Why isn't my kid starving???

LIAngel · May 2012

I swear Nicholas could exist on air for 3 meals a day. For the last 3 nights he hasn't eaten dinner. He may be had one teeny tiny bite each night but that's it. You would think he would be famished for breakfast. Not so much. He has school 3 mornings a week, so we don't have time to give him a bunch of different options. Besides he says no to everything we offer. "Do you want a waffle?" "NO!" "Do you want a cinnamon stick (French toast stick)?" "NO!" "A Banana?" "NO!" The only meal I know he's eaten is his lunch since he's come home with an empty lunch box (they leave uneaten food in the lunchbox) each day.

Why won't my kid eat??? He's not sick. He's perfectly happy. I've stopped making him a seperate dinner from ours. If he doesn't eat what is served then he doesn't eat- but I still feel a little bad. I even give him ketchup to dip stuff in. Like the other night we had greenbeans and I told him he could dip them in ketchup. No interest.

I know I'll eat my words, but sometimes I can't wait til the day comes when Nicholas is eating me out of house and home. This business of not eating sucks.

Meanwhile I got Ava who yells if the food isn't in front of her fast enough. If she could talk she'd probably say "Um if he won't eat that food, I will". Yeah total opposites on the eating spectrum.

howleyshell · May 2012

LIAngel:
I know I'll eat my words, but sometimes I can't wait til the day comes when Nicholas is eating me out of house and home. This business of not eating sucks.

Yup... you'll eat those words for sure!

Dylan is usually my crazy huge eater (can often eat more than his 17 yr old step-brother).

Occasionally he'll just putter out and not have much of an appetite.

Jace is the opposite - eats super slow and no a lot. Then randomly - eating us out of house and home for a few weeks

They really do go in ebbs and flows. I know it's frustrating but if he's happy and healthy I have full faith that he's gonna blow you away by eating every thing in site before too long.

Then.... probably back to eating like a bird.

KYRN · May 2012

I've found with Mark that eating tends to come in spurts, some days he can't eat or drink enough. My philosophy is that if he's hungry he'll eat, on his down days if he doesn't want what he's given I don't worry about it. It sounds like you're doing the right things, I'd stick with being firm and not fix him whatever just to get something in him.

This morning when I got up DH was fighting to get his greek yogurt in him (he has to eat his healthy choice before having something less healthy) so he could eat the waffle. DS normally eats a pretty big breakfast but might not eat much the rest of the day. I just left his yogurt until he finally (over an hour later) started asking about other things to eat, I made him eat most of his yogurt which he did. He then ate 2 frozen waffles and asked for another so I said he had to have another healthy item before a waffle, he had over a 1/2cup of fresh strawberries and didn't ask for a waffle. Ok I thought, then I ate my breakfast and he decided he needed another waffle. All that before 10am.

I have expected him to eat a huge breakfast like that on days after he refuses dinner, it doesn't always seem to work out that way though. Toddler eating habits are weird, I just try to not stress when he doesn't eat something.

LIAngel · May 2012

The other thing he does is he'll eat the same thing over and over (like he loves Pepperoni) and then he won't want to touch it ever again. He used to eat cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, but I guess he got sick of it and now yells when I offer it. The other day I ended up making him a "Green Smoothie" to drink just so he'd have something.

Oh and the other thing that frustrates me is that he won't even try stuff. It's always "No I don't like it". How do you know you've never had it???? I would be fine if he took one bite and then decided he didn't like something. He doesn't care if we says things like "Oh these greenbeans are so yummy. Look Ava loves them."

I miss the days when he'd sit in his booster seat, I'd pop open a jar of Gerber and he'd eat happy as a clam. Or even the later months when he'd eat everything under the sun.

dusk42 · May 2012

I figure as long as DD isn't consistently losing weight, she's getting enough calories. There's no arguing with a 2-year-old about whether or not they like something, so we ask if she wants something and if she doesn't, we drop it. Sometimes she'll ask for it later and sometimes never again. She always has the option to just have a spoonful of peanut butter or Greek yogurt or some fruit if she doesn't want to eat what we are having for dinner, and she always comes back to eating normally. She doesn't get pretzels or other snacks unless she eats something healthy first (or unless she finishes something that she has previously asked for). If she's not hungry, it seems to last for multiple meals, so if she doesn't have dinner, she probably won't be hungry for breakfast either. Obviously if she was failing to thrive, I would be more concerned, but she has control over when and how much she eats, so I just go with it.

laura1 · May 2012

LIAngel:
The other thing he does is he'll eat the same thing over and over (like he loves Pepperoni) and then he won't want to touch it ever again.   He used to eat cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, but I guess he got sick of it and now yells when I offer it.   The other day I ended up making him a "Green Smoothie" to drink just so he'd have something.

Oh and the other thing that frustrates me is that he won't even try stuff.   It's always "No I don't like it".   How do you know you've never had it????   I would be fine if he took one bite and then decided he didn't like something. He doesn't care if we says things like "Oh these greenbeans are so yummy.   Look Ava loves them."

I miss the days when he'd sit in his booster seat, I'd pop open a jar of Gerber and he'd eat happy as a clam. Or even the later months when he'd eat everything under the sun.

I think my DS and Nicholas would be best buds. I make him take a "no thank you bite" of things and really he gets them past his lips, gags, and spits them out. I find it unlikely that he even tasted anything.

For a while, DS would eat his food if I started giving his to his sister....but now he is happy when I do that - so he doesn't have to eat it.

So I give the kids their own dinner and DH and I eat after they go to bed. Their dinner is one of only a few things - pasta, mac and cheese with little bits of chicken and veggies, chicken nuggets and veggies, hot dog and veggies, or Boboli Pizza. But DS doesn't always eat these things - he will eat one bite of hot dog and not eat any more, but hot dogs are DD's favorite dinner, so we have to have those some nights. And he loves chicken nuggets, but the other night he would only eat one bite.

Does Nicholas like the Happy Tot pouches of fruits/veggies? When my two refuse everything, I give them one of those - at least it is something healthy!

Good luck!

speak06 · May 2012

UGGGG this is my house exactly...DS is so picky and never tries new foods...he is 29lbs at 3...DD eats EVERYTHING in site and then wants our dinners...she is 25lbs at a year. SO FRUSTRATING...and we always get the "I don't like it"

LIAngel · May 2012

laura1:
LIAngel:

The other thing he does is he'll eat the same thing over and over (like he loves Pepperoni) and then he won't want to touch it ever again.   He used to eat cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, but I guess he got sick of it and now yells when I offer it.   The other day I ended up making him a "Green Smoothie" to drink just so he'd have something.

Oh and the other thing that frustrates me is that he won't even try stuff.   It's always "No I don't like it".   How do you know you've never had it????   I would be fine if he took one bite and then decided he didn't like something. He doesn't care if we says things like "Oh these greenbeans are so yummy.   Look Ava loves them."

I miss the days when he'd sit in his booster seat, I'd pop open a jar of Gerber and he'd eat happy as a clam. Or even the later months when he'd eat everything under the sun.

I think my DS and Nicholas would be best buds. I make him take a "no thank you bite" of things and really he gets them past his lips, gags, and spits them out. I find it unlikely that he even tasted anything.

For a while, DS would eat his food if I started giving his to his sister....but now he is happy when I do that - so he doesn't have to eat it.

So I give the kids their own dinner and DH and I eat after they go to bed. Their dinner is one of only a few things - pasta, mac and cheese with little bits of chicken and veggies, chicken nuggets and veggies, hot dog and veggies, or Boboli Pizza. But DS doesn't always eat these things - he will eat one bite of hot dog and not eat any more, but hot dogs are DD's favorite dinner, so we have to have those some nights. And he loves chicken nuggets, but the other night he would only eat one bite.

Does Nicholas like the Happy Tot pouches of fruits/veggies? When my two refuse everything, I give them one of those - at least it is something healthy!

Good luck!

Nicholas won't even take a "No thank you bite". It's not like I can pry his mouth open and force feed him a green bean. I've tried those Happy Tot pouches and he doesn't like them. Maybe I'll try another kind. I've come to dread meal times. Who knows what tonight will bring.

Cajun_gal · May 2012

LIAngel:
laura1:
LIAngel:

The other thing he does is he'll eat the same thing over and over (like he loves Pepperoni) and then he won't want to touch it ever again.   He used to eat cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, but I guess he got sick of it and now yells when I offer it.   The other day I ended up making him a "Green Smoothie" to drink just so he'd have something.

Oh and the other thing that frustrates me is that he won't even try stuff.   It's always "No I don't like it".   How do you know you've never had it????   I would be fine if he took one bite and then decided he didn't like something. He doesn't care if we says things like "Oh these greenbeans are so yummy.   Look Ava loves them."

I miss the days when he'd sit in his booster seat, I'd pop open a jar of Gerber and he'd eat happy as a clam. Or even the later months when he'd eat everything under the sun.

I think my DS and Nicholas would be best buds. I make him take a "no thank you bite" of things and really he gets them past his lips, gags, and spits them out. I find it unlikely that he even tasted anything.

For a while, DS would eat his food if I started giving his to his sister....but now he is happy when I do that - so he doesn't have to eat it.

So I give the kids their own dinner and DH and I eat after they go to bed. Their dinner is one of only a few things - pasta, mac and cheese with little bits of chicken and veggies, chicken nuggets and veggies, hot dog and veggies, or Boboli Pizza. But DS doesn't always eat these things - he will eat one bite of hot dog and not eat any more, but hot dogs are DD's favorite dinner, so we have to have those some nights. And he loves chicken nuggets, but the other night he would only eat one bite.

Does Nicholas like the Happy Tot pouches of fruits/veggies? When my two refuse everything, I give them one of those - at least it is something healthy!

Good luck!

Nicholas won't even take a "No thank you bite". It's not like I can pry his mouth open and force feed him a green bean. I've tried those Happy Tot pouches and he doesn't like them. Maybe I'll try another kind.   I've come to dread meal times. Who knows what tonight will bring.

I feel your pain..... And now DS2 is starting to get pickier so I fear he'll eventually be the same as DS1 with eating. Fingers crossed I'm wrong.

queenbone · May 2012

I think their appetites just evolve a lot. DS1 used to insist on 3 egg omlettes for breakfast, two eggs just weren't enough. Now he doesn't even like to eat eggs much. He goes from eating a lot to eating a little all the time so it is hard to keep up/ not worry it represents something more serious like illness.

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