What to feed a picky toddler??
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What to feed a picky toddler??
| Wed, 05-02-2007 - 10:19am |
My daughter eats 2 bites (maybe) of her food and then she says "all done". Do I keep trying to feed her? Try something else? Or make her stay in her highchair until she finishes her food? She only wants candy and juice. I stopped giving her fruit snacks and she gets very little juice. She WILL NOT drink milk - even with chocolate or strawberry syrup. I'm worried she's going to be malnurished. I don't think she eats any vegetables (maybe some peas and once or twice she's tried broccoli). She's been this difficult since she was born. She had Reflux. Could that be why she doesn't like to eat?
Please help!!

Having a picky eater is so stressful!!
I think you just described my daughter! LOL!
I have the same problem, she's all about the juice and m&m's, and when its meal time its always a battle.
Hi there and welcome to the board!
Almost every child goes thru the "picky eater" stage when they are a toddler and then normally again when they are school age. So don't worry, it should pass.
What I have always done with my kids is to try to include foods that I know they like in our dinner, but to also offer things they may not be so fond of on their plate too. During dinner I limit the liquids that they have so they don't fill up on juice/water/milk before they really get started eating.
I'm starting to have this problem again with my 8 yr old, so I feel your pain. Alyssa has decided that she doesnt like corn, peas, MAC-n-CHEESE???, Sausage, rice, etc. I never thought I would see the day a child didnt want mac-n-cheese. Since she is older, my approach is that I serve at least 1 spoonful of everything I have made for dinner, even if it is an item she says she doesnt like. I tell her it wont kill her to eat one spoonful and she may find that she likes that item again.
The other posters are right though, if a child is hungry then they will eat -- just keep offering and hopefully this stage goes by quickly for you!!!!
Good Luck!
Hi! Both my kids get gummy vitamins because they don't always have the best diet. We live with my in-laws, and they don't cook...they prepare boxed dinners every night. I get a huuuuge hassle if I use "their" kitchen to make real meals, so it's pretty rare I get to cook (because I'm sort of vegetarian, and if it doesn't have meat swimming in gravy, they won't eat it!). Anyway... Nate (19 months) doesn't drink milk, so he needs the vitamin anyway. My only recommendation on the vitamin... since your dd is only 18 months or so, only give her one gummy, not two like the directions say. The directions are all for kids 2 or older, and you don't want to OD her on certain vitamins. One gummy should be fine, though.
As to your earlier question... Aryc (3.5) has been a picky eater for awhile, and is even pickier now that he's only had mac & cheese and hot dogs for 6 months. (Grrrr) What we've done to avoid battles is simply offer what we're having (but don't offer a lot if you don't think they'll eat it... don't want to waste it, and they can always have seconds, right?) and take it away if they say they don't want it/aren't hungry/are full if they try a bite or two. I just wrap it up for tomorrow. They see the same thing over and over until A) they eat it, or B) it goes bad. They'll eat when they're hungry. As long as they're not allergic, then there's no harm in requiring them to eat what's served to the rest of the household. There have been recent times when Aryc has gone 2-3 days without eating more than a few bites, just because he was stubborn about it. But let me tell ya - by that 3-4th day, he's eating second and third helpings! :) hehe Now that Aryc's older, he tries to make a game of it. He says he's not hungry, so I take his plate away, then he says he is hungry.