You’re definitely going to create an unhealthy relationship with food if you punish him for not eating. If we as adults got punished for eating something we hated… I mean their human too and if they don’t like, they don’t like it. Don’t force him to eat it or punish him.
Put it on a plate in front of him and walk.away. eh…if he eats great. If not oh well. Just don’t give Any snacks… when he is hungry warm his plate of dinner back up
Maybe get them interested in the food by having them help you cook and prepp?
Oh God. Welcome to our world. My grandkids have been like this since toddlers and they are now 9 & 12. Although my grandson 12 is not as bad as my granddaughter She hardly ever eats breakfast, refuses to touch veggies. Although will eat certain fruits. They would live on junk food or sweet drinks if we allowed it. Their poor mum ( my daughter in law ) goes thru hell trying to feed them. But honestly they are beautiful energetic healthy kids. Correct weight for age Great at school and sports. I use to worry they will get sick as adults but My niece was like that as a kid wouldn’t eat vegetables wanted to live on McDonalds. Now she’s a strict vegetarian in her 30s won’t touch junk food, runs in marathons and is a lawyer as healthy as can be. So go figure ??
While it’s not super heathy, Aldi’s has “chicken nuggets” that are Dino shaped and are veggie nuggets! This is what i had to do with my daughter.
Following for comments. My son (5) will not eat anything that isn’t chicken nuggets, pizza or cheese. I’ve tried to do the “eat what I cook or go hungry” and my son is STUBBORN. He will literally go as long as necessary before I finally cave. My son, at the longest, went 2 days refusing to eat bc of that.
My husband and I have three kids and while I will accommodate adding their favorites to the menu more often,
I am no longer a short-order cook accommodating their changing likes and dislikes. I plan a menu I think everyone will like, and that is what I cook. They can eat it or not, but I am not going to spend hours every day recooking meals to accommodate finicky eaters. I started out doing that. No more.
If I introduce a new food, all I ask is try a bite. Nothing more.
If they are young I will make them a sandwich as an alternative. They don’t get to be picky on that either.
My oldest was the pickiest, and he once went 8 days eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for his meals. He survived it and got sick of them and decided to eat what everyone else was eating. He happily ate what we ate after that.
We also approach introducing new foods as an exciting adventure.
Just keep offering food and he will eat it eventually 
choose what is for meals and snacks and put them out when its time to eat and if he chooses not to eat them thats ok - our job as parents is to choose what to eat and when and their job as kids is to choose how much they eat 
kids will eventually start trying more foods and getting more brave in tasting things and give them an honest try and learn what they truly like and dislike when you stop trying to cater to them and let them decide they are only going to eat junk food instead:woman_shrugging: it goes against human nature to starve yourself so if they know that you have a firm boundary and pushing you won’t result in different food they will start eating what you serve for meals and snacks - also remember that their dietary needs fluctuate more due to the rate they grow, as adults this doesn’t happen to the same extreme- sometimes they are just simply not as hungry because their body is resting and sometimes they want to eat around the clock because their bodies are burning through calories growing
I always had my kids try and eat the veggies first and I didn’t over load them also if he likes to snack try raw veggies with lite dressing or seasoning my kids love cucumber with dry steak seasoning
I have found that sitting with my 2 year old grandson at the table has helped his eating… and even better if his brother sits with us…
Put it in his plate. Make sure there’s something the child will for sure eat on the plate. Have him sit with you. Don’t force to eat ever. But say, you need to sit here. This is what’s for supper. You don’t have to eat it but there’s nothing else. If they try and throw it, then remove the plate. Don’t throw the food away. Reoffer it later.
Leave healthy food on the table. If he’s hungry he will eat. Deal with the tantrums for a few days and problem solved.
If you make stuff homemade puree it and put it in there and he’ll never know I did it to all three of my kids
My 4 year old pretty much only eats cereal, yogurt, cheese, and fruit. Every day breakfast lunch and dinner. he is still going to survive u til he is older and wants to try new things.
I put “fairy dust” (colored sprinkles) on my kids’ veggies when I was teaching them to eat their veggies. Worked like a charm.
My son loves the Knorr broccoli cheddar pasta from Walmart. I get fresh broccoli and steam it until it’s soft and mix it in there.
He also loves pasta so I put diced tomatoes and corn in the sauce as well.
And if I don’t mixed the vegetables into something I put garlic butter on it.
My son was very picky until I started doing it this way. Now I rarely have any trouble getting him to eat his veggies.
I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the original question; which was how to get your child to eat “healthier” and that he wont ear anything unless it is “junk”…but then you say chicken patties and chocolate, which ARE junk (technically; I mean I feed them to my kids but lets be real here…) and you say he wont eat them… So I guess I am kind of lost with all of what you have said. ANYWAYS, dont force him to eat. If he is throwing up on you, chances are he wasnt hungry in the first place OR he had a belly ache. He will eat when he is hungry.
Give them only healthy options. I have grape tomatoes, baby carrots, string cheese, yogurts, etc at kid level for my grandkids we are raising. We have treats at times, but we always have homemade food for meals.
I swear it’s just that age. Mine wouldn’t eat anything but cheese or fruit snacks for like 6 months. I swear. I could sneak real fruit in there at least sometimes 
Don’t force him to eat. That creates very bad habit forming addictions. And then obesity later in life. Give him an option, if he doesn’t want it. Put it in the fridge and try again when he says he is hungry. If he won’t eat it. Fed him what he will eat. Unless its only candy. Honestly though its just his age. He has learned what he likes more and will test you.
Biggest thing I learned was even the fussiest Eater will never starve.
Things that worked for us: - - Have them help make the food
- Make food and put it in the middle of the table and let them load their own plate
- You must try everything even a tiny bit every meal (it can take 11-20 tries before their tiny palettes accept the new flavour)
- if you take it you eat it
- if you don’t eat your XXX you get nothing else
We had a chicken nugget, egg and toast eater.
Literally nothing else
Now she eats all meats and veg too. Fruits are still difficult but we are getting there.
It’s a hard road too if you are a step parent and one of the parents doesn’t give a hoot and basically feeds them carbs and crap
I’m not quite sure what the issue is… Your kids eat what you put in front of them/give them… You as the “Parent” is in charge… Period!
I used to give a tiny container of rainbow sprinkles for them to sprinkle on their food to make it more fun.
My son was the same way. I talked to his pediatrician and he said as long as he’s getting plenty of fluids don’t force him to eat. Eventually he will get hungry and will eat what you give him. You can’t cave.
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I guess it depends on when you start them out with food and what you give them. My oldest is little over 2 and we started him out on veggies when he was 4months old and till this day he still eats the same veggies and he’s a fruit baby. All he will eat mostly is oranges,pineapple and peaches. He eats Cheetos and Mac and cheese, he loves green beans. Some days he’s picky and won’t eat,the next day he’ll eat it all.
Stop forcing him and punishing him, that isn’t healthy. I’d offer him something he likes along with whatever you make.
Seriously? He’s two and a half! You should never punish, bribe or do what you’re doing let alone argue with a kid that young.
Start by being a better parent and getting to know your kid, and eat when he eats so that he can see that it is ok. Chances are is that the daycare is feeding him garbage, and if so then pull him from that daycare.
Feed him home cooked meals, veggies, mills, cheese, breads, etc. Start with a cheese sandwich and soup, maybe a deli sandwich and fries. Avoid processed junk like microwave foods or bologna, and go with deli meats instead.
Prep and cook his meals ahead of time, which can be reheated quickly.
Be sure not to argue with him, because he’s two and half.
I was told by a pediatrician not to battle a child over food. It will create a much bigger issue. I had the same issues with my 2 year old who is now 5. We still have issues. However, I let him snack throughout the day if he will eat healthier foods. I was told to try to get him to sit down for meals, but if he won’t eat, don’t force him. The dr said that a child will not let themselves starve. I let my son pick out things at the grocery store that he would like to eat. I will not let him have candy or any dessert until he eats something good. If he won’t eat dinner at dinner time, I wrap it up and put it in the fridge. Later when he says he is hungry, I reheat his dinner. Two is a hard age but following my pediatrician’s recommendations has helped not only my son, but my sanity. It has gotten better over time.
Try a fun plate/bowl/utensils! Bright colored ones that make the food seem “more fun” offer small portions of each item to make it seem more like a snack.
Stay strong and stick to your guns. If he gets hungry enough he will eat what you put in front of him.
If he’s hungry he will eat. Reduce snacks and sugary drinks.
Stop providing junk and only healthier options he is 2 and a half eventually will eat what you give them if they are hungry enough I have very picky eaters also bous are more picky than girls in my experience but once hunger sets in no arguments are made.
Make him snacks like bite size fruits, crackers etc arranged in fun ways. Kids love that stuff lol. Or if you think he’s not eating enough maybe a meal replacement drink sort of deal.?
I have an almost 2 year old so I know the feeling. He won’t eat anything he doesn’t want. I say that’s a bit too young to force food. It’s frustrating but at least try to put healthy stuff on the plate. If he doesn’t eat it, nothing you can really do at that age (from my experience).
I put everything on his plate that I would mine. Every now and then he’ll at least taste other things so I consider that a win.
We had issues with my man’s kid when I moved in. Single dad of a 5 year old who was used to pizza and spaghetti (dad worked 60 hours a week so it was usually easy-to-make dinners). I came along and would opt for healthier meals or try new recipes. We started making him eat everything on his plate. There have been issues (throwing up, hiding food, etc). After I started taking his favorite Spiderman toys he eventually stopped all that. He still picks and takes forever to eat stuff he doesn’t care for, but he cleans his plate. Wouldn’t recommend that until they are older though. 2 and a half is a bit young in my opinion.
Welcome to the life of toddlerhood 
just keep introducing those same foods on their plate over and over mixing new ones up day after day, it can take upwards to 20 times I believe of a child seeing something new before they actually try it or begin to “like” it.
He will get there. Mine had several eating issues and he is now 3.5and opening his horizons to new foods including meat. Just keep introducing whatever foods you want him to eat several times.
You can’t really force a child to eat especially that young . There’s not much you can really do . But just serve him. And if he eats or don’t . Try and figure out what he does like and give him that . talk to his doctor about it also .
My daughter eats chicken but it’s called dip in dots🤣(her 18 yr old sister called it that out of frustration one night and she responded with really dip! Dip in dots!.. it just stuck…dip the chicken in the ketchup…hey don’t judge it works🤣 broccoli is cheese in the grass… melted cheese dip broccoli lol hey whatever works…
Did you microwave the chicken or back in oven it maters
I simply just buy healthy food and no junk then they have no other option
I would speak to an developmental pediatrician is may be something else going on besides the basic 2 year thing
My son was extremely picky and had issues with different textures. I had him seen by a child specialist at the sweetish hospital in Seattle WA because I was worried he wasn’t getting what he needed for nutrition. He said flat out don’t push or force eating. They will eat when they are hungry! Don’t have the junk food available. Also he said that Gatorade and propell and all those types of drinks are just as bad as soda. He also said no aspertame ( fake sugar) sugars that are put in diet drinks even crystal light. Diet drinks are worse then drinking regular. Anyhow if he doesn’t eat it or she , leave the option for them to come back to their meal. Don’t punish over food. When he or she is hungry, they will most certainly eat. Its so easy to give in and just give what they want so we know they are at least getting something. But it’s something as parents we just have to stand firm in. Maybe create games in learning what the bennifits are to eating different healthy foods. Create a song together. Involve your child in the preparation of food. Make it fun and exciting. Its a hard one because all kids are different in what works for them, but this specialist for me really expressed that it won’t hurt them. They will eat when they are hungry and they will come around it just takes some time and you standing firm with it and not giving in.
I would stop buying junk food and bringing it into the house. If he’s having no issue at daycare eating healthy but eats junk at the house then stop buying it. Good luck.
This is completely normal for a toddler to eat much better at school or for others. I am a teacher and I have seen this for over 20 years in this field.
Honestly, if your child is eating well at school then I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I definitely WOULD NOT PUNISH the child for not eating then it becomes a negative experience for you and the child.
So at mealtimes you make what you want and that’s that. I WOULD NOT make separate meals foe the child! Also, make sure you and your family are sitting down at mealtime to eat the same thing you are feeding your 2 year old. If your child sees they are the only one sitting and eating at mealtimes or if they see that you have something completely different then what they do they WILL NOT eat. Then I would give them their plate and they eat what they eat and that’s that. Don’t give any snacks afterwards if they didn’t eat their meal. If they are hungry after offer them their meal they refused to eat. Children will not make themselves starve and will end up eating once they realize that mom/dad isn’t going to give in and make/give me something else other then what you made to begin with. Also, get rid of all the JUNK food cauz if you don’t have it then they don’t see it and can’t through a temper tantrum cauz they want it. Out of sight out of mind, it’s simple! BE THE PARENT and YOU TELL THEM WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO EAT. DON’T LET THE CHILD DICTATE WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO EAT!!! YOU ARE BOSS NOT THEM!!!
A lot of time families will make 2/3 different meals or give lots of snacks after if that child didn’t eat and that just makes it a thousand times worse and will let the child know that if I don’t eat what my family gives me then I can just get what I want later and that defeats the purpose of trying to get them to eat other things other them junk!
My son did the same thing at 2 years old, I told his doctor and she said he will eat when he’s hungry.
We went threw this and we stopped buying the junk they liked to eat so they didn’t see it and eventually they started eating what was in the house they may choose to miss a meal but will eventually eat what you have if you stop buying the junk they want or hide it somewhere they don’t get into so you can still have it when they are asleep
Don’t make him eat something he doesn’t want or doesn’t like. The daycare make make it a certain way that he likes and may use a certain brand he may like better.
Controversial but I wouldn’t fight him. I’d let him be as long as he continues to eat well at daycare xxx
Good to research. . Psychology. I once read about kiddos developing food aversions… hope u find healthy answers
Advice from my dr to me was “don’t have anything on the house that you don’t want them to have” mines picky, food will sit there if he doesn’t eat it, sometimes he eats it sometimes he doesn’t
. He just will have to go hungry if he won’t eat it. 
Corn with butter in it, pork and beans, carrot sticks with ranch, raisins on Peanut butter on celery(ants on a log), oatmeal with lots of butter and sugar… I guess sneak heathly food in with tasty stuff?
Same! My daughter will eat anything for her grandparents thou!
All of these interesting comments…My mom called it Take it, or leave it, there’s a jar of peanut butter in the cupboard!!!
You can’t… don’t give them any junk ever and u might be able to… my children have barely had any junk in their life as it’s not needed
There’s no point to argue about food. Choose your battles 
My kid did that. I told him that I started buying daycares food. He ate it. Ha ha ha
Make it look like junk 
no seriously for example if he likes chips make them at home and save an old chip bag or if he likes Mc Donald’s put it in mc Donald’s packaging (I bet they’d give you a fry box and sandwich wrapper for free) and again don’t offer anything else make sure he knows there will be nothing else he can go to bed without. My two year old thought going to bed was a better idea then eating until 30 minutes later he came and asked for dinner
Have youtried smoothies can add protein etc if you find his flavor
Allow him o help fix what he eats ad make a big deal go slow and praise him
I would say that one of their favorite cartoon characters loved whatever I was making. Also snack plates !! There’s some cute animal ones that are disposable. There’s bowls too. If my kids fought me on food. Then no tv until the next meal time. Because big boys who finish food get tv time. I also did donut dinners every so often. Mostly to give myself a break. Also to reward my kids for no drama dinner times
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Try plain rice with soy sauce.
You could try making fruit smoothies and adding spinach
Don’t keep any junk in the house. Healthy snacks as options so he doesn’t go hungry. But unless he has food sensitivity he will eat when he’s hungry enough.
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My son was into dinosaurs do broccoli were trees and a meatball an armadillo and I used to ask him what type of dinosaur he was and what it ate. Show me! Worked most of the time
We put things we eat on his plate and a few things we know he will 100% eat. He is 16 months so in the middle of toddler pickiness. We usually do serve fresh fruits with his meals because he loves it.
Dr told each time i had a picky 2 yr old they will eat when hungry. My current 2 yr old wants waffles sausage bananas and yogurt and grapes. Anything else is offensive to him. I give him 8oz of formula 2 times a day so i know hes getting nutrition requirements.
Don’t provide or give junk. Don’t force him either. All (most) kids are picky whether they are on a spectrum or not. Keep pushing fruit and veggies but make them look appealing by cutting them up and offer yogurt and peanut butter with. Some sweets in ration should be fine, like adding a little sugar to the spaghetti. Try applesauce, you can make milkshakes and smoothies with a combo of fruits and veggies. We make our smoothies with spinach and kale, but a lot of fruit. You have to play with the smoothie thing until you find the flavor you like. Put cheese on his eggs, make pancakes with chocolate chips in it. Just don’t give in to processed and fast food.
It might sound really cold, but I’m not a short order cook. They are served dinner and they choose not to eat, they have to sit until we all are done. Once the table is cleared if they state they are hungry later, I warmed the same dinner plate up. Prior to this, My children had “learned” if they didn’t eat dinner they would get a small snack before bed out of my “mommy guilt” from them not eating dinner. Once I started re-serving the plates they stopped skipping dinner and started eating more and rewarded with fun dessert of a favorite fruit or pudding prior to bed. He is eating at school because no other options are available and he sees his classmates eating.
Just don’t make him let him come to you if he is verbal . Or space out how far apart you try to feed him . It’s totally normal I’m sure I know my mini did that too
Stop buying junk food. He thinks there’s an option.
Ive never had this problem but ive always said when the day comes that my kids stop eating anything i will use old mcdonalds wrappers if i need to.
My son has been picky about veggies unless it’s in things. He loves beef and veggies soup, potstickers with veggies in them, and stuff like that. Try ravioli with spinach in it or blend spinach into pizza sauce and make him pizzas. Cauliflower pizza crust. My son also has started loving eating big carrots whole. Maybe try hiding veggies in things you know he’ll eat
quit giving them junk. you the one that buys the groceries
I would just fix him his plate with what everyone else is having and if he eats it great and if he doesn’t well he’s going to be hungry. If he eats it at! school you know he can tolerate it . He is just being spoiled. If he gets hungry enough he will eat it. And I agree, no desert if he doesn’t finish his meal. He’s going to be mad and cry but Mom your not a short order cook. Set the rules now ! He’s the child and he doesn’t get to set the rules ! Stay strong you can do this ! He really will be better off in the long run and so will you.
Stop serving junk. He knows you’ll cave in. Daycare isn’t giving him junk. He knows he can have it at home.
Does he like juice ? My son is picky so I found these cold press drinks a Wegmans . My kids love . So I hand them a drink Everytime he’s asking for junk . And it works . I haven’t found a way for them to eat solid veggies
Children will eat when they’re hungry. He is probably not even hungry if he’s eaten at daycare.
Let him eat whatever it’s a war us parents can’t win but use supplements in milk form or toddler formula or vitamin supplements my kids refuse pretty much anything good . Also plates with fruit make animal faces and funny faces or let them decorate the plate with food they tend to eat more of what they make.
Maybe get him to choose what he wants when out shopping and get him to help you cook it. He may eat it then
Annabelle Karmel meals! My daughter refused all veggies for a while and I introduced her to those. She got the taste for veg again or something and is a bit better now lol
He’s 2 and half, he won’t have a big appetite both at school and home so if he’s eating at nursery just make him little snack often, don’t force him to.do anything as you’ll make him worse but remember he’s still only a toddler. Get down to his level and make things fun.
Have a talk with daycare about health food, or find another daycare
He will eat when he’s hungry, don’t do anything but continue to offer the healthy stuff. Gotta be strong though….
Leave him alone , if he gets Hungary , he will eat!!
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Following! My 3 yr old is the fiercest.
Maybe he isn’t hungry
Look for the book called the sneaky chef. They get the good stuff without even knowing
He’ll eat when he gets hungry no worries 
This page, Kids Eat in Color , is really great for tips and tricks to get your kids to eat what they normally wouldn’t!
So no joke, I basically make my picky 3 year old a charcuterie board almost daily and let her pick at it throughout the day. She eats breakfast really well (eggs, oatmeal, etc) but she shuts down almost everything else. The first time I did this for her, she was so excited about the pretty colors, and I told her she could be a big girl and pick whatever she wanted to eat. She’s super headstrong at times, so it made her feel like she was making some decisions for herself, all while I really controlled what she was eating bc that’s what I chose for her. She would eat crackers 24/7 if I let her, so by doing this, I control the portion size, and she knows that once the Crackers are gone she needs to try something new. It really works well in our house and she has definitely tried more things when I “leave it up to her.”
Does he like spaghetti? I found this today and bought it. Hopefully it tastes normal because I’m guilty of not eating enough vegetables too lol.
Smdh. How TF you gonna punish a two year old like this? That’s fucked.
Give it up, by the time they reach 10 their whole diet will have changed. And not through persuasion but through their natural curiosity. Also whatever you want them to eat, put on your plate, if they’re anything like mine and I assume most other kids they’ll want some eventually. In the mean time chill, getting stressed about it isn’t helping, and can cause food disorders later on.
Have you tried letting him pick out fruits & veggies to try when you shop? My kid has always been a pretty healthy eater, but she’d sometimes balk at new foods. She almost always ate what she picked.
I do dinner dates with my almost 3 year old to get him to eat… We share a big bowl or playe of whatever dinner is that night and I let him eat as much of it as he wants while eating along side him … He’s a picky eater for the most part he likes cheese, chocolate and gummies … Usually He throws his food when hes done so eating together makes it a bit easier and less messy as what he doesn’t eat I am eating
Omg I remember the fights me and my oldest had over food. She hated everything except ramen. Eventually I couldn’t stand the mom guilt of yelling at my kid over something like food. My nephew was super picky too and the doc told my sister “kids won’t let themselves starve, feed them what they will eat, he will will grow out of it” and they both did
So, I’ve always given my son everything
Like a complicated pasta dish, olives, mortadella, pancetta, I’d just let him eat what I was having (started from age 1 - 1,5
Sometimes, just sometimes, we’d go to Macdonald’s and he actually prefers ‘normal’ food
Lile homecooked meals with green asparagus or celeriac puree and stuff like that.
He eats cookies and stuff too, but will finish about 300grams pf strawberries in one sitting.
So I have no advice
Maybe try cutting fruit in fun shapes?
My oldest was like that, he’s now 8. He would eat things for other people but not at home so instead of fighting with him, We just made things simple and made things special for him that we knew he liked, but we would also still make us what we wanted and we wouldn’t force him to eat those things but we would put a little on his plate and make him take a bite of each one every time. Even if it was something he said he didn’t like before, we still had him “try” it again every time we made it and eventually he started asking for more of things that he used to refuse to eat, now he eats just about everything we do.
Toddlers are assholes about eating sometimes lol. Mine goes in phases. It’s one of the things in their lives they can actually control, so their newly developing independence takes full advantage! Our pediatrician told us not to look at each meal and to look at the week as a whole. Keep offering healthy meals and sit down to eat together to model. If he starts to play, set a timer. We generally aim for about 30 minutes at the table. Once that time is up, we are done with lunch. It’s not worth the fight. One meal isn’t going to make or break his health. If he’s not losing weight and is eating fine at daycare, it’s all good! This is one of my anxiety triggers, so it has taken me a long time to get this through my head! Don’t let food and eating be a trigger for fighting, or it may lead to an unhealthy relationship with food down the line.
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My son did this flash forward hes 5 now and will try pretty much try and will tell me if he really doesn’t like it and I won’t offer it anymore (pickles, peaches, tacos). If you’re eating something like spaghetti and the child only likes noodles than just put small amount of sauce on the side or a container to put beside plate. There’s studies it takes a minimum of 7 tries for a child to try something.
I always just offered it and if he didn’t eat it I don’t make him feel bad about it (as long term of that can cause issues like an ED as a young adult/adult).
Check out the cookbook The Sneaky Chef, it offered some good solutions to get more nutritious food into our kiddo