toddler not eating

[Ira]

I am back with stories of my now 18 month old not eating. She has always been picky ever since she was a few weeks old I wish i knew how to get her to eat. Seriously, every.single.meal time is a battle. I offer a variety of choices just so she will take more than a few bites but its like mission impossible. How she survives is I dont know. Her ped has suggested going to a speech therapist and see if they can give me some tips. She used to atleast be able to eat fruit but these days even that is a no-no. She isnt finishing her boiled egg that she could gladly eat 5 times a day if i let her. I am at my wit’s end, really.

Any suggestions/experiences?

[Mang0tang0]

Re: toddler not eating

dont give her choices, it makes them picky. set a time for meals and give her an hour or so to eat if she doesnt take it away and dont give her anything till the next meal time.
Inshallah in 2 3 days max shell start eating. ooo and most imp when she does start eating stick to the times otherwise itll go bak to her not eating
i have the same prob with my 20 month old i got lazy and she started not eating again( not too easy being strict with them :) )

[SeaBee]

Re: toddler not eating

Ira, I still have the same problem with my 22 month old since day one. She won’t take more than a few bites. It’s extremely frustrating. We’ve been seeing her ped on a monthly basis, as well as a dietitian. To be honest, nothing has helped. She’s THAT stubborn. She’s still very underweight, but at least she’s growing slightly. She’s 50th percentile on her height, and below the 3rd on weight. We’ve been giving her a toddler formula, as suggested by her ped/dietitian/feeding clinic, since she turned one. That way at least she’s getting all her nutrients.

I don’t know how much milk K drinks, but try limiting it to 16-20 ounces. Maybe you can try switching to toddler formula for a bit if you’re worried about nutrients. Wait at least 2 hours between meals and snacks, which I’m sure you know. Offer solids first and then the bottle/sippy cup with milk. You can add high calorie foods to her menu. That way, even if she takes a few bites, she’s getting more calories. We’ve been told to add butter to pretty much everything. Her dietitian also told us that if she takes a few bites from 3 or 4 different foods, that’s still better than not eating at all.

Like Mangotango suggested, if she doesn’t eat enough at her mealtime, don’t offer anything until the next meal. My li’l one is the same. She gets distracted and gets bored of eating, so she wants to get out of her chair. Then half an hour later, she’s asking for food again. I tell her she has to wait until the next meal. Some days she’ll have the next meal properly, and some days, she’ll do the same thing… have a few bites and that’s it. Makes me wanna pull my hair out.

Here are some food suggestions that I try:

• toast with nutella or peanut butter – the dietitian told us to add butter, peanut butter, and then nutella – which my li’l one obviously won’t have 'cuz she knows it’s packed with calories.
• marble or any kind of cheese with crackers, or in toast, or cheese on its own.
• paratha with lots of butter
• try fried or scrambled egg if she won’t have boiled egg
• steamed veggies like peas and chopped carrots
• chic peas or red beans
• rice/noodles – whatever you you have for yourself
• cereals like frosted flakes, rice crispies, or fruit loops (fruit loops i give her as a snack too)
• a sandwich made in one of them sandwich makers (you could add leftover keema or alu or something)
• rice, vanilla, or chocolate pudding
• fruit yogurt like minigo or danino
• mac & cheese
• jello – mine loves it, so I give it after she’s had a proper meal
• tuna sandwich

I’ve also noticed that she’s started enjoying eating while we’re out shopping, so I make a sandwich or plain nutella toast and while grocery shopping or hanging out at the mall, just feed her. You could take anything with you as a snack as well – cheese, cheerios/fruit loops, fruit, etc.

[Mabrook]

Re: toddler not eating

does she eat when u eat. some kids like to eat from parent's plate. have u tried that? also setting times will def help because that sets their body clock.

[Mehnaz]

Re: toddler not eating

Sit her next to you at the table. The young man likes to sit at the big table and eat beside me now.

Also, don't force her to eat. If she's still teething, she will not feel comfortable eating and simply will not eat. It comes and goes in cycles. One day he will eat, the next day it will be a struggle to get him to eat. I don't force my young man cause i know when he's starving, he'll eat without a fight. If he's not hungry, I don't force him. Right now, there is no schedule as his very last molars are coming out.

Another thing I noticed is the type of spoon you are using. If it's a metal/steel spoon, it may hurt the teeth/gums if they are teething. These days, I am using my fingers to feed him.

I've had to switch back to baby foods for the past few weeks (oatmeal). It's easy for the boy to swallow (no chewing means no pain on the gums).

Another thing I noticed is that if they are around other kids who are eating, they will eat as if they have never seen food in their life before. It becomes a competition apparently!

[khawateen]

Re: toddler not eating

everyone has given great advice.

but if you put excuses aside like teething, some kinda flu or cold etc... than it boils down to this... some kids eat to live whilst others live to eat.

the 2 hour rule is just not enough if your child has a slow metabolism, or is a fussy eater. then, you should follow the 4 hour rule.

it took me 13 months to realize this ... sure everyone would keep saying keep him hungry for 4h ours.. keep him hungry.. but i would just keep thinking no way... my child hasnt had anything in 4 hours. oh no oh no.... even though the kid himself had no issues and wouldnt be irritated or angry or fussy.. he would be busy playing

so i would try to feed him every 2 hours... it was ok when he was on ground food... it became a problem when he just wouldnt chew... everything had to be ground to paste

one fine day we were invited to someones house... so i thought i will feed him when i get to the persons house... just take the food with me and grind there.... it took us 3 hours to get there cuz of a traffic accident... we get to the prsons house and i am freaking out oh my baby hasnt had anything oh no oh no.. (the kid himself was starting to fuss)... so i quicly pulled out his food (noodles with minced meat) but in my hurry forget to grind it. i shoved the spoon in hismouth and honestly, miracle moment for me, he swallowed in a second flat! i coldnt believe it.. usually he would spit out any thing taht was not a paste... it took me 5 mins to feed him a full bowl! he had never had anythign solid like this in his life!

everyone kept saying.. see... the only reason he wasnt chewing was cuz he asnt hungry... sure u can force feed him paste.. he would take it down ... but chewing is upto him.. give him time to feel hungry and he will.

so i tried it again the next few weeks.. it was super hard going from feeding every 2 hours to 4 hours.. took all my will.... but the change has been amazing....

so now i feed him every 4 hours... (some days he wants food earlier)... 3 full solid meals that includes a variety of things ... like bfast will be 2 slices of bread and 2tbsp of home made fruit yoghurt (i just blend any fruit with plain yoghurt)

a bottle of milk before going to nap

between bottle of milk and lunch, 4 hours which usually takes me to 4 pm cuz he naps for an hour... i give him anything like kichri, potato ki tarkari laoded on a slice of bread (i put anything on a slice of bread like keema, chicken paste mixed with any cream cheese like herbs or paprika etc)... you can also give her kebabs... basically anything that you eat... by now you will know if you daughter likes spicy food or not.. my son hates bland food so he eats what we eat... if its too spicy i just wash it a bit...
this late lunch is his proper proper meal of the day

dinner is always porridge of one kind or anotehr... nothing keeps them full like porridge... and before going to bed he gets another bottle of milk. however much he wants to drink.

in a nutshell.. what worked best for my fussy eater was... the 4 hour gap... it was a miracle!
oh and no snacking! even one cookie can spoil his appetite.

some things i feed him

-egg in any form as long as its not hard boiled or fully fried .. he likes his yolk soggy :D

-cornflakes in milk .. rice krispies are real easy

-all kidns of porridges.. i dont give them bland... i put 2 tbsp and cook it in milk always.. never water.. more energy like that... and mix in half a pureed fruit like pear, apricot, apple.. whatever her fancy.. i even sometimes add avocado and put some salt and pepper cuz otherwise he doesnt like avocado on its own...

-toast with any kinda spread... i make some at home like boil chicken in salt and pepper and mix it with fresh cream and a bit of white pepper, or boil and egg and mix some butter and mash it.... or smash a kebab and put that on it... anything really

-kebabs..

-minced meat is his number one friend cuz it limits chewing... i just take some out when i make our own.. he hates bland food so its pretty much the same we are having.

-rice in any form .. daal chawal... kichri, rice with minced meat.. pulao...

-home made fruit yoghurt .. i just use a low salt plain yoghurt.. like 2 tbsp.. take half a fruit and puree it.. and mix the 2... i havent used danone or the ready made ones cuz there is way too much sugar in it... you can do the same with fresh cream.. or take 1 tbsp of fresh cream and 1 tbsp of yoghurt and mix the 2.

-fish fish fish.... any and all kinds... i make fish soup... havent tried it in proper dry solid form but i will soon...

-veggies.. if she is not a fan... then boiling them will do nothing for her taste... boil and make paste.. put on rice, or mix in porridge or put in bowl like a soup.. and put bread in it and feed it like that... u can boil the rice in the ready made chicken stock cubes (though they are loaded in salt), or make some of your own at home... i keep a batch of yakhni in teh freezer and that is what his minced meat, daal, rice etc are cooked in. not plain water.

one thing he wont eat right now is roti.. and its ok... he needs some major teethwork at teh back of his mouth to handle that.. sure some kids can have it.. mine cant
he also cant handle pancakes.. finds them too sticky :D

i either give him milk or water with his meals.. but in VERY VERY little amounts.. like just a sip after a few bites... not at every bite.. cuz it will fill them up faster.. once he is done eating.. i leave the sippy cup with him and he can drink however much he wants. there ARE days where i use the water or milk to down whatever he has got going in his mouth and wont swallow :D

oh and put butter in everything she eats.. butter is a much needed nutritional source for growing babies.

he has been on full cows milk from the day he turned 1.. i started him on it with a half a cup when he turned 9 months (thats how we roll in denmark :D ), and when he turned one, it was full milk all the time. have u tried full milk with your girl? it gave my son a bit of a constipation right in teh beginning..but soon his stomach got used to it.

hang in there ira... its a horrible ride.. and i spent most of it in depression .. but try the 4 hour rule.. it will help i think...

hugs!

[khawateen]

Re: toddler not eating

forgot to mention.... my son ABHORS being tied down.. be it car seat, stroller or high seat. even if he is real hungry... he wont eat sitting in his high seat... he will tkae a few bites and that is it.. then its all bout scratching himself... or the seat...

so.... i am one of those motehrs that run after their children when feeding.. he takes a few bites.. then he walks off... chews whilst exploring.. and then comes back.. or i go after him.... hey.. if it gets his food done ine 15 mins.. its better than battling it out with him for an hour in the chair!