My 18 month old refuses to eat. I work part time and on the days that I work her babysitter say's that she is constantly eating and writes a list of what she ate through out the day for me to see, my problem is that I am home which is most of the week she will hardly eat a thing. I've tried distracting her, giving her a variety of different foods and yet nothing is eatan and if she does it will take a good hour to where the food is stone cold. She weighs 21 pounds. I've tried giving her finger foods, she will take a few bites than play with the rest. Please help me. Im loosing my mind.
I have tried making feeding time into a game with her but she thinks its funny when she doesnt eat. Her Dr suggested pediasure which she refuses to touch. However will drink it if her babysitter gives it to her
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That is just the way they are from time to time. A child will eat when they are hungry and will not starve. Try to hide the sippy cut and milk that is filling to children and they won’t eat then.
What whitney g said.
I’ve always heard that kids will eat when they are hungry, that they won’t let themselves starve. I know that somedays my four year old doesn’t seem to eat much at all but is as energetic as on the days he pigs out.
I would talk to her pediatrician to find out if there are eating issues/troubles she’s having.
Give her choices when it’s dinner time. When i was little all i wanted to eat was hamburgers and fries. Kids normally pick something specific and want to stick to it. The big thing is….you cant have eating time a bad time with you getting mad and frustrated because she wont eat. Have it be a fun time. Tell her you want to try a game. Blindfold her and have her guess what it is and have it do it to you as well. Eating time should be fun as possible and after that, she’ll be fine.
if there’s stress in the home or something is wrong with the parent the child knows and that can make her not eat. maybe u should take her 2 her dr.
Maybe you can try making the food look more exciting or using plates or bowls featuring a cartoon character she likes. My 5 year old son dislikes eating too, and from the time he was one year old, each meal is one hour long. We usually have to heat up the food halfway through the meal. Are there older kids who would be willing to have a meal with your baby? Babies look up to older children and if they see older children eating properly, hopefully, they’ll follow as well. Good luck!
my son is still going through that phase!! I hate it!! But the doctor said that kids will eat when they are hungry and when they are wanting something give them something nutritional.
Plus the pediasure drinks are perfect also just to help with the weight and nutrition, along with a multivitamin.
Your baby is playing a game with you. She has figured out that this behavior is getting her LOTS of attention from you. You need to figure out a way to reward her good eating behavior with praise and attention, but do not give her lots of attention for refusing to eat.
How much of your attention is she getting when she is not refusing to eat? How much time is she spending watching TV? I know that when my daughter was 18 months old I went through a “mommy burnout” phase. I think this happens to alot of moms. My daughter developed alot of bad habits around this time, and part of the reason was my lack of attention.
Give her a meal that you know she likes. If she is eating well, give her lots of attention and positive reinforcement. If she is playing around, take the food, wrap it up and calmly state “when you are hungry you can eat this food”. Put it away. Lunch is over. She won’t starve. As soon as she realizes that she can no longer control you with this behavior she will stop. DON’T GIVE HER SNACKS. Next time she asks for food, bring out the lunch. Combine this with lots of time and attention from you at other times during the day and this behavior will sort its self out.
When they starve! They will eat! Trust me!
The problem with your 18 month old is she is 18 months old! I have a 3 1/2 year old son who still doesn’t eat well. She will eat when she is hungry….21 pounds isn’t that bad for an 18 month old……quite worrying about it and enjoy your time with her!
Children will eat when hungry.
My son is the same way, I guess it is the age. I just look at it like this let them drink milk which will keep their stomach full and they will eat when they are hungry. He is 23 months now and he is just now growing out of it.
Talk to your babysitter, is she using a different schedule then you? Maybe have her come over and spend a day when you can watch mealtime (where your 18 month old can’t see you) and see what she is doing. Is she feeding your baby or letting her figure it out. How much is your baby really eating for her? She may just be feeding you lines. Also don’t let your baby play with food. It is letting her be in control. When she starts playing take her plate, and get her out of the high chair. Mealtime should be over when the child plays with the food. Cut back on the sippy cups, only offer them with the meals. Then she won’t be as full, but will still be getting them. I would put the Pediasure in with some milk to help with the calories and vitamins also calcium that the baby needs. I hope you can get your little one eating better, but remember children will not starve themselves. They will eat when they are hungry, and they are smarter then we think. She may be playing with you, because it works.
Children go through growth spurts and at this time of 18 months, she may not require all the food right now. Children also know when they are hungry and when they are, they will eat.
Less is more, is the key phrase to remember when your child is going through these times. Feed your child smaller portions of food such as snacks like apples, dry cereal, fresh vegetables just stuff that you can have while on the run and feed her more often through the day. So you can’t just count on her 3 square meals/day routine but instead up it to about 6 smaller portions per day. Less food but more often. Keep a tally of what she eats and you will find that all those little bits of snacks have addded up and you have nothing to worry about.
Since you are going to feed her smaller portions make sure that they are packed with vitamins and nutrients so that you can make the most out of those small meals.
Also, try less juice and more water. Your child should also only be having 2 cups of milk per day and don’t serve milk with her lunch or supper but rather save them for snack times since it is so filling.
Good luck and remember, less is more!
Small children just don’t think about food all the time like grown ups do and they don’t eat on schedule like we do. They eat what they like,when they like and how they like-welcome to motherhood of an almost 2 year old!