how to get my 3 year old to eat..

Ashley - posted on 02/27/2012

All the sugar in the chocolate milk will keep her up!And the milk is bad for her teeth at night.Tell her if she wants her cup at night she has to have water and dont cave in when she gets mad or cries about it..My girl is potty trained so she can have a drink be for bed but she has to go potty be for she gets in bed.Be strong.My 3 year old still sneaks in our bed at night but we have been making her go back in her own bed.She cries for about 5 min then she is out.The eating thing I dont let mine snak so much any more during the day.Hope it helps.

Melanie - posted on 02/05/2012

no binky..she wouldnt take one after the one from the hospital broke..she drinks chocolate milk at bed time.and during the night she will get up and want more..

Adrienne - posted on 02/05/2012

so glad I came upon this post! I have to let you know you are not alone!! :) My 3 yr old is the same minus the poop hurting (I had that problem with my older daughter and it turned out she was eating too many cheese doodles, cheese, and bananas. Check online for foods that make you constipated I'm sure this is probably the reason. This is also very common for this age group) Anyway as far as eating my little one ALWAYS tells me she's not hungry. BUT she drinks all day long. She will flip out if I tell her she cannot have any more "cup". I am trying to cut her back and tell her she can only have her cup if she eats her food. I let her pick what she wants e.g. egg and potatoes or toast or pancakes for breakfast. It only works sometimes though. She also goes to sleep with her cup and also wakes in the middle of the night for more. She rarely sleeps in her own bed but she is getting better now that I have a tv in her room with a dvd player. She picks out a video and watches it til she falls asleep. She also for some reason likes to sleep on the couch watching a video (we have a 1 floor house so I'm in the next room).



I know this response did not solve your problems but I know I feel better when I know other people are going through the same thing. I have learned the video 'trick' have not found a solutiuon for middle of the night drinks but you could try giving her pediasure before bed as it will fill her more. That has worked with mine but mostly she insists on juice. As for eating I'm sure she's not eating absolutely nothing. As long as she is healthy and gaining weight (talk to your pediatrician) she will be fine. The old saying is if they're hungry they'll eat. I'd love to keep in touch with you to see if either of us find a solution. Also does she use a binky? I can't get mine off that either! :)