My 2 year old wont eat HELPPP!!!!

Shanna - posted on 08/07/2012

My son is very picky too and just last night i was cutting up a little meat for his plate(which Is the hardest thing to get him to eat) and I didn't really pay any attention to the fact that i was cutting them into shapes, which is something he is learning about and pretty familiar with. Well He yells out square....rectangle....and he's all excited, so I went right along with him and tried to encourage his interest. It worked like a charm...he ate all his meat and wanted more. Then when it came to the corn(which I usually dont have a problem getting him to eat; howver this time I had over cooked it and it was mushy!) I simply identified it a "Little yellow squares"...and gulp...down the hatch went the corn !!!!!!!!! Also I would suggest letters and numbers or using cookie cutters for shapes or u can just cut the food into smaller shapes yourself if u want. Around this age is when a lot of kids are learning letters of the alphabet, numbers, colors and shapes.....so try to make meals fun and interesting to them....whatever is most appealing to them. Good Luck....I really think I've hit the jackpot here this time.

Heidi - posted on 05/26/2011

my daughter is nearly 3 and has gone through this but she now eats most of what i give her my health visitor told me the control her drinking about 1 hr before mealtimes andshe only gets milk at breakfast and last thing at night but only if she eats her dinner as she tends to fill up on liquids hope it helps

Sameera - posted on 05/26/2011

hi,
my daughter is also 2year old and 6months back she also used to do thiz,just do one thing let him do what he wants,if he doesnt want to eat then dont forced him ultimately he need to eat something then said that i have thiz thing not mcdonald.i m not sure but may be thiz will works.goodluck

Giacci - posted on 05/26/2011

thank you everyone for your advice. my sons newest obbsession is peanutbutter sandwiches. but he is eating all day long now and eats whatever i give him. THANK GOD that stage didnt last long. @ shauna : thats gotta be hard.. my mom told me that when i was little i wouldnt eat ANYTHING but formula til i was 3, so the doctor told her to not give me anything and it took my 2 days of starving to start eating actual food. good luck. thats gotta be hard.

Tiffany - posted on 05/13/2011

Give him the things you know he will eat. Try different things that he has never had. Also, give him pediasure to make sure he is getting all the nutrients and stuff he needs. I had the same problem with my son. He will come around.

Ashley - posted on 05/13/2011

Offer food let him take his two bites and maybe try some Pediasure or the equivalent. Don't go crazy as long as the doctor isn't saying he malnourished and he's drinking fluids just let him eat as much as he wants. At least he knows when he's full. My kids went through it and eventually just grew out of it. Just keep offering foods and acting like its the best thing you ever tasted. Also ask your pediatrician sometimes they have a few tricks up there sleeves :-

Barb - posted on 05/13/2011

Keep food around. always offer food.. they eat when they are hungry. As long as they're not sickly or lethargic I think you're good. My daughter doesn't eat either and she HAS ENERGY.

Shauna - posted on 05/13/2011

Sorry to hear...my boys is 4 1/2 and won't eat but 5 things of which two are in the junk food category. He's been doing Pediasure to supplement his diet since about two years old. I'm just praying my son snaps out of it one day. When we go out to eat he won't touch a thing and when he's at the sitter he barely eat but a couple of spoon fulls of food. I feel you this is very frustrating.

Kimberly - posted on 05/13/2011

Normal. He won't starve i promise. He'll get hungry enough to eat eventually. Even if he only eats cheese and bananas like my little girl! lol

Giacci - posted on 05/13/2011

@ jenn thanks ill try that. @ jennifer usually the whole "him seeing another kid eat" works with him lol my neices eat with him when they are over and he eats even if he doesnt like what they are eating

Jennifer - posted on 05/13/2011

Don't Worry about it so much. Alot of kids go threw that phase my son is going to be 3 in august and i have gone threw alot with him in that same sense where all he wants to eat is Mcdonalds but in all reality the docter told me the same thing that they pass threw that sometimes it get even worse the older they get then they just start to eat up again. Let him do what he does offer other different things little by little sometimes if they see another child there age eating then they will sometimes copy and eat as well so you should try that as well .

Jenn - posted on 05/13/2011

well i had tha same problem.. keep giving the food that you want him to eat.. he will eat it when he is hungry. as for making a seperate meal, i suggest that you don't as it will make your life hard. get him to sit with you at meal time, and he may like to try it again. or what we also dd was get him to help you with the making of dinner.. suggestion of what to have /what not!. it helped me, hope this helps

Giacci - posted on 05/12/2011

thank you everyone for your responses and im glad i helped some of you with it. today hes doing better. he ate a banana and is showing more interest in food. going to make him some eggs or something soon as he just woke up not too long ago. but i really appreciate all the posts and what not. it really helped to ease my mind. :)

Kristy - posted on 05/12/2011

My daughter stopped eating at around the age of 2, or just after. It lasted for 3 months. It is normal as toddlers start to relise they can say no and they exert there independance. If my daughter didnt eat dinner then she had to wait until we finished before she left the table. If she got really hungry and upset before bed then i would let her have a banana or yoghurt. It is a phase, it does pass but it an take 3 months. My child health nurse said it was a normal stage of there development and my niece and nephew did it to! Good luck.

Welay - posted on 05/11/2011

This links might help you...

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/parenting/...

How to deal with your sons picky eating habits:

It's says here as long “They still drink their milk… still active… show “some” interest in food… invest in food scissors… work with their FAVORITES…eat with your child… get involved in their meals.” ;)

Julie - posted on 05/11/2011

my son did this to the point that he was starting to lose weight and he was already so skinny that the doctor advised me to just feed him whatever the heck he wants until he grows out of it. so if that is the case whatever he will eat is okay for now because eating in general is more important then nothing getting in him if he is underweight. if he isn't underweight he may just like all the extra attention he is getting while you have to sit there and get flustered and force him to eat. I'd say try for a couple days to just ask him what he wants to eat, make it and leave it, if a bite or 2 he is done then leave it out for the hour or so and then he can eat again at the next meal. maybe once it isn't creating a fuss he'll start to get over it....

Giacci - posted on 05/11/2011

thats what my son does. some days he eats ALLLL day long and then theres days like today where i got him to eat a little mac and cheese and right now hes eating some chicken soup after his nappy. so i think he might not be feeling well because he did take a longer nap then usual.

Amber - posted on 05/11/2011

You have nothing to worry about. I went through that phase with my son when he was two and I still go through it with him now. At first he would barely eat and not he eats more and some days he don't eat much. It's natural.

Vicki - posted on 05/11/2011

Thankyou so much for this post! I'm in the same boat!

My toddler sometimes doesnt even take a bite out of what we make her and it gets frustrating trying to get her to eat lol.

I'm going to read some of the responses and hope I get some ideas xx

Jessica - posted on 05/11/2011

my 2 year old loves any food but for the las few months she doesn't want to eat and when she does it is a piece of bread or cereal sometimes i can get fruit in her. when we go to my grandparents house she eats everything and anything cause she is by great grandma. she does seem to be getting enough just when she wants it

Sherri - posted on 05/11/2011

Just keep offering him foods. My little girl is supper picky and did the same thing when she was 2 she now is 4 and i have similar issues. I just keep offering her food through out the day, they will eat when they r hungry and even though you may thing he isnt eating..even a couple bites here and there add up. I used to leave a small bowl of cereal out for my little girl to eat through out the day plus i offered her meals as well. She is supper picky so i know how u feel lol. Just dont force them to eat if they are hungry they will eat.

Giacci - posted on 05/11/2011

@ tara alright thanks for chatting. ill message you a little later i gotta get off this thing anyway im going to take the pup and the boys out for a walk lol. and @ tiffany trust me i dont have the money to be giving in to mcdonalds all the time lol. like today all he ate was a few pieces of mac and cheese and a glass of milk.. he must be not feeling well because he passed up cake. lol. and i saw your post about your 3 year old not wanting to hold you hand in public.. and have you tried warning him that a car will hit him if he doesnt hold your hand? i dont let my son move if hes not holding my hand and if he acts up i pick him up or he goes in a cart. try that. oh and how is year 3 compared to year 2? i heard it only gets worse lol

Tiffany - posted on 05/11/2011

You know I've always heard that kids will eat when they are actually hungry. He will eat what you put in front of him for the most part if he is hungry. He is 2 so time to start testing you. Don't give in and give him only what he wants to eat all the time. My son is 3 1/2 and is somewhat picky he started to do that too at about 2yrs old. Only wanting chicken nuggets. But we just feed him what we are eating for dinner unless it's just a salad then I fix him something a bit different. But let him know he has to eat what is being served and that's it. I know my son likes fruit but hardly any veges so I always have two fruits on his plate. But we still put everything on his plate and you know sometimes they will surprise you. Just don't give into the McD stuff and don't worry he won't starve. He will begin to realize that he will have to eat what is availble or go without.

Tara - posted on 05/11/2011

I'm going to be logging off for a bit (gonna try to rest before my son and I go to get my daughter from school). But feel free to leave me a message if you want :)

Tara - posted on 05/11/2011

I think in order to see that, they probably need to do a biopsy of the cyst.

Giacci - posted on 05/11/2011

i had one rupture like a month before i concieved my first son and it felt similar to labor pains.. i will deff ask my doctor tho. how can they tell if its cancerous?

Tara - posted on 05/11/2011

Cysts aren't usually anything to worry about. I've actually had at least one rupture (extremely painful). They seem fairly common, actually, but if they cause you any pain, you should definitely mention that to your doctor. And if you are concerned about it, mention that as well, and they should be able to set your mind at ease.

Giacci - posted on 05/11/2011

not at all especially with a newborn around i gotta be really careful. hey do u know anything about cysts on ovaries? i went to the hospital the other say to make sure my mirena was in place and they told me i had a cyst on my right ovary.. im so scared it could turn into cancer as cancer runs in my family. and i was going to make a post of it but i cant find anything on here for just moms lol

Tara - posted on 05/11/2011

Well, if it turns out he is sick, I hope he feels better soon. Sick kiddos are no fun :(

Giacci - posted on 05/11/2011

thats what i was just thinking... because all he has eaten all day was like 5 noodles from mac and cheese. and he woke up at 9.... he has a dctr appointment on friday so ill find out.

Tara - posted on 05/11/2011

Has he been feeling okay? That's the only time my son refuses to eat.

Giacci - posted on 05/11/2011

aww lol my cousin just had a baby and her daughter is 11 trust me shes realll excited lol gives her something to do while her daughters at school. lol. i just tried to give him some cake and he rejected that too.. mayb hes tired or something... idk.. but its VERYYYY unlike him to reject cake lol

Tara - posted on 05/11/2011

That's not bad, no. He's learning there are times for eating and times when he cannot. Don't worry, I understand the frustration, but hang in there. It will get better :) And thank you. When this little man arrives, it will have been a good 5 and a half years since we had a newborn in the house, so it should be interesting..hehe. But we can't wait :)

Giacci - posted on 05/11/2011

@ tara : I know im over reacting i just feel like i can do more for him. but i will deff try that. just that then at bed time he wants to eat and i tell him its bedtime and he goes to sleep without anything if he chose not to eat. is that bad? and congrats on ur coming new addition. i just had a baby in february and being a mommy of a newborn again is awesome. altho.. i dont remember my first sleeping so much during the day and not enough at night lol. but goodluck and enjoy. and thank you for the advice i will deff try it.

Tara - posted on 05/11/2011

Also, he's 2, so EVERYTHING is more fun than eating :) Just make sure he knows that when it's time to eat, it's time to eat. If he chooses not to, remove his plate (so he can't just wander back in and take nibbles when he feels like it) and don't give him anything else until a snack time or next meal. He will be okay..I promise! Both of mine have gone through this and still have a phase once in a while. Our daughter has stomach problems, so we do have to force her to eat certain amounts of foods each day (including liquids) and forcing is one of the hardest things to do. If we didn't have to do it, we definitely wouldn't because it usually only backfires and makes meals so much harder.

Tara - posted on 05/11/2011

Don't worry too much about it. Children will not let themselves starve. They will eat when they are hungry. If he isn't eating much at meals, just make sure you offer snacks during the day (nothing too large..just something to fill the gap between meals). He may also be testing you to see if you will give in and just get him what you KNOW he will eat. The best advice I ever got for kids who didn't want to eat was: Don't Give In. If they don't want to eat what you put in front of them, do not give in and try something else just because it's bothering you (they learn fast how to get what they want). I know it's hard when they don't eat, but he will be okay. I have a 7 year old and a 5 year old (and another due in July) and even now, my kids will just refuse to eat at times and I have to remind myself to just let them be. BUT I do remind them, that if they don't eat when they are given the food, they will not get anything else until the next meal (they don't get too many snacks anymore..except at school..or something really small after school).

Giacci - posted on 05/11/2011

well also another thing with that.... he asks me to eat and tells me hes hungry but doesnt want anything..

Giacci - posted on 05/11/2011

well i noticed that when he is going through growth spurts he eats like a piggy.. i feel like he doesnt like anything anymore. and im afraid he will starve because he doesnt care about food. i know eventually he will eat but it worries me when he doesnt. sometimes bribing helps. like when i say ok if you want to get down eat the rest of this. and ill give him a little bit to at least finish and he will shove it all in his mouth. so ina way i feel like doing other things is more interesting then eating to him.

Firebird - posted on 05/11/2011

Don't force him to eat. Keep offering him food and he'll eat when he's hungry. Most kids around that age go through this phase. Is he maybe going through a growth spurt? That could contribute to the loss of appetite. Don't worry, he won't let himself starve.