My daughter is 2 and wont eat a thing. She does not eat Meat, and she is very picky. Do you have any tips

Ingrid - posted on 07/17/2009

multi vitamins!



Toddlers often times are finicky eaters and both of mine now get a multi vitamin in order to make sure that they get what they need.



If you are concerned about her nott gaining weight properly, you can give her milkshakes with fruit in it. I make mine low fat, with fat free yoghurt and skim milk, then I add bleuberries/raspberries or whatever they like. I add banana but they do not like that anymore. Another thing that you can give her is pediasure.



But unless she is not gaining weigth I would just keep offering healthy foods, have sit down meals and two or three healthy snacks a day

Cathryn - posted on 07/17/2009

my 21month old boy is a grazer. I have been concerned abt his eating habit ever since he started his solid. He is also a premmie so his weight has always been on the low side. recently, even his dr became concern cos he started to lose weight. Of course I know, they will eat when hungry but not for him. Dr prescribed him Cyproheptadine (use to treat aneroxia) and it seems to help a little. He is also on Pediasure drinks just to give him more calories. Would love to be more patient everyday but it's driving me crazy. I think this is also the part where a toddler struggles for independence..

Amanda - posted on 11/08/2008

My 2 year old son wont eat meat either i tried putting ketchup and everything i could think of on it he just licks the sauce off and leaves the meat hes been doing this for about a year now .... any ideas id love to hear them

Stephanie - posted on 11/06/2008

When it came time to start eating meats, my daughter refused. I tried beans instead. There was a time when i would make hummus at least 2 times a week just for her! Now it is great because she still loves the beans but at least I can put them in a snack trap cup. Out of the can, rinse and serve. Sometimes I'll add them to rice or pasta. Black, Red, Cece(Garbanzo), you name it. No saturated fats, high in protein. These are a wonderful alternative. She even has me eating them more often. Win-win situation.



Another thing I have used is to incoprate her into the shopping process. As we go through the produce section I ask if she wants anything in particular. It has been met with some success. Farmers Markets are great fro this too. you can also get her invovled in the cooking aspect too. My daughter was refusing avocado which she formerly loved. I had her mash it for guacamole and she ate it. Hope this helps. She will eventually come around.

Denise - posted on 11/04/2008

my 2 1/2 year old LOVES edamame - if you don't know what they are, they are soybeans still in the pods - look like pea pods, but the beans themselves taste a bit nuttier. you can get them shelled or still in the shells - in the frozen food section of most grocery stores (sometimes the organic section) all you need to do is boil them for a few minutes- my daughter loves to "crack shells" as she calls it - the beans just pop out of the pods into her mouth - the best part of them is that they are LOADED WITH PROTEIN!! no need for meat if she takes a liking to them.

Melissa - posted on 10/31/2008

A healthy active child will not starve themselves. I only put in front of my daughter what my husband and I are having to eat. Sometimes she eats everything in sight and sometimes she takes two bites and says "all done!" Though it's hard to accept that those two bites are all your kid is going to eat at that meal, take comfort in knowing when they're hungry enough they will eat and sometimes it takes a few tries at a certain food before they develop a "taste" for it. It's all part of learning and growing I guess.

Kim - posted on 10/30/2008

I cut the sandwiches/toast into shapes from cookie cutters. My son chows on them now!

Debbie - posted on 10/30/2008

My youngest son is also very fussy which I find frustrating since my eldest never had a problem (he just ate everything in sight!) I have started to restrict his drinks before mealtimes especially if they don't have much nutritional value (water, squash etc) so he doesn't fill up on those. I find smoothies and fruit pouches useful when he won't eat whole fruits because he loves those and they're just pureed fruit! It's so annoying when everyone else is eating one thing and he is having something else but I just think at least he's eating. I tend to give him a little of what everyone else is having but have a plate of his favourites on hand in case he won't eat it. I don't make a fuss about it because I really don't want to turn eating into a battle and make things worse. He has gained half a kilo in the last six months so we must be doing something right! Good luck with your little fussy britches x

Angie - posted on 10/30/2008

My daughter went through the same phase, and its just that a phase. She will love soemthing next week that she absolutely hated the week before. My daughter is 3 and still doesn't eat well. Its an accomplishment to get her to the table and eat. I have found asking her what she wants to eat works for me. She's into noodles and chicken right now, but some nights just simply looking at the food she won't even try it. Maybe include her in the cooking process of dinner, that helped me out. She knows that it has to cook and that she helped. She is more open to trying something when she helped stir the pot. The little things I guess. But don't worry, like everyone else has told me she will eat when she is hungry. Good Luck!

Lisa - posted on 10/30/2008

If the docs aren't concerned then it's probably fine. My dr told me they would go thru a picky eater phase, and boy was she right!

Brittney - posted on 10/29/2008

My daugher loves to dip everything right now but still will not eat meat, and not a lot of veggies, but loves fruit! She literally does not eat very much at all. The doctors do not seem to concerned about it though.

Lisa - posted on 10/29/2008

My daughter won't eat meat either. We started putting ketchup on it, and now she eats it. We don't put a lot on, just enough for her to see its there. Then she gobbles it up.

Brittney - posted on 10/28/2008

I will have to try all these tricks.. Today she didnt eat anything.. just a few things here and there! and Dinner she doesnt really eat.. Tonight she had 3 or 4 bites!! Also.. She sits in her High Chair still. Because my mom told me, if I dont make her sit and eat, so wont eat because she will want to run around so now I make her sit in her High Chair!

Melissa - posted on 10/28/2008

i found that if i put her food in a sandwich bag she will eat it out of the bag. LOves veggies and fruits no meat.

Sarah - posted on 10/28/2008

like everyone else, when my daughter went through it, i let her dip everyhting in ketchup or honey mustard, and now she likes to dip stuff in thousand island dressing, so whatever works, also, pf changs has kiddie proof chopsticks, i saved them and elt her eat with them to make it fin for her, but regular chopsticks work too. makes it fun.

Julie - posted on 10/28/2008

If they're hungry they will eat. I'm going through it right now with my 2 year old. My 7 year old went through it too. Now, he's a bottomless pit! So, no worries. If she's growing appropriately and the doctor isn't concerned, you shouldn't be either.

Melissa - posted on 10/28/2008

hey, i can't help you out because i have the same problem too. so good luck and if you find out can you let me know too. thanks!

Suzanne - posted on 10/28/2008

This sounds just like what my son does. My pediatrician warned me this would happen at his last well check and I didn't believe her because at that time he was a great eater...now he is super pickey. I have just decided if he is hungry, he will eat!! Good Luck

Brittney - posted on 10/28/2008

Thank you very much ladies for the Advice. I will try to do this for her afternoon snack, and for dinner! I will let you all know if she tries something new. Here this morning she had half of a pancake, and wont eat lunch! and she doesnt snack, I had lasgna for lunch, and she wont eat it at all.

Maggie - posted on 10/27/2008

My only advice would to keep offering her a variety of foods. It's amazing on the phases they go through. My son use to eat everything in sight & now if it looks different.... forget it.

Kerry - posted on 10/27/2008

My son wont eat, I just keep offering him different foods and evrey once in a while he will surprise me and eat, BUT he likes to try and pick it up with his fork, I give him lots of things to play with also to distract him, sometimes that works.

Brittney - posted on 10/27/2008

Thank you! I do that also but there are days that I can offer things, and she will not eat them!

Heather - posted on 10/27/2008

My daughter is very picky too. She rarely eats meat. Sometimes I feel like she's just living on cheese. I just offer her lots of the things she does like and keep trying to introduce new things. If she's hungry; she will eat. Good luck!