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Child will not eat
My child is two years old and he is a very picky eater . Everytime we sit him down to eat he picks at it and never really eats it so we are forced to make him another meal witch he will do the same to . he is healthy but , i feel that he doesn't get enough to eat and it really is kind of annoying .Do you have any tips or ideas
I completely agree with HVMA's advice. Also, I work with children with feeding difficulties. At age 2 many parents become concerned because their child appears to "stop eating". It typically is because by theat age the body needs less calories- they're not growing as quickly. But alllwyas rule out medical problems first.
I think that you should listen to the Dr. Mother Nature will take it's course.If all checks out with the pediatician and there is no problems medically, the Dr. has given very sound advise. I have 5 kids and expierienced the same exact things that you said. Also fell into the same trap; making something different to please them,Bad mistake! I know this personally... with no disrespect though I don't agree with rewarding a child for eating or for that matter punishing for not. I know punishment wasn't mentioned here but I have friends who do punish and that is not right.kids eat when they are hungry. Little people can not always be hungry the same time and the same amount every day!!!! Just my opinion, again no disrespect to the other person who posted here.
Mommy to 5
ps:If it turns out there is a medical reason for him not eating
there is a support group @ IVillage.com... the board is called (Failure to thrive). Lots of wonderfull,caring people there with tons of great advise. Good luck
Mommy to 5
ps:If it turns out there is a medical reason for him not eating
there is a support group @ IVillage.com... the board is called (Failure to thrive). Lots of wonderfull,caring people there with tons of great advise. Good luck
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Dear Ms. Underwood,
First, if you haven't had him checked out medically, please do so, because you want to rule out any medical reason for his poor appetite.
Assuming he's OK from a medical point of view, also check with his pediatrician about his rate of growth over these first two years. Somechildren, of course, are slightly built and at the lower end of the growth charts, without there being anything wrong.
In general, there's no need to worry about a young child's reluctance to eat. They will eat when they are hungry, and Mother Nature takes care of these things. Continue to prepare one meal, do not scrap that meal and prepare another. You mention that you are forced to make another meal. There is no force involved. You are choosing to do this, in response to your son's behavior, and it's not a good pattern to pursue. Many parents feel somehow that they are being inadequate parents if they allow their child to leave the table without having eaten very much. That is not a reasonable perception.
It's OK to include in the meal something that your son prefers. You can also reward him for attempting new foods. But I would not engage in much of a fuss around this. Rather, take it in stride, in a casual manner. If you become emotionally invested in your son's eating habits it will likely exacerbate the problem. If he's OK medically, let Mother Nature work her wonders.
First, if you haven't had him checked out medically, please do so, because you want to rule out any medical reason for his poor appetite.
Assuming he's OK from a medical point of view, also check with his pediatrician about his rate of growth over these first two years. Somechildren, of course, are slightly built and at the lower end of the growth charts, without there being anything wrong.
In general, there's no need to worry about a young child's reluctance to eat. They will eat when they are hungry, and Mother Nature takes care of these things. Continue to prepare one meal, do not scrap that meal and prepare another. You mention that you are forced to make another meal. There is no force involved. You are choosing to do this, in response to your son's behavior, and it's not a good pattern to pursue. Many parents feel somehow that they are being inadequate parents if they allow their child to leave the table without having eaten very much. That is not a reasonable perception.
It's OK to include in the meal something that your son prefers. You can also reward him for attempting new foods. But I would not engage in much of a fuss around this. Rather, take it in stride, in a casual manner. If you become emotionally invested in your son's eating habits it will likely exacerbate the problem. If he's OK medically, let Mother Nature work her wonders.
BTDT - and it took me months to figure out what to do so hope this helps.
Always fix one thing he likes to eat, then tell him he has to take one bite of the other two things. Fix a sticker chart for him and give him a sticker every time he takes a bite of something new. And lots of praise when he takes a bite of something different. After 5 stickers (or how ever many you want) he gets a treat, such as a movie rental, play date with a friend, etc. We only had to do this two weeks and now my 6 yr old will eat almost anything - some things not happily but he does eat. If anyone would have told me over a year ago that he would be eating eggs, sausage, green beans and peas I would have thought it would have been impossible.
Another reason my so wasn't eating was that every time he ate his stomach hurt and he was having nausea. We had him checked for Candidia yeast overgrowth and he took Nystatin for a while. He now takes 75 mg Zantac every evening, plus caprylic acid tablets. So maybe this can be the problem with your son too - he is not enjoying eating and could care less if he does or not.
My son would just take two bites and say he was full; now he eats like a horse.
Give him a good mulitvitamin with no artificial ingredients too. And limit the amount of snacks he eats and the amount of junk food. If he is not eating much, make his snacks fruits and raw veggies.
Always fix one thing he likes to eat, then tell him he has to take one bite of the other two things. Fix a sticker chart for him and give him a sticker every time he takes a bite of something new. And lots of praise when he takes a bite of something different. After 5 stickers (or how ever many you want) he gets a treat, such as a movie rental, play date with a friend, etc. We only had to do this two weeks and now my 6 yr old will eat almost anything - some things not happily but he does eat. If anyone would have told me over a year ago that he would be eating eggs, sausage, green beans and peas I would have thought it would have been impossible.
Another reason my so wasn't eating was that every time he ate his stomach hurt and he was having nausea. We had him checked for Candidia yeast overgrowth and he took Nystatin for a while. He now takes 75 mg Zantac every evening, plus caprylic acid tablets. So maybe this can be the problem with your son too - he is not enjoying eating and could care less if he does or not.
My son would just take two bites and say he was full; now he eats like a horse.
Give him a good mulitvitamin with no artificial ingredients too. And limit the amount of snacks he eats and the amount of junk food. If he is not eating much, make his snacks fruits and raw veggies.
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