~My 2 1/2 Year Old Will Only Eat Twice a week~Please Give Me Advice...

One thing I have noticed that has helped with my children, is getting them to help you in their food preparation. If you make him eggs, have him get the eggs for you, just the simple steps. My 4 year old daughter is also the same way, she sometimes will only want to eat fruit the whole day, sometimes she will only want to drink milk, she eats more when she helps with food preparation, she has pretty much been this way since 2 years old. I try to let her be part of her food preparation as much as possible, right now she is stuck on eating chicken noodle soup with a grilled cheese sandwich on almost a daily bases, her pediatrician says she is healthy and her blood work is normal and I really shouldn't worry.

My son is also two he also only eats maybe once a day. He to will eat once a week all day eating everything in site. My pediatrician said that at this age they are trying to become more independent. and he wants to eat on his own terms, so he can feel like he has a choice. after about two weeks of trying to make him eat by leaving in his high chair until he eats or forcing him to eat I decided to just let him decide not what he eats but when. after about three days of not eating only drinking milk and juice he finally decided to eat I think he relaized that no one was forcing him and he made the choice by himnself. Now he still eats only when he wants to but more often. like two times a day alhtough food is offered 4 times a day. He stiil has his daywhen he will everything in site all day though.
Hope this helps M.

I would agree that giving yes milk and juice is a good idea if he's not eating. If he is thirsy a lot give him water. I'm not saying don't give him milk and juice, but if he's already had some milk and juice that day and wants more to drink then give him water. Also, I think a multi vitamin is a good idea. They have the gummy ones which are usually easy to get kids to eat. I have a very picky 2 1/2 year old too, and we give him multi vitamins. We also give him carnation instant breakfast in the morning. It's full of nutrition and he thinks it's chocolate milk!

I haven't read all the responses, but I wonder if perhaps there isn't another underlying problem. Such as, I wonder if maybe his stomache is upset sometimes because of the prednazone and he doesn't feel like eating. I have a 2 1/2 year old as well. He doesn't always eat much either, but we always offer it. If he chooses not to eat it, it's his choice. It sounds as if you may have tried that route and didn't like the results. I would check to see if maybe it is something to do with the way he feels physically that causes him to not eat. It doesn't sound like he eats quite enough on the days he does eat to make up for a couple of days worth of not eating. Hope you find the solution to your problem.

as long as he is not losing weight or muscle, i wouldn't worry too much. just make sure he gets his share of vitamins. you can get him vitamins that taste like candy and fortified drinks. have you talked to the doctor?

Perspective.... this question is all about perspective. My little guy was a healthy eater until he went through cancer treatment from 16 months old to just over 2 years old. During that time the "food" issue was really put into perspective for me as I learned about all different ways to get nutrition into his body. From organic, to liquid, to G-tube feedings of special formula, to IV nutrition... we kept him alive. And there are some basic things that I learned that are priorities.

1. stay hydrated (32 oz per day for a kid his age)... don't deny liquid nutrition (milk, juice, even soda pop) unless it's right before a solid meal. Water has no calories and doesn't hydrate effectively. Pedialite has electrolites but it can cause diareah which can lead to dehydration. 100% juice is the best way to go. And milk has even more calories.

2. don't worry about the whole "organic" issue. Too often we are pressured to buy altertative products that seem like they are better, have more vitamins, etc. just because they are organicy (goat milk, no-hormone, organic grown). But, believe you me... I read labels and spent a lot of time working with the diaticians just to keep my baby boy alive. The bottom line is that everything breaks down into the same stuff and if you're child has a healthy normal kidney's even some of the chemicals we ingest won't do a darn bit of damage to him. God gave us kidney's for a reason.

When a little guy is not getting enough nutrition calories because he's not eating solid foods, go for the fat in the liquids that he drinks, the fat breaks down to lipids. Give him the bulky, creamy, high calorie drinks. There's no harm in adding extra liquid vitamins in his juice, milk, or Danimals. He can live on that alone and be perfectly healthy & chubby.

Another fatty calorie addition is to put about 2 oz of heavy whipping cream (from the carton) into his milk cups/bottles, on cereal, in all of your cooking (like pancakes). Use heavy cream. It actually has less sugar but more calories.

The goal is to sneak in as much calories as possible in the most consitant way that he eats. And if that is by liquid drinks for now, don't worry about it.

3. No liquids before meals. I don't even serve a dixie cup of water with my kids meals because they so fascinated with sipping water that the don't eat. They get a drink when they are done eating... or if I cave in... I keep a tight control over their sipping by not leaving the cup/bottle on the highchair holder. And we eat together, all nibbling together, so that they can see each other enjoying the solid foods.

4. Do what ever it takes... one little guy I knew only ate by snacking. He snacked all day (a cup of cherrios, 5 ritz crackers, 2 slices of cheese, apple slices dipped in peanut butter, a sandwhich wedge in hand as he played,etc.) He rarely sat down to eat, but he snacked all day on the go. And he stayed alive.

My son, bless his heart, went through a texture phaze as he was learning to eat by mouth again rather than G-tube feeds. He would only eat creamy soups; nothing scrappy or hard. Your son might have some food texture sensitivity at times.

So, overall, my advice would be...pump him up on calories, sneak vitamins into everything (even add a liquid dose to home made cookies),and give him what he wants and how he wants it. There are priorities that you will understand as his parent no matter what other people's judgments & ideas are.

One more suggestion... I put protien into just about everything I cook also. There's soy protien and whey protien. It helps to build muscle and there are also even more vitamins in the powder. I put it in all of my cookies (oat meal, sugar cookies) and in pancakes every time. You can also buy pure DHA for children, which helps brain development and is the same stuff as in formula. I just pierce the little capsules and sqweeze them into the juice bottles.

And only one warning... a lot of the high calorie drinks like Danimals for example have so much sugar or high fructose corn syrup which is linked to cancer... So, what I do is I dilute those kinds of flavorful products down with the more natural stuff like the creamy yobaby yogurts. That way the kids still get their flavor that makes them drink it all down, but, also they are filling up on more healthy foods. I would look at the sugar dose on the Carnation... for that purpose too. Just to see if the sugar is something that is worth adding into your son's diet.

Most of all...pray. There are many good reasons why we are instructed in the bible to pray over our food. God sancitifies it and sets it apart for our nourishment. There are even stories in the bible where believers were saved from disease and illness because the food was blessed. Honor God, thanking him for his provision, recognize him as the provider and your source, and he will bless the food, helping it to go and do all that it's supposed to do in your body and your families body so sustain your good health, heal you, and nourish you.

God bless, YM

maybe cut back on the juice and milk and yogurt drinks... those things are filling and easy.. my son would also dine on that if given the chance. you might just offer him water.. he'll get hungry...
I'd also ask your dr.

What does your pediatrician say? This doesn't sound abnormal from my experiences, and hooray for his liking all kinds of food! Kids seem to eat then grow then eat then grow. In our society, they very rarely starve to illness or death except in unusual situations. I don't mean to sound glib, but that's the truth. To me, the more fuss you make, the more battles you create. Is this a hill for you to die on - I hope not. Sounds like he is a real blessing!

N.,
Watch out for the prednisone, it is a nasty, nasty drug. There are times when it is needed, but if he has been on it since birth, I would check around for an alternative treatment. Some steriods can cause appetite and digestive problems as well. Good Luck! He sounds like a wonderful little trooper!!

Hi N.,
When my son was born he was at the 25% percentile and then fell off the charts for his first year. He was not a bigger eater. I'd try everything and he just wasn't interested. Then I met with a nutrionalist from his Dr. Office she was wonderful she gave me a book on nutrition etc.. Talked about different ways to get him to eat but, most important she set my mind at ease about the situation because it stressed me out so much. My friend gives her son pedisure theres over 200 calories in one even if you can just get him to drink those he'd get a good amount of calories a day.. You can ask the nutrionalist how many calories your son should be getting for his age group and do your best to meet that with the pedisures and maybe some sugar free fruit snacks. Good luck. S.

My 3 yr old is the same. He just picks at food or eats off my plate. He's TOO BUSY! He loves his cup of milk and that is definitely not hepling his appetite. I would start trying to retrain him by setting a scheduele for eating if at all possible and give him his viatamins. I feel for you on this one because it is scary. My 12 year old was like this at 2 yrs old, and his eating habits are sporadic to this day. The other kids are more schedueled eaters. I am a breakfast skipper. All kids are different but I would find ways to keep that milk and yogurt away! I am going to take my own advice too! Its just so hard because andy will throw a fit! Lovely. Hang in there Mama! make the food fun for him. there are some super cute cookbooks and stuff online. it really helps when it is "interesting"

i agree with a lot of the moms who have said stop giving him so much juice (even when you do give juice, though, make sure their is no other ingredient except the fruit and then dilute it still). Dino drinks are also full of sugar. try to go to wild oats or trader joes or sunfower market and get YoBaby drinkable yogurt, it's better for him. Don't give him rootbeer either, i know there is NO caffeine, but there IS high fructose corn syrup which is the worst type of sugar to give children. the health food store has soda's too if you feel an absolute need to give it to him, but i only give my twins (17 months) water, milk and sometimes diluted juice. The fruit roll ups are full of sugar too, get the wild oats fruit leather it tastes really good and is much better for them.

My niece is the same, it's nice to know she's not the only one! She rarely ever eats, it seems. I'm not sure what to say about it though, just persevere. Try to avoid fillers like milk, juice, water...and have him eat first. We have to do this with my daughter. She fills up on water and isn't hungry for the rest of her dinner, so we give her liquids afterward.

I had to laugh when I read your plea. No offense I hope. But, it is no wonder he doesn't eat. Do not give him juice. Those are just empty sugar calories and really, really fill them up. Only give him milk after he has eaten real food. Make the portions of food smaller at the meals that he does eat. Don't give him yogurt drinks. Try to see if he will EAT regular yogurt. Try not to let him snack too much.

It might seem like he is starving at first, but once you get him on the routine, his body should adjust and you can give him a little more at a time.

I sure hope this helps. :) I have 6 children that are all very precious to me. I guess that is why I had 6. :)
Have a very Merry Christmas!!

Take him to a doctor! I may be nothing, but it also may be a paracite or something. Deffinately take him to a doctor.

This is going to sound a little harsh and I really don't mean it to be. I do agree that you need to cut back on the juice and milk and such because they are filling but I don't think you should be supplementing with Pediasure. If he will eat when he's hungry enough, there shouldn't be any need to supplement his diet with a product like that. This is just my opinion but it comes from raising 3 boys that all did the same thing as yours.

If he wants milk, fine. Give him a small, and I mean small like less than half a cup from a sippy cup, glass of milk. If he wants more or asks for juice or something, tell him that's fine and you'd love to give him some but he needs to eat some regular food first like a few carrot sticks or something. I do think that the problem you're having right now is that he's getting full on the liquids so he doesn't feel hungry enough to "want" to eat solid foods. My 8 year old will still do the same thing if there's food on his plate that he doesn't like. Drink all his milk, state he's still thirsty and eventually declare he's too full to eat the "yucky" stuff.

It's a tough love kind of thing but, if you make it a compromise ("you can have more milk/juice after you've eaten these carrots/crackers/apple slices"), it will get real calories into him and help him to develop better habits for the future!

N., all I can say to you is if he is still growing normally, DON'T WORRY! I know that is far esier said than done. I have four boys that are half grown, and all of them went through that phase, and at roughly the same ages.
As long as he is drinking the milk, and juice on his "off days" he is probably getting plenty of calories.

Hi N., have you talked to your peditricion and get imput from him or her? it sounds okay unless he is losing alot of weight.my 3 1/2 goes through that stage as well sometimes and our pedi says as long as she is getting something its okay unless she is losing weight. so just for safety issues i would take him in. its always to be safe than sorry.and if your pedi says its okay that will help put you and the rest of your family at ease. it could just be a phase he is going through.but they have out on the market pedisure for children that is really good it has lots of nutriants ect my daughter loves them good luck but i would call just to be sure.

Not to be gross but does he have normal BM's? I have a friend whos daughter did this and she would only eat on the days after she "emptied her tank" (sorry that is how the mother put it)It turned out she had a mild form of inflamitory bowel disease. She is completley normal now.

If everything is normal for your boy, I agree with the others who say cut back on the milk and juice.

The milk and yogurt are probably filling him up. My 2 1/2 year old daughter would eat only yogurt and cheese if I let her. Try using the milk and yogurt as a reward for eating other foods. At this age it might take a few meals for him to catch on to the idea, but eventually hunger will set in. Also, my son did something similar when he was younger because he was drinking so much milk and juice.

Talk to your doctor if you haven't. Maybe he is having trouble swallowing or some other medical problem. The doctor might want to run some tests for your peace of mind.

We had the same problem with my son also. It's just a stage that they go through. My son's doctoer said to give him the pedia sure drinks on the day's he doesn't want to eat along with his milk and juice. He also said if he ask's for something on the day's he doesn't eat to give him what he is asking for. NEVER try to force him to eat.

Hey there.. I have a 2 year old as well and she is a picky eater all the time.. She will go without hardly eating alot of the time.. All I do is bug her til she at least takes a bite or 2.. Maybe u could get him some vitamins like them chewable ones or the gummy ones that taste like gummy bears.. That way hes still got his vitamins in him :)

Crystal is absolutly correct. Pediasure. The foods and drinks you described actully give him enough of what he needs. Juice (if 100%) gives him enough from the fruit and veggie department, milk odviously is needed and yougurt provids protien. He is getting enough of what he needs. You may want to add a vitamin to make sure he is getting sufficient zinc and iron, just to be sure.

It is true that kids will eat when they are hungry and at 21/2 when he does he he's eating like an adult. If you close his fist that's the size of his stomach. Have you tried eating all that he eats to see maybe how filling that would be. My sons sometimes, at 7 & 9 yrs old still have their days where they could eat the house and others barely. If he's growing at the right scale and his pediatrician isn't concerned trying giving him less of the same things everyday verses trying to give him in 1 or 2 days everything he's missed in the days he doesn't eat. Hope that helps

Hi N.,
I am new to this site but not new to being a mommy. I have a 19 year old, 18 year old, 2 year old and 1 year old. My 2 year old has done this to me from time to time. I know it doesn't seem comforting to hear that they will eat when they get hungry but it's true. One thing I notice is that if I cut back on the amount he drinks during the day he gets hungrier. He may be drinking so much that he feels full. The other thing is my son is very very active. Part of his problem is sitting still long enough to want to eat. I make sure to sit down with him and eat too. Turn off the tv if he's like my son and adores it. Make the surroundings calm and focused. Oh and trust me this doesn't work every time, but most of the time now. I have done the no no in the past and given him a plate of food or a bowl of something to snack on while watching a favorite cartoon. This works too. I will walk away to come back and find he has eaten everything, but I will warn you this is not just messy at times, but also a bad habit to break so be careful on that one.

After reading your other responses I see that most of what I said about the amount he drinks is covered. I have a few other questions...

(1) Is he gaining weight properly? If not I would really ask your doctor or another doctor if you aren't getting the answers you need.

(2) Are you eating? This may sound silly, but children do learn by example. I know at this point many moms are dieting and maybe you are and not showing him that mommy eats too.

(3) Is there enough routine in the household with eating? My boys are on a pretty routine time frame. They will not eat when they first get up. I have to wait about an hour before breakfast. They will not eat if I just gave them something to drink so they drink after the meal. They eat less when I don't eat with them and they eat more when daddy is eating too, but he works a lot of hours and isn't around that much for mealtimes.

(4) Lastly, even though your child may love a variety of foods maybe he bores quickly. Do you ever ask him what he wants to eat? Like open the fridge and say what do you want today? Start pulling things out and showing him and asking. My son doesn't always want what I give him, but would rather something else. I don't mean junk food...Sometimes I make him eggs, but he asks for cereal. Sometimes he doesn't want a sandwich he wants an orange or something silly like a pickle. Sometimes you have to work with their cravings within reason of course.

G.

as every one else said this is pretty normal.... I would cut my juice and milk intake, and see if you can't get more "real" calories in him on a daily basis. Juice isn't really a necasary part of thier diet but it is filling and is usually full of sugar and empty calories. That will fill him up just fine but not get him any nutrition he actaully needs. Same for milk, I forget exactaly but kids only need like 16 oz a day, so I would put the limit there,(or where ever is recomended, I would check with your doctor). Then don't serve milk "with" dinner, but after or in the middle once he has already had a few bites.
That is what I have always done, my kids don't drink juice so that was not a problem, but when I serve milk first at a meal they will guzzle it down and not eat dinner.

H.

WE had this problem too and apparetnly its not unusual. My sons DR said not to worry about it unless it effects his wieght / growth. Now that may be all well and good but as a mom it doesnt make you feel better. So she also said to give him a multi vitamin everyday and carnation instant breakfast. Pediasure never worked, he wouldnt drink it but carnation instant breakfast is just as full of all the same vitamins and such but it tastes better. They even have a sugar free kind that tastes great. SO I would just suggest seeing your sons dr to be sure he isnt losing weight and then that may make you feel better.
Good luck

I had to take my 3 y/o son to the dr.s when he did that and they said that if he doesn't eat enough during the day that we need to put him on Pedisure, we've done that and it helps. They get the same vitamins and stuff as they would if they ate food. It also fills him up so he dosen't snck all day and is hungry for dinner. The packaging on Pedisure says that they need 3-4 bottles in a day if they don't eat. Hope this helps.

Since he is eating just fine half the week, I'd simply supplement with things like Pediasure, since he is also happily accepting fluids. They may not help him with things like learning how to eat with utensils, however it will give him all the appropriate vitamins a growing kid needs. Good luck!

I don't want to sound like it's no a big deal what you are dealing with but my suggestion is fairly simple. Maybe if you try on the days he does eat not giving him as much food. It may make his need for food become stronger on the other days. I don't know his size or aything but if he is small, ALL that food he gets on the one day may just be enough to satisfy a little guy for a few days...expecially if he is a busy body.

Another thought would be to give him drinks on his "non-eating" days like pediasure or something a little thicker with lots of the vitamins he needs and at least then he gets the nutrients. If he has something heavier on his tummy first thing in the morning, he may get hungry later in the day, on his typical non-eating days. I know if I don't eat breakfast I can go a whole lot longer in my day without feeling hungry. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Another thing you may try is making him sit at lunch time and eat a simple piece of bread before he gets to go play.

I think he sounds lilke a normal active little but if you continue to be concerned about it, ask your pediatrician. Good luck and I would love to hear an update or your reply to what I wrote.

~ S.