2 Year Old Is Picky and Very Slow Eater....

Updated on November 26, 2009
B.M. asks from New York, NY
5 answers

My 2 year old little girl is a very picky eater,along with this she takes an entire 1 1/2 sometimes to eat 1/4 of her meals... any suggestions? She doesnt weigh very much and although the doctors say it is normal and fast metabolism, i am always a little worried her eating habits are not very good... help, suggestions for meals? punishments? treats? thanks!

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So What Happened?

Thanks for all of the advice- thanksgiving today was fun, lots of turkey, side dishes.. i think she ate about two bites:(
but we are still working on it... i did save her dinner tonight for a lunch or dinner or at least snack tomorrow, and I am going to try the vege juice so at least nutrionally she is getting that in. The up & down at the table and the taking hours to eat a few bites has not changed much but we are working on it... any more tips are always helpful and ill update in awhile once we get a little more progressed !

thank you again,

More Answers

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R.M.

answers from Dallas on

Relax and do not draw too much attention to her eating. The more you make a fuss about it. . . the more she will likely push back. Sometimes toddlers like to eat on the go (they are so active!). Put out a "snack tray" and allow her to nibble as she wishes. Toddlers are designed to be picky eaters by nature -- they tend to only eat what they were exposed to through breast milk or food in the first year. It can sometimes be even more limited. I just read a GREAT book on infant/toddler eating -- "Feeding Baby Green". It came me great insight into feeding my little girl (and more useful for future children). Put it on your Christmas list!!!!

1 mom found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Dallas on

Don't punish her. It's just going to backfire on you. Mine has the opposite problem as far as time. She just throws most of her's on the floor and wants down within 5 minutes.
As far as picky is concerned, don't be too worried about it. I've met few non-picky two year olds, and I do in-home daycare so I know about the slow eaters, the picky ones, etc.
Just keep offering what you want her to eat, and if she refuses it, fine, just try again next time. It took me offering strawberries to mine like 50 times before she would try it, and now it's her favorite food!

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S.C.

answers from Dallas on

I completely understand what you are going through. I have a 2 year old as well. I know that when we sit down for dinner it will be a struggle to get him to eat. Just last night we were eating out and he decided to eat when we got up to leave. I wrapped up his sandwich and he eat it as we were walking around Sams. Our 8 year old was not the same. He ate whatever we put in front of him and still does. Then again, it is a reflection of their personalities. Our 2 year old has a mind of his own.

When we sit down at the table, I have begun making a PB&J for him unless I know he will eat what I have fixed. I give him a little of what we are having to show that he is not excused from eating what the family is eating. However, I have stopped making it a battle.

I don't know if this will help. It is nice to hear that others struggle with the same thing. I don't think our kids will starve. Maybe it means that when they get older, they will only eat when they are hungry and not because they are bored. I wish I could do that:)

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J.M.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter is going through the same thing. She is also small, weight wise, for her age. I've tried a million different things. Depending on the day, some things work and some don't. We do reward her with an oreo after lunch or dinner (not both) if she eats well. Sometimes I'll save her lunch and that is the only thing she can have for an afternoon snack or dinner. Once she eats that, she can have something else. (We only do this if she requests something for lunch and then won't eat) We also sometimes just let her graze throughout the day. I'll give her a snack cup full of cereal, and by the end of the day it will be gone. We just use a combination of rewards and punishment (not having pretzels or cookies, etc until she eats well.... no timeout or anything). It is starting to get better. I wish you the best of luck!
I also have noticed that my daughter has been the most stubborn when she has gotten 2 year molars. Does your little girl have those yet? Each time she gets one, it has been a few weeks of terrible sleep and eating habits. Again, I wish you luck!

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L.S.

answers from Dallas on

Raissa & Bethany have some really good advice. Don't push it or turn it into a power struggle. It will ultimately back fire on you if you do. She will eat enough. No toddler that has been provided a variety of healthy foods has ever starved to death. Never turn food or meals into a punishment/reward either. If she's going back and forth between the table and play or throwing food on the ground, then just calmly place her meal up. Toddlers are notoriously picky and sporadic as far as eating and meals go. A friend of mine suggested a book by Penelope Leach (it has to do with child development in general). Another thing to keep in mind is that some times they do things to get a rise out of us. Perhaps your daughter finds it amusing when people fuss over her and food. I know my son had similar reactions with different things. Taking the emotion out of it really helped for us.

Relax. As long as your ped is not worried about her weight, she'll be fine. The nutritional needs of a child her age are much much less than what we adults think. it will be ok.

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