How can I make her eat?!

[SaraEmily]

My 2 year old just won't eat much lately. She only eats a few particular things (bananas, apples, sandwiches, cheese) and won't touch anything else. She used to love all kinds of food, always ate healthy things but now she lives off the same few things.

She gets a multivitamin everyday but I know the vitamins aren't absorbed as well as they are from food so I'm very worried. What can I do? If I offer something else and don't give in then she just chooses not to eat.

 

[Larkspur]

Would she drink a fruit smoothie? You can sneak all sorts of things into them.

 

[SaraEmily]

Would she drink a fruit smoothie? You can sneak all sorts of things into them.

No, definitely not. That's something I've tried offering lately but she won't even try it. That's another thing, she only drinks milk. Won't touch water anymore. Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

[Joybell]

My boy turned 2 a few months back and has been doing this too. All he would eat was cheese, yoghurts, soft cheese sandwiches, organix crisps and baked beans. Oh and pasta sometimes but that was hit and miss. I was so frustrated and tried lots of things - nothing worked, we both just got more stressed.

He has now come through it himself after a few weeks/a month. I just kept offering things he used to eat and if he refused took them away and didnt cause a drama. I just made sure to offer him something he would eat for his next meal or snack.
I think a fussy stage is quite common at this age.

Joy x

 

[missk1989]

Does she eat with you or on her own?

I would just sit her at the table when you are eating and offer her what you are having. It will pass.

 

[MiniKiwi]

I water down LO's milk to get her drinking a bit more water. You could try that?

I don't think you need to worry about the nutrition side of things though, it's a common phase and they do survive! She's probably getting enough if what she needs anyway, what do you put in her sandwiches? Would she eat an egg sandwich? Or some sliced meat/hummus?

 

[Mrs HM]

Why don't you just give her what you are eating each meal, along with a couple of the things you know she will eat? That way you are giving her th eopportunity and exposing her to new foods but are letting her decide what to eat. My DS needs to see things a ton of times before he shows any interest and even now at nearly three he still won't even pick up cauliflower, but I keep puting some on his plate when we're having it. We try not to make a big deal out of eating/refusing to eat and it is hard/frustrating/worrying at times, so I do understand the desire to see your LO eat more and a variety of foods. I'd say offer the same foods as youa re eating, relax and keep trying! Just to add that you can't make her eat, but you can set a good example by not making food an issue.

 

[sequeena]

I leave a few snacks out throughout the day for Thomas. He rarely eats dinner but only because he's learned he'll get toast. Now if he doesn't eat dinner he gets nothin for a few hours and then he'll have toast for supper.

 

[hattiehippo]

You can't make her eat, that's her decision. Your role is to provide the food you want her to eat or know she will eat, the rest is up to her unless you're going to force feed her.

I wouldn't worry too much. Most 2 and 3 year olds go through a stage of being fussy with food and wanting some control over what they eat. Keep offering some foods alongside things you know she will eat and don't let her see you are worrying or it will become a game of control for her.

My DS was very, very fussy from 18 months to around turning 4. He lived off fish fingers and spaghetti, breadsticks and Cheerios and not much else. He did have a multivitamin and whole milk every day as well. He is a healthy nearly 5 year old who is average height, rarely ill and on track at school. And he does eat more now than he used too including bananas which was a major breakthrough!

 

[SaraEmily]

We do eat together (usually, as long as my 5 month old isn't being fussy) and I make her a plate of whatever I've cooked. She usually pushes her plate away and goes for mine, but instead of eating she just plays with the food and eventually loses interest. Then she'll start asking for the things she does eat and I give it to her so she'll eat something.


MiniKiwi, I've tried watering down the milk and for a while she drank it, but lately she's rejecting again if it's even barely watered down. And as for sandwiches, they're either turkey and cheese or PB&J. For some reason she'll eat lunch meat in a sandwich but she's very hesitant to eat any meat on its own.

She used to love scrambled eggs but started rejecting those too, however this morning I made us some cheesy scrambled eggs since she loves cheese and she ate most of the 2 eggs! I'll start putting cheese on a lot of things.