2 1/2 year old won't eat.

[kayasmama]

My 2 1/2 yo girl is driving me crazy with her eating- or lack of it.

She was a really good eater until 18 months or so and then she has been picky off and on until now. Now she has decided that she just doesn't need to eat anything. Mealtimes take forever. We don't force her to eat and make her get down from the table when she starts playing. She'll walk away and come back several times, but not really eat. She will play with her fork, her cup, sing, talk incessantly...but no eating. Even breakfast, which was the easiest meal before, is now a battle. Dinner has always been a challenge for her.  She's even refusing her snacks.
I try to make meals creative, but she is even refusing her favorites. She will sometimes eat when we feed her, or if it is a meal like a hamburger or PBJ. She has always been a fantastic veggie eater, but even that it hard now.

It is important to us for her to have good table manners, but all she wants to do is play.

We are expecting a baby in a couple of weeks, but I really don't think it's related. This has been going on for some time now and has just gotten worse this past week. I am not going to have time to sit with her for 30 min to eat a meal soon, but I want to make sure she is getting the nutrition she needs.
Any suggestions?

[Lolly]

Hoe is she doing teeth wise? My DS was at his worst eating wise when his 2yr molars were coming through at about 2.5. We put it down to toddler pickiness and the arrival of his sister, then we got a good look in his mouth and found 3 molars through and 1 half through. Things picked up when they were all through.

As a rule though toddlers won't starve themselves (and apparently fresh air has calories ). How much milk and juice/ water is she having - could she be filling up on that?

Laura

[kayasmama]

She has all of her molars already and we just went to the dentist last week, so I know it's not that. She only has milk in the morning and after dinner, and she gets juice maybe 1 time a week.  She's a good water drinker. She thinks that she is a lot older than she is and has the vocabulary of a 4 year old which is not helping the situation- she has a lot to say about not eating .

I know she won't starve herself, but she has never been one to tell me she's hungry. She usually eats at regular times, so she never has had to wait or ask for food. 

[Mum-of-Two]

My 2.5 year old does the same.  He went about a week where it was really alarming, but lately has been a lot better.  I found cutting down on snacks helpful.  Its a hard transition to make after being used to keeping their belly full every few hours but it has helped meal time a ton.  The past 2 days he's eating everything again, maybe a growth spurt but I'll take it !  Good luck !

[~Sara~]

I would say that at this age, she's still probably very good at eating according to her body's cues.  I'd just keep offering her what you have.  I've found with my DS that he likes two small meals in the AM, eats a big lunch, then a snack after nap and only does a smallish dinner.

Her body could also be really focused on language development right now...almost like it's too distracted to get hung up on food.  Maybe?  Just throwing that out there

[Mum-of-Two]

Sara has a great thought, my guy eats the bulk of his daily foods at dinner and only skims breakfast and lunch.  Lunch actually becomes 2 snacks broken up between a nap most days.

[kayasmama]

Thanks! Yeah, it just seems like she is way too busy to eat. I guess I will just keep offering healthy foods and hope she eats what she needs.