How to make a 2 year old eat (halp)

My 2 year old girl isn't eating well. She is really picky and won't try new food very well. She is very under weight so she needs to eat more but no matter what we try she won't eat! She used to eat better but it seems like with age she is becoming picky and difficult. What can we do to help her eat better? It's stressing both of us (esp my pregnant SWMBO) to no end :/ halp!

I've been there.. I don't know how we changed our kids eating habits, but they are changing slowly. My sons are on the small side and really are picky eaters. No ability to help, just to say hang in there you aren't alone.

I've heard that encouraging a kid to eat can often actually have the opposite effect, which is also true for encouraging a kid NOT to eat (has the opposite effect of making them eat more).

The thing I heard said to pick what and when to eat, but let the kid pick the volume him/herself. Then no snacks until next time you eat. If the kid skips a.meal, no big deal. If they skip a day, talk to a doctor.

My kids have never been picky eaters. I know that correlation does not equal causation, but my wife and I serve a meal and that is what is eaten. If you're hungry, you'll eat it. If you don't eat it, it'll be waiting for you in the fridge.

Fun fact, the pregnant SWMBO posted this when I was mowing the lawn! She called herself "She who must be obeyed", i guess she agrees she MUST be obeyed!

It's a legit question, though, our child has always been low in weight percentile (yet above average height and head size) since she was born. it's always a struggle to get her to eat The docs haven't been too concerned until recently, but for her last weigh in she dropped a bit more (percentile, not weight, she gained weight) so we're starting to get more worried. My wife and I were both scrawny babies, but we're still concerned.

Tough age, teething at all? My youngest was a huge pita when she was cutting her canines, which seemed to take forever. She still has off meals and off days. I can't get any of the kids to eat anything that has a bit of a spice in it. They only respond to sugar and dairy.

A friend's son has been surviving on air and snack/desserts for about a year. He's fine.

No real answer, vitamins for sustenance? I loved my Batman plate and would eat most things off it. Cereal is vitamin fortified, good for SWmbO also?

We found our youngest was occasionally overwhelmed by large portions. Large is pretty subjective but with experimentation we found just putting a seemingly ridiculously small amount out he would be fine and eat it right up. Soon he as asking for more. Might be worth a try!

Back then my kids would eat anything. Its gotten worse as they have aged. Hope you guys figure it out.

My mom used to pinch our noses until we opened our mouths to breath, and then stuff a spoonful down. Good times. Other than that, one of my kids has a congenital heart defect. He was in the fifth percentile until he was 10 or so. At some point we stopped worrying about it. He ate enough to get by and was never in danger of starving to death. I guess my message is let nature take its course. Obsessing over it will do more long term damage than being (healthy) underweight.don't let those percentiles rule your life.

I used to make a concoction for my kids and call it cookie dough, they know those words from birth. Whey protein, non-hydrogenated peanut or almond butter, flax seeds, honey and some quick oats blended into a flour. Very yummy and high caloric density. Lots of omega 3, protein, carbs, and "good" fats. They loved the stuff.

I wouldn't worry about it. Keep a supply of healthy food available in within easy reach. Kids will not starve to death if there is food.

I was an extremely picky eater at that age. I would only eat certain things, and only if an OCD-like level of precision was used in their creation. (Baloney sandwich? Two slices, and the ketchup goes between the top slice and the bread. Not between the two slices of baloney, and if the sandwich accidentally gets eaten with the ketchup on the bottom slice, it is ruined and inedible because it MUST be eaten from left to right and NEVER EVER right to left)

But you see? I got better. And then in my teens, I achieved Culinary Nirvana where I didn't give a crap what it was as long as it was something foodlike and I could fit it down my face. I still remember fondly the time when I was about 12 or 13 and I asked Mom to make Brussels sprouts, because I never had them before. I never had them because she hated them, because she was forced to eat them.

But one thing that there always was, was a fruit bowl. Apples, pears, bananas, I was always free to eat from that. And Mom's attitude was, well, if he's hungry, he'll eat. And it worked.

(Also? Brussels sprouts RULE)

Wait them out? Eventually the human body will crave subsistence.

I'm on the "Very few kids have ever starved themselves to death" camp. If your kid really does starve herself, she has an issue that is beyond the scope of our advice.

try to help out with pediasure. it's at least got a bunch of healthy stuff in it and nutrients. My friends son was a ridiculously picky eater, but through months of food therapy, he's coming around a lot more. Started off having him just play with the food, then kiss it, then nibble it and finally actually eating it. Still supplementing with preferred snacks through. His was snack mix.

So far the screaming poop machine eats everything she can get her hands on, except she doesn't like breading on chicken. But she's almost 1, so she hasn't had time to get picky yet.

This one worked well for us:

Oh, boy, I get this. You have a baby, and your conversation with your spouse and virtually everybody else you know instantly revolves around what and when and how much the little girl ate. (A select few also join the diaper conversation.) And Junior cooperates by wolfing down calorie after calorie, which makes sense because she is going to triple in size (or whatever the number is) in two years. Then they stop eating, and you freak out because feeding them is Your Most Important Task. Except now it's not. They can get along just fine on a lot less, because they're not growing like crazy, and their metabolism knows this.

Simultaneously, of course, they're growing mentally, and figuring out that they are their own person, not an attachment of their parents. The other half of that fact is that... holy crap, if I'm not actually attached to Mom/Dad then they could possibly disappear! Child's brain then melts down from trying to come to terms with incompatible concepts. This angst leads to what is usually called the Terrible Twos.

Luckily, parents can help. If they are their own person, they can make their own choices, even if it's something like which shirt to wear today. Being in charge of something is very reassuring in a world that seems to be going crazy. Another way the child can exert control is by making a big fuss about food, expecially if that's a guaranteed attention-getter. After all, it's a no-lose deal for the kid, because their bodies are telling them they'll be OK if they eat one carrot stick for lunch.

Try not to sweat this. (Yes, I know that's like trying not to think about elephants.) You know your kid better than the doctor's chart does. 99% of the time, you will know if she's OK. Trust her. If she's hungry, and if food is available, she will eat, although it might not be at your standard mealtimes. (We usually had a bowl of Cheerios out for grazing.)

And remember, Three is your reward for surviving Two.

revrico wrote: So far the screaming poop machine eats everything she can get her hands on, except she doesn't like breading on chicken.

Wow, she's developed my exact palate. Everything except breading on chicken because seriously who does that crap that is disgusting why would you do that to perfectly good chicken WTH

(Screaming Poop Machine is my grindcore Nine Inch Nails cover band's name)

Yes, ask her what she wants to eat so she feels involved in the decision. Keep it simple and limit choices. "do you want carrots or potatoes with your chicken tonight?"

We've had to rename foods to get a second try. We didn't have burritos tonight, we had /southwest wraps/.

It all works out over the course of time. She didn't eat enough tonight? Big deal, she'll make up for it tomorrow.

And lastly - I'm not above cutting deals and bartering treats. A two year old can be a very shrewd negotiator when a cookie is on the line.

"How to make a 2 year old..."

No parent has ever won an argument with a 2 year old.

Don't worry. She's not gonna starve. She's gonna test boundaries by seeing how much she can influence the parents through her eating patterns. When the doctor starts recommending IV feeding, it's time to worry.

A lot of great ideas here already.

Let's see.. I was a kid once and I distinctly remember hearing a few of the following:

"You'll eat what I put in front of you"

"If you don't want to eat it, you can go hungry"

Followed later by:

"Do you want something to cry about?"

Mom was an ER nurse for 35 years. I doubt your kid will starve themselves to death.

If my kids didn't eat it for supper, they got it for breakfast. And lunch. Only once did it make it to the following supper.

I had been stubborn for FAR longer than they have; I'm pretty good at it.

SVreX wrote: No parent has ever won an argument with a 2 year old.

There are fights worth having and fights not worth having. My parents spent several years trying to get me to eat veggies, with only occasional minor success. One time when I was about 5 they succeeded -- only to see the carrots again a few minutes later when I puked them up on the rug. I think after that they decided it was a fight not worth having. :)

As karma comes around, I now have 6-year-old son who is at least as picky an eater as I was. The pediatrician's advice (which we follow) is to feed him what he'll eat and not worry too much about the details. He doesn't seem to be in any danger of going malnourished or getting a vitamin deficiency.

Boost or pediasure plus ice cream plus blender equals milkshake. Never met a kid who will turn one down.

Similarly, cookie dough plus cereal still makes cookies. Cookie dough plus granola equals monster cookies.

Instant cake mix can usually be made with applesauce or baby food instead of the oil. Using an extra egg makes it more brownie consistency. Brownies and milkshake for dinner? Yes please.