I know this subject gets tons of questions every year... but I'm dealing with a 2 year old boy. Normal weight, normal height, but so very picky with his eating habits he's paralyzing me. We can't eat out in any restaurants. And even food he used to like he won't eat. He's literally surviving on yogurt, milk, pre-packaged peanut butter crackers, string cheese, cheerios and the occasional chicken nugget. I'm at my wits end. I've tried not bothering whether he eats or not, but it's hard to watch him push everything away, and then go to the fridge later ask for yogurt and milk. I'm worried that he's not getting enough nutrition. I worry that he is getting too much pre-packaged junk. HE WILL NOT EAT BREAD, or pasta, or anything like that. It's hard to pack his lunch for day care, because there isn't anything he eats that travels well for lunch.
How can I save my sanity and get him (VERY VERY HEADSTRONG SPIRITED CHILD) to try something new. He used to eat a wide variety of foods, and now it's so limited we cannot eat out, or go to anyones house for a meal, it's limiting our ability to do anything. It's very frustrating. Please offer suggestions.
BTW, We don't make this a battle, if he doesn't eat, that's fine he just has to sit at the table, but almost every meal, he eats nothing. II just don't know what to do.
UPDATE: When he does go to the fridge after dinner, we do not give him anything else.... which turns into a tantrum, which turns into time out. but we make him (and his older brother wait) about an hour after dinner before he's allowed to have anyother foods. We allow his older brother to have dessert at the table immediately following dinner if he earned it, then snack before bed (usually about 1 - 1 1/2 hours after dinner we have a healthier snack before bed - graham crackers, or apples or bananas.... sometime's he eats what i offer, other times he won't....
i don't think this is a medical condition, and he's not just eating dairy he's eating crackers or cheeze it,s or graham crackers too, so it's not just soft foods... it's so frustrating. My older child is also picky, but now that he's 5, he's easier to please. i let him have something his fav on each meal, and he's learned to take a few bites of whatever else is being served. he won't starve, neither will the 2 year old. but it's ungodly maddening to have two children pick you apart for what they will or wont eat... I'm losing my mind some days!!!
I make one dinner/lunch and give at least one choice I know they like and the others they have to eat a few bites from each. My kids used to hate salad and now they love greek, spinach salad with feta! If you keep staying consistent with trying the other foods he doesn't like - hopefully in time he will start to like new things. Good luck!
Is his name 'Roman'? Sounds exactly like my son ;) My kiddo won't eat meat in any shape or form either (except chicken nuggets, but that's IT.)
He was going through food therapy and it was awful, I called it 'food torture'. He was starting to fall even farther behind in his speech therapy because of it, so we cut that out.
I still offer my son EVERYTHING the rest of the family eats, but have something he likes in the house at all times. Kids that age are funny little creatures. They have very little control over anything in their little lives, and not eating is a sure fire way to get what they want (since it gives parents heart attacks 'my kid won't eat!', so it's usually the easiest form of manipulation they can get away with)...
After stressing about it for a year, I gave up. If Roman eats nothing but chicken nuggets and watermelon for the next 6 months, I'm really to the point where I'm okay with that. I rest easy knowing I'm still trying, he's no where close to being underweight or anemic, and I still make sure he has a cup of Pediasure before bed and takes daily vitamins. The kid's going to be okay, and I'll be just fine too... and so will you and your son ;)
My son was like that at 2 also and now he is almost 8 and is still very picky. I wish now I had been very strict about it when he is two. I would serve him what we ate but at that age he would have giant melt downs when he was hungry (crazy tantrums). To avoid this I would feed him healthy snacks of things he liked - like yogurt or milk and fruit. Now I wish I had not let him fill up on snacks he liked and had just let him have a melt down. I wish I had just served him what the rest of us were eating and not given in later with other foods. I also wish I had not served a lot of the foods he liked (like plain chicken, rice, mashed potatoes) at dinnertime and instead had just made a variety ALL the time. A friend of mine at this time had a very picky daughter and she stopped giving snacks before dinner. If her daughter did not eat her dinner it was saved for her for later...and that was the only "snack" she had before bedtime. This really worked with her daughter who basically was starving by dinnertime. At the time I just could not do that...but now I wish I had! If I could go back in time I would be much more strict about food. I would present the rules calmly to our son and not get upset with him at all...but I also would not budge.
only you can stop this cycle. He will not starve in the meantime...& that's what you're battling: your fear that he will starve if you don't give in.
the process is simple: he is offered his meal...the same food as you. If he does not eat, then the meal is wrapped up & stored in the frig. When the next snacktime/meal rolls around, he is again offered the same plate as before. A couple rounds of this & the battle will be over.
the very fact that he goes to the frig & asks for his milk & yogurt.....tells me he knows he's won the game. :)
again & again, we see this question. The only true answer is to stand firm & not give in. Life does not have to be a battle, regardless of what kids think!
EDIT: it doesn't matter if you're making him wait "an hour" before offering other foods....he's still winning the battle since he's NOT eating his meal. My recommendation still stands....stop giving in. No food other than the meal.
At 5 my daughter is finally getting less picky and actually trying new things on her own and with little prompting. There are still things she'd prefer not to eat but she knows if she doesn't eat, I'm not going to feed her anything else later. What I make is what's for dinner, end of story.
Stick to your guns. He will learn what hungry is and eventually eat. So long as he's not loosing weight or becoming ill, you're doing your part.
My main issue is my daughter's a grazer. It'll take her FOREVER to eat a plate at lunch. At dinner she wants to chit chat, she fidgits in her seat, twists and turns, lays her head on her table saying she's tired. Last night we ate out and brought home her meal minus 2 bites!! "Nomi, just eat." Is a common phrase.
So you have a "headstrong, spirited child."
Be stronger. He's NOT going to starve to death...as a matter of fact, he'll eventually get hungry enough to eat what you offer. Just stick to your guns. Don't feel guilty.
If you go somewhere or take him somewhere, just pack normal healthy foods...even if he doesn't like them. He has to learn that food is for energy, for filling our bellies. We don't have to LOVE every thing we eat. If he has nothing else to choose from, he'll either eat or go hungry. If he goes hungry enough times (without you allowing your guilt to interfere in the learning process), he'll eventually eat what everyone else eats.
This is a normal stage. I went through one with my son where he wouldn't eat meat AT ALL. I kept offering it. Now he eats it.
Also, make sure that you are all sitting down at a family table for meals. It's a lot easier to convince your child to eat if he sees mom and dad and siblings eating too. And if he does eat something on his plate, praise him...but don't give him more of that item until he eats the other things that are also on his plate.
Best of luck!
What is the answer when he goes to the fridge asking for yogurt and milk? If he gets those after not eating his dinner, that's your problem. Why should he fill up on healthy dinner foods when he can wait a while and fill up on his favorite things?
I have always offered my kids what was being served at mealtime and they either ate it or not. If they chose not to eat it, there is always another meal planned relatively soon, and they aren't going to starve. An interesting thing learned in Nutrition class: As long as a young child eats the equivalent of ONE well-balanced meal in a three day period, their nutritional needs are going to be met. Their little bodies will NOT allow them to starve themselves (barring some, very rare, medical conditions,) so let him wait until the next meal, when he finally realizes his favorite options are no longer available he WILL eat other things.
I have four children and while each of them does have certain foods they do not care for, they all get complimented regularly about what healthy eaters they are, and on their willingness to try new things. Food is not a big deal in our house at all, the saying goes "eat it or not, but don't complain"
This might sound mean, but with my daughter around this age I made it a battle. Now she wasn't that picky of an eater but she started to just reject things she would normally have eaten and wouldn't even try it. About 3 different times we battled it out. I put her in her high chair and put food in front of her. She refused it, and I told her she could stay in her chair until she at least tried it. She went into a huge screaming fit, and I held my ground and just walked away and would come back and check on her once in a while. After at least 30 minutes of screaming each time, she finally gave in and tried the food, and of course liked it and ate more. After those few times of battling it out she didn't test me much anymore.
I'm a parent of a healthy active 5 year old D who is not an adventurous eater. I try some new foods. I try to focus on the positives, giving her plenty of the healthful foods she likes to eat, like apples and yogurt. And try not to worry as much about her favorite Kraft mac and cheese. She's an only child. And I'm hoping she grows out of it, especially when she's around her peers more in K.
Hi, look at his tongue. Does it look spotted? Almost like it might have blisters or burns on it?
My granddaughter has Geographic Tongue. This is a non issue 99% of the time but when the taste buds go wonky she gags and pukes up food she normally loves. It tastes totally different to her.
Some times it is very minuscule and only visible to me since I know what to look for. A pediatric dentist might be able to say if this is a possibility.
Otherwise from what you are saying, he is only eating foods that require little chewing. Soft foods....
He may be teething his 2 yr. molars or even the next ones, he may have a tooth that has a cavity, etc....the teeth do effect how we eat and sudden changes like this are usually due to a specific reason.
That's why I am thinking outside issue other that just deciding he only wants to eat dairy.
Thinking teeth issue, tongue issue, throat may be sore, stomach might have something and the dairy soothes it, may have some deficiency and body is craving calcium.
I tend to think outside the box. Just some thoughts that might lead you to ponder on a different aspect.
Here's some pictures of Geographic Tongue. Notice the 2nd one is very minimal. Then some are very disturbing. One might even think the person has drank boiling water.
http://www.picsearch.com/pictures/Health/Cutaneous%20cond...
http://www.primehealthchannel.com/geographic-tongue-pictu...
Look for a YouTube clip of a UK documentary called "My Kid Won't Eat." There's about 15 minutes of the program, which looks to be great, on there. We also have a severely picky eater (nine years old ... it only got worse over time) who only eats two different things for lunch or dinner. Ours will just starve rather than eat anything other than his two foods ... we tried holding out and he just won't eat.
I don't have any advice, unfortunately. We tried working with a therapist to help our son and even that didn't work. Just wanted you to know you're not alone in dealing with the extreme. I know just how challenging it is, especially when it comes to eating away from home.
Ok, so I have some insight with having 4 kids and taking care of kids in a professional setting for work.
He's eating a LOT of dairy and with that comes increased ear and sinus infections. BUT that being said, usually when kids crave dairy, they need more calcium. We supplement with Bluebonnett Liquid CalMag - blueberry flavor (the other ones don't go over very well) at night....and it helps them sleep. Their calcium needs increase with growth spurts AND food today don't have enough calcium because the crops don't the nutrition they did 50 years ago. Also, many kids who eat dairy as their main staple in their diet won't eat anything else....same with breastfed babies/kids. Some babies won't eat anything as long as they have milk. My daughter was 1.5 years old and would take NOTHING but breast milk (she goes for cow's milk, since they are getting most of their nutrients). Finally, I had to cut her off and she started eating. If you decrease his dairy, like cutting out milk, I bet his food intake will come up.
Our dog was chewing on rocks and realized she needed more minerals, so we supplemented a food-based multi-mineral and she stopped chewing on rocks...saving her teeth, intestines and actually absorbing minerals.
Realize that he's two. Things will change as he gets older....as long as you are encouraging it.
It's actually good that he doesn't want breads/carbs. So many kids eat those constantly....so I would look at that as a blessing.
Some ideas are allowing him to help prepare foods. Kids often will sample their work. Using sunflower seed butter in a cup with some raw honey and giving him a spoon might help. Dipping apple slices in the sunflower seed butter mix.
i don't have any advice, but you have my empathy. my two-year old is the pickiest eater i've ever seen. she has an underbite and is slow to grow teeth, so maybe that is part of it. she refuses any fruit (including juice) other than raisins. she'll eat peanut butter, crackers, chips, yogurt, but NO meat (other than liverwurst and hot dogs) and no veggies. a little pasta. if she doesn't eat enough she ends up supplementing with milk b/c she is always hungry during the night. we just keep trying ... eventually she'll try something new. i give her vitamins which seem to be keeping her growth on track. good luck! you are definitely not alone.
a p.s. to rachel d. - mine's just like your son! she's a late-december '09 baby. speech is slow too, and her eating is awful. they'll be fine, but it is horribly frustrating!
