toddlers very picky eating habits

Kendra - posted on 01/21/2010

Our son goes through stages where he eats nothing, then the next day he eats everything we put in front of him. Mostly, all he wants is grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken. We give him a multi-vitamin that is made by Enfamil, and he drinks alot of milk. Occasionally, we can sneak a veggie in when he is in the mood to eat. His doctor says the same thing that I have read and been told a million times, as long as weight is okay, he will eat when he is hungry.

Tanya - posted on 01/21/2010

My son's a picky eater too. I read that you should be more concerned about the balance over the course of a week than what he eats in a single day. My son still doesn't eat meat, but he gets a good balance of grains, dairy and fruit/vegetables throughout an entire week, so I'm not overly concerned. Of his own accord, he's starting to drink less milk, and that has led to a bigger appetite at dinner in the past 2 weeks.



If Jayden is still drinking a lot of milk, maybe see if he'll take water or watered down juice instead during the day. My son doesn't like milk in a sippy cup very much yet, so he drinks a lot less milk during the day if I don't give him a bottle as an option. Also, if you're worried about balance, talk to your doctor about a multi-vitamin for your son. We give our son 1 mL of polyvitamins (A,B,C,D) every day with his morning bottle.



Good luck!

Melaina - posted on 01/21/2010

This is a totally normal behaviour. As long as he's growing, don't worry. But also be careful about catering to his picky eating, or you'll be fighting with a picky eater for years and years to come.

Phi - posted on 01/21/2010

I agree with Renee he will eat if he is hungry, monitor his wieght, and if that gets low then take him to mcdonalds, my mom used to give me milkshakes made from milk, icecream, and a couple scoops of diet shake mix( this had a lot of nutrients. Just make sure he stays hydrated. dehydration is a comomn problem with picky eaters.

Renee - posted on 01/20/2010

My son will go through phases where he will refuse to eat anything and other times he will eat everything in sight plus more. Right now he is in the eat nothing phase. He will ask for food, then chews it and spits it back out. I give my son a vitamin daily to supplement what he is not eating. When he does eat, he eats healthy foods. My son will also drink a lot of milk. If your son is the same way, try to sneak in something like ensure or something like that...If his weight is staying alright though...he will eat when he is hungry.