Won't Eat (Never Has Really)

StacyJYay

Anyone have a toddler who eats very, very little?  My 15-month old is a terrible eater.  On a "good" day, he'll eat in total: 1 fruit/veggie pouch, 1 Babybel cheese, 2 oz of chicken, 1 graham cracker, and 1/4 cup of macaroni and cheese.  On an average day, he'll have half of that.  He's always been a lousy eater, both picky and simply "low volume."  It doesn't seem to be a sensory issue, as he'll eat all textures, and he doesn't fill up on liquids.  His milk intake is about 20-22 oz/day. He was a wonderful breast milk (until 10 months) and formula (months 11&12) drinker, but since stopping those obviously he's gained very little weight. 

 Anyone else have a LO who eats super little?  Anyone have thoughts?  The pediatrician hasn't been very helpful.  (Maybe a reason to switch docs...)  

Bella61811

I'm not sure what to do about upping his food intake, but I think most pediatricians recommend 12-16 ounces of dairy on a daily basis. If your son is drinking 20-22 ounces then he really might be full on milk.

mben1119

That's DS, to a tee. He eats really well at breakfast, okay at lunch and snacks, then dinner is basically a snack. He eats a little more than your LO, but I don't know what to do about it either. I do make sure what he does eat is high fat, high calorie (yogurt, string cheese, oatmeal, etc).  DS's 15 month appointment is next week, and I plan on asking the pediatrician about it, and I'll let you know what she says! 

memali26

Toddlers won't starve themselves. They are pretty good at regulating their own food intake, and their nutrition should be viewed over the course of a week. I thought DD2 was eating barely anything, until I looked at an entire week's worth of her intake. I was surprised that it was more than I thought. Still not a lot, but she's itty bitty (maybe 20lbs at almost 18 months). She drinks between 15-20 oz of whole milk a day, and if it's a day where I can see she's filling up on milk instead of food, I stop offering the milk until she's eaten something. Otherwise, I just offer healthy choices and let her eat what she will. 

If your LO staying on his growth curve? DD2 fell off hers, due to a growth delay that has nothing to do with her nutrition, but she's still gaining weight (sloooowly) and meeting milestones on time or early, so as long as those things keep happening the doctors don't think we need to worry about her food intake.

phillyfan929

yup that's DS also. he eats so little that it worries me all the time. he will eat different things but not a lot. he's in the 18th percentile for weight

eyenigh

mabenner1:

That's DS, to a tee. He eats really well at breakfast, okay at lunch and snacks, then dinner is basically a snack. He eats a little more than your LO, but I don't know what to do about it either. I do make sure what he does eat is high fat, high calorie (yogurt, string cheese, oatmeal, etc).  DS's 15 month appointment is next week, and I plan on asking the pediatrician about it, and I'll let you know what she says! 

You've described my son's eating habits to a tee! We start out strong at breakfast and then it tapers off from there. He drinks milk well during the day (not too much, though) so he isn't filling up. At the same time, he's off the chart for height and in the 75 percentile for weight so I guess he's doing something right. I read so many posts of people talking about these big meals that their toddlers eat and I couldn't imagine my son ever eating that much!

Kitten80

No, my kids eat like crazy.  One end of the spectrum or the other, right?  Is your son meeting developmental milestones?  Happy during the day and sleeping well?  Staying on his growth curve?

I would try decreasing his milk intake just a little and see if he eats more - that seems like more milk than our doctors recommend at that age.  If he doesn't have big intake needs to begin with, he may in fact be filling up on milk.

Good luck!

Anne Mommy

DS has his days. We found that he ate more if we only gave him food and did milk/water after. We also eat with him so he sees daddy eating the same stuff. Since he is in a huge copy daddy phase, he tends to eat whatever is on DH's plate.

Overall, they aren't going to starve. There are days when he eats like he hasn't eaten in years. Other days he eats like 2 bites. It all balances out. 

Colsdoll

Older DD had this issue.... and that girl LOOOOOOOVED her milk. We started not offering milk until after real food and her food consumption increased. Unless your kid is underweight I'd try that. 

ncbelle

Eleanor eats like that - but she's super healthy and happy and growing at her own pace so it's not something I worry about.

I would echo the suggestion to cut back on the milk though - thats' quite a lot of cow's milk.  Eleanor still nurses and doesn't do any other milk but by 15 months I was much more delibrate about not nursing anywhere close to meals.

Also keep in mind that weight gain slows way way down after the first year - toddlers may only gain a few pounds a year. 

MommyKayla11

I'd give drinks after he's eaten.