My 2 Year Old Does Not Want to Eat!!

When he is really hungry he will eat. Just don't let him eat junk. Make him a meal and when he's it's lunch time set him down to eat. If he doesn't eat it, keep it in the fridge. When he wants something to eat, heat that up and don't let him eat anything else until he eats that. I know that's hard to do because you want him to eat anything, but as long as he is drinking, advice the doctor gave us, he will be fine.

I had the same problem with my two older ones, so I just decided that I feed them what ever they like as long as they are getting food that is really all that matters at this stage... they love mac and cheese and hot dogs and pb and j sandwiches... and they eat a lot of them....

I have a picky 6 year old. He started out as a picky 2 yr old. I freaked out because over the course of two years he barely gained 5 pounds. My pediatrician told me to try PediaSure if I felt he hadn't eaten enough in a day or two. I used it while he was still a toddler. It helped to ease my mind and he liked it, but I didn't make it a common practice. That way he didn't start expecting the stuff. For the last 3 years my son has pretty much only had PB&J for lunch. That's just his thing. Just remember that you will both get through this and he will eventually try new foods (in about 4 years). And be prepared for stages, where he will only want one or two types of food. It's normal.

DON'T worry...your child will not starve to death.. if I a child does not want to eat then dont force feed...mealtime shouldnt be a battle..unless your dr has diagnosed some problem relax...he will start eating..all kids go throgh these phases...

I think it's typical for 2 year olds to go through this. My son did and lost 1.5-2 lbs. I consulted his doctor when I went him because he was sick and she said it's perfectly normal. If it will make you feel better, call your pediatrician.

C.- Are you feeding your 2 year old what he likes ? Trying a variety of items? I have a 5 year old who will not and has never like meat. She eats a lot of cheese and veggies...basically if you offer a variety of foods your child will eat when he's hungry. Children won't starve themselves. Does he drink too much juice or milk throughout the day? Maybe try to limit that and he will be more willing to try something.
H.

A lot of 2-year-olds do not eat well for Mom, but the will for Grandma or Auntie! My sons both went through this. I tried not to make it a fight. Just offer food and don't get upset (at least not in front of him!) if he doesen't eat. If your pediatrician is concerned, he or she can also give you some ideas. Kids will not usually starve themselves!

Most children go through a "not eating" stage at this age. It's usually nothing to worry about and he will hit a growth spurt soon enough and then will eat everything in sight! If you are really concerned, you should speak with your pediatrician. But, all of my children have gone through this and continue to do so every now and then in preparation for the monstrous eating frenzy. All it means is that your child is not eating because he's not growing very quickly right now.

Please don't stress about your 2 year old not eating. At that age their appetites vary, and as my doctor told me, they will eat what they need. Be sure to offer him a variety of food, and don't make it a battle, it will only stress him out. See if you can get him to try maybe a bite of something. If you are geniuinely concerned about his weight, you should see your pediatrician, just to check. I run a home daycare and I have seen all kinds of eating habits for 2 year olds, and as long as they are healthy, they will eat when they are ready.

never force your child to eat. you should read the book, "My Child Won't Eat," by Gonzalez. it really helped my not stress out as much about the eating issue

I am having the same problem with my son, I have a friend that has twin girls that are older. She tells me not to worry b/c he will eat when he is ready and when he does eat that I should make sure I offer him healthy choices and a variety. I don't know if that is helpful b/c it surely doesn't cure the worry but I do understand what you are going through.

Generally speaking, a kid won't starve himself. If you've ruled out medical problems with a visit or at the very least call to your pediatrician, then I'd say you could probably just relax. Make sure there's healthy food available to him, but don't force it. Just make sure that he's eating healthy stuff and not filling up on junk. I have a daughter who I consider a "snacker." In other words, she eats many small meals throughout the day, but would rather not eat a full meal at lunch and dinner. When she was two she would go one week where she would eat nothing but greens, the next week - meats, the following week - milk. It was weird, but she keeps growing! Most pediatricians offices will let you come in a weigh your child for free too, so if you really think he's losing weight, go in and weigh him and check back to see if he truly is.

Hey I have been there and it is scarey but when you go to your next well visit (or call to schedule one with the dietrician/nutrionist--if your on WIC they have one too)and have his weight measured against his hieght -- it is probally just a phase - this will happen alot but as long as he falls into the right place on the chart and keeps growing he will be fine--my first time around I always gave to big of portions --a dietrician explained to me that a table spoon of everything is enough and they may not eat that much --mine have gone through other phases to like only wanting hot dogs for weeks or P&J -- the doctor always said if there eating dont worry about it -- make sure he gets a chewable vitaim with iron and floride and make sure your brushing his teeth with non-flouride toothpaste(swallowing it stains the growing teeth)

As everyone else has said, they won't starve themselves. The last thing you want to do is force the issue.

When my dd went through this phase, I offered the food... if she didn't eat it, she didn't. We left it at that. She went through a phase that structured meals just weren't her choice. I did make sure to keep healthy snacks available all day and that worked well for us.

Now at closer to 3, she's engaging at meal time and we actually have conversations. It was just a matter of gettng through that phase.

Hang in there mama... it will pass :)

My daughter is 2 and all she will eat is ramen noodles, bananas and chicken nuggets and barely drinks 2 cups of milk each day but she does drink plenty of water