20 month old food issues - help

[LACh1]

Hi I usually freguent the pregnancy forums as i was trying to get pregnant and am now 15 weeks but i am the end of my rope with my 20 month old and her terrible eating habits. I have read heaps of sites and tried many things to get her to eat but it is always such a terrible time and really end up dreading meal times.  Breakfast is usually pretty good (although she will really only eat one type if cereal and some toast with cream cheese.  I know this sounds ok but i would dearly ove to start varying her diet.  Lunch i am lucky if she scapes the avo off her sandwhich and has a small tub of yoghurt and some milk and dinner is the worst of the lot.  She used to be pretty good and eat rice, pasta, mince, chicken and veges etc but latley she just turnes her nose up and pushes it all away.  I know the books etc say not to use bribery but i said i would not give her dessert or turn the T.V off and it worked for a week and now she doesn't care.  We didn't use to like putting the t.v on but them she used to just shovel in her food while watching it so we thought whatever worked.  I just don't know what to do, I know eating with others helps but if i feed her later than 5:30 she is too tired to eat and my husbad doesn't get home muntil 7ish and that is too late as she goes to bed then.  I try not to give her snakes to close to dinner but it seems to make no difference.  I don't want her to go to bed hungry but i also don't want to fill her up on milk so she thinks she can say no to dinner and get full anyway.  Sorry this is so long but i just really need some advice or anyone who has also had this happen and tell me what you did or how long it lasts or that it is ok to just let her go to bed hungry and after a few night she will learn. Please help.

[LACh1]

also just read this back and found lots of spelling mistakes so i am very sorry for that - hope it makes sense.

[mjpl2902]

What will she eat? I think that is where you need to start. My son who is now 4 used to eat anything and everything in sight. Then somewhere are the 2.5 to 3 year old mark, he decided that he was not going to eat meat anymore, then is was no veggies. Now he is the second pickiest eater I know ( my friend's daughter who is 11 is the pickiest eater I know...lol).

My son usually eats cereal or cereal bars for breakfast. Then will have some sort of fruit for a snack. Lunch is a peanut butter and jelly and fruit. Dinner is french toast sticks or noodles. I have talked to his doctor about not getting enough of the right foods and he assured me that eventually he will change his mind and expand is eating again. I guess this is a normal thing for kids to do.

I guess this is not the best advise to give but it is what worked for us. It can be frustrating making two dinners everyday really as long as he eats I don't mind. I hope this helps you.

[taysmommy]

try giving her choices, i have to do this with my 2 year old, i dont cave and give her bad choices to choose from just so she will eat, like say make spaghetti for dinner, well she gets the main course no matter what, its her choice wheather she eats it or not, but i let her pick the side, for example, she gets the choice of corn on the cob, green beans, or okra, she will choose which one she wants and thats what we all have, also i tell her that she can pick out which fruit she can have AFTER she eats her dinner, well enough so that i know shes eaten enough, she never eats it all and i dont push that...thats another issue, so she will have another choice on which fruit (which she thinks is dessert, we never gave her sweets so fruit is a nice treat for her) anyways shes always is happy to get her treat after her dinner is done, it took a while to get into the swing of things but its worked for us

she does have days where she doesnt want what i make for dinner, so if i see her sitting there not eating i say "i bet i can eat my dinner before you" and so she takes a few bites in attempt to beat me lol i dont think that will last long but hey it works for now....oh and also we will tell her "you better eat your food before sissy gets it" and that really makes her eat fast

and dont get too frustrated, kids will eat when they are hungry, dont cave and give her what she wants because trust me when shes hungry enough she will eat whats good for her whether she wants to or not

[Hope2OneDay]

My nephew will not eat anything except chicken strips/nuggets, tater tots, fish sticks and green beans.

I kids who won't even eat mashed potatoes or mac and cheese!

Kids will go through phases. I wouldn't worry too much. I always heard/read to that you should just give them what they eat (to an extent...I mean, don't give them candy bars and chips) but if they only eat chicken nuggets, then that's what you give them. Of course offer other foods, but I think if you don't push it, then they'll come around.

The only other suggestion I have is to buy one of those cook books where you puree veggies and "sneak" them into everyday foods. They supposedly don't even taste the veggies at ALL. That's what I'm going to do when the time comes! LOL

Good luck!

[Hope2OneDay]

Oops...the second part should read "I know kids..."
(I'm so sleepy! :-)

[LACh1]

Thanks ladies, sorry it has taken me so long to respond, i have had a bad case of  food posioning (all good now though).  All your advice and thoughts are great, i have tried hiding veges in food etc and like you say, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  I have found she is starting to eat a few more things and am really hoping the last few weeks was just a phase and now we are moving into the eating phase.  

It was really great just to hear from you and know that kids will eat when they are hungry and that they won't starve themelves and that they all seem to go through this phase.

Thanks again.