Help My Soon to Be 2 Year Old Son Doesn't like to Eat

My two-year-old son loves avocado - which are super rich in healthy fats. We cut it into cubes for him.

My son likes to snack on cheese, bananas (really most fruit), crackers (we limit the crackers), carrots (they have to be soft!). He has also tapered off in his eating. Most of the time we have to feed him at dinner to get him to eat anything! I read that at this point in their life, they aren't growing as fast as they were before, and aren't as hungry. As long as they eat a good breakfast and lunch, if they don't eat much for dinner, it's ok. Good luck!

I found that my picky little boy would eat pork chops or pork loin and rare steak. He won't touch chicken at all! Basically, the meat has to be juicy for him to eat it. I would just keep putting the same food you are eating in front of him. We make our kids taste one of everything on their plates before leaving the table, but that's up to you. I would also try putting him in a booster so he's sitting at the table with you and feels a little more included. My kids were sitting at the table in a booster by 15 months so he should be fine! Also, my daughter (turning 2 in April) won't touch yogurt, but devours the Gogurt because she likes sucking it out of the tube. (Yes, its messy!) Otherwise, try lots of fruits and veggies. My kids absolutely LOVE Edemame. It soybeans in the pod so it has lots of protein. They look like pea pods and are found with the frozen veggies at the supermarket. You boil them for 5 minutes or so. The kids will sit down with a huge bowl full and pop them out of the shells and eat them. (I know it sounds strange, but it is definitely fun food!) And, definitely give him corn on the cob. My kids love it! Good luck!

Let him graze throughout the day. Provide a shelf area with healthy snacks for him (we have a lower cupboard where we keep dried fruit, fruit cups packed in fruit juice, Odwalla bars, sunflower seeds, whole grain crackers, etc. and we keep fresh fruits and yogurt and string cheese in the fridge). Whatever you do, don't get into a power struggle with trying to get him to eat more. It is important for yong kids to have healthy foods available because if iven the option, they will gravitate toward sweet and salty/fatty foods. My son has always been smaller than his peers but as long as he is healthy and active I don't worry about his size (my DH and I are both taller than average, but our son is always at the low end of the scale...he only weighs 32 lbs at age 4.5).

T.- This is about the same age my daughter Lacey was when she decided she wouldn't eat - even her favorite, pizza, was left untouched- "It's UGLY" was her reasoning! HA! Anyway, after numerous trips to the doctor, I finally took his advice and gave up the fight. Food should NEVER be a struggle. They will eat when they are hungry! I made sure she took her vitamin everyday and she always had a cup available to her with milk or 100% fruit juice! And I would leave a bowl of finger food near where she played- whole gtrain cereal, animal crackers, baby carrots, etc (no junk food or sugary stuff!)Even at 17, she is still a picky eater and has been a vegetarian for the past 2 years, but she is 5'4" and weighs 115# so she is just right!!! With a new baby in the house, your time is precious- don't waste it fighting about food!!! Good luck!

Maybe he would do better feeding himself. He might be afraid that he will end up hurting with the acid reflex so he is deciding not to eat. Talk with your doctor and find out what you can do about it.

T.,

My son Paul is almost 3 and was diagnosed with GERD at 4 weeks. I feel your stress and pain on his eating habits. Our GI Dr. suggested that we take him to the grocery store and have some special "Paul Meals". Though it didn't work right away, allowing him to pick out foods has helped. I didn't believe the Dr. when he said even at the age of 23 months he would know what he could and couldn't eat. As we get ready to turn 3 he will push away his plate if something doesn't taste right.

Does your Dr. have him on vitamins? Our dietician also suggested Carnation instant breakfast. We would mix it with the ice and it was almost like a malt for him. There is a lot of nutrients in there. Another thing we got was the pedisure bars. He calls them his "candy bars".

Feel free to email me anytime you have questions. It can be an up hill battle at times, but don't give up. Things will improve.

Sue

Ever thought of sneaking yogurt into his juice and making a home made yo J type drink? My kids like a lot of finger food. Sometimes they will eat stuff you would never think about them liking. Does he like sweet stuff. Try carrots with butter and brown sugar, it's kind of like a candied yams. How about bite size pieces of apples or other fruit-will he eat apples with peanut butter (maybe even the caramel topping)? My little one loves raisins. She even likes grapes- I slice them smaller so she does not choke. Try baked potatoes with different toppings. Hope something from here helps.

We had the same problem with our granddaughter about that age! If she did eat it was only grapes, we used to call her the great grape ape! One day a t a restauraunt she was served those little hot dogs with toothpicks, and she ate them all!!! From then on if we wanted her to eat something we put it on toothpicks and she started eating almost everything. So try putting his food on toothpicks and see if that helps.

D. D.

I had a friend who struggled for this for years with her son--the doctors said he had "failure to thrive", they saw a ton of doctors, they said he had reflux. It turned out that he had several food allergies, including to all milk and wheat products. It took them some time to figure this out, but they worked with an allergist and he is now a healthy, happy 6 year old who is much closer to a typical size for his age. If the food is making him feel bad, that MIGHT explain why he doesn't want to eat.

I feed my 19-mo-old son hot dogs, string cheese, macoroni & cheese, Gerber ravioli, fruits, lunch meats, and lots of whole milk, besides the things you mentioned. Maybe some of those things will bulk him up. But they say that between ages 1-2, they don't really eat much because they are not growing as rapidly, and it's nothing to worry about. I worry about my son sometimes too when he doesn't eat well, but I know he's fine. Don't worry - if he's hungry, he'll eat!!!

When my daughter was 2 she was large for her age. We talked to the doc and he said that the special clinics for kids are full of "big girls and little boys, but no one ever worries about the opposite." My experience (my kids are now 16, 15, and 7) is that you're stressing over this too much. I know because I did it, too. The stress can lead to much greater problems down the line because, sorry to say, your son is getting a LOT of attention for his eating and kids can become attention addicted. "Let him be" would be my advice. He's not going to eat so little that it affects his health...humans aren't wired that way. This will take some doing on your part, but will be worth it in the long run. He can't grow stronger if he continues to rely on you for everything, even at age 2. It gets easier, so hang in there, and good luck!

Check out Jessica Seinfeld's book. She was recently on Oprah and talked about pureed vegetables that she hides in all her kid's favorite foods. A few months back you could get them on Oprah's site. I have actually put pumkin in brownies, (box lowfat brownie mix and one can of pumpkin.) I also made brownies with 1 can of black beans and a 1/2 cup of water.

I know I turned to my Dr. Sears book when my daughter wasn't good about sitting down and eating anymore. He says that toddlers are so busy with life that they don't want to stop and take time to eat. He suggested just letting them graze throughout the day and be sure to have foods for them to munch on where they can access them. Here are some healthy foods you can try:
*apples - peeled and sliced into sticks
*banana slices with peanut butter and raisins on top (for special treats put half a banana on popsicle stick, spread on peanut butter then roll in crushed up oreo/choc. sandwich cookie - 1 cookie and 1 banana will make enough for 2 servings)
*cut up grapes
*thin slices of raw yams with guacamole or mashed avocado on top (those are especially nutritious snacks)
*cherry tomato halves
*canned beans - try canneloni, rinsed and drained
*frozen peas thawed with a hot water soak
*green beans, warm in can by rinsing with hot water
*raw veggies and ranch dip - can make healthy version with plain yogurt and a little dill and stevia/honey - kids seem to LOVE to dip! try all sorts of veggies - cucumber slices, (a fav of my kids) carrots cut into small sticks, sweet peppers, little brocolli trees
*celery and carrot sticks with peanut butter
*use blender to make fruit smoothies - use fruit juice and frozen strawberries - you can add all sorts of healthy stuff to this in small quantities: ground flax seed, udo's oil, yogurt, wheat germ

I eat 50% raw food every day and used to eat even more, so my kids are used to seeing me eat healthy foods. They want what mom has, so luckily I don't have any problem getting them to eat healthy.

Grace and peace be with you!

T.,
Have you tried putting at the table with you? I know our little guy wanted to sit at the table in a booster seat with us. Another thing you can try is letting him help you make the meal. I have two very fussy eatters and they seem to eat more when they help make the meal. He can help carry the plates, cups, spoons to the table. Does he like rice, or potatoes? You can hide a lot of nutrition in them. We started eatting broccoli w/cheese and calling it trees. I let my boys "decorate" the trees with melted cheese. I hide cauliflower in the mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes in the mac n cheese. I usually can get the boys to eat anything that they can dip in ketchup or BBQ sauce. Last night we had pork chops with BBQ sauce and broccoli with cheese. Good Luck.
J..

Kid-friendly foods for 2 year old? How about bananas, apples, peanut butter, raisins, kiwi, cooked or raw carrots, broccoli, asparagus. 100% juice (apple, grape, cranberry - or a mixture of several). Corn on the cob seems to go over well, and cut up watermelon and cantelope. I also keep sliced meat in the frig. And mine seem to like shrimp.

How about uncrustables? While they are not a health food, they do contain protien from the peanut butter, calories, and they are fun!

Hi Traci,

My little sister ate like a bird when she was little. She maybe had a soda cracker a day. She just wasn't hungry.

She turned out fine. She's just a smaller framed 40 year old. I think she's a size 2 at 5'4".

Our son did that too. We struggled to get him to eat. My brother was the same way. He went through phases. First his aunt got him hooked on chicken nuggets. That's all he would eat. Then it was hot dogs and nothing else.

He was always a skinny little thing. My mom always told me just to patient, when little boys turn around 11 years old it is like their metabolism changes or something. And that is when my brother, at age 11 started eating everything in sight.

Sure enough, our little guy started eating at around age 11. He is now 21 years old and about 230 pounds at 6'1"

I wouldn't worry unless he is listless and showing signs of illness. If he is healthy and happy, they know when to eat. We are suppose to be eating several small meals a day anyways.
It's actually healthier.

Best wishes,

J.

Cut out the dairy and cut way back on meat in his diet if he's eating any. Avoid refined sugars including high fructose corn syrup (it's in nearly everything, especially children's foods)... instead, go natural, buy products with/ or sweeten your own with fruit juices or 100% pure maple syrup. Avoid caffinated beverages. Feed more veggies and fruits, cooked or raw. If this doesn't clear up his acid reflux, you may try www.buyactivatedcharcoal.com and purchase some activated charcoal powder and have him drink a "slurry" or mix in water and have him drink the top off the settled charcoal mix.
Good luck.

Hi T.,
Sometimes milk products (yogurt) and cheeses (mac and cheese) can make someone with acid reflux feel thick in the throat. Like they have alot of phlem. You might try thinnly spread peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into bite size pieces.
Sherbet may be good as it is cool and fruity flavored. Try bite size cereals that are strong flavored, cinnamon toast crunch, honey nut cheerios, froot loops. Hot dogs cut into small bites. Tator tots. You might also try smaller meals more often, instead of only three meals a day try throwing in a morning and afternoon snack, or afternoon and evening. Experiment, in his way he will let you know which one works.
I hope some of this helps. Good Luck!
G.

HI T.,

I just got my son out of this phase. He will be 2 in may and barely gained 1 pound from last may to november. the dr said if he didnt gain anything he was going to be concerned. We implemented a weekly schedule. since toddlers are so ridden on routine i thought that it would help and it has!

daily things that are the same:
breakfast- either cheerios, teddy grahms, or other cereal with 2 cups of chocolate milk(i use hersheys syrup the real stuff is sooo thick)
no morning snacks
after afternoon nap he gets 2 cups of chocolate milk with no food snack and nothing after 5 but water

i started out only letting him have water with his meals and can now let him have juice with lunch.

mondays:
lunch- Fish Sticks and Mac and cheese and fruit(usually fruit cocktail, peaches, apple, or bannana)
dinner- peanut butter on ritz crackers

Tuesdays:
lunch- nuggest and fries and fruit
dinner- pb&j sandwich

Wednesdays:
lunch- hot dog and fruit
dinner- spagehtti-os with meatballs and veggie(usuallly frozen and i mean straight from the freezer, corn or peas)

Thursdays:
lunch- PB&J and fruit
dinner- Nuggets, fries and veggie

Friday:
lunch-at the sitters
dinner- pizza

Saturday:
lunch- Fish Sticks and fruit
dinner- veggies(i make stir fry enjoys brocolli and carrots) and lunch meat slices

Sunday:
lunch- meatballs(i make spaghetti and meatballs in crockpot)
dinner- kinda make it up this day(depends when ate lunch after church.

this worked for us. i started it in mid january. it took a little getting use to and some fighting with him to sit and eat, but hang in there, he will get it! i can now let him have juice with lunch and he still eats pretty well and somedays he just doesn't want to eat!
i also noticed that when he would be too hungry he wouldn't eat. so getting on a time schedule worked too. i implemented both at the same time. i gave myself a 30 min leway. i dont feed at exactly the same time everyday, but 30 min after up from morning nap is lunch and between 5:45 and 6:15 we have dinner. i have continued this menu still and will probably keep it the same until summer and change for less warmer foods. Good Luck!!!

My son is 2 and I had been worried about the same thing. My son is about the same size as yours, sounds like. And since he's become more independent, his pants are fitting looser and he's losing his baby fat. I was really concerned until I realized that if I leave a bowl of, say, Cheerios out on a table where he's playing, he'll graze between meals. I've also used whole wheat crackers. If he thinks it's a treat and it's just for him, that will make him want it more, just be sure to make yourself feel better by leaving healthy snacks out. I think this also gives them more of a feeling of independence. I have also started giving my son strawberry instant breakfast with his milk on days when I really don't think he's gotten enough nutrition, and that "strawberry shake" is always a treat. I usually wait until after supper to offer that, so as to not ruin what he does have as an appetite.
Good luck.

I really sympathize with you on this one!! Both my kids go through spurts - they eat a lot, then eat almost nothing. My pieces of advice are don't worry, they eat when they're hungry, wait until they're good and hungry to feed them a meal and minimize snacks in between, use reverse psychology (don't eat that pancake!!), and make the food look cute. I have a few cookie cutters that I use to cut shapes in their lunch meat. They love that.
Because my kids don't eat well, I give them whole milk (even though they're 2 and 3 1/2) so I know they're getting plenty of protein and fat. They both LOVE taco ring (basically taco meat in a crescent roll). I use this recipe but leave off all the veggie toppings for the boys... http://online-cookbook.com/goto/cook/rpage/000D39.
Good luck!

Hi T., if it makes you feel any better my son will be 2 on the 25th and is still only 21 lbs! He eats frequently throughout the day rather then 3 main meals. Which is kind of funny because I have always ate small meals with lots of snacks in between and I've always been small too. I just get full quick. I will tell you that pasta is my best bet for meal time. If I notice he hasn't been eating very well I will make him a separate plate of spaghetti or raviolis because he's so small I want him to eat! I always said my children would always eat what we were having for dinner, but sometimes it's best to make an exception when you child is not even on the weight charts! HA One kind of pasta that is extremely fast and my little boy loves is Good Earth frozen raviolis - I think they have Sesame Street characters on the box. They take about 5 minutes to boil and I just add cold sauce so they aren't too hot. Oh and also a substitute for yogurt is Dannon Smoothies. They have all the good stuff yogurt has, but a little more sugar. Oh well, it's better then most juices. Good luck