My 2Yr Will Not Eat

My girls are picky eaters as well. I try to remember that their stomachs are the size of thier fists and if they are hungry they will eat, even if it is not what I want them to eat. At meal times I always put a variety of foods on thier plates. What I made for dinner and healty treats like applesauce, carrot sticks, cheese sticks. They always eat at least 1/4 to 1/2 of the plate when I do it this way. I have found that if I make it a big deal about what I want them to eat, the less they want to eat it or even try it. Kids like choices and it teaches them how to make decisions for themselves. Good luck!

Some kids have sensory issues and will not put things in their mouths that do not feel good to them. For example, I will not eat jello, its to slimy and makes me want to gag. I am also a very picky eater. My 5 year old has autism and sensory issues so I have some ideas. Have you tried adding flavors to the milk? They also have a kids drink example Pedisure (not sure if I spelled that correctly) but check with your ped before you try them. I don't know much about them so I don't want to push anything I am unsure of.

As for meats have you tried cooking with a crock pot? It makes meat so that it easily comes apart, me and my children love meet that was cooked that was. Also they will eat veggies that way too becasue its mushier and in my opinion the flavor gets more into the food so its tastier to me anyway.

Good luck to you in whatever you try.

For a milk substitute what about serving calcium fortified orange juice? If you aren't a big fan of giving kids juice you could dilute it with water. Also, I recently heard about adding powdered milk to foods. I couldn't tell you how much to add. Maybe the product packaging has suggestions or do a search online.

If your kids like "dips" maybe they would like to dip meat in gravy, mustard, ketchup, bbq sauce, etc. Let them get creative even if it sounds like a weird combination. Do they eat beans, eggs, peanut butter? Those are sources of protein.

Hi K.,

My 2 1/2 yr old also refuses any sort of milk, and always has. You mentioned your daughter occasionally eats yogurt, so I thought I'd share what our daughter drinks. We've had success with flavored drinkable yogurts (she likes Yo Baby, Danimals, & Yoplait - which has characters, if that helps). We let her pick out which flavor drink, and what color straw she'll drink from, which makes it seem more special to her. I also try to buy any snack I can find with added calcium. For example: Goldfish crackers have a "Calicum" fortified flavor. Earth's Best "Sunny Days" fruit snack bars have 20% daily value of calcium. Our daughter LOVES those bars and eats 1/day. They are in the organic section of our grocery store and have Sesame Street characters on the front. We "hide" milk in anything possible - such as adding milk & cheese to her scrambled eggs. We also give our daughter chewable calcium supplements. I keep trying with the milk, since they say kids need multiple exposures, but still no success! As far as the meat is concerned, I don't have much advice other than try different textures. Our daughter won't eat any meat unless it's very moist. Sometimes she will eat more meat if it's got a sauce, such as ketchup, or tomato sauce with meatballs, or ranch dressing with chicken. We try to limit the ranch, but she does love it.

Hope this helps. I know how frustrating it can be!

Hi K.!

Do you know what "pastina" is? If not, it is a tiny pasta for babies and kids. Many kids love it! I just sent some to my niece in Chicago because she couldn't find it there. A pasta company by the name of GIA RUSSA makes it and you can usually find it in the pasta aisle with the other pastas. Our Super Walmart had it. You can cook it up and mix it with butter and parmesan cheese or butter and cinnamon. You might want to try that.

Also, my little one loves mini pastas like little bow ties together with butter and parm cheese. How about pirogi's? Or a grilled cheese sandwich cut up into little squares? Pancakes or french toast cut up into squares? Or, buy ravioli's and boil them and mix them with butter/parm cheese or just butter. Or, how about those baked sweet potatos you can buy that are wrapped in plastic wrap that you microwave--those are yummy with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. You can scoop out the insides and try that. My little one LOVES scrambled eggs with ketchup--that's easy to eat.

I know it's frustrating, but you just have to keep trying little things. I try to make a game out of it--tell her "see how many squares you can eat" or "one for me, one for you"--that kind of stuff. Don't get frustrated because she won't eat--if she is happy, playing, and content, she's getting what she needs and she will eat when she needs to. I have 3 kids--14,10, & 3 1/2--and none of them starved to death yet! Good luck!

Hi K.,

I have to agree with one PP in that if they are hungry enough, they will eat just about anything. I have twins who are 2 and they prove to me daily that most of the food issues in our house revolve around ME. I am, ultimately, the one with all of the problems with food. So, I've tried something new: Let them eat what they want and give HEALTHY only snacks at the same time daily. They eat at 8, 11:45 and 5 with snacks at 9:30 and 3 (or right after nap).

By making snacks healthy, I eliminate binge eating and feel better knowing they had something they need.

I gauge how hungry they seem before feeding them, but if they eat before 8 or before 5, they consistently never eat much. If anything, I push those two back since lunch is never an issue in our house. They would eat their plates for lunch if I let them. : )

Anyway, I have one who prefers some meats and veggies and fruits to pasta, pancakes, waffles, etc.

One other thought: Variety is the spice of life. I bought these cute cupcake sippy cups with straws at Target and they LOVE drinking out of those. That's how I get my non-milk drinker to at least get one cup a day. They only need 2 servings or 3 servings of Calcium daily so it's more of a fluid issue for one of my girls. She's just not a big drinker. But, she always gets enough. They know what they need!

I also serve up things in different ways. Whole pieces ... smaller bites. Circles, Squares, etc. Fancy plates. Adult utensils. Special dips or confectioners sugar. In a bowl vs. a plate, etc. I let them eat corn on the cob on the cob, apples on the core and chicken on the drumstick ... they love feeling in control.

Hope some of this half-novel works for you!

Hi K.,

My son is almost 17 months old and he can be a picky eater at times. I asked our pediatrician about it, and he laughed and said that as long as he continues to gain weight and eats something he'll be fine. My son eats most of what is given to him at daycare all day long, and he does drink milk at home. He's started eating more foods, but some evenings he just doesn't want anything. For a while I thought he would start to look like a Cheerio, because that's all he ate. If your daughter doesn't like milk or meat, find something else that she'll eat. Don't worry, she won't starve to death, and eventually, she may choose to eat these foods. As long as she's eating and drinking juice or water. She'll be fine.

Good luck!

I was told by my ped, when I weaned my daughter from breast feeding at 21 months, if I could get her to drink only 10 ozs of milk a day that was fine. I was surprised at how little that was. Just wanted to offer that tidbit of info so if you did find anything she would eat with calcium in it, that it may make you feel better.

My advice; children are like dogs, if they are hungry enough, they will eat. I catered for a bit to my kids at that age and then wised up. I now have 6 and 8 year old sons who will maybe not love everything, but will try anything, and one of them will eat anything (the one I never catered to). If they say they are not hungry, the plate goes back in the fridge and comes out when they are hungry again. Do this on and off for a week and you will no longer have these issues. As long are you are feeding her good nutritous food, this should be fine. Could you imagine picky eaters in many of the countries in the world? It is a control issue, children do not dictate you making a 'special meal' every mealtime just for them. They eat what the family eats, or they don't, simple as that. I am a very loving mom, but you have to draw the line, and I promise if you don't cave in, it will work. They are testing you!

There's a great children's book about a family with many children and each child will only eat one thing- ask your local librarian about it- a must read for a fun but challenging family like yours.

Have you heard of Jucie Plus? Go on line and find out about their products- it's a great suppliment if you feel your children are not getting all their nutritional needs met.

Also juice plus has a GREAT dvd which children and parents can watch together- it is about 10 minutes long and it's endearing Dr. Sears talking about what foods help children grow and fun ideas for parents to help children make good choices around food. It changed my husband's mind about donuts (his favorite food group.) I highly recommend this dvd. My 6 year old really liked it!
C.

My 21 month old son won't eat meat either. I was concerned that he wasn't getting the nutrition he needed but his Dr eased my fears. Your daughter won't starve herself. I think it's just a phase.

It's just that my son eats ALOT of chicken, spaghetti, and Fruits. It took me a while but I got over it. When we have beef or pork, my son will have fruit and veggies for dinner. I still put a little meat on his plate (just in case), but it usually just sits there.

Have patience. It'll get better.

I can't help with the meat as we are vegetarians. Mine were picky with milk too. My first was itty bitty but when she weaned at 13 months, she wouldn't take any kind of milk - soy, dairy, rice, goat, chocolate, strawberry - or pediasure. Neither my husband or I like to drink milk so we just stopped pushing. In our case, she ate plenty of cheese and yogurt so we called that good. My son gagged and spit his first taste of milk at me and then refused the cup to try a second taste. So I just quit. At 19 months he had a sudden weaning (allergy to a food I ate and couldn't nurse for 48 hours) and took to soy milk. He's completely addicted now and we go through around 3 gallons a week. My daughter also started drinking the soy, but not at the same level as my son. They still eat tons of cheese and yogurt.

Have you ried any little tofu bites? It's soft and easy to chew and not much different than cheese. You can make it taste like pretty much anything.

It's simple substitute for nutrition. Try other things like soy milk, rice milk, tofu, beans, and nuts to supplement her nutrition. Meat and dairy is no longer considered as healthy as it once was. It is also full of antibiotics, steroids and pesticides that will make your children ill. Here are some sites to help you.
www.milksucks.com
http://www.pcrm.org/health/index.html
www.goveg.com

My son is allergic to milk so I've learned to find different sources of calcium. Scooby Doo has a MVI w/calcium, plus there are many other dietary sources of calcium http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/...
This website has listings of food sources of various nutrients (including calcium if you scroll down). If you really want milk, try hiding it... oatmeal, cereal, dry milk powder in anything and everything (even meatloaf)... as for meat, it's probably a phase, just try presenting it in different, healthy ways and eventually she'll change. In the meantime, try beans, tofu, eggs, fish, seeds (peanut butter, tahini)... anyway, hope this helps!