Just Doesn't Want to EAT!

Hello P., Children are more aware of their body's needs than adults. When they are teething, have an upset tummy, etc., they stop eating. This is perfectly normal. They can go days without it being a problem, and usually they are getting a bite here and there through the day anyway. If she stops drinking, then you have a problem that needs to addressed with the doctor. I have 3 kids, all grown up, and now have grandchildren this age. Every one of them went through not eating for days at a time. Good luck

Hi,

I graduated from college with a degree in Nutrition/Food Science and Dietitics...I worked for about 3 years after I graduated so I can only tell you what I remember from my studies...In my opinion she only needs so many calories (let's just say 1000 calories daily...average adult could get by with 2000) if you are supplementing with nutritional beverages she is probably filling up (feels full) and may not want food. As a mom I would say maybe she is not tried enough...take her to the park and let her work up an appetite. At any rate kids can just be like that...as long as she meets height/weight percentiles for her age, like her doctor i suppose i wouldn't worry to much.

Hi P.,
You said you were waiting to give her milk but is she getting any milk in between meals? I have a friend that couldn't figure out why her son never ate so I told her to stop giving him any milk just water in between meals. She didn't realize how much milk she was actually giving him. She figured it was close to 20 to 24 oz's. That's alot.

If that isn't the case I always to sticker charts. Maybe you could give her a sticker after every meal she eats enough and then after so many stickers she can get a small toy or something special. That's what we do for my kids and it works well for them.

Good luck.
Chris

Your dr. is right...she WILL eat when hungry. I'd give her pedia sure or something (but not with milk) if you are really concerned and just have healthy snacks and food available so that when she does it is healthy. My 2 year old is like this too...it seems to me that she isn't eating a lot...but then I have to remember how small they are...and how small their tummies are!

That's a hard one. My two year old (who used
to be a fantastic eater) has grown pickier and eats slower. By slower she's running around and playing then running back to her food. Or we have to put her in timeout because she won eat. My kid is way too active to not eat. I worry. So we have limited her drinks. Every two hours (this also helps with potty training). It's a nice size glass and she only gets it after she eats. If she wants something to drink in between meals, we only give her about 1/3 cup. I feel likeit helps her stay full
in between meals. Snacks are light, fruit, crackers, or yogurt.

No suggestions on getting her to eat,but you could use the Carnation Instant Breakfast instead of Ensure. I use this with my son, same problems, and the doctor said it was good for him.

STOP the milk, juice or any calorie laden drink. She needs to eat FOOD. She will get constipated if she doesn't get fiber and such.

Give her water and offer regular food. She might go a few days without eating, but keep pushing the water so she doesn't get dehydrated. She'll get hungry in a day or so.

Keep her foods simple and as "whole" (non processed) as possible. Fresh fruits, steamed vegetables, rice, beans, peanut butter and jelly.

Good luck, this will be a battle considering her age, but honey if you don't tackle this now, its just going to get harder. Nutripals and Ensure are for people in the hospital that are too weak to eat normal foods. You should never have to give that to a healthy child. This behavior is an expression of her strong will and her want for control. My daughter (2.5 yrs) does this sometimes too. Especially with foods she doesn't like. I do force her to eat a few pieces and she usually will finish the rest without too much complaint. I think its totally normal for children to have a handful of foods they don't like, but when you find it hard to get her to eat anything, there's a problem, she needs the variety of foods in her diet to be healthy and no amount of supplementing and vitamins will do that.

Best wishes, you CAN do this! :)

I have a 2 1/2 year old girl. She will go through spurts of not eating much and then she'll eat a ton one day and then it'll be a week or so where she just picks. It's been that way since about 20 months on & off. I was worried at first too but everyone I asked about it said it was just a normal stage they go through. If you're concerned, you could always give her one of those gummy vitamins to be sure she's at least getting those when she's in one of these "stages". Good luck!

Get her on a structured eating schedule; my son was like that too, until we got in him into day care a few days a week. Give her breakfast at a specific time, about an hour and a half later, give her a small snack, a few apple slices or a few carrot slices and a small amount of juice, milk or water. Around 12:30, give her lunch; we usually have a peanut butter sandwich, a few grapes and some milk, and depending on when you eat dinner, you can give her another snack; but NO food after 3p unless it's after 8 when you eat your dinner and no drinks outside of the assigned eating time except water; it isn't as filling as milk or juice.
Good luck, and it will get better.

My daughter did (and still does) the same thing at that age. Her 18 month old brother eats more than she does at 3 1/2. The doctor said that is normal. Their appetites taper off around 2 and they eat less than they used to. I wouldn't worry about it. They REALLY do eat when they get hungry. If she isn't eating, she is either being picky or she isn't hungry, and when she gets hungry enough, she'll eat at the next meal.

I would suggest you stop giving her Nutripals and Ensure. Those DO fill her up making her not want to eat regular meals. And, I don't know about you, but if I could just drink a yummy flavored drink for my meals, I would definitely hold out for that option instead of eating the food I should eat.

What a stress feeding our children can be! I actually dread mealtimes sometimes. Just think, though, when they're teenagers, they'll eat faster than we can put it on the table!

Hi P.,

I agree with other mom's here. Try cutting back on the NutriPals and Ensure. Those are filling her up and making it to where she isn't hungry at all. If she's thirsty give her water. Wait until meal time to give her milk or anything else and set your meal times to be consistent. Yes, this is a phase and you will get through it. When she's ready for a growth spurt she will eat. Keep her busy running and playing and that will help increase her appetite, too. Something else you might want to keep an eye on, does she sneak any kind of snacks when you aren't looking? Even at 2 yrs old all three of my boys were good at getting into the snacks and cereal if I wasn't looking. I specifically kept healthy snacks at their level just for that purpose. Sometimes feeling like a "big kid" can go a long way to get them to do what you want them to do .

Good luck - S.

P.; i babysat for a woman that also said her child would not eat, wel i put him in his high chair and fed him and he ate, she said the same thing, she is the mom who never sat with the child and fed him, she would eat whenever and let him pick off her plate, the best way to get them to eat is to sit at the table, put them in high chair, and feed them when you do you , also to make eating at regular times, this mom eventualy saw that he was eating with me, and not her, and she started to fix him his own plate, and siting him down so he wll eat, if you leave them run around while you are eating they wll eat off your plate, my own son refused to eat at all for two days till he was puking, then he ate, they wll eat when they will eat, but eating at regular times each day can also help, and not giving snacks between meals, unless its gonna be forever till dinner time, so keep up the good work, its just her way of asserting herself also, we cant control what goes in and what and when things come out, this is in their control, they are learning to control this as well, have a good day , D. s

I would make as small a deal as possible about this to lessen problems both now and in the future. I would limit the milk and supplements and offer a variety of kid-friendly nutritional foods plus a daily vitamin. A lot of toddlers just graze or taste. They like to be in control and are busy figuring out how to become more independent though they are still quite dependent on their frustrated, loving parents. Try to really limit things that will not give her nutrition and don't fuss with her about food. It will be hard for her to carry on a battle if she has no one to fight with. Be relaxed and supportive of what a big girl she's getting to be. Back off! My grandmother used to cry and beg me to eat. I am now on Weight Watchers taking off the excess 130 lbs. I've gained over the years! See how well that worked out?

We have the same prob.
N after reading all the responses, maybe we have to much milk.
i do give her pedisure- but only once a week!
some days are better then others and she eats great. we may need cut out more of the snacks. but when she snacks its crackers, cheese and meats. so its not bad snacks. i dont give her any candy or suger treats!
but tlking to everyone at work who has kids. says most normal.. lol kids dont eat much or are most picky between 2 and 3.
so i guess as long as the kids are healthy and like not starving... they will grow out of this.

My 16 month old son is very picky. He has been that way with food since we tried introducing cereal at about 5 months old. He will only eat a few things - waffles, yogurt, cheese, raisins, blueberries, bananas, crackers, lorna dunes shortbread cookies, corn, cereal bars, cheese, and, once in a while, bologna. That's about it. I actually still supplement with two jarred veggies (squash and green beans mixed with cereal) because he will eat them and, well, I want him to eat. I cannot get him to try anything new and, sometimes, he decides that he doesn't want the things he usually likes. He is in daycare and I worry that he will not eat enough because, if he is distracted or tired, forget about it. He also drinks a lot of milk. Sometimes, the whole idea of meals is something I dread - I wish I had one of those kids who would just sit down and eat a variety of foods. I am also not sure what to do to get him to be a consistent eater. Everyone keeps telling me not to worry and that, like you, "he will eat when he is hungry." That sounds good, in theory, but, like you said, how can they not be hungry? My son is within the normal weight range, but, a little light-ish. He's 16 1/2 months and I would say he probably weighs about 23.8 pounds. So, I have no solutions, but, I can commiserate. I am interested to see if anyone has any helpful advice.

Hi,
We are going through this stage also. Unfortunately I cannot even get my kiddo to eat off anyone's plate. Anyways, since our little one will drink milk we have since added 'cereal' (Gerber makes cereal for Baby & Toddler...it's the flaky stuff not breakfast cereal) to the milk and Ovaltine, both contain vitamins. This has helped me feel a little more at ease that at least my baby is getting SOMETHING to eat. Good Luck!

Hi P.
My girly has a thing about texture. She never wanted to eat, and is still picky. I make smoothies to fill in the gaps.

1 cup water
2 handfulls organic spinach
toss in the blender till smooth and add while still running
1/2 c frozen blueberies to fix the color
1 banana
handfull frozen strawberies
scoup of brown rice protine powder
maybe a little yogurt to really make it creamy
blend it all smooth, adding more water if needed.

You could use 2 leaves of kale instead of the spinach. Greens have so many good stuff in them we should all eat more.

My daughter also liked baked beans, and if I could get her to eat some brown rice toast (were gluten free) as well that was a great meal! I just tried to make every little bit she ate the most nutritious I could. She's 6 now and still a picky eatter. But old enough to be bribed w/ a square of dark chocolate. Good luck. A. H

I can relate to what you are saying. My daughter is 18 months, and is not eating much. She used to eat constantly and has now settled down. It took till her 18 month check up for her to actually jump up the weight chart. At 15 months she was in the 17% and now she is at the 60% mark.

I only give her 3 glasses of milk a day. Most everything else is water. i will give her juice, but it's half water half juice, and she get that only once a day, if she gets it.

Her typical eating, is some cheerios for breakfast. What she doesn't eat then, she keeps and snacks on during the morning. And then about 10 she gets some fishy crackers. At 12, she eats about half pb&j w/ banana sandwich. After nap she might eat a string cheese, or other small snack, and for dinner she gets a bit of what we are having and a banana. lately she won't eat dinner at all, but will eat cottage cheese. I have tried cutting back on the snacks, but she still doesn't eat much then. I figured the snacks are at least healthy, so I don't get too concerned about her not eating much at dinner. She normaly snacks with her dad before bed, on some grapes or blueberries, so I know she is getting enough food in her system, just at her own pace.

I would try giving her several small snacks throughout the day. My niece who is 2 1/2 doesn't eat much at any meal with the family yet, but eats at her own time schedule.

Most toddlers are like this...no worries! I remember the days (mine are 30, 27 and 26) thinking the same thing. There were times I thought they ate the equivalent of NOTHING! Just be sure what she does eat is good for her. This will pass.

This is probably not what your situations is but it is just a note that I was going through this with my daughter and then I learned that I was giving her too large of servings and too many drinks, like milk and juice in between meals. Servings sizes are very small, 4 oz of milk, 1-2 tablspoons of fruit/vegetable, 1/4 cup of pasta/cereal, 1/2 slice of bread, 1/2 of a tortilla, 1 oz of meat, 3/4 oz of cheese. They of course need multiple servings of some of these per day. These looked sooo small to me, when I compared them to what I was feeding my kids, like 1/2 to 1 full cup of pasta, etc... no wonder mine couldn't eat it all. Here is the website that I discovered in case you want it http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/experts/fb/toddler_serving...