Baby Won't Eat Anything!

CHeck her mouth, she may be sprouting several teeth at once. BooBoo mouth may make her not want to eat anything. She will get better, mom. It may be just teething or she may be sick in some other way that will manifest itself soon.

Be careful with the peanut butter! I didn't think you should give it to kids under 3...allergies and all. Have you tried reverse psych....sit down and eat something she might be interested in but don't give her any. When she starts to be interested don't Respond to it. Let her get to the point where she really wants what you have because its not for her. Then give her a little bit and go from there. Try something like Mac n cheese with chopped steamed broccoli mixed in. Good luck!!

Hi N.,

My two and a half year old son doesn't eat either, and he quit also at 1. He was an amazing eater up until that point - now, I'm lucky to get a few goldfish crackers into him each day...seriously!

Try not to stress out about it, that makes it worse. Believe it or not, your daughter is learning that she can control her world a little, and she is probably using food as a way to do that - she has figured out that she can say no to a food, not eat it, and get her way. So, take the power out of the situation and just don't struggle with her.

Just have lots of nutrious good-for-her foods available all the time, just sitting out. Don't worry about it if she won't eat meals - she will eventually get over it.

My pediatrician told me that as long as my son is drinking milk and eating a few bites of food a day, he is getting enough. And he is! He remains in the 90% for height and 75% for weight - a big strong boy - despite not eating ANYTHING.

I know how stressful it is for them not to eat, but seriously, just let it go.

My son did the same thing about that age, I think it was an independent control learning thing. I would just end the meal (and give a snack later) if he fussed and didn't like what I gave him. SOON he figured out that he'd better eat what he got. I also learned to give a FEW choices, too many caused issues.

It sounds like she is refusing everything and not just being picky - my boys weren't very interested in food at all when they were working on new teeth (they also did get pickier shortly after their first birthdays). Something my boys have always loved, even when they would hardly eat anything else, is oatmeal (though they would only eat a little when they were teething or just had a small appetite). If they have it every day for a while, they get a little tired of it, but a few times a week they really love it. I cook the natural whole oats in milk or soy milk (if you want extra iron), sprinkle in a little cinnamon, mix in some honey (to taste) and a bunch of raisins - and I always make some extra so it is a quickl meal to heat up for leftovers. As for the other foods, keep offering them and she may eat them again. If my boys refuse a certain food several times that they once loved, I will stop offering it for a while, then try again. It has worked a couple of times.

Have you tried bread? I know this sounds crazy, but when my almost 1 yr old won't eat, I know she'll eat bread. Good luck!

I don't have advice on what to do...but my pediatrician said that at one their appetite drops, they are too busy to eat...etc. I agree offer what is for the meal and then offer plebnty of healthy snacks....I am right there with yoiu, sister

N.,

Most babies seem to "pig out" when they are younger because they are growing. Once a child reaches about a year, their growth slows down, and so does their eating. She may not be eating a LOT, but as long as she is eating something, I wouldn't worry.

I say this - picky eaters are not born, they are created. My children eat just about anything. They know what they truly do not like. My step-daughter will hardly eat anything. I think it is because her own mother and care-givers when she was younger only fed her "kid friendly" foods. Still today, she will not eat vegetables and she won't eat anything that you need to cut up (steak, chicken breast, etc.). She will only eat mac & cheese, fish sticks, hot dogs, tator tots, chicken nuggets, etc - kid friendly foods. My own children will at least taste something new - and then decide if they like it or not based on taste. My step-daughter will not even try it. It is frustrating.

Keep offering your daughter food. Also, keep offering a wide variety of foods. If she eats something, fine. If she eats nothing - then I would begin to be concerned. Talk to your pediatrician too.

Good luck,
A.

Hi N.,
When my oldest was about 1 1/2 he started to not eat as well. It got to the point where he would eat maybe 4 saltine crackers in a day. We had his blood tested, and I guess there was something that showed up. We were reffered to a specialist, and he said to cut out the milk and juice. I had been giving it to him to get calories in, but he said there are enzymes in the milk as well as juice that suppresses hunger. He told me to give my son only water, after he has eaten some, no snacks between meals unless there is a big break between lunch and dinner. Only give him what you make for dinner, and if he doesn't eat it, no food or liquids other than water until next meal. Well, it sure helped. My son has always been a picky eater, and I think always will be, but he started to eat again, and now is fine. Even with my youngest milk and juice is a rarety as I know they will get calcium and vitamin D from other sources. Give it a try, and when she gets hungry she will eat.
I've been there, I know......so frustrating! Hang in there, and just keep praying that God will help you through each tough time that comes along.

When I was a nanny years ago, I had a little boy who whould do this. It's worth a try, but don't give the milk until your child has had a certain amount of food. We found he was filling up on milk because he loved it so much!

The best thing to do for picky eaters is NOTHING! My mom warned me about this and I knew it from experience, but once that first year of intense growing and learning is over kids go through phases where they won't eat much or anything for like DAYS, then they just eat nonstop for a few days. Don't change anything, keep offereing her healthy stuff and whatever you would normally offer her (no more baby food, though, she's not a baby!) and whatever you fix for meals, and when she gets hungry, she'll eat. If you start giving her just what she wants now, you'll find yourself with an entirely different problem in the future. And try to keep her from drinking more than 20 oz of milk- kids who overfill on milk often eat less and are deficient in other nutrients. The key is to stay strong and stay consistant, and don't let these little non-eatting spurts get to you!

Also, think about when/how she eats. I think it helps at this age for kids to sit at the table where and when everyone else eats. Right after her first birthday I bought Izzy a cheap booster seat at target (more of a space thing than anything) and bought her her own plates, bowls, and cups (she already had silverware). This way they feel more included in the family and get used to using plates, using manners, etc. And she should be on a fairly regular routine (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack, or something similar). Toddlers NEED routine almost as much as they need food. It doesn't have to necessarily be at the exact same time every day, as long as it follows the same pattern every day.

She could be being "picky" for several reasons. I know you have already been given the suggestions of teething and drinking too much milk. You might also wantt to consider if she has some sort of sore throat and that it hurts to swallow any food. There are many factors, even an ear infection or something with the sinuses can affect how the child eats because it is all related.

Also, do not be too concerned about her getting balanced meals. As long as she is eating nutritious foods throughout the day she does not need to have all of the components with each and every meal.

My suggestions would be to slow down the milk and see if she is getting full with that before she is able to eat anything else. Rule out if she is coming down with something or teething and then just wait it out. They are also not too young to learn that you eat at certain times a day (a routine) and that she will not be able to eat again until the next time you eat. Also, when serving foods offer not only items that she likes but items that she has never tried and encourage her to try it before getting more of what she likes. I know that is what I do with me son. When he wants more fruit I ask him to take two bites of something else on his plate before he can get more fruit. Then he gets a tiny bit of fruit and then again when he asks for more I encourage him to eat a little bit more of something else on his plate.

Good luck and hope she starts to eat better for you.