Parenting Toddlers (1-3) Support Group

have you tried Pediasure for the times she just won't eat anything? It's a balanced meal and should help her gain weight. I was giving them to my son when wasn't eating and then he REALLY wouldn't eat. I didn't realize it was like a meal. So go easy if you do. Hope this helps

Yes, I forgot to mention that. I try to give her Pediasure every night, but she only drinks it about once a week or so. Thanks for reminding me...those would be great if she would drink them.

My daughter was beginning to become very underweight as well. I make her eat something she hates before she can have things she likes. For example, she loves hot dogs but doesnt like broccoli. I will give her the broccoli, she always refuses, screams, cries, and makes the worse ordeal you have ever seen. So, I put her in her room, with the baby gate at her door, and tell her she will go to bed hungry (lunch is right before nap and supper is right before bedtime). She will continue to scream and cry for a bit, and then I will offer to get her out if she is ready to eat. Without fail, she always agrees and will eat every last bite of that damned broccoli. We have been doing this for about a week, and it is getting to be less and less like a fight. Tonight, all I had to do was threaten to get her out of her chair and put her to bed, and she ate her green beans. I always reward her afterward with something else she enjoys, such as the hot dogs or some chicken.

I have the same problem with both my girls... The youngest one, just up until a month ago, would eat anything, and everything. The older girl have always been an extremely picky eater.

This IS hard, both on me and on them, I am a firm believer in healthy eating, and cooking home made and hearty meals for us all.

I have been twisting myself in knots trying to find things that they like and WILL eat. It have been working decently, but recently, NOTHING works and I too, are going insane. I worry to death that they don't eat, and I try so hard not to give in and give the few things they will eat.

I feel like I have tried everything now, from tricking them, to disguising things, to what Micah says and just remove the food unless they eat.

My biggest problem is a very strange and weird one... everyone says, if they are hungry enough, they will eat. I can honestly say, that is NOT true, I have tried to "starve" them several times, and they just settle for not eating when I do. Maybe, one of them will take ONE bite, and then quit, just like if they are just dampening the "worst" hunger. Most of the time, they seem to just completely forget or not notice they are hungry.

I don't give them drinks instead of food, they get enough water to keep them hydrated, in very small doses so it wont fill them up.

The absolutely hardest part is to get them to eat breakfast, logically, they would be starved when they wake up, but no...

tiffburt, I too, am at my wits end...