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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

2 year old making himself sick at meal times

9 replies

littlestressed · 20/10/2006 19:30

Does anyone else have this problem!!!! My 2yr old will take two mouthfulls then says he is full and then if I try to get him to take anymore he coughs and then is sick! Seems that once is starts being sick he can't stop. Also only seems to do it when his mummy feeds him! Any ideas how to get over this?

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lulumama · 20/10/2006 19:38

not an expert...but perhaps he is not a particularly hungry child...and being forced to eat makes him upset...and therby vomits to get away from the table..

might have become a habit and a reaction rather than anything else...

if he only does it when you feed him.would suggest he is trying to control the feeding situation...

2 year olds often don;t want to sit down and eat much..they would rather be toddling, exploring and learning

i'd ease right back on formal , sit down meals...let him eat on the hoof a bit more...maybe little sandwiches, carrot sticks, cheese etc...he can pick at ..

when he says he is full,let him go from the table and leave it until the next meal time...

does he literally just throw up or is there crying first?

lulumama · 20/10/2006 19:40

eeek..sounds like i am saying its your fault for force feeding him..which is not my intention..!

have you tried really praising him for the small amount he eats...and not botherign to respond when he says he is full, except to remove his plate?

DumbledoresGirl · 20/10/2006 19:43

Horrible situation. I don't have experience of this exactly, but I can definitely tell you that if you start feeding your toddler yourself, you are making a rod for your own back. Let him feed himself. When he stops, take the food away and don't offer anything else. Wait for the next meal and see how much he eats then.

I hope this helps.

yorkiemom · 20/10/2006 21:06

Had a similar situation with my 2.1 yr old a couple of weeks ago. He was'nt being actually sick but just refused everything i offered him for about 5 days.I was getting really worried, then suddenly overnight he changed and has eaten none stop since.
Is your little one teething??? I put it down to the fact that my ds was having a really painful week teething wise, and once that was over he was ready to eat again.

I know its easier said than done but just try to ignore, when he's had enough just take the plate away, and reward him for what he has eaten.
We even have to all clap my ds after every mouthful some days and he thinks that great, perhaps give it a try!!

Original poster

littlestressed · 20/10/2006 21:35

Hi, no don't worry lulumam I understand what your saying. he just coughs and then is sick,never cries. He has never been that bothered about food as always on the go. I think once he has said no more I will do what you both have said and take his plate away without fuss and let him get down, might be the way forward as at least he shouldn't be sick and I won't get as stressed! I tend to try and get him to eat even after starts coughing as 1)I don't want him to think he is getting his own way 2)I'm worried he isn't eating enough.

What really annoyes me is that he does it only when I am feeding him and no one else.

OP posts:

aviatrixortreat · 21/10/2006 20:34

This reply has been deleted

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lulumama · 21/10/2006 20:39

aviatrixortreat--- good point actually about the praise....

just make meals as laidback as possible..and hopefully the situation will resolve itself..

S88AHG · 24/10/2006 17:05

Hi my son did this for about a year and not just over food he did it about anything. I took the decision to just ignore if possible or in the case of dinner just OK then and let him leave it. I know its annoying and he will probably pester you for something later but I think its not worth giving kids a hard time over food Its just my opinion not saying its the best but I did have to deal with this for about a year. DS is now nearly 4 and only very rarely do we see the "sick card" played!!! hope this helps you.

wannaBe1974 · 25/10/2006 11:40

Why do you feed him? At two he should be able to at least attempt to feed himself. Firstly I would stop feeding him, give him his own cutlery and let him do it for himself. Of course you'll be on hand to help, but you have to let him try, and this will involve some mess but he has to learn. Secondly can you eat with him? I found that my ds ate much better at that age if there was someone else eating with him as well, as this also distracts from the fact that he wants to play up. Also I would make a bigger deal about what he has eaten rather than what he hasn't eaten. If he says no more, then maybe offer an insentive for more - if you eat another 2 mouthfuls you can have x, if he still doesn't want to eat then remove the plate without comment and don't offer anything else until the next meal. If you feel you should offer snacks then I would make them only fruit, banana/apple/raisens/pineapple/grapes but no biscuits, chocolate or sweets. Don't turn mealtimes into a battle ground, the more of an issue you let food become, the more of an issue it will be. good luck

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