My one and a half year old won't eat

Executive Member Joined: Nov 14 2009 Posts: 360

I am ready to pull out my hair. He has never been a good eater but for the past couple of weeks he doesnt eat lunch or dinner, just a small snack of something like crackers or fruit and usually a slice of cheese for dinner. Breakfast is cereal with milk or yogurt I have tried everything:
pizza , waffles, cheesy omelets, shnitze, rice, all types of sandwiches... the only thing he MIGHT eat if im lucky is a hot dog or chicken nugget and depends on his mood.
Any advice? or suggestions or something

I have the same thing. My 1.5 year old eats VERY LITTLE. All I can do is keep offering him. My older son had the same thing. B"h when he turned 2 he finally started eating a little better.

Silver Member Joined: Feb 01 2009 Posts: 693

I have exact same thing with my 12 month old. He is fine with eating little farina for breakfast & 6 oz yogurt. THAT'S IT! Nothing more, no dinner, no liquid, refuses bottle & sippy cup! He does breastfeed 4-5 times at night but I doubt he's getting anything! FRUSTRATING!!!!!! Im stressed out all day thinking maybe now he'll eat, I shud try this food etc.

Executive Member Joined: May 22 2008 Posts: 289

Gold Member Joined: Mar 04 2009 Posts: 2231

1. My niece at one point wasn't eating or growing and the doc said to give her ice cream whenever she wanted and as much as she wanted. It's full of cream and milk and nourishes a young starving body a great deal. He also said to give her cake and anything she enjoyed eating. They followed the advice and she grew!

2. What would happen if you didn't push the eating at all but just had a lot of little foods within reach that your toddler could take whenever hunger strikes? Sometimes that takes the power struggle out of it and allows the child to develop it's own desire to eat.

3. Have you checked your child with the doc? Is he still teething or something? Transitioning to another stage?

4. Sensory issues? Does he need OT to help him adjust to different textures, temperatures and tastes in food?

Definately speak to your doc about this.
In our case it was due to reflux, and it wasn't diagnosed until our child was way into the toddler years.

I know it's especially hard at this age, but is it possible to stop offering food? Sit down with a nice plate of food, start eating, and see if your child will come up to you with interest and ask to taste.
If not, there is definately an appetite issue there. (As was the case by us.)

Another thing, some sensory children like really tasty food. So amp up the flavor and see if that works too. (Noticed you wrote about hot dogs. Very salty. Sounds like my little one.)
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Really Awesome Mom!

Active Poster Joined: Nov 25 2008 Posts: 84

I'm all for asking the doctor and looking into what the cause is. However, I'd also like to point out that it may just be a stage - my son was always a bad eater, but when he'd go through growth spurts would eat (relatively) nicely. When the growth spurt was over, and he'd go back to his old ways, I'd panic. He's also had days where he hardly ate anything. I once heard someone say that as long as they eat the equivalent of one meal a day, it's ok. So ask a Dr., therapist, etc, but no hair-pulling Smile

It could be nothing besides a child who doesn't eat much.

Executive Member Joined: Jul 26 2010 Posts: 270