2 Year Old, Doesn't Want to Eat

My son does the same thing for a few days at a time and then he eats like a pig for a few days. Here are the things I can get him to eat. Smoothies. I put berries, a bannana, OJ, soft tofu, wheat germ, brewers yeast, and flax seed oil in the blender and whir it up, he loves it. Use berries like blueberrys or blackberrys they are superfoods, sometimes I even put in a bit of frozen spinach. They really do taste very good, but go easy on the brewers yeast it can be strong tasting if your not used to it. He also likes those yogurt tubes, I get the organic ones and put them in the freezer, he thinks it's icecream. And he loves cheese and crakers. So I get whole wheat crackers and cut up some cheese. But if you can get her to drink just one smoothie in the morning you can feel pretty good about the nutrition she has recived.

My son was the same when he was 2. I think it's that age when they become picky eaters. that's why the pedia adviced me to get the pediasure drink.

Since she's a girl, maybe you can ask her to play house, but this time, the cooking part is real. what do you think? i dont know if it's a good idea, but i think it's fun...

L.,

This is very normal. It is part of the growth stage. There will be times that they eat everything in the house the then times nothing at all. She is fine. She will eat when she is hungry. Don't let her eat off your plate though. This will cause problems later. Bad habits are hard to break.

Check your multi vitamin. Most are candy coated and do not dissolve fast. You can test it by putting one in water. If it doesn’t dissolve with in 10 to 15 minutes then it's not a good one.

If you need food or supplementation suggestions give me a call.

Good luck and breath easy

L. C
Personal Nutritionist
www.herbalmom.com

My son did the same thing, so I took him to the doctor to make sure he wasnt sick or anything and I guess its quite normal for them to stop eating every now and then. My son would go days without eating. The doctor said that they will not starve themselves and that there body would get the nutrients that it needs, and since your giving her vitamins she will more than likely be fine. I found that the more I fought with him the more he fought back, so now I offer him food and if he doesnt want it he has to wait until the next meal. But dont let her snack alot during the day because they eat so little food that you want her to eat the meals. I hope that you dont worry over it too much like I did, and maybe you will find atleast one healthy thing she likes, and hopefully it will pass soon.

Oh and those Pediasure drinks are good for them too. And maybe she will atlest be getting some nutrients.

Hi L.,

Welcome to the wonderful 2's. This is very common for children this age to suddenly seem to stop eating. The major reason that this is happening is.... your child is not growing as fast as she has the first 2 years. Her growth is slowing down there for her caloric needs may be decreased. This will not last for ever. Some things that you can do to decrease picky eating.

1. Stop letting her eat off of everybodies elses plates. Let her feed herself. I would put small amounts of what you are having for dinner and allow her to place nicely on a napkin if she doesn't like it. Remember what she won't eat today doesn't mean she will not try it again. The only way this can happen is to put the food infront of her.
2. Limit distactions during the meal time and sit down as a family.
3. Limit her 100% juice intake to no more than 12 oz. a day. If she is drinking more than that.....try filling the cup with ice. It takes up space but still saves you an agument.
4. Limit her 1% milk intake to no more than 20 oz. a day. Milk will fill up a child and cause picky eating and sometimes low iron. Every thing in moderation.
5. Never have any forbidden foods. Everything is there to enjoy. Just remember the words moderation. Once or twice a week is considered moderation.
6. Offer (place in front of him) food 3 meals a day and 2-3 healthy snacks. This will allow her to eat more often and smaller servings.
7. Keep in mind that his serving sizes are about two tablespoons. So, sometimes they are eating as much as they need but not as much as we would like them to eat.
8. Offer water only 1 hour before meals/snacks and after meals and snacks. This way he won't be picking at the food, not really hungry. You may even wait until he is done eating before allowing her to drink.

Last but not least..... Your job as a parent is to offer the food. Her job is to play and have fun. Also, she is to decide if he would like to eat, how much would he like to eat, or if she is going to eat. You are doing your job by offering the food. As long as he gets something that is somewhat healthy and we offer her what we are eating, you are doing a great job!!!!

H. B.