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Original poster

worried about 2 1/2 yr old dd. she eats so little....

14 replies

mmmmchocolate · 10/05/2007 20:45

She gets very tired as just started pre school twice a week and seems to make her tired for rest of week unless she has naps which she doesn't always have fights them. today she has had: meals on offer but this is all she would eat.

7am bottle milk
8am a few spoon fulls of co co pops
12pm a jaffa cake and few mini chedders
2pm rich tea
5pm 1 spoon of spag bog
7pm bottle of milk

How can that be enough??? any advice on how to get her eating more.

OP posts:

LucyJones · 10/05/2007 20:48

I'm not surprised she is tired if that is all she is eating
Why is she still havong a bottle? Would she drink from a cup?
Have you tired her on something more filling for breakfast like weetabix or ready brek. Toast?
Do you offer her lunch and then as a last resort give her jaffa cake and mini cheddars? Maybe cut out snacks and she will eat her lunch and dinner?
Sorry if you've tried all the above already

liquidclocks · 10/05/2007 20:51

I have heard that toddlers don't need that much but your DD seems to be taking it to an extreme. One thing I notice though is that most of what she has eaten today (bar the spag bol) I would consider a 'treat' for my DS (also 2 1/2). Is that because you're trying to get her to eat more by giving her the kind of things toddlers will usually lie down and scream in a supermarket for?

Does she eat fruit/veg at all and how big are the bottles of milk?

Original poster

mmmmchocolate · 10/05/2007 20:55

she won't drink milk out of a cup i know its bad but it keeps house quiet. She sometimes has weetabix or toast but them won't eat much of it. i always offer her lunch, bread, ham, sausage and then jaffa cake or treat after if she eats it. but lately she won't eat anything. and i struggled with the jaffa cake.

i am gonna try swapping lunch and dinner over hoping she may not be as tied them.

OP posts:

JoanCrawford · 10/05/2007 20:57

My 2.5 yo loves her milk and likes to start the day with a big bottle too. But if I notice that she is not eating much, I stop the milk in the morning and only offer toast and cereal. She eats it.

She is not a great eater but because I want her to eat her meals, I stop the snacks. She eats well when she is hungry.

Original poster

mmmmchocolate · 10/05/2007 20:57

full bottle of milk. she eats grapes and apples. the things she has had today are things i try as a last resort to get her to eat something. i have alway given her fruit and veg a plenty but last few months she won't eat half as much as she used too. i eat with her and her 6 month baby brother.

OP posts:

Original poster

mmmmchocolate · 10/05/2007 20:58

how would i stop the morning milk with out a war breaking out?

OP posts:

ScottishThistle · 10/05/2007 21:01

Usually children who are hungry will eat.

Have you tried giving her breakfast before the milk?...Porridge with raisins or banana?

I'd stop giving all biscuits/treat like foods unless she eats the required amount of real food first but don't set unrealistic targets, start small - 3/4 spoons or bites.

ScottishThistle · 10/05/2007 21:03

A war may break out but you have to take control of this situation, she'll get the message pretty quick if she wants her milk.

liquidclocks · 10/05/2007 21:05

I realise every parent does things differently but there are a few things I'd consider doing in your situation even though it would probably mean the loss of the 'quiet' house for a while.

I think if she isn't eating very much of anything then at least make sure what she does eat is good for her - not coco pops for eg, make it a few spoons of porridge or weetabix.

I'd also stop with the treats - DS is a great eater now (hasn't always been, goes through stages) and I know if |I put him infront of a ham sandwich and a jaffa cake he would refuse to eat the sandwich. Your 2 yr old is clever enough to know that mummy usually puts some nice things in with lunch so there'll be something even if she can't see it straight away. Remove the option, she'll catch on quite quick and soon it'll be a few bites of sandwich instead which is much better for her.

I'd also not give her a drink before a meal, including the milk before breakfast and cut out any snacks until she picks up at meal times. If you do give a desert make it something useful to her body like fruit.

The last thing I'd say is that with DS I've adopted a 'no stress' attitude to meal times - I realised the more interested I was in his eating and the more pressure I put on - even being nice - the less he ate. Now he has the opportunity to eat, if he hasn' started to eat it within 10 mins or so I take it away and he doesn't get another chance. This way he's learned that he eats at meal times and not in between. If there's a case where I genuinely believe he doesn't like something I do make him a slice of buttered bread (not toast - he likes that too much) so he's not hungry but I won't 'cook' something else.

Sorry I've gone on a bit - I hope it's helpful. If you don't get anywhere I'd contact your HV who can refer you to a dietician - they have loads of experience with fussy eaters and I'm sure they'd do their best to help you.

Original poster

mmmmchocolate · 10/05/2007 21:09

thanks i have taken all that advic eon board and can see where i may be going wrong. i am just so desperate in end for her to eat that i give her what i know she will eat. thank you x

OP posts:

liquidclocks · 10/05/2007 21:12

mmmmchocolate - it's hard work juggling a toddler and a baby, hang in there - there must be a way through, so many people have done it before us!

Has it occurred to you at all that she's doing it because it demands your time and takes you away from the baby?

ScottishThistle · 10/05/2007 21:15

Have you tried her with smoothies, I've yet to meet a child who doesn't love them & you can put lots of nutritious things in them???

expatinscotland · 10/05/2007 21:16

DD1 is like this. I've stopped arguing with her about it.

Neither DH nor I is a big eater, and she may have gotten that from us.

We're grazers. So we offer more healthy snacks throughout the day - cheese, fruit, oatcakes, home-baked goodies, ice lollies (I make them), smoothies, homemade croutons and pitta 'crisps', toast spears, etc.

She may be more of a snacker.

Bamzooki · 10/05/2007 21:32

My dd was like this at that age, and I know how easy it is to fall into an obsession about getting them to eat. But RESIST - only makes things worse.
Things that made a difference for us were
a) Absolutely no snacks between meals, and careful with drinks. Juice was occasional, and only AFTER a meal, otherwise water, and nothing in the hour before a meal.
b) Tried her on Minadex tonic for a while - HV suggestion in case she was slightly anaemic, which can suppress appetite. Helped a bit.
c) Only ever offer small portions - too much food puts her off.
d) Biggy - me having an honest look at her and realising that she was not underweight, and was actually eating as much as she needed for her body. And that actually she did eat a pretty good range of foods, just in small amounts.
A lot of my stress originated in my personal expectations which I was trying to transfer to her. And to be honest - she is much better off having a well developed Off Switch for her appetite than my non-existant one!
So I have learned to chill out and just makes sure that healthy food is on offer. In fact right now I have more of a problem telling DS that No he can't have any more food, while dd has discovered she likes picallili!

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