My good eaters gone bad.....

So my good eaters, who would eat and eat and eat each and every meal with an appetite that never seemed to end, eating all fruits, veggies, and most "entrees", have suddenly decided that they aren't so fond of eating any more.

They had a bad cold from Friday the 18th til Wednesday the 23rd (high fevers, nasty noses, etc.) and their appetite really took a hit then - and now that they seem pretty much back to normal, they eat a few bites and are done. They'll nicely hand me their bowls, spoons or forks, and any leftover chunks on their tray and say "All done, want down.". If I "force" them to sit and try to get them to eat, they become very agitated and eventually start hauling off and throwing food items across the room, which results in a time-out.

So, I hate to "punish" them by making them stay after they have so politely cleaned up their spot and calmly handed me all of their items, which means I've been letting them be done.

Did your toddlers go through a change in eating patterns around 2?

I know our oldest DS did this, but I think it was around 2.5 - and he didn't really eat less, he just became *very* picky!

Thanks!

 

Oh good gravy yes. You'll notice their appetite waxes and wanes on a weekly or even longer basis. There are days that I can put the same plate down and there will be plenty of food left over from meal to meal to meal, and then other times there are days that they eat three times as much as I give them. I've noticed that on bad weather days, they conserve their energy and therefore eat less, as opposed to days that they can play outside, where they're always famished. And if it's due to a pickiness issue, I just give them a piece of toast and tell them that's what is for the meal.

 

Yep, I think it is completely normal. You never know how much or how little my two will eat. They will eat something up for days or months and then turn around and not want it for awhile. I use to really stress over what they ate. I don't fight it anymore. They eat when they are hungry. They can go days and weeks and pack it in and then they will have a day or two where they won't eat much at all. I have mentioned it numerous times to our ped.(their pickiness mainly). I don't think they get near enough fruits and veggies in their diet(not that it's not offered). He just shrugs it off and says "it's normal, they're toddlers, they're growing, don't worry about it".

 

Mine, too! It's still hit and miss most days. If they eat a good lunch, they will only pick at their supper. I can usually tell when growth spurts hit because that is the only time they eat good all day long.

 

Mine started at 19 months! These days they survive on cheerios, I swear, with occasional fruit/yogurt smoothies/grilled cheese (when they don't feed them to the dog).

 

Mine just turned two and periodically go through this. When they tell me they are done, I just take them out of the chairs. I try to look at what they eat on a weekly basis and keep telling myself they will not starve themselves :faint:

 

Thanks, ladies!

Glad to know it isn't just my two!

 

I was going to say it's totally normal. One of mine has never been a great eater, but there are days where he can eat constantly. They all go back and forth on having good eating days and not so great eating days. There are days where all they want are carbs. Aren't we all like that a bit? lol Anyways, I was also going to say that after I've been sick it takes a bit for my appetite to come back especially if I wasn't eating much while I was sick. It's like my stomach shrinks or something and it just takes a lot less to fill me up while I get back into eating.