My three year old doesn't like to eat? He always says he is not hungry. What can I do so he will want to eat?

Question

What kid of healthy food can I give him so he can grow? Should I get him some sort of vitamins? Thanks

Answer 1

Try cutting the food into fun shapes with cookie cutters, or making it look more fun for him. You could also try to sneak some vegetables or fruits into foods that he will eat (like in meatloaf, or hamburger you can sneak in onions or some kinds of vegetable. I would get him vitamins as well.

Here are some other tips i found online:

-do "no thank you bites" where they have to try at least one spoonful of everything on his plate. he'll often find that some of the foods arent so bad and that he actually likes them. (granted it'll probably take awhile for you to be able to get him to do this and will cause for a few timeouts, but eventually he'll stop fighting it. just stick with it and you'll see)

-give him 100% fruit juices or those new juicy juice things that taste like juice but theres really vegetables in them.

-sneak some banannas or blueberries or strawberries in his cereal.

-try using a lot of dips, kids usually like things better when they're dipped in other things.

-take advantage of "snacktime" and set out a platter of fruits of vegetables and have him choose which ones he wants. (also include some dips as well such as carmal for the apples)

-stop buying the things he normally eats. this is kind of a way of forcing him to try new things since the things he usually eats wont be an option anymore. once he trys the new foods, and gets a little better you can add his old foods back to the mix.

-get him involved in cooking the meal! he'll be more likely to eat if he helped in the fun of making it, he'll want to know how well he did.

-you should also checkout this website: http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-to-get-y...   it has some good tips.

good luck, hope i helped.

:)

Answer 2

Firstly, yes..he should be taking a vitamin supplement.

As to encouraging him to eat...try to get  him involved in the shopping and the preparation.  Give him choices in the grocery store  "Would you rather have peaches or cherries?  Carrots or Celery"

Try to cut foods into fun shapes..use cookie cutters on larger things---apple slices, cantaloupe, etc.  or Arrange food so it looks like a picture:  cherries for eyes, carrot sticks for mouth, shredded lettuce for hair, carrots for nose---be creative.

He will eat eventually.  Don't force it, and offer healthy choices.

Answer 3

My daughter was the same way, talk to you pediatrician about "pediasure" it helped her appetite dramatically she went from eating just mac-n-cheese and nugget to brocolli, chicken, steak whatever I cook.

Answer 4

I have a very finicky eater as well. She is also 3. She basically survives on potatoes. She will eat them anyway you can fix them. I buy the Country Crock Butter with added Calcium and Vitamins and use it on everything. She is also a big cheese fan, so I buy Borden's String Cheese with added vitamins.

My daughter has pretty severe food allergies (no eggs, apples, oranges, grapes, melons) just to name a few. Her Doctor says as long as she is growing and healthy keep doing what I am doing.

I also always place every item I prepare in a meal on her plate. She may not even touch it, but it is always there. Eventually they say she will eat it.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

My son didn't like to eat when he was younger. His pediatrician told me to let him drink Ensure. That way he will still be getting nutrition. Also what ever he likes to eat... maybe if it is cereal, should do fine. It might be a stage. If you are concerned talk to his pediatrician and see what they recommend. Good luck.

Answer 6

Kids go through phases, for awhile they will eat like they have bottomless stomachs and then they won't want to eat at all.  It is usually during these times that growth spurts happen.  In a couple of weeks he will be back to eating and you might want to check his height and weight at that time.

Answer 7

We have found that playing a game with him during his eating time tends to distract him from eating and concentrate on the game, associating the length of the game with how much he eats. I have a 2-1/2 boy and he likes to play with cars, look through books, or watch Curious George reruns on TV. When he stops eating well, I will stop the activity and say that it does not begin again until he eats another bite. The important thing is to be aware of what he has eaten so you do not over-feed him. Sometimes, I let him wander about as he eats so he can play on the floor with his toys. The negative aspect of this is that it tends to backfire in a restaurant. The only thing that works at a restaurant is to anticipate a 2 minute time-out outside of the restaurant when he refuses to eat and then use the threat of "going outside" if he does not behave well. The key is to follow through on your word no matter what.

Answer 8

My kids go through phases where they eat heaps, then dont. I did get multi vitamins and I have found since then, they eat regular size meals.

Most kids go through a phase they dont want to eat (though I bet you they would eat an icecream). Place him on Vitamins just to make sure he is getting daily nutrients