He will not eat - anything. Please help

[sarahS]

HI

I am very worried about my 20 MO son. who will just not eat. He used to have a wonderful diet up until about 3 months when he started to refuse certain foods and not be willing to try new ones but it has got to the point now and has been for the last month that he will not really eat anything. He refuses to eat food that i know that he likes and won even look at the food he is been offered before hitting it away. He basically lives on a diet of bananas, yoghut and bread.
I dont know what had triggered off this problem. There are a couple of possibilites he has a new brother and although this is the obvious root to the problem i really dont think it is he has settled into having a brother very happily and is completly contented in every other way. The other possible cause may be teething. He is quite behind on his teeth and they seem to be pooping up now, which may be causing pain but i really dont know.

Does any one have any suggestions about how to encourage him to eat again. i never make a big deal of it if he refuses i offer again and then take it away. i will then give him some bread or a banana so he is not hungary.

[tylersmommy]

Well, this may not be the answer you're looking for, but food issues among toddlers are totally normal. It's pretty common for them to want nothing but certain foods for months on end, then suddenly switch to something else. There are some different opinions out there on how to handle it, but for me, I've found it's easiest to just go with the flow. I'd offer him something else and if he refused, I'd give him what I knew he'd eat. He only ate healthy foods, so I really didn't worry about him eating the same stuff all the time. It sounds like your DS's foods of choice are healthy too, so as long as they aren't causing issues like constipation, you might just go with it until it passes (and it will, I promise). You can always offer a multivitamin if you're concerned that his diet isn't balanced. Another option is to use favorite foods to encourage new ones. You can stir veggie puree into yogurt, spread it on a sandwich, etc.

[Luisasmum]

My dd is the same. She lives on yoghurt smoothies, milk and water. Occasionally she will have little pinwheels made with cheese and vegemite or a dry cracker but this is very rare. Sometimes if I put little pieces of cheese or some cubed fruit on a plate and don't tell her about it, she will eat it, but only if it is cubed in small pieces. I have also tried making something just for myself and eating it in front of her. Sometimes she will ask if she can have some too. But really, she only eats what I consider a good amount every three or four days. How's your son's weight gain? My little girl hasn't put on a gram for ages so it's off to the health nurse for her!

[tylersmommy]

Keep in mind that weight gains slows a LOT as toddlers get older. Obviously, losing weight is never good, but it can be normal to go for months without any weight gain. If you check out a growth chart, you'll see how it really levels off around age 2. My DS only gained 4 lbs between his 2nd and 3rd birthday but was still within his percentile.

Toddlers have an innate ability to control their appetites based on what their bodies need. They'll often eat next to nothing for days, then suddenly eat like there's no tomorrow. It's totally normal!

[sarahS]

Hiya

Thanks for your advice and support, i will keep plugging away at it i guess. HIs weight gain has been fairly steady although slow so not to worried there. I dont want to jinx it but he seemed to enjoy his cauliflower cheese this evening but fingers crossed. Although he sounds the same and will have a fairly good intake every few days.

Thanks again

[TDR'smom]

I'll bet teething has a lot to do with it also.  DS is getting his teeth very late, just like yours.  It usually effects his eating for a few days and just as I start getting worried, he starts eating again. 

Sorry, I know it's not much help.  But I can totally sympathize.  It is so frustrating and worrisome!

[Hsmum]

Thank goodness I looked on here! I have been tearing my hair out for the last few days as all Harry (23 months) will eat is yoghurt, buttered toast or plain bagels! Relieved to hear that it's normal but can't wait for it to pass...!

[lisawickins]

my son is 19 months old and will still only eat baby jar foods.  if i try him with any other foods he pushes it away and crys, he will not even try it.  Ive tried toast bread chips roast dinner mashed up also left whole so he can feed himself.  if I leave the bowl for him to try himself he just throws it on the floor. Any ideas my health visitor told me to just leave the baby food and the he will want to eat because he will be hungry.  Also he still has 3 bottles of milk during the day and through the night can be anything from one to three bottles of milk, he has never slept through the night.

[ella&jack'smum]

Have you tried mixing the baby food with 'real food'?? You can mix and max the ratios as he gets more used to the tastes? Even resort to pureeing real food and then mixing it in?

My DD refused other food at about the same age after a holiday when she'd only had the jarred stuff. It took a few weeks, but she got back to normal.

HTH