To Busy to Eat

My little boy is the same way. He's just too busy to eat. I've been giving him a V8 splash drink (fruit/vegetable drink) for breakfast. It's a good way to get nutrition into him on the go.

A., I had this problem with my 2 year old. If I gave her milk before trying to get her to eat she would guzzle the milk and that would be it. I have since stopped giving her milk until she has eaten in her high chair. Children will not let themselves starve, but I had to set a standard for her so that she would learn that if she doesn't eat in her high chair then she doesn't eat. Anyway, it worked. She now knows that she needs to eat first. She'll ask sometimes even now if she can have milk, but she doesn't throw a fit anymore when I tell her she needs to eat first. Hope this helps!

There are two things you could possibly do. I am a mother of 4 boys and i have been faced with this problem before. You could make it a rule that he does not get anything to drink until he has eaten what you feel is good enough. In doing this he won't fill up on milk first thing in the morning. Or you can just let him worry about when he is hungry. I have learned that when my boys go through growth spirts they either eat alot or not much at all. But needless to say they know when they are hungry and will eat on their own time.

My daughter has been like that since she discovered standing against things. She will be two in a week and we still go through days like that. Don't worry to much about it, kids will eat when they are hungry. They know how much their body needs. My pediatrition told me to hold the sippy cup of milk off until she had actually eaten something because she was filling up on the milk and not wanting to eat. That did the trick, now she will use a regular cup and sit at hte table with her brothers to eat. If no one sits at the table with her she refuses to eat and wants to eat what ever you are eating. They go through stages of not eating and it really is nothing to worry about. Don't force them to eat though because there is chance of turning them off from food completely or the other extreme of constantly wanting to eat. You have got your hands full though...good luck. 18months is a busy age and then you get the "terrible" two's. Hope this helps a little bit. ~~A.~~mother of three

Hi, A.!
Have you ever heard of DR.Sears? He is a famous pediatrician. In his books and lectures he talks about how toddlers don't often have regular eating habits. Though you want him to learn to sit at the table with the family (esp dining out) at home their usually grazers. In fact he says that while grown ups strive for a well balanced meal, with toddlers we should be more concered with a balanced week. He suggests putting out an ice cube tray or a mini muffin tin with different foods cut into child friendly ( and safe!) pieces, esp nutritious foods, then give them a kid friendly name. (broccoli trees,carrot twigs,ect) Maybe even fill one of the sections with peanut butter(if not allergic) or hummus or something they can dip. They will eat for a while play for a while then come back again. This worked well for my son he had much too much to do to stop and eat! :o)
I would suggest to make him still sit at the table with everybody when they eat even if he doesn't just for the practice.And the weather in AZ so warm that food spoils quickly so be careful. And keep an eye on him for choking.
I hope this helps, I have a video of DR. Sears you can have if you want it.
S.
____@____.com

Some babies have one meal a day that they are good at eating. Mine likes breakfast...but only if she doesn't fill up with milk first. It is really important to not let a baby walk around with a sippy cup all day. If you think about it, do you have a cup in your hand all day or do you have a drink during mealtime and snacktime. Kids will get full real fast if they are constantly drinking. Try to give him the sippy cup at the table. It also will save your carpet later when he is off the sippy. If you try to tell him "no drinks in the living room" when he is older it will be harder. Another bad habit to get into is letting him run around and come over to you for the occasional bite. My sister let her kids do this and to this day they still don't stay at the table long enough to eat their meal.........they run to the tv, bedrooms, etc etc etc. They are 6 and 9. It is very distracting to eat with them at holidays or get togethers. If he doesn;t want to eat breakfast then cut down his milk and don't give any snack before lunch so he will be nice and hungry. Or maybe a healthy snack between breakfast and lunch. If that doesn't work then he just might not be a morning eater. Lots of people are like that....not to worry. I would worry more about the bad habits that you might be instilling in him at this age. Good luck to you

Don't give him any of your breakfast, not even a bite. If he's not hungry, let him go without. When he's hungry he will be back. I remember when I was little I was never hungry in the morning, until about 11 am. My mom, of course, force fed me and I always felt sick after eating breakfast. Even now I don't eat much in the morning. Just make sure that when he does feel hungry, you give him something nutricious, just as you would for breakfast. People have different schedules, and he is showing his at an early age. I wouldn't worry about it. But definitely don't let him walk around with a sippy cup, especially filled with milk, as it will cause tooth decay. Once he gets bigger, he will be able to choose to just have a little bit of a snack in the morning and then something bigger later. But when he goes to school, he will realize that he better have breakfast or he may be hungry later. Get clues from him.

Sears' "THe Baby Book" has a wonderful suggestion for toddlers that are too busy to eat. They suggest setting up an ice tray with bite size food(cheese, carrots, whatever) on a table toddler's height and leave it out so he can pick whenever. THey said it's normal for a toddler to be so on the move that eating in not priority, but providing "little snacks" available while he is at play will increase eating opportunities. I thought it was a good idea and planned on using this method for when my 6 month old reaches toddlerhood. Good luck!

I wouldn't make him eat breakfast until he's hungry. Hook him up with some water (milk will fill him up) in the morning and don't let him eat your food. If you give in, it will make him less inclined to have his own meal. It sounds more like his little body clock is running differently. I know it sounds kind of mean to deny him your food but I had to do it with my daughter. He also may be a grazer but I think it's important that kids learn to have even a brief time where they sit and eat a little. You just have to figure out what works best with his system.

My two year old is the same way. I recently bought her a table and chairs that goes in the living room. She's more likely to sit and eat that way. Otherwise I just have to catch her while she's playing and put food in her mouth.

A.,
Children are suppose to graze throughout the day. A great idea from Dr. William Sears and Juice Plus was take a muffin tin and fill it with healthy snacks, fruits, veggies, since he is only 18 mos, whatever he can chew, cherrios etc and keep it where he can reach it and he will go there, get a snack, go play, come back snack... by the end of the day the tray should be empty. Good luck!

I wouldn't worry my daughter was never a big breakfast eater at that age. She prefered her milk in the am then a little snack then a big lunch. We always offered breakfast but never pushed it. Now she eats breakfast just fine. Sometimes she eats a little sometimes she eats alot. As long as they are growing and healthy don't worry

I would let it go. Babies eat when they are hungry. If he's not malnourished, I'd pick my battles!

I have a 20 month who is busy not eating his breakfast as I write this. It frustrates me as well, but I have given up the battle and instead focus on making sure I offer him a lot of snacks throughout the morning. It seems to work for him.

Hi my name is D. & I have 2 kids daughter 6 yrs. old and son 4 yr. old they BOTH went through this and I was really worried about it with my 1st and knew what to do with the next. Make sure you offer them their meal and if they don't want it then they are just not hungry, just like us sometimes we go through streaks when food just doesn't sound good or we're too busy to eat well they're little people be patient and keep trying and good luck!

This is a control issue. He is trying out his own level of control and right now he is dictating to you when he will eat, what he will eat, and under what circumstances he will eat. You definitely need to let him know that there are times to play and times to eat, just like there are times to sleep and times to visit, times to shop, times to.....well, you get the idea. You are the mother, not his servant. You set the schedule, you decided the menu, you make the decisions. He's 18 months old, you are the adult. This is a battle and one you should win. It will influence all the other battles you will have during his life time. Win this one and the others will go easier.

M. D.

They are always soo busy at this age, but, there is a time that they should slow down to replenish their resources!! But, there is also good and not so good behaviour. Walking around with the sippy cup should be a no-no. As with throwing food: a really BIG no-no. Even at his age, he has a handle on you and knows what he can get away with. Yes, it is a battle to fight, but in the right way. Try getting the book 123 MAGIC by Thomas W. Phelan. It is an easy read, and you can start using it right away after just a few chapters. After raising two kids, one is 18 and the other 10, I learned the hard way that they really like to have structure and discipline. When they don't they act out in various ways. 123 MAGIC helped me in the discipline area and it was easy. I still use it today on both the kids...even my 18 year old still responds to it!! Good luck.

I would not battle over food. Most kids will eat what they need and to mom, it never seems like it is enough. When you make it a battle issue you will lose in the long run. If you are OK with him eating little bits at a time just go with it. He's a boy and will develop a great appetite by the time he's 13.

Most childrens' food regulation is very good at that age unless they are on meds that interfere. I wish I had the discipline to only eat what my body really needs instead of what I want.

With my boys we strived when they were younger not to force them to eat when they weren't hungry even though it was meal time. I would just save the food and tell them when they are hungry they can have the meal then. This helps with the "I don't want to eat my dinner" issue.

T. C.
Spa Girlfriend Parties
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This is totally two of my kids. Since you stay at home, consider it a blessing. Mine wouldn't eat until after 9am, so I adapted until they grew out of it.

Let it be. When he's hungry, he'll eat. If he's growing and progressing normally- let him do his thing! Of my daughters, one likes regular meals, the other two are "grazers"- they eat little snacks throughout the day. I know some people believe that babies and children should be on regimented eating and sleeping schedules but I disagree. Let them eat when they're hungry and sleep when they're tired! :)

Hi! I have three chilren ages 11, 9 and 6. I found that getting a routine is key. He is probably testing the waters as kids do. Sounds like a tantrum. He knows if he fights you long enough you will give in. When it is time for breakfast, put him in his chair and feed him by hand for now. Congratulate him when he takes a bite. "Good boy!", "Great Job!". I see he is still eating by taking bites of your food. Don't let him anymore. He wil get hungry and eat his own food. I hope this helps. Hang in there! A..