Well, I feel like a crappy mother...

yellowtulips80

So we went out for dinner tonight.  I ordered some mac n cheese for L because she is so picky lately.  She wouldn't eat a bite.  So I offered her a fry from my plate to see if she would eat something.  She wouldn't eat that either.  So I try ketchup for dip.  She starts crying.  She wound up eating the ketchup with her spoon.

 So freaking frustrating!  My kid ate ketchup for dinner. Big.Fat.Mommy.Fail.

Please tell me the secret to getting a toddler to eat.

remote_girl

be nice to yourself! you are NOT a bad mommy - i have no secret tips (i only have a 10 month old), but as a former fussy eater it has nothing to do with you! my mom was a homegrown veggie growing, no junk food mom and i still gave her hell. i hoarded every cent of allowance for candy and put ketchup on everything and now i love trying all sort of foods...

Mrs.Guz

Don't be so hard on yourself. Kids go through these phases. Lately, I've been having to bribe Abigail with sweets (cookies, candy, etc) to get her to eat her food. Some may not approve, but oh well....whatever gets her to eat.

susangilchrist

We're in the same boat.  We've discovered lately that Emma like to do things herself.  She wants her food in bigger chunks rather than cut up.  For example, I cut hot dogs into strips now and she picks them up and bites, rather than me cutting them up for her completely.  She also will usually try something if I load the fork/spoon and sit it on her plate and don't even mention it.  If I ask her to take a bite of something, I get a big fat "NO!" but if I don't draw any attention to it, she'll usually take a bite.  Good luck!

tracigator

As my pedi has always told me, they'll eat when they're hungry.  Goes against every fiber of my being but it's something I try to remember at particularly picky meal times. Kids goes through phases.  You are not a bad mommy!

Mrs. Theobald

Ketchup = tomatoes = vegetable.  Yay Lily ate a vegetable!    j/k  It is very normal for toddlers to go through spurts where they eat a whole lot and you wonder where they are putting it to eating barely anything at all.  What is most important in this phase is that you continue to offer her a variety of foods and encourage her to eat.  Trust me she will NOT starve herself.  When she is hungry she will eat.  Don't beat yourself up.  Your a a great mom with a normal toddler!  I bet she will eat a good breakfast this morning if not then lunch.  

 

slwprincess

tracigator:

As my pedi has always told me, they'll eat when they're hungry.  Goes against every fiber of my being but it's something I try to remember at particularly picky meal times. Kids goes through phases.  You are not a bad mommy!

 This exactly.  For every no eating phase there will be a pig out phase.  They are still learning their own hunger cues and their brain/body can't make sense of what they are feeling at all times.  It drives my mom and MIL crazy when they can't get him to eat but I just shrug it off.  I think that drives them even more crazy- lol!

MLvK

slwprincess:

tracigator:

As my pedi has always told me, they'll eat when they're hungry.  Goes against every fiber of my being but it's something I try to remember at particularly picky meal times. Kids goes through phases.  You are not a bad mommy!

 This exactly.  For every no eating phase there will be a pig out phase.  They are still learning their own hunger cues and their brain/body can't make sense of what they are feeling at all times.  It drives my mom and MIL crazy when they can't get him to eat but I just shrug it off.  I think that drives them even more crazy- lol!

 

Keep offering her good foods.  When she gets hungry she'll eat.  Maybe she wasn't hungry at dinner.  We tend to feed our kids when we feel hungry and then get frustrated that they won't eat.  And remember that good nutrition is based on what they had for the week, not for the day.   

Janimal

My Delilah is also a big fan of eating just ketchup!

I have heard over and over again from pediatricians that every parent of a toddler thinks their kid will starve to death.  They're just picky eaters and that's that.  One night of eating ketchup is no biggy.  It drives us batty also, but we try to look at each week instead of ecah day, to track her nutrition.  Some days she'll eat nothing but cereal.  So the next we make sure to offer protein at every meal. 

One of our favorite recent hits is dried veggies.  Crunchy green beans are gobbled up like fresh grene beans NEVER are!  I have to watch the sodium she eats with stuff like that but yo, a green veggie!  D will also eat edamame because it's so much fun to pop them from the pods.  Just keep trying stuff and don't beat yourself up for the ketchup nights!

Hang in there!