19 Month Old Doesnt Really Eat

If she isn't losing weight and is still healthy, I wouldn't worry about it. If she is acting normal other than her eating, she probably just doesn't need much food. Toddlers slow their eating, because they don't grow as quickly as they did before. When she is hungry or needs nutrients, she will eat. The best thing you can do is keep offering her healthy food.

Another thing to consider is that she may just be a grazer. My 15 month old is like that. She will rarely sit down and eat a full meal, but she will eat little bits of food here and there throughout the day. You can also try that and see if she eats more over the day.

Sometimes I think toddlers live on nothing but love and sunshine. If she is growing and healthy, it is not anyhting to be concerned about. Make sure you keep healthy foods available. I remember being worried about my oldest not eatting. He ate breakfast and nothing else. Our pedi told us to offer good foods when he did eat and not to worry. He was just fine. That child is 13 now and certainly making up for all that he didn't eat when he was a toddler.

Hi E., I agree with the below good advice. I will add the following suggestion:

why don't you put out a snack tray for her to graze on throughout the day: leftovers from any meal, cheerios, dried or non dried fruit, healthy crackers or toast, bits of cheese, whole wheat no salt pretzels, rice cakes, cucumber sticks etc. This way she can eat when she is hungry and you can get a sense of her changing rhythms.

I hope this helps.

Jilly

If the pediatrician has no concerns about her current growth and development, then I wouldnt worry too much right now. My younger cousin wouldnt eay anything but cheese and butter sandwiches for about 2 years and still turned out okay! Ha Ha!
But seriously, a lot of kids are just not good eaters. I am blessed to have a child that will eat me out of house and home (in some ways).
Introduce as many foods to her as you can at an early age, whether or not she likes them isnt the point ... simply introducing her to a variety of healthy foods from an early age is what counts!
If you continue to worry, try Ensure! They are quite tasty, call them milkshakes, and are packed with more then enough nutrition.... They now make kid versions of it. I have used these for my own son when he had appetite issues when first starting ADHD medications. Most kids love the taste, and this can be a great thing to add in for daily nutrition!
Also, try making foods fun and kid friendly, for example the mickey mouse pancake shape is quite easy ... app0le boats etc as she gets older ... making foods fun and silly can go a long way!
good luck!

she is probably teething i wouldn't worry about it. like the doc told me on my first child they will eat when they are hungry. :)

My daughter wouldn't eat much for a very long time. Now she is a perfectly healthy 11 year old. As long as she isn't losing weight then she should be ok. Kids will eat when they get hungry, don't force it on her.

Toddlers are natural grazers and much more in tune with their true appetites than we adults. We're so used to overeating, we've become out of touch with our bodies' signals. As long as the food she's snacking on is all healthy, it sounds like a good habit to me.

A great resource for these types of questions is www.askdrsears.com. Also, write this question down and remember to ask your pediatrician at the next well-check.

Good luck!

M.
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