food more appealing. Give him small portions of pudding, granola bars or jello and he may realize that grown up food is better.

I have a set of twins who are two went through the same thing its hard but the only way is not to buy the snacks he likes and its going to be hard but when he gets hungry he will eat just don't give in I know your going to feel like your denying him food but your not leave the plate on the table and trust me when he gets hungry enough he will eat what ever you give him it took one of my twins two days to eat but she finally ate the food and its been good about 3 months after I was able to give her snacks when she finished her food and there are other snacks to feed him that is real food like the quaker oats bars with chocolate chips in it its REAL food but he will never know but the yogurt thing too much of that will hurt his digestive track so be careful and let him throw his fit tell him no then just walk away ( tell him your ignoring him first ) and do just that ignore him till he is ready to eat he knows how far he can push you just don't let him push you to that point no more Good luck I hope this helped its going to be very hard and you will mostly likely feel terrible but it will work it worked for three of my kids so far

Children some have texture issues my boys wouldn't eat like turkey burgers or burger at all till about 4 yrs old. It sounds like your child is getting what many other 2 yr olds eat. I have made some foods more appealing by making them like a child would want example: pancakes one lg 2 small in the pan to make mickey mouse's head. Scrambled eggs with bacon sticking up 2 on the top and 2 on the bottom (would be 2 pieces broke in half) and raisins for the eyes and I call them alien eggs. I also put pretzel sticks into fruit on cheese or rolled up turkey like you would with adults using tooth picks and I serve them on a plate my boys started to really like it. I make smoothies and put lots of good stuff in them oj,little water, strawberries, peaches (both frozen) blend or add yogurt for a yogurt smoothie. I make carrot muffins the little mini type kids go for. Maybe he'll try them maybe not they say offer it don't make a big deal of it if they don't eat it offer if another time. He'll be ok he'll start eating more things as time passes.

You can also do what is called grazing and I know it may be harsh but put the food out and let him eat when he wants. Don't force it on him and don't give in with the baby food. If he's hungry enough he will eat what you offer. He may cry and throw a tantrum but eventually he will eat something. My son had that problem with drinks. He wanted Juice or Gatorade all the time and now his teeth are getting effected. I try to give him water but he won't drink it so I did the same thing. That was the only thing I would offer and he would go almost all day and not drink it but finally he did. After several days of this he will now drink it when it is offered. So don't give up or give in. He will eat when he is hungry and he will eat what is offered. Good Luck!

Hi K.---

My son is 3 1/2 and he has times where he won't eat the food I want him to eat. He used to be a great eater, but as they get older it doesn't have anything to do with the "food," it has to do with control. You said that your son eats at daycare when you aren't there, but not at home. My advice to you is that when he is hungry enough....he'll eat. He may be mad, but that's ok. He just wants to be in control I no longer make separate meals for my 3 year old....he eats what we eat or goes hungry. He seems to be doing just fine!! Your son will adjust and he certainly won't starve to death. Just remember he is at that age (2) where they start learning they want to have some control. Lastly, you could try offering him 2 different choices (of your choosing) and let him pick which one he will eat. Hope this helps! A.

Your baby is probley better off eating fruit, baby food, yogurt and crackers (as long as they are organic and don't contain Hydronated Oils).

Chicken Nuggets unless homemade and from organic chicken are NOT good for kids, they have cheap fillers and are ridden with hormones.

Mac - n - Cheese unless homemade from real cheese and high quality pasta, is also horrible, loaded with more hydronated oils, and low quality ingredients, there isn't even real cheese in the boxed stuff.

Hot Dogs are even worse, unless of course they are Organic,from Animals not fed hormones, and don't have Sodium Nitrate, incase you aren't aware Sodium Nitrate which is in most processed meat is Carconogenic, and is the #1 cause of Childhood Lukemia

Try Mini Burgers from Healthy grass fed Organic beef with real cheese, or homemade chicken nuggets or homemade fish sticks, kids love finger foods, just use whole organic ingredients.

Hey, K.!! I'm in Beaufort too!!

Have you tried chopping it up in the blender or cutting it up into small bites size pieces? Heck, even those Zoo Pals paper plates to amuse him? Toddler silverware so he can try to feed himself with it? Other than that, I'm at a loss!! A friend of mine gives her son Carnation breakfast 1 to 2 times a day because he is a picky/stubborn eater. Where as I got the opposite end and have a 2yr old that eats almost if not more than his 7yr old sister!!

Good luck! And I hope someone can give you can find a tip or trick!!

~S.