My 17 Month Old Won't Eat - Need Someideas!!

My 2-yr-old does the same thing. Some days he won't eat anything at all. Other days he eats like a piggy, and it isn't because the food I'm giving him those days are any more appetizing to him - it's the same type of food! Kids really will eat when they are hungry enough.

If you are concerned (as I was) that irregular eating could cause nutritional problems, try multivitamins. They are like candy, and I feel better knowing that my kid is at least getting that!

I echo the other posters - all good ideas and suggestions. Definitely go with a multivitamin - it will make you feel better, its good for them and they think its candy. = ) My 4-yr old rushes to gobble hers up every evening. We used Flinstones multi - they have a formula for under 4 year olds that is smaller - otherwise check the labels carefully, many of the kids vitamins are formulated for 4 year olds and up, and recommend splitting in half for younger kids.
First - you did the right thing. If you cave in on giving her the cookie, she will remember it and always keep trying to get it again without eating dinner. Be strong, it is hard I know, but as the other poster said, when she is hungry she will eat what you give her. You should give her what you and the rest of the family are eating, and only that. If she won't eat and you let her down and she wants something later, offer her the same stuff you had for dinner (you can always make a plate from the leftovers.)
Now, unless your doctor has said she is underweight and you desperately need to get her to gain weight, in which case I would ask the doctor for tips, keep telling yourself: "She will eat when she is hungry and she will not starve to death in the meantime." Really! This mantra from another mother saved my sanity the first year she was eating real food!
Welcome to the neverending battle - getting kids to eat. Mine loves veggies and hates meat, so my worry is always getting enough protein into her (thank goodness for peanut butter!) Peanut butter on crackers (Triscuits or saltines are sturdy) with raisins pressed into the peanut butter - I think she lived on it for about a year! and she still has it for lunch sometimes. Try things like yogurt (mine thinks of it as a treat, since it is sweet), cottage cheese, peanut butter, baby tomatoes, cucumber slices, carrot sticks.
Sound effects (crunch, yum, etc.) and reverse psychology definitely work on kids this little - one poster recommended 'taking' their food to eat, this works, but better is the 'don't eat MY *****, don't you eat it!' They will fall over themselves to gobble it up! I've seen my brother in law do this with a table full of kids and them all go crazy to eat 'his' food. Make appropriate noises and stuff when they eat each bite. "where did my **** go? what? well don't you eat any more of it!" and so on. My daughter sometimes says to me "tell me not to eat your food mommy" - she knows its a joke, but still enjoys the game. = )
Another thing to try is from some of the kid recipe books (and online sites) - making cute stuff from food to get them to eat it.
Whatever works for the two of you - good luck! Just keep repeating the mantra and you'll make it through!

Hello,

I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and she did the same thing. I always tried to feed her good food and then grandma taught her all about the wonderful world of COOKIES, then that was it all she ever wanted to eat.
Now I make her dinner and she always start off by saying "My can't like this" and I will play take away. I say "Fine, I guess daddy will have to eat it." and he starts acting like he is going to eat it and then she wants it back.
This does not always work because sometimes she really does not like the food, so I will try another option. My daughter does have big growth spurts as well she will only pick at things for weeks at a time and next thing you know she is asking for more. It's normal, but I do know that everything always looks better when someone else has it, so try taking it away and start eating it. If she lets you she either really does not like it or, she's not that hungry. Keep in mind if every-time she doesn't like her food and she gets what she wants the her plan has worked! Good luck :)

It depends on what kinds of foods she normally like. my son went through that phase but he was a little older , i would have a colored food nite. Take mashed pototatoes and use food coloring in it to change the color you can do it \with alot of foos. sometime i can find fishsticks with different colors and fries. But that seemed to spark his intrest. if not put sprinkles on it just to make it look lore like dessert.
good luck.

I think this is all about will-power on your part. My daughter is going on 7 years old & still plays the same game with me sometimes. When they're hungry, they'll eat, plain & simple. You don't need to freak out, your daughter is testing your limits so it's just your turn to lay them down & be really clear about what they are such as, "You will eat the same thing Daddy & I are eating for dinner. Cookies are not acceptable for dinner, but if you eat enough of your dinner maybe you can have a cookie or 2 after that." She's at the age now where she's starting to understand consequences so try it out & see if it works. Good luck!

I am the parent of a 4 year old that has his good and bad days of eating. Honestly when they are hungry enough they will eat. My son does not eat any vegetables at all. He loves fruit, yogurt, rice, pasta, eggs and meats. I have a drawer in the frig that is his drawer (I did the same for my daughter - now 12). I put a variety of healthy snacks in there that he can go to when he is hungry and it gives him a sense of independence to get it himself and pick what he wants. The more pressure you put on it the more of an issue it can become. Offer new things every once in a while so they don't feel like every meal time they will be forced to try something new. That "fear" of what will be on their plate will intimidate then from coming to the table. I would also encourage allowing the child to help prepare and choose meals. My son LOVES to help - it gives him ownership to the meal. I purchased a childsafe knife from pampered chef that he can go to and use to help cut things, he loves to roll cresent rolls and put them on a baking dish, put salt in a pot of boiling water for pastas, measure rice for our rice cooker, the best is when I let him stir things on the stove, etc. Hopefully this will be of some help to you - it works for me. Is your doctor concered about her weight or anything? If not relax a bit and take the pressure off of all of you.