my almost two year old nephew doesn't eat much for dinner. Not sure if this is a control thing or what but it gets very frustrating for my sister. She wants to be sure he gets enough nutrients and such. Any suggestions on how to handle a picky eater would be much appreciated.
most kids go thru the "picky eater" stage. i am still waiting for my daughter to out grow hers, and she is 13..lol. for months all i could get her to eat was mac and cheese and hot dogs. she eats other things now but still doesnt eat alot and is still picky. wait until he hits teeage yrs. you wont be able to fill him up.
This is a very common and completely normal phenomenon for a kid his age (and older).
The 3 meal/day thing is completely against most of what we'd naturally do. Normally, we'd be more of grazers, so if he's snacking throughout the day on healthy things like fruits/veggies, nuts, cheese, etc., he's probably getting enough nutrients.
If she's really concerned, she should call the pediatrician and see if she needs to supplement what he is eating. I would strongly advise against using a multivitamin until talking to them as doses can be really tricky at that age. our pediatrician has both of our kids (3.5 and 23 months) on 1/2 Flintstone vitamin/day.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says the following things about picky eaters:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddle...
put food on his plate , make sure there's at least one thing on there he will eat and leave him alone.
he wont starve and if she's really worried about nutrition give him a vitamin.
This is on battle she will NEVER win. especially with a toddler. Its one of the few things they can control and they will. the bigger a fuss she makes over it the more power she's givng the toddler.
When my son refuses to eat (he is 2 1/2) I sometimes offer yogurt or kefer. It fills his belly and still gives a decent amount of protein. We call the kefer strawberry milk. He would eat it for every meal if I would let him. :)
This phase will come and go. Please remind your sister that kids will eat when they are hungry. Try not to give in to toddler demands. It will only show them that if they throw a fit they get what they want.
Ignore it. Her son isn't going to starve himself, and right now he's getting negative attention for an action.
She also should not create special meals for her son. If he doesn't like what's for dinner, then he can just nibble around what he can eat. But making a separate meal for picky eaters is a sure way to continue the trend.
He'll be just fine! And your sister will feel better when she stops being upset abuot it.
Does he eat good throughout the day? My son eats great for breakfast and lunch, but only picks at dinner (and sometimes doesn't even pick at it). Its completely normal! The important thing is to make sure that what he does eat is healthy.
I have had this problem with my kids, ALL of them, at one point or another. Kids will NOT starve themselves. They know when they are hungry, they have not learned to IGNORE their bodies, it is something that we teach them. As long as they are in the correct weight/height range, are not showing signs of illness or deficiencies, it IS NOT something to worry about. My youngest, now 7, has breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack. Somedays she is hungry enough to eat alot at dinner, and some days her brothers finish it for her. Tell your sister to RELAX and enjoy the fact that he knows what his body wants and needs.
