My son just turned 1 1/2 and he has all of a sudden become a picky eater. He turns his head away from food or he will take FOREVER to eat. He use to scarf everything down. He will however eat better for his dad if my son knows he's in the house. Has this happened to anyone out there. Thanks for all of your help.
hello A., im a babysitter of 2 yr old girl,, when i feed her,, sometimes she dont like to eat ,, the idea what i did so that she can eat ,, i will point something that i will say,, !! look at that,, or soemthing i make a noise toys,, and she starting to eat,,
I saw this same pattern with my son, who is now 17 yo. Can you tell me if your child seems to be advanced or delayed in any way?
I ask this because, in my son's case, his refusal to eat came at that same age, not because he didn't like the taste of things, but he didn't like they way they felt in his mouth. He later had issues with fabric textures as well. He was very advanced in his speech and vocabulary. He was given an IQ test in 3rd grade and again in 10th grade - with scores of 136 and 132 respectively. Highly intelligent but he does continue to have issues with textures.
I will say that if I had things to do over again, I would follow the pediatrician's advice and offer him the food that I have prepared and nothing else. I was so worried about him not eating that I got to the point I would prepare any food he would eat and now he is still very picky and I have to supplement his diet with vitamins. He is still small for his age and he still has significant issues with textures of food. Had I provided him no other options other than what I had prepared, he would have eventually eaten it due to hunger and would be better adjusted, more accepting of textures and more open to other foods today.
My two boys have also gone through the same thing and my 3 yr old still has his days. My pediatrician says it's a control thing for them. There aren't many things they can have control over so, this is one they can. You can't MAKE them kinda thing. Don't make a big deal over it. He WILL eat if he's hungry!! If you try to make a huge deal over it, it may last longer....if he sees that it doesn't really bother you (even though it may!!:) then he may not make a big deal out of it either and eat, just don't push the issue too much.
My 20 month old daughter went through (still is kind of)a phase of not wanting to eat much. I don't think it had anything to do with her liking the food really, I just think she became distracted with other things going on. What helps me is when we all sit down together to eat so then she's not distracted by what we're doing. Also, sometimes I will make my plate and then sit next to her and scoop some food off of my plate and onto hers. She's always more interested in what I'm eating. I also allow messes. I try to give her foods that are less messy (chicken nuggets, fish sticks, tator tots, grilled cheese, etc.) but she also loves to use her spoon so I've just had to quick worrying about the mess. I now just give her a bowl of spaghetti (or whatever we're eating) and a spoon and let her have at it. As an added bonus, I've discovered when I let her just eat the messier stuff it keeps her distracted longer and gives me time for dishes or laundry. I'm sorry I'm not much help but I just wanted to comment with what I've been doing. Good luck!
P.S. I wanted to 2nd what Barbara H said. I make sure that her snacks are really healthy (fruit, cheerios, whole grain goldfish, etc.). Sometimes they just don't want to take the time to eat b/c they are so interested in other things. They will eat when they get hungry. Again, good luck!
Hi A.-- I really think that this is just a normal stage. My 7 year old son and my 3 year old daughter did the same thing. Just make sure that your little man is using the potty normally and keep on trying different foods. As he develops, he will probably go through other food phases at other ages too. My 3 year old just wants milk products (yogurt, cheese, milk), chicken, and fries all day. She doesn't like anything related to bread, crackers, cookies, etc. My 7 year old son is wolfing down everything now, so just keep trying. It will get better with time and keep trying healthy snacks. Good luck!
Our Daughter went through that same thing and still does it some days even though she's almost 3!
She also eats better for Daddy than Mom-I didn't read that you're a SAHM, but if you are I THINK it's b/c he's used to you and that's why he eats better for Daddy (My DH says our DD has learned how to push my buttons)...
Picky eating-I asked the Peds about it and he said most kids start not eating around 18 mos or so. He has a daughter a little older than ours and said she went through it too! The best thing he told us is that she will eat when she's hungry and not to stress out too much.
Also, has this just started After the big Move?? If So, might be as stress issue that will resolve itself.
Good Luck,
C.
I have six kids and they have all done that from about that age to age 3ish. Doctors have told me they won't starve themselves..they will eat when hungry so be sure they are getting healthy snacks, even if all they will eat is a handful of Cheerios. And its very true! My kids are healthy. Some days my 18 month old packs away a lot of food and other days he grazes. But his weight is fine, and he poops and pees just fine. Just make sure your son is not filling up on milk. A lot of times we over compensate for what we think is a problem. When they are being fussy, no its not at least he will eat Cheetos or McD's french fries. Fresh fruit and other good snacks is a better alternative!
Hugs!
The appetite changes around 2 anyway. Taste buds are more developed, and the child is more independently mobile, interested in more than just eating and sleeping. While facing this stages can be frustrating (I remember), the normal, healthy child will not starve himself. As long as he's getting some nourishment I wouldn't worry about it. It won't be long before his appetite will change again, and he'll be eating you out of house and home.
