Calories?

[Frasersmum123]

Does anyone know how many calories an active two year old should be eating, and how I can get a very stubborn 2 year old to eat!

DS2 is such a pain when it comes to food - he plays with it and doesnt eat a wide range of foods (Mainly raisins, ham, dried apricots, yoghurts, chicken and School Bars)He does drink milk though.

I have tried everything! I just cant seem to get him to eat anything, and this has all started since I had DD1.

I have tried starving him (Thinking he would eat if he was hungry) but that didnt work, he was just whingy and clingy all day and still dint eat anything!

He isnt underweight, and isnt often poorly though.

Do you eat at the same time as him? When DD seems uninterested in her food, I make some for myself as she always likes to copy us.
Not sure about the calores but perhaps someone else will know.

We always sit down together nd eat but still it doesnt really work, he just plays with the food.

I think (speaking as the parent of a very fussy about-to-be-2yo) that all you can do is assume that they are getting all the calories they need, if they have regular access to food even if they choose not to eat it 90% of the time!

You might have tried this already but you could try putting a tray of snacks and sippy cup of water near where he plays, say on the coffee table, with a variety of different things, like grapes, pieces of cheese, etc, maybe on an ice-cube tray, so he can just graze when he feels like it, and maybe all the little compartments will entice him over...

Maybe once in a while you could have a "picnic" on the floor? His fave teddy bears "eat" too?