how to change bad eating habits

We're not quite 2 yet, but as their birthday approaches I want to tackle our poor eating habits. I'd love to hear from some of you who have reformed your LO's bad eating habits to find what worked for you. The first year was fine, they'd eat anything; but this second year has been a downward spiral food-wise.

They used to eat a limited diet of oatmeal, pancakes, mac-n-cheese, hot dogs, chicken nuggest, baked fries, grilled cheese, yogurt, pear butter sandwiches and most fruits. Ryan has basically stopped eating, he ate oatmeal and a banana today. Michael ate oatmeal and a yogurt. The foods that I used to offer them are now refused, as are any attempts at new foods.

They attend mommy and me nursery school 2x/week and all the other kids eat almost anything offered. Mine will come over to the table to see what's offered but then say no and walk away. At their 18 month check up they were 50% for weight and 85% for height, but they've definitely gotten skinnier the past few months.

So, what's the secret to getting good eaters? Is it really as simple as offering a well-balanced meal and they'll eat if they're hungry? Do I need to limit liquids (Ryan in particular is a big drinker)?

Thank you in advance!!

 

I would limit the liquids to a reasonable amount & make sure they are healthy liquids. Luke is extremely picky right now & it can be frustrating, but I have learned over the years that a steady diet of peanut butter sandwiches, mac & cheese, and cereal for a few months doesn't actually hurt them. :lol: I make sure to offer a well balanced meal & try to include at least one or two things that I know he will eat. So, I give them small amounts of everything we are having for dinner, then I will often include a slice of bread with butter, a piece of cheese, some yogurt, etc. that I know for sure he will eat. Then, and your kids may be a bit young yet, we have a rule that he must try at least one bite of each food on his plate. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to eat all of it, but he must try it. I always follow every meal with fruit of some type, he is a good fruit eater.

If you are worried about calories & nutrition during this time, you can try putting some Carnation Instant Breakfast or something similar into his milk occasionally. I found that my two really like it & it adds some extra vitamins and calories.

 

Take advice from someone who hasn't handled the food issues all that well. DO NOT TURN FOOD INTO A BATTLE OF THE WILLS! You will never win and your child will just get pickier and pickier.
Right now I'm reading Ellyn Satter's Child of Mine: Feeding With Love and Good Sense. It's been highly recommended to me. The author keeps saying that it's my responsibility to provide healthy meals and my child's responsibility to decide how much he will eat. We are getting better at relaxing - the tv is turned off and an adult joins the kids at each meal. We try hard to be positive, but sometimes we fall into the old habit of nagging and bribing so we still have a lot of work to do. (FYI nagging and bribing don't work).

 

I can relate - I used to worry all the time about my DS who was 2 lbs smaller than his sis at birth and now at 2 years old, is 4 lbs smaller. That's just his body type though as he eats twice as much as she does. I offer water and milk (no more than 2 cups a day) on an every-day basis. Every now and then if we're at a party, cook-out, etc. I'll let them have a juice box or something. DS does love oj and when he wakes up from nap in a bad mood (sometimes he has these major meltdowns after nap), he'll sometimes ask for oj and I'll give it to him. That might be once or twice a week at most though. Kids might get calories from juice or other drinks, but they're empty calories and those empty calories curb their appetites.

Do they snack? It can be tempting to offer snacks throughout the day to make up for what they didn't eat at b'fast, lunch or dinner. Too much snacking though can keep them from being hungry when it's actually time to eat a real meal.

When you do serve foods they like, can you fatten them up? If they like mashed potatoes, you could add cheddar and butter or bacon and cheese. That way even if they're aren't eating that much or that often, they're getting more calories at a sitting.

Sometimes my lo's will eat double what they normally do if they're eating from my plate. That's not ideal for each meal, but it works if I'm trying to fill them up. They're also more like to try new foods if they're from my plate.

My DD won't touch plain broccoli, but if I sautee it with butter or evoo, a little salt and cajun seasoning she devours it and, last night, asked for more! Sometimes it's just trial and error and you have to change up what they know or have gotten used to. Our daily menu isn't always perfect, but I try to offer mainly healthy foods. If they eat, they eat, if not, I know they'll be hungry at the next meal. I don't know how hungry they are, but they do. These are just the things I can think of off the top of my head. GL!

 

HEre are a couple of thoughts
1- my kids only get milk at meals and juice on special ocassions, water in between if they are thirsty.
2-take them shopping to pick out the food, then they are more exicted to eat it
3-let them help you cook b/c they can get excited over it and eat more
4-decide on meal/snack times and only feed at that time, then they have to wait for the next meal
5-sit at the table with them and eat with them it helps keep mine focused
6-offer 2 choices for snacks, with both being good healthy choices

I also wouldn't turn it into a battle, you can't win it. But that doesn't mean give up. Good luck.

 

It is natural for toddlers to both eat less (a lot less!) and be more picky than they were as infants. I wouldn't diagnose them with "bad eating habits" yet, and it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong.

I am also a fan of Ellyn Satter -- however, I learned from personal experience that it is really easy to fall down a slippery slope of "offering at least one thing you know they will eat." When you have a child who eats nothing other than plain carbs, hot cereal, bread, and certain types of fruit -- and she was a good eater as an infant! -- you find yourself reinforcing that pattern. She only eats those things -- so there is always something like that on the table -- and then if I don't push her, she continues to only eat those things.

Our current plan (which we only started when they were about 4.5) is to require them to take ONE BITE of ONE THING they don't normally eat (at dinnertime only). For Sarah, this means just about anything other than the things I listed above. I wish we had started this earlier -- although it's also possible that it would not have worked earlier, because I would not have been willing to have that battle with a 2- or 3-year-old. At 4/5, they are able to be a lot more rational and open to negotiation.

Restricting snacks, restricting liquids, helping them choose and prepare food -- all good ideas, though none of them seem to make a whit of difference with Sarah. But the most important thing is not to stress about it. Don't make mealtimes something all of you will dread -- just trust that eventually they will eat!