Toddle Not Eating

What does he drink in his bottle? My son loved his bottles of milk at that age and thus didn't eat much. He ended up being severly anemic. We found out that cows milk inhibits the absorption of iron. Also he simply wasn't hungry because he was drinking so much milk. We had to cut him off. We switched his bottles to water and the difference was amazing! Good luck to you.

Hi M.,

Since he takes bottles pretty easily, have you thought about meal replacement shakes? Shaklee has one that is great. It has vitamins, protein, and fiber and it tastes yummy (chocolate or vanilla). Shaklee has a reputation for safety so you can feel great that your little one is getting the best nutrition. My daughter loves them! You can look it up at www.greennutrition.info and register to win $200 of free products at www.freegreenproducts.info. Good luck!

TAKE AWAY THE BOTTLE!!!! the longer he has it, the longer he is not going to eat. he should only have MAX 24 oz. milk or formula at this point. more of his nutrition should be from real food, not liquids. until you fix the bottle issue, the eating isn't going to get any better. if you refuse to give him the bottle and just keep food around for him, he will eventually give in. i promise you, he will not starve himself.

My 18 month old daughter just had her 18 month check up and we have a very similar issue. Her pediatrician said it is completely normal for toddlers to go through this. She said be sure not to force feed. Offer the food and if your son doesn't want it, don't make a big deal of it. He will eat when he's hungry. She said it usually works like this: for two days toddlers will eat very little but by the third day, they are hungry so will eat to catch up. Of course, this is not ideal, but the fact that it is "normal" made me feel better. Just days before her appointment, I had the nanny and my mother in law voice their concern that my daughter doesn't eat enough and that she is too thin. UGH!
Good luck! =)

Don't get frustrated quite yet! It's totally natural. Your baby is accustomed to getting his/her food main food supply from milk and that's where babies/toddlers find a lot of comfort. Try to cut back on the amount of milk, try to eat with your toddler and even at this early age, get your baby involved in cooking with you, even if it's just making a smoothie. The more fun you make it the more they will want to try eating the finished product.- www.weelicious.com

sounds like he's filling up on milk..give him way less milk and barely any snacks..at that age i could get my son to try more things than he will now at 3.5..except he will eat a banana now..b/c i call it monkey food..u have to be creative ..playful..try spinach linguine (wholefoods) w/ clear clam sauce..then slurp up the linguine noodle in front of your son and show him how fun that is..my friend's daughter is picky..i did that in front of her at my house and she started gobbling it down..now my friend makes that for her a lot..u can always sneak healthy things in sauces..and also yes put sauces on things..let your son dip things..try hummus..my son likes the spinach one at Wholefoods and the olive one at Trader Joe's
i buy the tiny waffles at Wholefoods and put butter and honey on them or agave..i use the honey that comes in the bear..my son loves the bear..
he has the blueberry waffles for breakfast almost every day..
didn't work w/ jam
good luck i'm off to bed its late

dd

Hi M.

I too had a very picky eater.. in fact I don't remember she eating much solids at all at 14 months. But they do change. She is now 2.5, and is a much much better eater. I see that you have an older one too, so in time the older one (if he is a good eater) will be a role model for the toddler and teach him what and how to eat..

For the time being, I would do the following. Keep offering him the food that the rest of the family is eating, with some toddler adjustment. Do not compare his eating behavior with your older one or with other kids his age. Try to take mental notes on things that he likes and offer those to him on days that you are desperate to get him to eat. Take him out and feed him outside of the house -- park, grocery store, restaurant, etc... My daughter's favorite eating place was in Costco in a shopping cart. She would get so distracted by watching others and she would just open her mouth when I offer her anything. Add some "seasoning" to his food.. for example, some sweet peaches or fruit with toddler cereal, a little soy sauce with chicken.. I got my pediatritian's okay first, so check with yours. Last but not least, don't give up, and know that kids change, and one day he will be doing much better! My daughter's eating became less of a problem for me when she turned 18 months.

Good luck!

Have you tried different flavors and textures? My little girl changes all the time...whether she wants soft foods, finger foods, foods to pick up with a fork...is it too hot or too cold for her...etc. Sometimes it's as simple as her wanting to do it herself - some days she won't eat if I try to spoon-feed her. Also she likes brocolli/plums/meat one day and not the next. And if it's not what she wants that day, she won't eat it. I usually have a few options on her plate, so she inevitably will eat something, if not all of it. And sometimes I just have to give her a few minutes to pout and then she'll eat what she initially refused. However, there are some days where she just doesn't like what I've prepared. I give her enough time to change her mind and if I have something easy on hand (avocado or a different prepared option) I'll give her some of that. But I do not make a whole new meal for her. She'll eat what we have or she has to wait till the next meal/snack. She is still nursing, so sometimes she'll end up just BFing more that day/night, but she never goes hungry! Keep introducing flavors and textures, make her food yourself, and your LO will surely eat enough to not go hungry either! Good luck to you!

fist of all, he is old enough to drink his liquids with a sippy cup. throw away the bottle.
second only give him milk in the morning and maybe once before nap. ( check with your doctor on the amount ) the rest of the day he must have only water!
if you add extra calories with milk (fat) or juice (sugar) his body won't feel any hunger. In his mind there is no need for other food anyway.
He can eat anything: keep it to low sugar/salt. he can have steamed veggies, rice, mashed potatos, small bits of soft meat, any kind of fruit, cut grapes in quarters small cheese cubes, whole wheat crackers, cut up bread with cream cheese...
good luck
-c