[Alstrameria]

This could well be my problem, although I've tried very hard not to let food become an issue in our house.

Lately dd hates her high chair most of the time, and wants to eat in the living room. This is where dh and I eat when we eat together. I work afternoons so we don't share meals often. She eats in her chair when with him for supper.

She eats simple foods, but I think is getting a balanced diet. What she has taken to doing is not eating until she's starving, then asking for a bottle (she still has 6 oz in the am and 8 oz in the pm - this is not a problem for us). I don't mind giving it to her in theory, but I'm hesitant for some reason, like will she ever eat normal meals? Isn't she too big to subsist on formula? But then I think, if she was bf'ing, I'd go with her wishes.

Clearly I'm a little messed about this. Can I just trust her to eat what she needs when she's hungry?

Thanks,

Jen

 

[Embee]

DS has always been an on again/off again eater. I have found him to be more "on" since we ditched the high chair (before the second birthday). He wasn't enjoying it at all so I plopped him at the table with us. Since, he's spent a lot more time eating with us and has consumed more food than ever before.

We purchased a simple booster seat for our table, but DS only used it for a short while. It made it difficult for him to get down and up as often as he needed to (sometimes upwards of 10 times per meal

) so now he just sits, or kneels on the chair which he much prefers.

Regarding the living room, we don't eat many meals in there as a family, but occasionally we do. DS watches two TV programs per day and I find it to be a great time to get a nutritious snack in him. I put a placemat on the coffee table and below his feet, a old throw rug. When food has stained the throw rug, I simply 'throw' it in the wash. Works great!

Sometimes it's not the food, but the presentation. If you change the atmosphere a bit, it can make meals more inviting. However, as long as she's gaining decently and not suffering from any sort of deficiency that you can detect, I imagine she's just fine... toddlers are notorious for funky eating habits.

Good luck!

 

[Nikki Christina]

my DD is 29 months & we had to ditch the highchair about 6 months ago .. she hated sitting in it..
we did a booster for awhile.. but she would always protest & just want to sit in a regular chair.. so now thats where she sits.. she has to get on her knees though to reach..lol

we also used to eat in the living room alot.. & so thats where DD wanted to eat.. so now we eat at the table with her

but really se only eats dinner in there. breakfast , lunch & snaks are usually hand carriable or she eats breakfast while watching cartoons while DH or I are getting DS out of bed, dressed & changed

 

[meg]

My ds is also 27 months and we have all sorts of "eating issues" with him that I won't get into but...
we also got rid of the high chair and bought a small table and chairs set and that is where he takes his meals. He really, really loves his table and chairs.
If you have room maybe you could set up a table and chair for her in your living room since she likes to eat in there.
We aren't as focused on eating together at the big table as we are focused on getting this kid to eat. So we have to work out all kinds of schemes to get that accomplished without, as you said, making food a big issue

.
Good luck to you and I wouldn't worry about the formula unless it is really supressing her appetite.

 

[Wendi]

One of Max's favorite lunches is when I get out the cupcake pan and fill each cup with a different goodie. I can set it out so that he can graze on it for a while, and he doesn't need to sit and eat lunch in one sitting. I think that toddlers seem to be too busy to sit and eat, so grazing usually works well... they will eat when they are hungry... and they will have days of barely eating anything, and other days where they are a bottomless pit! Max still nurses at least 8-10 times a day and will be 2 tomorrow. I sometimes wish that he would eat more "real food", but I also am glad that he gets what he needs from breastmilk. He is not at all picky, but sometimes I feel like he just doesn't eat enough, or isn't eating the right foods - the days when he is begging for cookies and I'm trying to get him to eat a banana!!!

Anyway, if you leave simple foods out and readily available for her, she may snack all day while she's playing and won't wait until she's starving. I usually use cheese, dry cereal, crackers, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, dried fruit, mandarin oranges, graham crackers, carrot sticks... and sometimes really fun treats like cookies, marshmallows, or fruit snacks!!!

 

[Alstrameria]

Thanks for the ideas! And the reassurance that she's still a grazer, and that's ok.

I don't know why I expect her to eat three meals when I think she should...I totally want her to respond to her own queues.

Jen