How can I get my 19 month old daughter to eat?

Question

My daughter has always enjoyed food.  There's nothing I've given her that she hasn't liked and wanted more of.  But suddenly she doesn't want ANYTHING!  I know toddlers are picky and all that but it's making me crazy!  I put her in her high chair so she can't just wander away from her food, I turn the tv off so there's no distractions.  She will be fussing because she's hungry, I put food in front of her and she throws a fit & won't eat it!  No matter what I give her!  I talked to a nutritionist & told her this, and that I've tried if she doesn't eat something I make something else & she won't eat that either.  She said never offer more than 1 alternative & make the alternative the same thing every time - a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.  That way if she doesn't want to eat the variety that I'm offering she gets a pb&j.  Every time.  Eventually she'll get sick of the constant pb&j's & start eating the 1st offering.  It sounds like an awesome plan, and I am going to try it, but I'm wondering if anybody has any other ideas that have worked for them, or just reassurances that my kid is not possessed by a demon spawn and I'm not going crazy or being mean.  Thanks!

bonnieblue716 · Accepted Answer

You know the portion size for a toddler is the size of their little fist, u may be over-whelming her or expecting too much from her.  Let her help you fix whatever she wants to eat and if she refuses that's her decision, if your keeping regular meal times she won't starv.  I would also make her pratice sitting at the table with u whether she eats or not.  You could aim for about two mintues of her paying attention to u at a time.  She's prolly just busy and wants to be doing something else.  Try to work out some transition cues to help her move from playing to eating.  When you do eventually get her to eat something, write down what it was and when it was.  That way you can look back and see if u see a pattern of things she likes (certian colors, or textures which is so common at this age).  Good luck and try not to be worried or frustrated, it's not personal it's just one of those things.

eat my try · Answer

Are you eating with her? She should be at the table, on a proper chair, with the family watching everyone eat together. Setting a good example so that she doesn't feel like she's a baby. Even if you cook yourself a few of her veggies so that it appears that you're eating together.  Imagine being in her shoes. Plucked from whatever she's playing with, to be expected eat a meal alone in a high chair. I think I would throw a paddy! :) 

I'm not a fan of the sandwiches idea. Toddlers take ages to get sick of a certain food, especially one as nice as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! I would offer her some food, if she doesn't want to eat it, then let her make that choice. she will eat eventually because she'll get really hungry! Don't make a fuss, just be calm and know that she won't starve herself to death and that you're not causing her to have a bad relationship with food, which the PB&J approach might do. (she could turn into one of those kids that will ONLY eat PB&J)

-Make sure meal times are at normal times and that she is offered food at meal times.
-Don't make a fuss or tell her off for expressing her anger at being told to eat.
-Do eat a bit of what she's having too, to show her that it's yummy and Mummy loves it
-Don't feel bad if she doesn't eat.
-Be matter-of-fact about the situation and know that she'll grow out of it!

jlb · Answer

You didn't explain how you do mealtimes, but she should be eating the same food at the same time as the rest of the family.  Don't fuss at her to eat, just offer a little bit of the meal and leave her be.  Make sure you are offering meals and snacks at consistent times.  If she doesn't eat one meal, don't reward her with junk btw scheduled snacks/meals.

As someone else suggested, a booster seat at the table would also be good.

Tapestry6 · Answer

Children eat when they are hungry, offer her food every 3 hours no more than that.
Kids will eat eventually make sure she isn't drinking too much milk, 2 year olds are the
pickiest eaters. Just keep a covered dish with some apple, cheerios, small carrot sticks
healthy stuff and she will eventually tell you she wants something.
cut out the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that makes me full all day can you imagine
what it would do to a 19month old.. no wonder she isn't eating.

K · Answer

19mo is very old to be in a high chair -- bring her up to the table; you may see some improvement in mealtimes...

...but it is also VERY VERY NORMAL for toddlers to go through phases -- sometimes long ones -- of eating what seems to be next to nothing. She is still pooing and peeing, right? She's not making that out of air.

Do NOT fight with her over food; just offer and leave it to her to figure out what to do with it. 

Very useful: http://www.ellynsatter.com/how-to-feed-i-24.html

The 'nutritionist' may know something about nutrition but doesn't sound like she has a great deal of experience with children; I would say you would end up with a child living off PB&J for a very long time. And why junk like jelly? A PB&J is a poor choice unless on additive-free whole wheat bread with natural, peanuts-only PB and a minimal amount of J. Offer fresh unprocessed foods -- apples, oranges, pears, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.

something fishy · Answer

i would try eating with her maybe moving her to a boster seat next to you

having everything ready to serve family style

have her serve herself and eat with her...have everything at the table...no reason to get up

talk about the foods and eat meals together...i wonder if she is getting crackers or snacks...or a bottle or cups of milk...those items...make meal time a  bust

i would just make meal time the only time to eat...fruits are a nice filler....and not a lot just a slice or piece of something...

good luck

? · Answer

Knock her out and drip feed her...:-)

How can I get my 19 month old daughter to eat?

7 Answers