How to get a toddler to eat?

Ugh! Will my child ever eat?! She’s about to turn 16 months old and getting her to eat anything is such a fight. I feel like the worlds worst mother because she just won’t eat. We eat together, she gets the food that I get, we have mealtime generally around the same time everyday, she has her own silverware and place to eat. When I say she won’t eat, I mean it. There are some days that she surprises me but most days are like today. Today she has had a couple of bites of veggie straws and a bite of a saltine cracker. And no, I don’t just offer her snacks all the time. But I need her to eat something but she won’t even eat “snacks”. It’s so frustrating. I’m not really asking for advice because I’ve heard it all. I just needed to vent :disappointed:

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Is she drinking milk?

My son is 18months. He doesn’t eat either. Occasionally like you said, he will surprise me. He does however drink plenty of milk and a cup of juice a day.

Sounds like she’s drinking too much. Its most likely a phase

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Mine never stops eating :sob::joy:

Good luck I had one who would barely take 4oz of milk. I force fed her baby food until she could ask for food. When she went to school she would only eat chicken noodle soup. She is 35 now a mom herself. Keep at it but it doesn’t get better. She isn’t a picky eater at all but she doesn’t eat normal. But I don’t have to deal with it anymore.

Could be a texture/sensory thing. I had a daycare kid that would not eat anything that did not have a hard crunch.

My 24 year old son was like this. Doc said he will eat when he is hungry. Doc was right. As long as they are healthy.

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Sounds like food adversion. You need to speak with a doctor.

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My daughter didn’t eat when she was little. Today she is 45 yrs old and an English Education Professor, wife, and mother of two of the world’s most amazing teenage boys, so don’t dispair lady’s!!!

Let her have choices … Pick between two things you already want … And let her watch / help in some small way

My 2 year old is hell to get to eat some days and others he doesn’t get full. Is she a good weight? Is the dr worried? If not then chill she’s fine.

Trust me, I know how hard that can be!! Hang in there mama it will get better :two_hearts:

Will she drink pedi-sure? Keep offering the food, don’t make a big fuss over not eating. Give her a daily vitamins. Ask her pediatrician what else you can do

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I was like this my son who is almost 3 hardly eats. He loves pickles :person_shrugging:

My now 26-year-old lived on air from the time he was nearly 2 until he was 6. He ate very little, was tiny for his age (4th percentile), and I once had a doctor accuse me of starving him until I broke down crying in frustration that he simply would not eat. His father was the same at that age, according to my MIL, and his doctors tested him for leukemia and a host of other disorders. My boy simply did not want to eat, but when he hit a growth spurt he shot up like a weed, eating nearly everything in sight. As long as your child is fundamentally healthy I’m sure she’ll be fine… but you could try slipping in a milkshake every now and then, and making sandwiches with lots of mayonnaise… that’s what Jon’s doctor suggested after I dried my tears.
Btw… my granddaughter is just like her father… petite picky eater. This too shall pass!

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I’m in the same boat!!! It is really frustrating especially trying to eat out anywhere because I know the only thing offered at a restaurant that my son will eat is ketchup. It’s really frustrating and makes me feel terrible too.

Cut down on her milk. She will eat more

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I went through the same thing. The doctor told me when they were hungry they would eat. I am also raising my 8 year old autistic granddaughter. Talk about picky. She only wants sweets. Sometimes eggs, broccoli, cheese wheels, pizza, and fruit.

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She lives on fruit. When she gets hungry she eats.

Yeah, he’s pushing your buttons alright! Be firm and emotionally strong. Feed the foods you want him to eat - and - nothing else!!! If he doesn’t eat [anything], remove it. When he acts hungry again, re-PRESENT the same dish you’d served earlier…all night long. A few hours or, even an overnight without eating will not harm him at all! STAY STRONG (if not, you’ll have a fussy eater for the rest of his life with you and he’ll have the power over you - which is JUST WRONG!)

OP Update

Not on days like this. Some days I can’t get her to drink hardly anything. For example; today she has had 7 oz of toddler formula that I don’t typically give her unless she won’t eat anything because her pedi told me to do that if I can’t get her to eat. Aside from that she has had a few sips of water and about 4 oz of some juice that I was able to get her to drink.

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I swear my daughter lives off of cheese puffs, and chicken fingers. Some kids are just bad eaters. he will grow out of it. Til then don’t stress about it so much. Just makes YOU frustrated. Everytime my daughter eats something I celebrate with her lol as long as he is drinking liquids i wouldn’t worry too much. We all want our kids to eat healthy. But sometimes we have to choose our battles :slight_smile: good luck momma! he will get there!

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If shes hungry she will eat. Dont worry to mich it’s just a phase. Both of my daughters r different. My oldest eats everything we have to usually cut her meals in half, or she would eat more then everyone. And my youngest would rather eat healthy and doesnt eat much of anything and shes 3.

Omg girl I feel yah! My son will be 2 in June and he will not eat either! The struggle is real. I get so frustrated because how can he not be hungry! I feel like he has to be starving! Things he used to eat he won’t eat now, I can’t get him to try anything new. Ugh. It’s rough.

My daughter went through phases. Just encourage if not pedialyte milk has what she needs. So dont ever forget that. She will come around.

My granddaughter was the same way. The only things she would eat was yogurt, pop tarts and french fries. The Pediatrician said to make sure she was taking a multi vitamin and let her eat what she wants. She eventually stared liking a few more things. She’s now 5 and still has only certain foods she’ll eat but she’s healthy and still taking multi vitamins.

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My 2nd daughter was like that, didn’t fight it, she lived on cheerios, chicken noodle soup, milk and vitamins.
She was always healthy

Around 15 to 18 months my kid wouldn’t eat either. And I mean would. not. eat.

Shes almost 4 now, didn’t starve to death.

We had a smoothie phase, that helped for a bit, then back to not eating. No advice for you, just wanted to say don’t stress too much, you’re doing the best you can :heart:

My daughter is like that but makes up for it other days. My boys did it too. But I’ll tell ya get some fruit at my house it’s gone in seconds. Strawberries blackberries and raspberries especially. My kids would live off of those. Keep trying different things she will get through it.

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How much is she drinking? Could be drinking to much. That age its like 16 oz of milk a day.

If she is still teething that will affect her eating.

Serenity is 17 months and she only eats if she can take it on the go. Real talk give her things that she can take inna ziplock bag and see if you can get her to eat that way. I gave up giving a fuck about recommended this and healthy that. My kid needs to eat. Full stop. So i found a way to convince her to eat. #noshame

She’ll be fine mama. Just make sure to push fluids. Buy some pedialyte to keep her electrolytes up. Kids go through spurts of eating a lot/not eating. Just make sure she stays hydrated. :heart:

Is she on “dodo” bottle ? She may be full cause of the milk … I had to take my little one off in order for her to eat

Have you tried the food in the tubes my daughter would get those and when my granddaughter was toddler she would get up before anybody else and go look for food so my daughter would put those squeeze bottles of food in the door of the refrigerator on the bottom shelf and she would break the seal so it’d be easy for her to open it and she would eat those you might try that or maybe frozen yogurt or fruit shakes that way she’s getting some nutrition

How is her weight? If her weight is normal don’t fret. If she is underweight then we worry

She will eat when she gets hungry enough

My son is 4 almost 5 and he eats chicken, waffles,pancakes, drinks alot… I did do If he eats it fine i will let him have it… chips or fruit snacks, now it’s take a bite or eat all and u can have a treat. It is hard when doctors scare you… but my son is not bone skinny,he’s active, takes vitamins! They will grow out of it at some point. We try our best to give them the best but every child is different and not all parents are the same in how they deal with picky eater’s! It will take time but don’t push, one doctor said give two options and leave it at that. Good luck be strong your doing ok… :slightly_smiling_face:

When my kid went through these phases we did smoothies a d id make a " snack tray" in a muffin pan and let her pick and choose and come n go when she pleased. It was her decision i just controlled what was in the muffin cups. Id just leave it out on the coffee table or in fridge and she would nibble here and there. Were all grazers in our family :woman_shrugging:

As long as you’re giving her the option to eat she will never let herself starve ! You’re ok mum ! Just keep an eye out as to what you’re giving her , log it down maybe she likes others tastes: textures more than others right now . Back molars that come in take a lot out of baby’s … my little guy only ate banana, toast and cheese noodles even though I hated giving that to him , he loved it … so I Puréed cauliflower and broccoli and whatever veggies I had on hand and threw them in noodles !

Tanika was a terrible eater until she was 8. Sometimes, still, she’ll declare herself “full” after only a bite or two then ask for cookies. When she was a toddler, i kept a composition journal on me that i used to record EVERYTHING i offered her, ingredients, quantities, and times, just to prove i was feeding her. I also reiterated to myself often “you can lead a baby to food but you can’t make her eat” to make myself feel better (it didn’t help me but i am also a mess of anxiety and depression).
Yea, you’re going to feel like a terrible parent; that’s how you know you’re a good one.