I know everyone says your child will eat when he's hungry and if you just offer healthy food choices he will eventually eat. Well, I'm starting to question that. In the past few days, my 19 month old son has basically refused to eat anything that resembles regular "meal" food. He generally eats fairly well -- I offer 2 vegetables and one entree (such as pasta, diced chicken, fish or meatballs) at lunch and dinner (breakfast is hot or cold cereal, plus fruit and yogurt). Lately, however, he just been refusing to eat (and won't let me spoonfeed him) anything except snack items, such as crackers (we just tested this at lunch). I have stopped giving him snacks (other than maybe fruit, such as a banana or berries) and still he won't eat the regular food at mealtime, which he used to eat with no issues. I have resorted to giving him toddler formula mixed with his milk so that he can at least get some nutrition. However, I am at wits end and would appreciate some advice.
Read this, I think it will give you peace at mind ;)
PS- it is not very long, and is definitely worth reading the whole thing...
http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/Toddlers.htm
His molars might be coming in. When you have a sore mouth, you just don't want to eat. Keep giving him his milk, and in a few days or so, he will probably start eating again. Don't fret, mom.
Hi S.: If your son had no issues prior,his behavior,would tell me,that he is having some stomach problems,or hes cutting some molars.A lot of toddlers,will simply stop eating,for fear they will hurt.Check his mouth,and see if hes red and puffy, If its his molars,he will want only very solid, soothing,or cold foods.If that's not it,then have him checked just in case there's digestive problems.I wish you and your lil guy the best.
S.,
I think food is such a weird subject. In my opinion, if kids eat healhty whether its snacks or at mealtime then GREAT!
What I do (and got this from another Mom on here) is a cut up fruit and veggies in the morning and put them on a plate. This can be eaten at any time during the day when my son (almost 3) wants a snack. I add cheese and crackers on some days for variety and this is the only thing that can be eaten outside of mealtime. At mealtime, I keep the portions small and the options minimal. Veggie, Protein and Carb. Nothing fancy and if I am going to change it up and introduce new foods, I repeat them over a four day period and then let it be.
If my son doesn't want to eat, I don't make it a big deal. He usually makes up for it at snack and that's okay with me. I am not a fan of the thought that it's okay to let kids not eat to teach them a lesson or to get them to eat. I think it's sends mixed signals and creates a negative message about food.
My son goes through periods where he likes nothing, but will only eat hot dogs and peas. No biggie. At least he's eating.
Just make it fun. I love the book the Sneaky Chef, esepcially the ideas for healthy desserts and snacks.
good luck.
teething, would be my thought... My daughter did this recently, I thought she was sick, well she was getting in her back molars...
Good luck
R.
My 21 month old son does the same thing. Sometimes he will go a few days with not eating much except some snacks and jut a bit of "regular" food. I allow my son to feed himself 90% of the time. He does make a rather large mess however he really enjoys it so I just deal. If you haven't already tried, give him some yogurt without any fruit chunks. It will give him some protein and some carbs. Not the best meal but when in a pinch it almost always works. You can get pedisure however in my opinion it should be used as a last resort and only once a day. My friend got her daughter hooked on it and now she can't seem to get her off it plus its not cheap. I have found latley that if I start to eat a piece of food sometimes its prompts my son to want some, especially the piece that i nibble off of. Bottom line is that my son has been doing this on and off for the past 4 months and he is still growing like a weed and advancing everyday.
Hi S.!
My son went through this recently at 20 months. He was teething with the molars. But he had also had a runny nose and cold like symptoms for a month which I thought were related to the teething. I finally took him into the doctor when a fever came about and he had an ear infection for who knows how long! Anyway, it could be the teething but it could be something else bothering him, so check with your doc, especially before you do any supplements for nutrition!
Take care,
Jenny
He probably wants to feed himself. Give him a spoon or fork and hold the bowl still and let him feed himself. He is old enough. It should make a difference. Also, give him foods that make some sort of noise. An example would be rice krispies. Let him listen to them. Also, anything will a crunchy sound.
My daughter started not allowing me to spoonfeed at about 16 months. She decided she wanted to do it by herself. I did not see if you were giving pureed foods, maybe try finger foods. I can only get my daughter to eat things she can pick up or feed herself like yogurt. Good luck.
My son has done this a couple times, I think their appetite is smaller when teething and their mouths hurt. Hopefully he'll eat soon for you, I know it's frustrating.
Hi S.,
I have my own Shaklee business and we have a meal replacement shake that is great for situations like yours. It comes in vanilla and chocolate and my daughter loves it. We use it to make fun things like fruit smoothies, orange julius, or chocolate shakes. She loves the "treat" feel and I love that she's getting nutrition. We also carry some really awesome children's vitamins, omega chews, chewable calcium, protein mix, and an orange flavored powdered vitamin called Citriboost. You can view these products and more at www.shaklee.net/greennutrition. When you use these products you'll love knowing that what you give your son is not only nutritious and healthy, but safe too (and helps the environment). You can register to win $200 of free products at www.freegreenproducts.info. Hope this helps.
C.
Hi S.,
I like the article the previous commenter posted!
We're going through a similar transition and I have a three day nutritional rule. What I do is I give my dtr two choices about what she can eat. Too many choices, too many opportunities for "no's" and negotiation: you can have egg white or peanut butter and apple (end of story.) In three days she needs to get all four food groups, for her being vegetarian, esp protein. She doesn't need to eat meals, but every time she snacks I'm diligent about the quality of food she eats. We have all three meals together (not always lunch as I work) and I/we give her so much attention during those times its incentive for her to "dine"/snack with the family. I may have less concern because my daughter has always been at, shall we say, a healthy height/weight. I'm 5'2" and my daughter at two is 1/3 of me! They will get enough, they really will.
Jen
I encourage you to trust your son's body and have patience. The actual amount of food a body "needs" provided it is nutritionally dense, is very little, and for a little one, we are talking about tablespoons here and there, not cups. At least that's what my college nutrition professor repeatedly reassured us. :) Its just a difficult concept to wrap your head around in our bountiful society.
I agree w/ you. My daughter is 100% like your son. i have to hide snacks. She eats less than 10 foods, and she seems to be eliminating things she once ate. Bread, bananas, strawberries, milk, cheerios. are all she will eat right now. so, i offer her our food, and she isn't going to starve. if I ler her, it would be crackers and chips all day long. Seriously, I think my daughter ate 1 pc of bread and 1/2 a strawberry all day yesterday.
Maybe he has a tummy ache, and certain foods don't seem appealing to him right now. I would keep doing what you are doing, and not worry unless it stretches out to weeks or months. Fresh Blueberries are a win-win nutrition packed food, when you offer yogurt, use full fat Baby yogurts, and only put a few plops in a bowl for him. Put P-nut butter and cream cheese on that cracker, (babies need lots of fat for brain development), use some of the healthier baby snacks like granola bars, yogurt melts, and freeze dried fruit. Pull the high chair up to the table and keep eating regular food in front of him, offer it to him again if he seems to want it. Good luck!
S. S,
My sister had this problem, she was told by her pediatrician to let my nephew eat what ever he wants. It would not hurt him in the least, not eating would do more harm than good. My nephew and my partners son ate pop corn and lots of it. LOL I could not understand the logic, but it worked. Both of the boys are eating normally and one is over 21 and doing well, the other is 14 and eating like a horse these days. Speak to your pediatrician about this problem as well, he/she might have other ideas. The above is what worked for my sister and my partner. I hope this helps.
If it has only been a few days, you don't have to worry.
Children know intuitively exactly what they need nutritionally.
According to a very famous study done in the 1990's, a group of 6 mos. to 9 mos. old children were offered everything from fruits, evegatables, meats, and even including salt and cod liver oil, and were allowed to eat what they chose freely, they found that if you were to gage it within one week, every child had chosen a balanced diet.
Even one child, who had rickets, drank copious amounts of cod liver oil until the rickets disappeared, according to the study.
I recommend highly "The Aware Baby": by Aletha Solter.
Lots of Love,
Linda
www.RivieraPlaySchool.com
Hello, I know how frustrating this is. Have you tried to make the food look like it is a snack? If you usually give him snacks in a snack cups and he eats them, try dicing the other foods and putting them into the snack cups.
Good luck with your precious son.
K. K.
you've received lots of wonderful advice from lots of savvy moms. i wish i had discovered this site when i was enduring the same issue you're experiencing. One of my pediatricians suggested shredded cheese, who would have guessed! baby girl ate everything with the shredded cheese spinkled on it! (which she proudly did by herself). be patient and strong. :)
Good Morning S.,
You may want to consider that your child is a prodigy or advanced brain. He may just be trying to communicate with you differently. You may want to look into books on Indigo or Crystal children. Sometimes the children with the most problems are not unwell, they just need to be understood. Also, you may want to look into NAET.com. NAET.com is a group of allergists who eliminate allergies. I am currently in the process of eliminating my allergies. And I am happy with what I have chosen. Say Goodbye To Illness is a book written by the creator of NAET (Dr.Devi Nambudripad).
Be well.
N.
