Does your toddler have weird eating phases

Question

Our 21 month old daughter ate really well since starting solids, she loved to munch on most foods even things like raw onion and peppers, but obviously wouldn't turn her nose up to the occasional mcdonalds & especially not chocolate.

Lately though we've noticed she hardly eats a lot of anything. I give her a variety of foods she normally enjoys on her plate & new foods but she chews it then spits it out into her hand or just refuses it.

Today all she's eaten is a handful of grapes,half an apple & a few crisps, she wouldn't touch her breakfast, lunch or dinner.For the last 3 days all i've done is throw untouched quality food away.

She won't even touch any junk food like mcdonalds, chips, hates cakes, sweets and has stopped asking for chocolate like she always used to.

She does lvoe her milk & water though so maybe this fills her belly up, I just don't know.

Is this normal & should I just hope it passes?

Has your toddler gone into some weird eating phases?

Answer 1

my son is doin this right now as we speak. i will be over in time. but be aware she may keep doing it over and over. growth spurts are doin it i think. for about a month or so at a time we can't feed him enough then like right now. he dosen't want anything at all. it 4:30 pm and all he has eaten is 4 bites of a corndog. a bite of spagetti and popsicles.  he dosen't like chicken any more either. but i have noticed that when he gets hungry he will eat as long as your offering food to her she isn't going to go hungry. good luck. i also started giving him those chewy vitamins. that are fruit flavor to help make up for the missing ones he's not getting

Answer 2

Yes, I think that absolutely all children go through this faze. You've got to choose your battles with children, as long as she's getting enough nutrition a week, that's all that matters.

Answer 3

yes its normal. just keep giving her things to try. my son is 22 mths and just discovered tomato sauce. when he had his wheatabix yesterday morning he had a mega big tantrum and kept shouting "saucey saucey" to me - after he left the table in a huff he finally returned to eat his breakfast without tomato sauce thank god!

Answer 4

My daughters went through this phase together! They used to eat their plates clean but then one day they just wouldn't eat! Like I had to force them literally but then after a while it stopped and they starting eating again.

My doctor said its just a simple phase and to keep them hydrated and try to get them to each as much as I could get them too

Answer 5

yeah, normal. My daughter will be 3 at the end of August and ever since about 18months she has had VERY particular tastes.  She used to eat or at least try whatever we offered her and then one day it was like someone hit the switch.  Now, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, spaghetti, yogurt, watermelon, bananas and a handful of other stuff is all she eats.  I quit fighting with her about it and just went with the darn flow.  I give her the strawberry/banana flavored fruit and veggie drink made by sunrype to get some veggies into her and the cookbook Deceptively Delicious has some fool proof ways to use veggie purees mixed into their everyday food and they LOVE it....don't even know it's there!  As others have said, as long as she's not losing any weight and is being "herself" I wouldn't be concerned.  When she's hungry she'll eat!

Answer 6

the heat has always killed my toddler's appetite. He will hardly eat anything all day, then eat constantly for hours after the sun goes down. Today he ate a few bites of muffin for breakfast, a few bites of deli turkey and 1/2 slice of cheese and some blueberries and strawberries for lunch, then at 4:30 he ate 1/2 a microwave spaghetti-o's cup, then at 9:30 pm he ate a bowl of oatmeal. He drinks plenty during the day too.

I would try leaving appropriate food where she can get to it if she wants it. I leave things like a bowl of dry cheerios with a small box of raisins mixed in near where he plays. Or a bowl of cut up fruit (grapes, strawberries, and bluberries), and things like that. Even maybe some small chunks of cheese and some crackers might be good. My kids are infamous for claiming that they are not hungry, but if you put food where they can reach it while they play they absentmindedly munch on it.

Answer 7

If it has only happened the past 3 days, she could just have some sort of virus or something that makes her not want to eat.

If it is just a phase, I know that the twins I babysit hardly ever eat anything; they just aren't interested, and no one really knows why, but she'll probably outgrow it soon.

Answer 8

Kids go through cycles.  One moment they are in a growth spurt and eat everything in sight and the next moment it seems as though they can live on nothing but a few bites here and there.  As long as she is not losing any weight and is carrying on as normal, I wouldn't be alarmed.  When she gets hungry, she will eat.  Dont try to force her.

Answer 9

Totally normal.  Several articles I have read say that tots actually need only 1 full meal a day.  They change their preferences and eating habits as much as we change diapers it seems.  My son is becoming notorious for this.  Its just a phase.  After a while you will definetly know her likes and dislikes, and so will she!

Answer 10

My three year old does the same thing. A few helpful hints are to not give her quite as much milk and water and only offer it to her after snacks and meals. This way her belly is not full. When children go through growth spurts they eat more and when they are not they tend to eat a little less. In addition, when young children are catching a cold or virus they tend to not eat for a few days before you notice the symptoms.