My Son Will Not Eat! Help!

The one thing my mom always told me... Just set it in front of them and don't let them eat anything else except for what you made them. When they get hungry enough, they'll eat it. It works like a charm. You might have to deal with a little fussing, but it's better for you and him in the long run.he's testing you to see what he can get away with. You are the boss... Make sure he knows that. If you want to give him pediasure or pedialite, go for it. Good eating habits start early, so it's important that he likes what you make and try to steer clear of junk with him. He can't always have what he wants so he's gonna have to learn. Don't worry, you won't starve him. Just set with him at the table till he eats it. Yea, he may cry for a while, but once he eats that green bean, praise him for it. He'll eat it all up then, both the food and the attention! Good luck!

As the doctor has told me with my two kids, they will eat when they aare hungry. I would worrya bout it until he starts losing weight. Then i would talk to your doctor, but as i said before they will eat when they are hungry, just try to keep giving it to them.

I would call in to the pediatrician and see if they recommend anything. You might get a referral to a nutritional counsellor who can help you make healthy choices for your child and offer suggestions on how to get him to eat better.

i have the exact same problam. my son is 27 months old and has not eaten a decent full meal for a year now. i know how you feel when you say you feel like a bad mom. i felt the same way. but over the last week or so he has started eating "more". not by much but he's getting better. we did do the pediasure thing for a little while in the beginning. the only reason we quit was because it got too expensive. its about $9-13 for a 6-pack. i dont think it made him want to eat less but it did ease my mind some because i knew he was at least getting the nutrients he needed. i tried talking to my doctor but he just kept telling me a child his age would not starve himself. i also asked the people at WIC and even though at our last appointment 3 months ago he was severly underweight for his hieght, the "nurse" told me he was fine. but like i said he is doing better know and im starting to believe all the people who told me it was "just a phase" (i could understand a 1-2 month phase but not a 1 year phase) my suggestion would be, if you can afford it, give him the pediasure. it will ease yor mind knowng that he is getting what he needs. i usually only gave it to him at night right before bed (i replaced his bedtime milk) but you can give it up to about 3-4 times a day. but make sure you only give it AFTER you have tried o feed him his meals. like, if he doesnt eat his dinner than give him the pediasure. so that way he isnt just sitting there during dinner when he should be eating. i know you dont want to hear this. he will get past it. it may take a long time but it will get better. (and hopefully im not just being optomistic about mine) well good luc ad if ya hear of any good tricks let me know i could still use em.
steph

There are some times when my boys won't eat all day either. It's pretty depressing to see them just play with thier food but a few weeks later, the growth spurt kicks in and they won't stop eating.

make sure he is eating healthy snacks between meals and if he's only eating the snacks for a while that's okay.

If he's still carrying around a milk cup or bottle, that could be the reason he's not eating. Try to cut them back.

AND remember that they have a very short attention span at this age so if you're getting him to the table well before you're placing food in front of him well you've missed his window of opportunity, he just wants to get down now.

Hi L.,
I have some thoughts on this

* You might take a look in your son's mouth see if he is cutting more teeth. If he is he might have an upset stomach or doesn't feel to good. It might be that the only reason he eats good in the morning is because his jaw, mouth and gums don't hurt but as the day progresses they start to.

* I would also talk to your daycare provider, see if he is eating the sameway there. If he isn't I would ask what she is getting him to eat.

* If he isn't eating dinner with you I would check and see what he is having at snack time, making sure he isn't to full when you get him home and when snack time is.

* I would also make sure he is getting a good nap during the daytime and he isn't overly tired when it's time to eat.

* The other thing it could be is that he is just a picky eater.
My 6 year old son was that way also. Now he eats everything.
Here are some ways to try and get him to eat though try ketchup, mustard, ranch, mayo etc. Also try different things like fruit cups, also buy deli meat and roll it up my daycare kids love this (they don't like it on bread, they also like mayo on their plate so they can dip the ham or turkey in it.)
If I put it on there flat they won't touch it but if I roll it up it's gone. Also if you have tried peanut butter and know he isn't allergic take a piece of bread and smash it down put a very thin layer on it, you could add jelly also if you like and then roll it up. Slice the bread in thin pinwheels, my kids loved this when they were little to.

My 6 year old dips his green beans, carrots and sausage in ketchup. He likes ketcup on his scrambled eggs, and mac n cheese. And loves carrots, cucumbers and salads with ranch. I hope this helps and by the way if he gets hungry enough he will eat. Also you can get the carnation instant breakfast and get the powder kind you can get the same flavors or the assorted. I was recommended that when I was pregnant with my son and when he was your sons age. It tastes pretty good and you could use as a snack it has all the vitamins and minerals in there. Goodluck W. mom of 4 and home child care provider.

He may be teething, in which case it hurts to eat. Both of my kids slowed down on the eating when they were teething. Is he getting too much milk or juice during the day, it might make him feel full and not want to eat if he is getting too much. Just keep offering him well-balanced meals. If he'll only eat cheerios at this point try adding some soft sliced bananas on top or berries. Serve them with a side of yogurt too. (Or with plain or flavored yogurt as the "milk").

don't sweat it. he knows what he wants and needs. my best advice is to read "my child won't eat;" it helped me tremendously!

here's the amazon link to the book:
http://tinyurl.com/yonq4u

is he breastfed at all? that'd be ideal, but even formula is okay for him, as long as he's getting some nutrition and liquids during the day. i'm sure he's eating more than you think he is.

relax & don't stress during mealtimes. what works (sometimes) for our 2yo is making sure we all eat the same thing and are sitting down together to eat. even if it's just him & me at lunch. at your son's age, food is more social than nutrition, anyway, so eating with him will encourage him to mimic your own eating. if he still won't chow down, just wait and re-offer it later.

I was always told that it's your job to put a well balanced meal in front of them, it's their job to eat it. Kids are picky eaters at this age because they've learned they can control what they eat. They will eat when they are hungry. Just make sure to give a chewable mult-vit and plenty of fluids (milk and water...juice has too much sugar and he'll drink it just for that). Every now and then try a different food and see if that sparks his interest.

Try not to stress. Most Dr. will tell you that if you little one is eating one good meal a day, that is the key. Many children go through phases where they just don't eat much. Make sure that you are giving him a good balanced breakfast and the proper dose of a child mult-vit. The only reason you should become concerned is if he starts showing signs that he may not be getting what he needs such as iron, starts being more tired than normal or something. I tried Pediasure and wasn't too impressed with it and I did it at snack time, so that it wasn't a choice between that or a meal, but my daughter didn't care for it anyway. Give you son time, he will grow out of this, till then try not to stress. Good luck.

Don't worry. Your son is getting to the age where he will eat really well for a while and then it seems like he won't eat at all. If all he wants is cheerios keep giving him that, but keep trying to give him other things. My son started doing the same thing, when he was that age. He is 4 now and is just now getting to where he will eat different things. I pretty much let him eat what he is used to for breakfast and lunch then for dinner he has to eat what is fixed.

Don't stress momma. My 16 month old is a rather picky eater also. As he's getting older though his tastes are changing and he won't eat some food he used to love and is eating a few new things, so as they change/grow so do their tastes/appetite. Hang in there and I'm sure he'll come around. You could try giving him the pediasure, I personally don't think that it will affect him eating other things. After my son got sick and dropped some weight my SIL (a nurse practioner) suggested we try giving him some pedisure, but he didn't like it.
Good luck and again...hang in there!