My Son Is Not Eating Well.

you know my daughter was like this,, drove me crazy. whatever you do, try not to entice him with sweet sugary foods, give him healthy foods, start early, does he like soups, maybe a Alphabet soup, will get his attention, uhm what about apples and peanut butter let him try putting the peanut butter on the apples make it a game. I know easier said than done. And of course keep him hydrated, healthy drinks. Kids will do this, as long as he's not loosing weight and looking ill, it's just what kids do to drive us insane. I hope things get better. take care.

My son is 12 and still does not eat well! Although he loves vegetables, he is not too keen on meat. He likes chicken, fish, and steak, pot roast . He does not care too much for hamburgers, pork or any tougher meats. But he will eat like a pig one day , the next breakfast and maybe a small dinner is all he will eat. He is small for his age, but his doctor says he is fine, not to worry.

I believe that kids will eat when they are hungry. If he is eating well at least some days, I think he should be fine. Continue to offer him different foods to try. Let him see you eat it too and tell him how yummy it is.

My daughter has days she will eat well, and then others she just doesn't want to eat a lot. I think this is normal. Even adults have days they don't feel like eating as much. Just make sure he's eating something.

Has he been underweight? And/or has his pediatrician been concerned with him not eating enough? You could call the pediatrician's office and ask if they see it as a concern or not. My daughter is underweight, as her father & I have both always been. Her pediatrician said to make sure she gets good calories from cheese & things, but is not really worried about her size.

I have a two and a four year old. It's normal for toddlers to eat inconsistently. As long as when he does eat it's a balanced diet, he will be just fine. My children tend to eat smaller, more frequent meals. I just have to make sure I give them healthy food instead of just snacks like goldfish or fruit snacks. I always keep fresh fruit, cheese, carrots, ect. handy for my little grazers.

It's also important not to make eating a power struggle. Once a child learns eating is a source of power, they will get even more picky. As long as when your son does eat he is eating healty foods, there is no need to worry.

You might try allowing your son to help you cook. My children are much more excited about eating the foods they helped to prepare.

You are not alone. Just about every parent worries about their children's diet.

My son is 5 and he still doesn't eat a lot. He has his moments where he just isn't hungry. Then he goes through these growth spurts where he eats everything in sight. I wouldn't sweat it too much. As long as you are offering him different types of nutritious foods, then he'll eat when he's hungry. Since he likes to drink, make him some fruit smoothies with bananas and such. That should give him more calories than juice.

Hope that helps!

I had the same problem with my children. My pediatrician told me I needed to limit how much they drink (it fills them up with empty calories-a little FYI that I didn't know-if he is drinking alot of milk (which mine where) it can cause them to become anemic, so we have since slowed down on the milk and replaced it with water and some juice occasionally.) Also, kind of keep track for a few days what he eats-I have read that children this age tend to go through a 3 day cycle-one or two days they won't eat and then on the third day they stuff themselves "catching up". Another thing you can watch for is timing of dinners and snacks-I try not to give mine any kind of snack an hour or two before a meal (or I limit it to something very small-a slice of cheese, a couple of crackers, etc) that way it helps them get to dinner, but it doesn't fill them up.
Hope this helps!
A.

My son did the same thing and is just now growing out of it for the most part and hes 8, when he was little the doctors told my not to worry about it to much if he's hungry he will eat and if he wants to only have hotdogs then feed him hot dogs. And because my son is a bean pole they also said to give him vanilla milkshakes with whole milk maybe to add a little weight to him but that didn't work he loved the milk shakes though lol. He is still a bean pole, high motabalizm!!!
Just feed your child what ever you know they like !!!

Good luck !!

I would not worry as a child will eat when he gets hungry. Unlike adults, children are better at not overeating. I had this happen w/ my child and still he does this and he is 3 years old. I think they go thru growing spurts. When they do they eat more and when not.. they are content to snack and drink. At least he is drinking which is good as that will help keep him hydrated.

I would not worry unless it gets to be a health problem then I'd take him to his dr.

Best of luck.

Every mother of a toddler has gone through this! The main thing I would do is take that cup away. If he is drinking all day he will not be hungry because the liquid is keeping him full enough. It's also keeping his teeth covered in milk or juice and will cause cavities. The only thing I would let him sip on is water. Offer milk at meals and snacks. If you read the label, you'll find that those infant supplement drinks are full of sugar. Aim for a balanced week instead of a balanced meal or day.

As far as eating well one day and not the next, that's just a normal toddler eating pattern. I've always said that I decide what my kids eat and they decide how much. All you can do is make sure that you offer healthy nutrient-rich foods and let him eat as much or as little as he wants. As long as he isn't seriously underweight, try not to worry about it. I know it's hard, but he will eat if he's hungry. No toddler has ever starved himself to death.

I went through the same thing with my 2 year old. I took him to the doctor and he told me to cut back on juices. I was giving him too much and obviously the more they drink, the less they'll want to eat. He told me to cut juices out completely for a while and replace with only water and milk. Once he get's used to it, his appetite will pick back up. It worked for my son. I also incorporated a multi-vitamin to help with the nutrients he might have been missing. They love the Gummy vitamins. He thinks its "treat time" when I pull them out and ALWAYS wants more than 1, but I explain to him that it's not candy. Hope this helps.