[Crazybean]

Today, he had MAYBE 4 small bite sized pieces of chicken, about 1/4 cup of pasta with tomatoes mixed in and 1 french toast. He also had about 1 cinnamon graham cracker (organic) TOTAL the WHOLE day.. about a week ago, that was his normal LUNCH alone. I only give him water during the day too.
Does their eating stall at this age and out of no where? He is acting fine and doesn't have signs of an illness. He has all of his teeth too. Also, meal time has become horrible with his saying "no" and shaking his head no. We've tried cool new spoons or bowls, we've tried doing the airplane type noise with the spoon to get in his mouth (which we never did before) but still nothing.

BUT, if you give him ketchup, boy oh boy will he eat the ketchup... I really don't want to put ketchup on everything but if it means him eating, I might have to

 

[fritz]

Yes, eating habits suddenly change in toddlerhood. My 4yo DS was a picky eater who suddenly, finally started to try everything we ate...for about 2 months. Then back to his picky ways. I'd be thrilled if he ate stuff with ketchup; however, he prefers his foods plain/separate. And several of his old favorites he refuses to try now, but he hasn't really replaced them with anything new.

Toddlers' caloric needs change drastically as they enter/exit growth spurts. Trust your LO to know when he needs more/less food. Look at his diet over the course of a week to see how much/what variety he's eating. If you become super concerned, try a multivitamin/consult your health care professional.

 

[Gator-mom]

Seriously. I could write a book on eating issues. Mine has been giving me trouble for months (before two actaully). He's 25 mo now and it did get worse after he turned two. My LO's eating issues are really an issue for us though. He only weigh's 23 lbs, which is barely in the 1% And he LOST weight over the winter. We have had to work with his ped, a dietician and WIC. What seems to work for him is a combo of really structured eating times, and supplementing with Bright Beginnings, which is the soy equivalent to pediasure. We'll be going back to his ped in a couple weeks to see if any of this insane work we are putting into it is helping or not.

BTW..I was told by the dietician that after age two, a child does not have another major growth spurt until teenage years! So that would account for a lot of the loss of appetite..that and the more explorative, creative play that start at this age too.

 

[MommytoTwo]

My oldest has always been picky due to sensory issues but my daghter - she was an awesome little eater when she was a baby. Then came toddlerhood. Now she tells people mommy feeds her chocolate for breakfast (NOT TRUE!) so they will think its ok and give it to her. She would live on cr*p if I let her.
She is 4 now. I am hhoping she gets back to normal soon.

 

[Snuzzmom]

Yup. Same here... since DS turned two he won't touch foods he used to love.

Not much you can do except keeping offering a variety of good stuff, then you know at least whatever he DOES eat will be healthy. Try not to worry too much, though I know it's frustrating. He won't starve himself and toddler diets balance over weeks, not days. You're doing fine!

Oh, and offering food at regular times through the day seems to help, too.