My Dughter Doesn't Eat Very Well Anymore

As long as she is gaining weight and has normal check ups with pediatrician she should be fine. the little gums can be sensitive and winter is the time for virus's as well.

Hi E.! I'm a mother of 3 (7, 5, 2) and I went through that in varying stages with each one. In fact one magazine article that I read called it "the beige diet". The child doesn't eat much, and what she does eat doesn't have much color (cereal, milk, bread, french fries!). I feel that as long as she's healthy, drinking milk and juice, eating at least a fortified cereal, try not to worry. Seven years ago I was freaking out because all my son wanted to eat was bananas, toast and cereal, and now he's of average height and weight, doing well in school and eats (or at least tries with some prodding) almost anything. My youngest son is going through a similar phase now, although his preferred "beige" foods are string cheese and chicken fries from Market Day. The only green thing that I've gotten into him lately are watermelon flavored fruit snacks. It's hard being a first-time mom, but eventually you will get to the point where you can feel like a pro (then the next hurdle gets thrown at you!!)
Good luck with everything!!

I am going through the same thing with my 14mos old little girl to! I have done everthing possiabel to get her to eat and what not.
She pretty much has the same diet that your daughter has! From what every one was telling me and let them go and eat what ever they want and enventually they will be hungry enough to sit down and eat a dinner or lunch meal. And the lady I talked to at wic said as long as they are taking a supplement vit that they should be ok and that they are drink milk ect ect. But I am sorry that I really don't have much on this I just want you to know that you are not alone that I am going through the same thing with my 14 mos old little girl.

I wish you luck with everything

A.

E.,
If she is healthy and still active, don't worry. She will eat when she is hungry and growing again. Maybe she has just slowed down on the growth for now. It is hard to remember, too, how little their tummies are compared to ours.
Keep offering her healthy foods, and she will be fine :-)
Mom of 4

Hi! I have a little guy who is 26 months old. This has happened on and off for us with our dear sweet toddler Tyler, and think it is fairly normal. As a mom though it is very frustrating, we think they are going to die of starvation, and basically what it comes down to is...they'll eat when they are hungry. Tyler would go through periods when he would eat a lot, then the next week the only way we could get him to eat would be to pretend it was daddy's bowl. Sometimes he refuses a food he normally loved in the past--I just don't understand. I often wonder why he wouldn't want to eat--Lord knows I do, I love to eat, what's the deal? Teething is different with every kid, but I blamed every sleep disturbance, eating strike, etc on teething until a couple of months ago, cause he seems to have most of his teeth. My advice would be to feed her what she does like (as annoying as that is), keep trying to supplement with small amounts of fresh fruit cut up real small, and some veggies at every meal--she may start taking it one day! THis too shall pass--even still sometimes Tyler eats like a big hogmuffin and other days I wonder how he doesn't pass out. If you're real concerned, talk to your doc, that's what we pay them the big bucks for! He may give you a vitamin supplement or something. Good Luck!

First of all, this doesn't sound like a teething thing. how long has this been going on? It could be a naturally diminished appetite. How are her bowels? Any looser? I'm wondering if she is having some underlying issue such as a digestive issue. Maybe she has become lactose intolerance or reflux. She could be associating any food with pain and not eating. Hopefully its not, but I would highly recommend taking her to the Pediatrician just to be sure. If not, then as long as there is healthy weight gain over time she will be OK. Good Luck!

My son is 21 months, and does the same thing. It's frustrating, but you get used to it. I was concerned so I asked the ped, he assured me my son won't starve himself.

So I offer the same advice, your daughter won't starve herself. Just make sure to offer her plenty of healthy foods. And maybe between "normal" meals, offer a light snack. As long as she's not loosing weight she'll be okay.

Hang in there.

As long as she isn't loosing a lot of weight I wouldn't worry. Make sure you follow up with regular doctors visits. Your doctor will tell you if her weight is good, and if she is growing.

http://www.pcrm.org/

Babies do so much growing in that first year that we start to expect that kind of eating and weight gain. Once they reach a year old the amount of both food intake and weight gain slows down. My 2 year old was the same way and he still doesn't eat the way he did that first year even while having a growth spurt. She may be drinking too much milk and juice and filling her belly or she just may not be as hungry. I have learned that if I don't give my kids their milk until part way through meals.that they will eat more. I've heard doctors say that as long as they eat one good meal a day they are ok, and that kids won't starve. lol. It's very frustrating, I know. If you are concerned, call her ped and talk to them. That's what we pay them for. lol. Good luck.

Picky eaters are not fun, but here are a few suggestions of some foods that were usually hits with my kids even in the toughest of times:

Yogurt - try banana or vanilla flavor
Applesauce - you can shred up a little chicken and mix in and the kids usually don't notice
Oatmeal - easy to fix in the microwave. Sprinkle with some raisins or honey. (Not sure if a 14 month old eats raisins yet)
Blueberries
Mashed Potatoes - again you can hide finely shredded meat in there

Also - some kids really like soup. Especially the fun types with alphabet noodles.

I'm sure it's just a phase. She may be filling up on juice/milk at mealtimes, so you can try giving her the milk during non-meal times and maybe forgo the juice all together.

When my nephew was teething he loved to gnaw on frozen peach slices.

Good luck

They do go through periods of more and then less eating. How much is she drinking? She could be filling up on juice(no more then 4 oz a day), water or milk. What about snacks?

Still can giver have baby food jars as well and make sure she takes vitamins.

it could be a number of things.. if she is drinking out of a sippy cup or a bottle without fussing it most likely is not her teeth. The sucking actually can more painful than the chewing part. I had a similar problem with my oldest when he was about 18 months. Out of nowhere he wasn't interested in food anymore.. whatever we gave him he didn't want. But he LOVED ketchup. We finally started giving him alittle cup of ketchup with every meal so he can dip. If he wanted to dip his broccoli in it we let him.. at least he was getting the veggies he needed. every week we gave him a smaller amount and in 2 months he was eating normally again. My younger son was the same way with ranch dressing.

another thing it could be is her age. That is the age when they start to really want to explore and get into everything! try giving her alittle independence. lay out healthy snacks like a dry breakfast cereal up on a chair or coffee table and a sippy cup of juice or water and just let her graze all day. Still have her sit down to meals with the family but don't push it. Put a bite or two of a few things she might eat or needs to eat and then let her go at it with fingers or what ever she wants. If she wants your help eating offer but don't push. That way she is still getting the calories she needs just not all at one time.

You could also talk to your doctor about giving her vitamins. Good luck :)

Hi E.,
Toddlers very often go through this. The most important thing is to offer her the healthiest foods possible. I like to think in terms of "eat the rainbow". Everyday, you should eat foods of every color of the rainbow. A bag of skittles doesn't count! Bananas- yellow, carrots- orange, Spinach- green, strawberries- red, Beets- purple, blueberries- blue, etc. A bag of frozen blueberries will last a toddler forever- Mix a few in with her dry cereal in the morning. We should all follow this practice and eat as many colors of foods as possible throughout the day. Remembering that white and brown foods (except for soy products which are excellent protein for vegetarians)) offer very little nutrients. I know toddlers love them, but processed foods, such as chicken nuggets are best kept out of their diet when they are eating very little. Stick to fruits, steamed veggies, and lean meats if your family eats them. And don't worry. If your toddler is hungry...he/ she will eat. Offering nutritious foods for when that moment arrives is our job!

A.

Hi E.
I have 4 children 5 and under and from experience I have noticed that children go through stages of eating and not eating. A rule of thumb that I use is as long as they are active and acting normal then it is just a stage. in our house we have what we call hungry and non hungry days. if your child is acting herself then she is fine- a child is not going to let themselves starve. when my kids go through this stage i always try to make sure that the food they are eating is very nutrious ie veggies, fruit ect. she may be filling up on fluids offer her a small sip before the meal and then mopre once she has finished- my 3rd child will drink till her stomach is full and then there is no room for food- so she gets a small amount in her cup before or during the meal and then more when she is finished. my oldest went through something very similar where he would eat in the morning and then by the evening he would fizzle out, hang in there this too shall pass. teething- there are two sets of molars that should be coming in the 18 month and 2 year old set. hope this helps. C.

I recommend the Book "Super Baby Food." It is full of information, recipes, ideas, etc. There is a page on Doctor's "minimum amount of food required to keep your toddler healthy" page. It is ridiculous how little food kids really need. It averaged out to about 5 tablespoons a day (but it was really good food, whole milk, etc).

Anyway...Super Baby FOod is the book. I hope you like it.

My son is 23 months and has been doing the same thing for a while. It drives my husband crazy and it does get to me sometimes too. I've been told that their apetite will go up when they are having a growth spurt and will go down when they are not. If you feel she is not getting all the nutrients she should be getting, then you may want to consider vitamins for her (see what her doctor thinks). But as long as she is eating a little, make sure it is healthy food and not junk food then there is no real need to worry. But I totally know the feeling and how frusterating it can be to see you kid not eating very well. Hang in there it may be awhile till she hits her next growth spurt. Good luck.