My Kids Don't like to Eat

my neice is this way...her parents are constantly hounding her to eat and she digs her heels in and it is completely a power struggle, which they do NOT win - ever. but they keep bullying, hounding, threatening...it just damages their relationship with her, nothing else. seriously, when she was at my house recently, it was time for lunch and she got that look in her eye, like she was just depressed, but also angry, and seeming to expect a fight...and i just told her, if you're not hungry, you don't have to eat sweetie. she looked at me like i sprouted horns. and eventually she a decent amount.

my advice is to put real effort into having no junk food in the house, offer healthy choices whether it is snack or mealtime. then you don't have to worry. the more you push, the more they will fight it. it is really something you have no control over.

I think it sounds like you have a handle on it. I don't require my kids to eat certain foods or finish things or whatever. I mean, sometimes I may press a little bit if I know they haven't eaten much or they've had more junk food than real food in the last 24 hours but for the most part I'm not into forcing kids to eat or giving them the same meal over and over again until they eat it. I may ask my daughter (3.5) to take a few more bites of something before she's done, but I don't always do that either. I think kids know when they are full and hungry and for the most part can be trusted to regulate themselves, when healthy foods are being offered of course...junk food may be a different story! ;)

We always went with the rule of food is eaten at the table. There are no toys or books etc at the table. The table time is only for eating. I would just make sure you offer HEALTHY choices. If they dont eat, they will be hungry. As for snacks, I wouldnt sweat it. Again, if they are hungry enough, they will eat, just make sure their few bites count

When my children were little, my doctor warned me that getting a child to eat was a battle a parent couldn't win. So, of course, you don't want to get into that battle.

I think that as long as your doctor says your daughters are healthy, don't stress out too much. Serve healthy food, so that anything they do put in their mouths is good for them. Don't bribe them with books; however, a reading time after meals can be a wonderful tradition!.

Of our oldest three grandchildren (girls - ages 10, 7, and 5), one has been a picky eater from day one, one is a semi-picky eater, and one eats just about anything. All are healthy. When they visit our house, I might "require" them to eat a bit of everything at meals (i.e., one and a half green beans), but it's mostly fun. Grandparents can get away with that.

Children will not starve themselves so don't worry. We use to think breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and then dinner. NOW we let our son let us know when he is hungry. Breakfast is a given, first thing when he wakes up, but then after that he either tells us or we ask him if he's hungry. He is very go go go so sometimes he needs a reminder haha We don't do snacks anymore unless we're not at home or he's hitting a growth spurt and his body is asking for more. He is perfectly healthy in the 60th percentile for height and weight. Your girls sound fine to me... when they are hungry they will most definitely let you know. Try removing snacks first and see if that increases their appetite during meals. Good Luck

My daughter has days where she eats and others when she does not. Some weeks and months can be like that as well. She is long and lean like me. She is 3.5 and needs 3T for length, but can wear an 18 mos waist..... I can see some really LONG shopping trips in our future, lol! She is healthy and her doctor has said when she is hungry, she'll eat. Also told me it was perfectly normal for this behavior to occur from about 2-6 yrs of age......Don't worry about it. Provide choices and options and if they are hungry, they will eat. You could also provide a rule for a certain amount of bites that need to be eaten before they can leave the table.

I think most kids have this phase. When mine went through it, her Dr. assured me that she won't allow herself to starve. He advised that I offer her healthy foods, especially snacks, and that I not force her to eat any more than she wanted. His concern was that forcing her to eat would cause her to develop psychological issues with food, which in turn could lead to eating disorders. I also agree with Kaycee, nothing but food at the table. Everything else is distracting.

Some kids really like to eat. Some don't. I don't think its a problem at all that you entertain the kids while they eat. It is a big difference to read a book at the table while your preschoolers eat and some teenager texting while out at a restaurant with his parents. 15th percentile for weight is very slender, you don't want her getting any skinnier even if its "normal" for her. Don't feel bad about what you need to do and what works for your family.

Your children will not let themselves starve. They are still listening to their bodies and their bodies will tell them when they are hungry. Very soon they will come to the age when most kids have that ability trained out of them and instead go by the clock or just eat what they see. It's a skill most adults need to return to.

I would stop entertaining them at the table. The table is where we eat. When they are done, let them excuse themselves. If they are hungry again, they can let you know OR they can wait until the next meal.

Never battle over food. It sets you up for a lifetime of issues.

My daughter is a good eater in the morning and at lunch, but not so much at dinner. She tends to graze in the morning and if she has a morning or afternoon of preschool or day camp she needs a snack afterwards. At dinner, she would rather get ice cream for dessert than really eat anything that's on her plate, so I tell her she needs to take 3 bites of X or eat ast least half of what's on her plate if she wants ice cream. Sometimes it works, sometimes not - but she doesn't get ice cream if she doesn't do a reasonable job. She is just about 40 inches, and 37 lb, and she will be turning 4 next month.

If your kids are not asking for snacks, I wouldn't make them stop doing what they are doing to get them to have one. When my daughter is hungry or wants a snack, she lets me know. If they are hungry enough, they will eat - I personally would not be doing things like reading or playing games at the table to get them to eat. I was always on the skinny side as a kid and didn't eat much and it used to drive my mom crazy - she used to say she didn't know how I stayed alive because I ate like a bird. Doctor always told her not to worry about it because I would be healthier in the long run following my own hunger cues rather than being expected to eat all that was in front of me. I was skinny all my life until I hit my 30s and had my daughter - now I am carrying about 10 to 20 more pounds than I would like to! Mom also made sure I took a multi-vitamin at least and I wasn't filling up on junk. That was almost 40 years ago, but I think it still holds true today.

I have one daughter in the 95% for height and weight and one in the 50% height and 10% weight (she has been as low as 1%). After seeing a nutritionist when she dropped weight between ages 15 and 18 months, she drank Pediasure daily until we switched to Carnation Instant Breakfast (she likes the Vanilla flavor in chocolate milk). My non-eater is very texture conscious - she actually will eat almost anything but is "full" after just a few bites. We do lots of little meals a day. I am happy when she wants to have an icecream frappe, or even french fries, since she will eat more than just a few bites of those 2 foods. Our pediatrician said that it is my job to put healthy foods in front of her and her job to decide how much to eat. The worse thing I can do, according to the pediatrician, is to make a genetically skinny child plump, just because I think it seems healthier. Some kids will just be a beanpole all their lives. I was, until I had kids, lol! so try some pediasure, but when they do drink that or Carnation, you will not need the daily vitamins since the drinks are loaded with vitamins too. The other thing we added was a "snack-snuggle-snooze" routine at night. Since she "grazes" and eats these mini-portions, she had a hard time falling asleep and was actually hungry. So now at bedtime she get some milk and a muffin, or some graham crackers, etc. Just some protein and something to fill her belly until morning. And every morning since she was 18 months old (and she is 11 now) she wakes up with the glass of Pediasure/Carnation I hand her. I feel that way she at least has a good start to her day.

They both sound exactly like my son who is now 7. I have to say he has started having more of an appetite this year for the first time and he finally has started gaining more weight. I agree with what others say...you just put the good foods out in front of them and keep it positive and don't stress. I also struggle with this same issue.