Toddler eating strike?

[guest9921]

My toddler son, (29m), will eat nothing but breastmilk these days.
Really. I mean, he ate popcorn and a carrot yesterday. (Popcorn is his 'treat', and even then I had to beg him to consume it. ) He probably chugged half a gallon of bm though. TMI: His poo smells like infant poo now. Not that I'm complaining, but my 39lb kid can not sustain on breastmilk alone.

I know he's excited to have the milk back, but this can't go on for long, can it?

Any other moms of toddlers experiencing this?
Any tips on how to get him on *actual* food again?

[bumblebeej]

omgoodness! Does he like to shop? Maybe if he picked his own food out and had a hand in making it he would try and eat some?

[guest9921]

I've been giving him total junk, hoping he'll eat it. But no cigar.

When I say junk, I just mean *treats* that normally wouldn't be given to him so liberally.

I actually went out of my way the other day to buy raspberry yogurt covered pretzels. Thinking they'd be something he'd mow down. Turns out, he had one, and then was passe about the rest.
He wont even eat newly made chocolate pudding pops. I thought he'd go nuts for them, as I've never made any before, and he *LOVES* chocolate and popsicles.

I just don't get it.

[ivymae]

He might be nursing more for the emotional comfort than the nutrition (but in turn, getting his daily calories and not being hungry). Any chance you can up the non-nursing cuddle time, have one of one play time with him and see if he is more receptive to eating? And with my 26month old, I've found that keeping the conversation low-key is essential - everything is a powerplay with her, so when she sees something gets my goat, she latches onto it and makes it her issue. Eating, sleeping, pooping - as soon as I just let her be a crazy toddler for a few days without making a big deal out of the situation, it usually loses it's appeal and resolves itself. Hard to do when it is your breasts, I know. A trick I learned from a friend is to, at the beginning of the nursing session, tell them that they can nurse as long as you sing the ABC's, and then you are going to have a snack (!yayay snack!). That way they know the time is limited, they know what is coming up, and they still get that quality time they want.

Good luck!

[crsta33]

My 26 mo old has done similarly since the birth, except he's not nurdsing. Turns out he's cutting molars.

He tends to eat bfast best and then eats less at each susequent meal leading to nothing at dinnertime. Just keep offering food...and make a point to talk about all the things he can do that a baby can't and how he used to be a baby and how he's grown and changed.

Think of it as a breastmilk food jag...I assure you it's temporary.

Christa