Parents of Preschoolers  Discussion Forum

Hi,
My 2 year old has become very fussy about everything, though hes always been fussy about eating hes gotten worse since past few weeks. He wants to skip his lunch everyday & just stick on to breakfast & dinner (which he eats with great difficulty!!) & absolutely no milk at all. I am soo worried that he might end up growing into a tiny individual. He trys to vomit everything we feed him. when i spoke to my doctor (whose an american), he told me to stop feeding him untill he askes himself & as a mom i am unable to do this. Any suggestion is welcome. Please please help me. momsays replied. Dear Siddhant,
I reread your problem, and now I think i would like to know when you started sending your child to the daycare.

What type of food are you offering at home for him and what kind of food is the day care offering him? Further are you a vegetarian ?

The reason I want to know all the above facts is because:
1. In the day when they offere food it will be very bland, and if you are using a bit of salt/spice etc, then the child may not want to eat the day care food. It may not gel with his taste buds

2. What kind of milk are you using at home and what kind of milk is he drinking at the day care, If you add chocolate syrup etc, then he may want the same thing at daycare.

3. If you are offering non-vegetarian food at home, it may not be the same as the non-vegetarian food offered at the day care.

4. I am sure you may have got a menu from the day care about what days it will offer what food. If not then ask for one and plan accordingly.
Try to see what they are offering and ask them on how they cook it.

5. The above questions may help you understand your son' s not eating good better.

6. Also understand from your pediatrician the percentage he stands on an average. That way you will know how much of a portion serving he has to eat.

7.If you are concerned about your child not eating in the daycare, then I suggest that one day you arrange with the day care and see him through some window or some peep hole as to what he is doing at the day care. Look at his other friends and see how interacts. I think that day care wont mind, but if your son sees you then he may be upset and may want you to take him back!!
All the best, momsays replied. Dear Siddhant
I can understand your problem. Your child is growing up and is able to express his wishes very emphatically.

Yes its true that American pediatricians will suggest not to give any food till the child asks or not to force feed etc. Which is definitely good for the longer run because it emphaizes to the child that if he misses the food during the time given, he may not get it till the next food time. But being Indian born parents our hearts dont seem to accept this logic as we have been brought up in families where our moms had always put hot food on the table and always cared about feeding us. So we too try to follow this policy.

Well now coming on to your problem:
1. Since your child goes to the day care, you have to ask his teacher to encouarge him to eat. Since they are not going to spoon feed him, only thing that is going to work is asking the teacher to tell him to eat. They can tell him that \" Look the other child is eating, do you want to try some, its tasty\" etc. This works sometimes. Ask his teacher to encourage him to drink milk too.
2. Not drinking milk, as I see that you are in the US, the day care amy using 2%fat milk now, are you using the same milk as day care or the whole milk? or adding sugar etc.Sometimes kids can taste the subtle difference.
3. Sometimes if you are sending him to a partime daycare, and if you are feeding him a heavy breakfast before he goes there then he may not have an appetite enough. You have leave sufficient gap in between
3. When did he start the daycare, he may be needing to adjust to the daycare settings before he wants to eat etc.
4. If he is giving trouble over eating dinner at home, then you may try to see what did he have before the dinner, if he has had a juice in the car, then allow him to run around and expend the energy and feel hungry before giving him food. You can try to divert him by showing Barney/Mickey Mouse etc. You can even go online and show him some video clips from Barney or disney website. If you are using a high chair then you can ask him to paint and then bring the food, so while he is painting you can give food! Sometimes you can reward him by saying if you eat your food, then we will go out in the playground or we will read a story book or whatever he likes doing most.
Please be informed that all the above divertion tactics does not foster a good long running development program. All the best. Do let me know how it goes.
Kranthi replied. Siddhanth,
Please try the medicine which is given for the worms for every 6 months to the baby. I feel it will really work out. The doctor will prescribe the medicine. for 15months old baby, my doctor in India, asked me to give it just 1 spoon (only one day)

Thanks,
Kranthi koyal replied. sorry i am not aware. Why dont you ask the same person who posted? Make a new post so that it attracts attention. koyal replied. Also read a mesage as \" Kids not eating? This may help\" by saheli. I dont know if this will solve your problem but in general she has shared very good informaion about kids eating habits. Kranthi replied. Hi Siddhant,

I have 15months old baby. I too faced a lot of problem 25 days back. I read a lot of messages in this site. So at last I posted my problem, and my problem is just below the one posted by you (by name Kranthi and the subject is Much worried). I got very good suggestions from the people like Shashi and another lady (given her name as momsays). So please do refer to those messages and they are very helpful.

I see some changes in my daughter after I am following their suggestions. I suggest you to go through their reply to me and be patient, your son will surely love to eat what all you give him