My Two Year Old Son Will Not Eat Anything I Need Help

barring medical problems, i'd make a conscious decision to NOT stress over this. this is a developmental stage that most children go through. they like to feel "in control", and let's face it, at that age, you can't control much! my thoughts are this - i am a mom, it is my job to present food to my child, it is HIS job to eat it(or not). he will not starve himself, and i am not one to cater to pickiness - i refuse to be a short order cook - i have three kids, and i cook ONE dinner - take it or leave it! no snacks later, etc. - and my kids know the drill, you choose to not eat, you choose to be hungry, bummer for you. i do let them choose their own breakfast(within a realm of acceptable options), i usually give 2 choices for lunch, and then we all eat the same dinner. good luck!

K.,
This could likely be a power struggle. I have an older brother who used to wake up in the morning and tell my mom "I'm not eating ANYTHING today!" And she would cry. The desired reaction!
My point--kids go through phases....you have to ride them out. Just keep giving him things you know he will eat along with things you think he won't.
My son is the reverse-picky eater--he eats ANYTHING (except cream cheese, plain) but never wants the same thing twice! What a PITA!
Think outside the box a little. Let him have non-breakfast foods in the morning, meat & cheeses are OK in the a.m. too.
AND--never discount the lure of a little mystery "Oh--sorry--this is for me & dad...here's your plain biscuit that you like...."
Good luck!

I would let him have a little bit of what he wants, but then if he's still hungry, he's got a choice of A or B (where neither is the starchy stuff). So he can have one cereal bar, or a few banana chips, but after that it's "You can have a yogurt or some grapes". If he throws a fit, let him, but don't give in. He won't starve himself and eventually he'll probably decide he's hungry enough to at least be able to pick between apple slices or strawberries.

If he used to like this other stuff, it sounds like a fit/tantrum of sorts.

I would serve what you're serving. If he's hungry he'll eat. If he's not hungry he'll survive until the next scheduled mealtime.

I usually do breakfast before 7:30, snack around 9, lunch between 11:30 and noonish, afternoon snack around 3 (after nap), then supper around 6 and then bedtime probably around 8.

Creating a menu that you go off of for every meal can also help. (not to say you can't skip a planned meal and do something different on occasion).

Another question that might help.. If he's at daycare, what are they feeding him?

K.:

He will eat when he's hungry...DO NOT make special meals for him...my GF started doing that and ends up making 3 meals a night...no KIDDING!!!

Let him fight...just tell him THIS is the meal...if you don't like it - fine...our next meal is in 4 hours....don't beg, don't plead. when he realizes that he can't have his way - he will work with you instead of against you.

You can let him help you grocery shop and plan the menus - even at 2 they can do that! :) use cook books with pics!!

A few things come to mind. Allow him to help with the cooking process: preparing salad, mixing pasta and sauces or making pancakes. Many times when toddlers are mixing in the kitchen, a few tastes end up in their mouths. Also, let him set the table (help) and then he can serve himself and you if possible. Ask him how old he is and he needs to have that many bites of his food before saying no. Reward him with stickers, desert anything for giving it a try. Another trick I used to do with my son to make him eat period, was to have a cool book he wanted me to read....something really interesting. He had to take a bite before I turned each page. At times he said he didn't want anymore, I "peeked" to the next page and acted surprised, he ended up taking more bites to see what was next. Ends up eating it all.
Also, find quirky names for the food. Raisins in our household are turtle eggs, we also have dinosaur eggs, probiotic yogurt drinks are milkshakes, salads are dinosaur food (he pretends to be a brachiasaurus), etc. Have fun with it and don't sweat the phase. Keep trying to put real food out for him. He will come around.

That sounds fine. I'm sure it will change again soon. Relax.

Maybe he's coming off a growth spurt... maybe he's just as picky as my 18 month old!! Keep offering new things whether he eats it or not... he will NOT starve; he'll eat when he's hungry, I promise. Make sure you're giving him a daily vitamin to help :)

Read "How to Get Your Child to Eat (but not too much". Lots of good advice, including normal eating patterns. Toddlers go on specific jags sometimes. Not a major problem, unless it lasts for more than a few weeks.

My kids are both picky eaters. It was stressful for me b/c they also both ranked really low on the growth charts. After stressing out about it for a long time, I realized they are both just small kids. My husband and I are small...end of story. I do give my kids pediasure. It kind of goes against the more natural diet I try to feed them, but if you do two bottles a day your son will get 14 grams of protein and 480 calories...plus a lot of vitamins and minerals. Although I know whole foods are much better, I at least feel like I can let go, and know they are getting what they do from the pediasure, while I also continuously offer healthy meals. It can be pricey, but target and walmart both make a generic. oh...ps...with my picky almost 2 year old..sometimes we do a "race" with the food. As in mommy and Phoenix will both put the same things on our forks...on your mark, get set, go...who gets it in their mouths first. That works sometimes.

Oh yes, 2 is when it all changes! My kids ate so much more before they figured things out! ;) I would keep offering him other things and sometimes he'll eat them and sometimes he won't. Try not to stress, easier said than done, I know, but honestly, don't battle over food, it will make you crazy! Kids love starch. My son is a total starch monkey where my daughter at that age was a fruititarian...I honestly think both are so common. He may also be moving on to different foods. A lot of kids eat the same thing for weeks or even months and then all of a sudden they want something different. My general rule is that at breakfast and lunch my kids get "kid" food and at dinner they get what I make. I always feel comfortable supplementing with something premade like yogurt, applesauce, and cheese sticks, but I don't make anything special for them. It will be okay, just make sure at least offer up other things and he will eventually eat them...it just make take a while!

Keep offering the good stuff, fruits and veggies. Insist that he eat a couple of bites of everything. Children will not allow themselves to starve.