Any suggestions on how to get my2 1/2 year old son to sit at the table and eat (at least SOME of) his food? This is going on 3 months now, he only wants crackers, cookies, or pickles? The Dr. says hes fine, but I think the boy needs some veges! Everyday its a struggle....any ideas???
I have a 2-1/2 year old daughter and she went through a period like that too. Hers only lasted a few days. Some days she still fights me, but for the most part she eats pretty well.
Some of the tricks we use are: Putting salt on the food. She thought it was funny and it got her to eat it. If she asked for "more salt" we would pretend to put more on (certainly didn't want to oversalt her food). The other trick is giving her something to dip her food in... depending on what it is (ketchup, etc.).
The one thing we NEVER did though, was make her a separate meal. Once we started her on table food, she ate what we ate, or she went without (exceptions are when DH and I eat something spicy). She went to bed hungry a couple of times, but she quickly learned that mommy isn't a short-order cook. She still tries to not eat what I give her occassionally and tries to get me to give her something else. But I hold my ground.
He won't let himself starve, so it's o.k. to let him skip a meal or two. When I did that with my daughter, she couldn't get enough of breakfast the next day! LOL! It didn't matter what I fed her! LOL!
I know that sounds horrible. But it's a power struggle at this age. And if you give in to it now, he'll just be more and more picky about what he eats.
I have the same problem with my 2yr. old. Sometimes, I'll let him help with making dinner. I found that when he "helps" he eats more of it. Or he likes eating off his Daddy's plate. But his favorite is still hotdogs and chicken nuggets.
MY TWO AND A HALF YEAR OLD IS BECOMING PICKY AND CHOOZY WHEN IT COMES TO EATING.I GUESS,MOST KIDS THIS AGE ARE THE SAME OR GO THROUGH A PERIOD LIKE THIS.NO NEED TO WORRY;I BELIVE IT`LL PASS.
DON`T FORGET THAT HIS LITTLE STOMACH IS SMALLER THEN SIZE OF YOUR FIST AND IT FILLS UP QUICKLY.SO,MY ADVICE IS TO CUT DOWN WITH ALL THE SNACKING BEFORE A MEAL.MY DOCTOR ALSO SAYS THAT IF HE HAS ONE GOOD MEAL DURING THE DAY AND THE OTHER TWO NOT SO GOOD,HE`S FINE.IF YOUR DR TOLD YOU YOUR SON IS DOING WELL WITH HIS WEIGHT,DON`T STRESS YOURSELF.
YOU SAY YOU WISH YOUR LITTLE ONE WOULD EAT MORE VEGGIES...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!I DON`T KNOW TOO MANY KIDS THAT AGE(OR ANY AGE,FOR THAT MATTER!) WHO EAT VEGETABLES AS MUCH AS RECOMENDED.I DON`T BELIVE YOU AND I DID WHEN WE WERE LITTLE...LOL!
IF YOU`RE GIVING HIM THAT MULTIVITAMIN LIKE YOU`RE SUPOSSE TO,EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT.IT`S JUST A STAGE...I WOULD MAKE SURE THAT DURING A FAMILY MEAL YOUR SON IS AT THE TABLE WITH EVERYONE,LEARNING THE IMPORTANCE OF EATING TOGETHER,TABLE MANNERS,ETC.
My son pretty much only eats breakfast at this point! My doctor told me it was fine (as long as he eats one good meal a day) but I was worried about him not eating vegtables. Someone told me that if I was that worried about it I should add baby food vegtables to what he does eat. He'll eat the natural applesause so I add vegtables to that and he doesn't notice. They also make apple sweetpotato baby food and he grabs his spoon right up to eat that. I just tell him it's fruit - since there is fruit included I don't feel so bad about not being completely honest. He also loves pancakes so I make whole wheat ones but add very diced carrots to the batter. He never even knows and I feel better.
my son is 3 and wont eat his veggies. so i get the V8 fusion. it has fruit and veggies in it, you can only taste the fruit. the also have something simular in jucy juice. my mom told me there is a cook book that was featured on Oprah, that you puree the veggies and mix them into stuff. from meatloaf to brownies. and i bet he will start eating more food soon. my son will only want sandwhichs for weeks at a time. or hot dogs and mac and cheese nothing else. but try the juice. my kids love it.
I feel your pain it is a constant struggle to get my 2 1/2 year old to eat too! And if one more person tells me that he won't starve himself I am going to scream! I know he won't starve himself but that doesn't make me worry less. My son is very picky and has been a challenge to feed since we started solid foods. To save my sanity I allow him to bring 2 toys to the table with him that way he can play in between bites. It also distracts him some so he tends to be a little more willing to try new food. This is the only thing that has worked for me.
#1. KIDS LOVE COLOR... THEREFORE, USE FOOD COLORING ON EVERYTHING!! MASHED POTATOES, RICE, EGGS, PANKCAKES, ANYTHING THAT YOU THINK CAN CHANGE COLORS, TRY IT! BE CAREFUL OF TEXTURE. THE MORE FOOD COLORING ADDED, THE THINNER THE TEXTURE BECOMES. MOSTLY EVERYTHING WILL BE PASTEL BUT THEY'LL STILL LOVE IT!!
#2. PUT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING ON A STICK!! FRUIT AND VEGGIE KABOBS ARE A BIG HIT IN MY HOUSE. ESPECIALLY IF YOU PUT OUT A FEW BOWLS OF DIFFERENT FRUITS OR VEGETABLES AND ALLOW THEM TO MAKE THEIR OWN KABOB!! (JUST REMEMBER TO BREAK THE POINT OF THE SKEWER OFF)
#3. LET THEM HELP YOU COOK! KIDS HAVE A TENDANCY TO ENJOY A MEAL MORE IF THEY HELPED MAKE IT. BE SURE TO APPLAUD THEIR EFFORTS AND TELL EVERYONE THAT THEY HELPED MAKE THE MEAL.
#4. PLAY A NUMBER GAME. GIVE THEM A NUMBER TO STRIVE FOR AND CELEBRATE WHEN THEY GET TO THEIR GOAL. MAKING A BIG DEAL IS THE BEST PART FOR THE CHILD.
I have two boys and neither of them like to eat much. It's not so much that they're picky about what they eat, they just don't eat very much in general, or they take all night to eat their food.
Our pediatrician had suggested that we set a timer at dinner for a reasonable amount of time - maybe 30 minutes. We let our son know up front that he was expected to finish his food within this amount of time. If he didn't, off to bed he went right then, with no milk either (he loved his milk before bed). We would save the rest of his dinner, and the next morning, that's what he would eat for breakfast. We didn't have to get mad or frustrated, and he didn't get out of eating what we gave him. After a couple of nights of that, he got really good at keeping an eye on the timer and making sure he finished his food.
This worked really well for our first son, and now we're starting to use the same strategy with our 'baby' who's now 3. I also agree with Bigsweetie that you can't give in once you lay out the rules. We never made them separate meals, and if we said no milk, it meant no milk.
We do make some small exceptions for things they don't like. They don't have to eat something if it's too spicy, and they each get two food items that they're allowed to pick out. Right now, my older son doesn't like mushrooms or olives. If he wants to start picking out something else, he'll have to start eating one of those!
Hope this helps!
- Kristin
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www.thesatinbutton.com This post was last edited Apr 27th 2008
