My Daughter Is a Light Eater

Kids that young generally don't know how to "starve themselves" or over feed for that matter. She may just not be one that eats a lot. If you are that concerned you could try giving her a multivitamin. My daughter when she was that young I had the Shaklee multivitamin for infants and toddlers. It came in powder form so you could mix it in with their juice or milk. Good luck:)

If you are concerned she is not eating enough, discuss this with her doctor. They will stay on top of her growth chart and make sure she is appropriate for her height and weight percentage. As for tricks to make her eat more. I would just try to keep her plate size small, but offer her food frequently throughout the day (like at least every 2 hours). Maybe mash up some vegetables (like peas) and hide them in her mashed potatoes. If she is falling behind on her weight, then offer her high fat and high calorie foods. Research the internet for tips on picky eaters. I bet you'll find a lot of ways to present food in a fun way for her.

The pedicare drinks are fine but remember, the more she drinks the less she will eat. Also, I would recommend boosting them with some fruit and making them into smoothies.

I would also recommend getting some little bowls for her and putting things out or offering her a selection to choose from every hour-2 hours...put out some chopped up bananas, some of the Gerber fruit bites, some buttered pasta, some pieces of cheese... I'd just put a tablespoon or so out so she won't feel overwhelmed. Sometimes when they see big portions, they become less interested. Good luck. L. B

My oldest was like that and we still deal with it. How is your child on weight gain / loss? She is failing to thrive? If not, and she is gaining the best thing to do is focus on good eating habits! That is sooooo key. If you do the "drinks" that will decrease her appetite and creat bad eating habits then you will just have to deal with this all over again everytime you take away the "drinks". It is true that their bodies can get addict to the calories from those drink and refuse to eat. What I had to do with my son, eat every couple of hours (good stuff - and with fat nothing low skim milk or reduced calories) like 4% cottage cheese and add stuff to everything she eats. Past is fine, but not very nutrious, add pease and tuna in very small bites. Yogurt and shredded chicken mixed togher is great as well (whole yogurt). Take away fills (snacks like cheerios, and goldfish, and too much milk and juice are fills can act as fills also). I hope this helps. As a mom who has been thru this... it's hard and you worry, worry, worry. But, just a few more tips. Don't make food a big deal, the bigger the deal the more difficult it is to develop good habits, they will rebel just to rebel at that age. You are going to get the most luck in the first 5 min. if after 5 min. she won't eat any more don't push it, it's past the toddler time-limit. Just try again in and hour or two. Don't ruin meal with snacks just because she is open to eating, not developing good habits. Again, this is all if there is not an issue with thriving. If that is a concern, get with your dr. and work out a plan for intervention and then address the eating habits after the danger has passed. Also, just one more thing. A lot of weigh and size is genetic. Where you skinny as a child, was your husband? My dr. said "it's not a sin to be thin" after all his dad is 6'3" and thin and I'm 5'6" and 110 lbs after 2 kids, it's just genetics to some degree. My son will never be at the 50% weight, he will most likely always linger in the 3 - 10% and that is healthy for him. Doesn't mean, it doesn't freak me out some days:)
Hope that helped! I realize I probably have tons of errors and typo's - Sorry, I have lot's of kids stuff going on all around me. :)

My son is like that. I thought he wasn't getting enough but he is. He is a "snacker" he eats small amounts but eats several times a day. If your daughter is not under wieght and your doctor is not concerned then she is probably fine.

Hi L.,
My son is the same way. He has always been a picky eater,eats very small meals and has never eaten meat (he can't even stand the smell of it)So I to worried that he was not get enough nutrition but the Dr. said he was healthy and that he would eat when he's hungry.He is now 9 years old (and still picky!)and of my 3 kids he is the healthiest and the one that rarely gets sick.If your daughter is healthy and active I wouldn't worry, she will eat what she needs.Just maybe add in a multivitamin,it will make you worry less and she will get the vitamins she might be missing. Good Luck!

Does her doctor think she weighs enough. If so don't worry about it. Put healthy food on her plate and whatever she eats will give her the nutrition that she needs. Remember her stomach is about the size of her fist so she doesn't have to eat a full meal like we do to fill up.

L., You need to remember that a baby has a baby sized stomach and she will eat until she is full, She will also go through growth spurts and eat everything in sight, roll with it. Ifshe even gets a hint of your concern it could become a power struggle. Just make sure those few bites are good for her. The shakes are a good idea too just watch the sugar content some have more than others. As long as she is gaining weight she is good. Congratulations on # 2.

Hi, I have a 15 year old daughter who did exactly the same thing when she was a toddler. I even took her to the peditrician. He told me that she was thin & healthy & if I would leave her alone she would become a thin & health adult. She has always been my healthiest child w/ very little illness and very high metabolism. What I did when she was small was offer nutrition food in small amounts as often as she liked. Sometimes she would only eat a couple of bites and then she was satisfied. Today at 15 she still doesn't eat very much at once buy eats every 2-3 hours. She is about 5 foot and weighs 100 lbs. She is athletic and still my healthiest child. As long as your daughter is healthy & within the normal weight for her age you are probably worrying about nothing - just like I did.

They have a drink out there i believe its from pedicare. It like a milk shake. I seen the adds on tv they claimed they are full of nutrition.

Talk with your doctor about adding a vitamin supplement or pedisure to her diet.

My second boy is not a big eater. When I talked to my dr. she was not concerned. She simply told me kids will eat when they are hungry. If they are full, then they are full. No need to force them to eat more than they can handle. (Especially when child obesity is on the rise.)

Talk with your dr. to make sure you take the proper steps.

Best Wishes,

J. H.

The only advice I have is to keep encouraging her to take one more bite, then one more... My 2 1/2 year old son is the same way and I am told that so was my brother at that age. I have always been told not to worry, their bodies know what they need and will get just that.
Good Luck.
J. B.

We went through that with my son too. His doctor said that is perfectly normal. All kids will go through eating very little and then maybe a lot. If she is hungry she will eat and not starve herself is what he says. Our son grew out of it and now eats normal. I am sure she will be just fine although I know it is frustrating worrying about them.

Both of my daughters were light eaters, but the dr's said that if their hungry they will eat. Try pedicare nutrition drinks. They have all the vitamins and things they might need when they are not eating all the good things we think they should be eating. Also you could try to puree veggies and stuff and mix it in with some of her food she might eat more freely. Offer slices of cheese and milk (even flavored milk) instead of juice, most contain a lot of sugar. If it continues more than a month or so, you might need to contact your pediatrican. But it usually resolves itself after a while. They go through stages and sometimes don't like certain textures of food. Good Luck Mom!

My son (now 4) is a terrible eater. Almost to the point that he is malnourished. We've been VERY attentive to his meals and what goes in, which is almost nearly nothing. His Dr. prescribed pediasure which is covered under WIC. They include it on my coupons, which is a Godsend because I could not afford it otherwise. He drinks 3 a day in addition to 3 meals that he hardly touches. He also takes a daily multi-vitamin. Check with your pediatrician, maybe then can write you a script. Good luck!

Don't worry so much. She'll eat when she is hungry. Don't force her to eat, that is where bad eating habits and obesity begin. Let her eat when she is hungry and let her eat until she is "full". She will be fine. And congratulations on the new one to come.

My son is 2 1/2 and he LOVES strawberry or chocolate milk....made with Carnation Instant Breakfast mix!!! Both his doctor and a nutritionist with WIC told me that it is a wonderful supplement, completely balanced. I sometimes use Kroger (Dillon's brand) and he drinks them just as well - they are quite a bit cheaper. We also snack on cheerios any time he will eat them, again a great source of nutrition.
Good luck!

This is a normal thing, the best thing to do is to have foods that your child can eat while on the go. I hope this helps

Cut out her Sandwiches with fun cookie cutters. Also Jello is fun with cut-outs. Make their food fun and exciting. maybe a cup of Fruit in a fun colorful bowl. Colorful Placemat. Give a star when They Finish or something fun like a new little book.

If she is eating often, even if it is 3 to 4 bites, I would say that she will be fine so long as she is eating nutritously. Congratulations to you as well.

My daughter, who is now 7, always has been and still is a light eater. I was concerned just like you. I put her on vitamins and pediasure to make sure she got what she needed nutritionally, and I let her eat as less or as much as she wanted. Today she is a very healthy 7 year old. I've learned that she eats better when I offer her 6 small meals a day instead of 3 large meals. I still give her vitamins to be sure. Maybe you could try that and see how it works.

Hi L.,
I have four girls 20, 18, 12 & 10 and every one of them did the same thing at that age. Around 18 months old their appitite change and I too was worried they were not getting the proper nutrition but I belive it is just a phase and she will start eating more soon. I think they eat more when they are have grow spurts. You could always give her a vitamin supplement to make sure she is getting the vitamins she needs. Do not worry I'm sure around the age of two she will eat more.

Our physician called it the toddler appetite slump and said not to worry. Also, a tablespoon per year of age is supposed to be a good way to determine serving size. That really is just a couple of bites per food item.

Dear L.,

I remember that my daughter went through a phase like this also. My pediatrician said that as long as she is eating the right foods, she will get enough to eat. there is a stage where the children are starting to thin out and lose some of tht "baby fat". My suggestion is not to force her to eat more than she wants. This leads to poor eating habits and obesity. When she gets hungry enough, she will eat more.
One day again as she gets older, you will think she has a "hollow leg". Good luck
J. B