My 2 yr old won't eat

[Texmissy]

My daughter is almost three years old. For about the past 3 months I cannot get her to eat hardly anything...its like trying to pull teeth to get her to eat. She is otherwise healthy ,plays and acts like she feels fine.She has some sleeping issues at night...but that's it. Yesterday my daughter ate half a banana, part of a dinner roll and some pretzels...that's all she ate all day....She has been doing this for about 3 months now...She is of a healthy weight....should I be concerned ..Is this normal?? Everyone keeps telling me she will eat when she is hungry and not to worry, but of course I do worry.

[AndiJ78]

I go through the same thing with my 3 year old. I, too, have also been told that they are excellent self-regulators and won't allow themselves to starve. Even my formal educaiotn in Early Childhood Education and Development taught me that, but it is different when it is your own child.

Make the most out of what your daughter will eat and try to select the most bang for your buck nutritionally. I have found a handful of foods my son will always eat: cottage cheese, yogurt, peanut butter sandwiches, and certainc ereals are safe bets for me. But I also worry about iron and fiber intake. I do give him a multi-vitamin with iron to help make up for it. I can almost always count on him to eat fruits and some veggies, so that helps with my concerns, but getting meat into that kid is a challenge.

How does she do with liquids? It is possible to supplemtn her diet with pedi-sure, of course my son won't drink it! Smoothies can be a creative way to sneek in some added nutrients. You can also increase the likelihood of eating by giving her some choices (not too many of she will gte overwhelmed), allowing her to help prepare the meal, and even allowing her to get the item. My son is more likely to eat if he can get it himself. Part of that independence thing I suppose.

It is definitely the age. It does get better, I promise. Allow her to take the reigns on this, continue offering, but don't let it turn into a battle. I have also worked his meals on his own schedule. He is not usually hungry when we have out pre-set meal times, so I will allow him to eat on his schedule. We have seen dramtic results with that change.

[ponderousmom]

my 6th child was recently born, and every single one of them do it--and it seems like the more attention you give it, the worse it gets--they eventually stop.  i always kept cereal around when it was real bad, just no marshmallows!!!  but its packed full of vitamins and looks like junk to them

[MaryjoF]

When I asked my 2 yr old's pedi about it she says it's totally normal for kids this age and not to worry so long as I offer her food before liquids.  The first thing she asked was how much she was drinking.  If she was drinking too much, she was replacing her hunger with liquid and not wanting to eat.  I had to start feeding her before giving her a cup of milk.  She loves her milk.  The dr also said it can happen when toddlers are teething, as well as when they feel like they might be having digestive problems.  If they need to poop and can't, they know they don't need to be putting any more food in their bodies.  That can make them stop eating.  They can also stop eating if they feel like they are out of control in other areas of their lives.  What they eat and how much is something that they can control and there's nothing anyone else can do about it.  I totally agree with having cereal around.  My toddler LOVES cheerios, and I know they're good for her.  There are days where she'll only eat cheerios and veggies puffs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Good Luck!