eating habits not good

jackben

Hi all my son is 2 years old an in my opinion he is really bad to eat,,his typical day could be for breakfast he would have porridge an some toast and half bottle milk, this would be his best meal of the day... Lunch time he might have half ham.sandwich or maybe bit of soup, afternoon would be yogurts or fruit, but then for dinner time he will not eat dinner with us like he won't eat potatoe veg an.meat dinner, he might have some fish fingers an that's it,,, he has no other bottle of milk other than the one at breakfast,has water through out the day....he refuses to taste dinners for me,,,any advice on how to get him to eat more as im worried his not gettin all the viamins etc that he should be..
Thanks

How Strange

My son, almost 2, is a fussy little fella too. He's actually lost weight in the last week because he was completely off food for a few days when he was sick and really just picks at things. I try to make breakfast a big meal because then at least I know he's eaten something substantial. After that it's hit or miss.

The way I see it he'll eat if he's hungry. I offer the food and then it's up to him but there isn't a second option.

I read the book 'my child won't eat' by Carlos Gonzalez last year and I'm glad I did as I'd be up the walls with worry if I hadn't.

I'd say keep the food healthy and trust that he knows when to eat. It's very hard not to worry though.

jackben

Thanks how strange, its good to hear someone else in same situation,it really is frustrating at times. But I guess ur right he will eat when Hungary,thanks again

Hannibal Smith

make your own soup....put as many veg in as you can blend it up and serve it with bread at lunch time. only give a small quantity of the soup drizzled over the bread initially...you don't want him twigging its something you want him to eat . do a pot and freeze portions of it.

give fruit for snacks....you could pour the yogurt over a few different fruits...
so you know he's getting vitamins from there.

home made smoothies are fantastic way of getting lots of fruit into them without them knowing...pile the blueberries into them. they have to be home made so they're fresh.

bolagnaise (sp ) sauce with pasta...make the sauce yourself....again load it with veg so he's getting loads of sneaky vitamins and grate some cheese over it.

the idea being whatever little he's getting is the best of stuff.

if he doesn't it set him down from the table and you continue with your meal and no treats or goodies until the next meal time.

they do go through these phases but we tend to look at what they eat on a daily basis...whereas if you look at it over a week they are getting more vitamins than you think.

pwurple

Mine rarely eats much in the evening either, Sometimes nothing at all. I don't worry about it too much, she eats when she is hungry and doesn't when she is not, all signs of her appetite functioning. My mum is ok with that too, she said she did the same with us, but my mother-in-law thinks I am stone mad. anytime we are there for tea we get offered about 10 different alternatives in an attempt to persuade her to eat something.

I don't want to do anything to override that inbuilt sense of appetite, or create emotional issues around food, in case of obesity or anorexia later. I have no idea if my leave-it-be approach is the way to do that, but for now, I'll see how it goes.

KGLady

You could be describing my oldest She is exactly the same, in particular with favouring a really hearty breakfast and then eating lighter as the day progresses. She is 5 but started to exhibit this preference for her eating around 2yo too. Trying to get fruit and veg into her is so hit and miss and for a long time I blamed myself thinking I had created food issues for her. Big fool I was, because when no2 came along she is the opposite, a superb eater who chooses fruit over treats like chocolate (mad child!) and I did nothing different in how I weaned or parented them, so I stopped the guilt and just accepted its who she is.

I make sure she has a childrens multivitamin every morning with breakfast and she has fruit smoothies every day. She gets offered fruit and veg everyday so the days she eats some, great! The days she won't, then I shrug it off and think 'maybe tomorrow'. She loves cold milk more than anything, so I give her full super milk. Her weight is perfect, her energy levels and concentration are good, her hair grows fast and is beautiful and she is rarely ever sick, so to look at her she's not malnourished.

Have an objective look at your little man, if he looks fit and healthy for his age, and doesn't suffer lots of small illness, colds flu etc - then take a deep breath and relax

jackben

Thanks for all the replies, all very good advice, he certainly doesn't look sick or mal nourished, intact he looks big for his,age,height wise anyway...
I guess he does have good an bad days alright, ill take each day as it comes..
I've tried the home made soup, didn't like it, but I must try it again for him...
Thanks again all

ericsinjun

Hey there OP. Our 2yo is very similar.
Like you, she has porridge and toast in the morning, snacking on yogurt, fruit, which one day she'll love and the next are "yukky". Lunch and dinner can be hit and miss. Mind you she loves broccoli, french beans, peas etc so she picks them out, which we're glad about.
She is getting better though. We pulled our hair out for a while worrying she was malnourished (she wasn't) and are now resigned to the fact she just has a small appetite. The food is put out and we encourage her to eat as much as possible but don't make a big deal of it. If she's hungry, she'll eat.
The last few days though she's been eating mighty!! They do make liars out of you.

rubberdiddies

Main thing is not to worry. He will eat when he is hungry.

I second the advice about spag Bol. Shepherds pie is another good one. I have a few more foreign style dishes that are healthy and the kids love but too much detail to post here!

What I would suggest is to take an hour or so and let him cook HIS dinner with you one day. Show him what you are cooking and let him (safely of course!) put ingredients into the pot etc and then he will see the finished product.

Would be worth a shot

jackben

Thanks everyone,,, I must say I like the idea of him helping me to cook dinner as his always interested in what I'm making..
He loves sheperds pie an anything with mince,pity the hubby don't,, only so much mince he can eat in a week.:):) buts always easy to freeze it....
I'm sure things will improve, cheers everyone

bulmersgal

My daughter (nearly 3)went right off all veg for a while, she has huge appetite. But what I have found which is silly. Is if I give her no veg and then tell her I'm eating carrots as thy make me big then I pretend to grow (just sit up and stretch my neck) she wants them one at a time. I've started doing it with more veg and she is getting better. I still do soup and pasta sauce with loads of veg blended.

wmpdd3

my little one is terrible too, the only thing i do is if she has no breakfast or lunch, i bring he on a long walk around the village and then she'll eat when we get home.
Swimming helps too, for a few days after she might eat a dinnner.
She's eat anything but just 4 mouthfulls max.
I also get grapes and other fruit and leave it out all day on her high chair, where she can reach it

jackben

That's a very good idea to go for walk,,I do find when his outside in cold weather with his dad that he is Hungary when he gets in.... Thanks

Be well and win

Kids are basically fussy eaters and given that they have no concept of time, they'll eat when they are hungry not when we think they should be eating. My 2 year old loves a mild curry and rice and also loves sausages. She has a little fork and is a "big girl" cause she can feed herself with it.