Toddler diet help?

Question

My son needs to gain some weight. He's very thin, and all of us are a little worried. He's a picky eater...

Can you help with some ideas on foods that he'd like and foods to push more in his diet?

TIA

Answer 1

My daughter was the same, so skinny, reached the age of 4 and began eating what I served her. Kids get fussy. Try some mutli vitamin's if you think he has an unbalanced diet :)

Answer 2

Is he thin by his doctors standards? My uncle, who is a pediatrition told me when I got pregnant for the first time not to worry if my child doesnt eat while hes a toddler, they will eat what they need, just make sure the foods that are always available are healthy. If they are healthy he'll gain weight when he needs too.

Answer 3

This is pretty normal nowadays because parents are waiting for too long to feed their babies food.  I have been a mother for almost 24 years and have watched the recommended time change to start on solids many times over.  Children who start eating solids earlier have better eating habits when they are toddlers and beyond due to the fact that they don't have to just suck and swallow.  Sometimes tilting the bottle the right way will make it spill out and they don't even have to suck, so babies become lazy and don't want to eat.  With that said, you can give him the foods that you are eating.  Make him a "big boy" like the rest of the family at meal time.  Make the foods fun, arrange them in pictures, cut sandwiches to look like airplanes.

Answer 4

First of all, what makes you say he needs to gain some weight?  Some children are just thin by genetics.  Three of my four children are currently the 25th percentile in weight, but they're also between the 50th and 75th in height, so they're weight for their height is under the 10th percentile.  Size slim pants fall off their waists because they're too big!  Of course, my husband is 6'0" and 145 lb, and his brothers were also very thin (until they got married).

As for what he should eat....  We don't accept pickiness in our household.  You have to eat a small portion of everything, and by that I mean at least 4 or 5 good-sized bites.  If it's a vegetable that we have regularly, they have to eat a full portion.  At times, food not eaten has shown up at the next meal, or sometimes they're required to sit there until they eat it (with discipline if necessary).  It's amazing how many foods they've learned to like and enjoy that they turned their noses up at the first time!  And despite the above-mentioned, there are rarely battles at the dinner table.  I fix a meal; everyone eats it without complaining; none of my four children would be described as picky eaters having learned to eat many things they wouldn't have otherwise.

Part of our approach was influenced by the fact that my husband and his brothers were allowed to grow up to be very picky eaters.  My husband had to learn to move past that in adulthood, and he doesn't want that for his children.

Answer 5

Bananas

Oatmeal made with milk

Veggies and dip

Whole Milk (on cereal, for example)

Breads, pasta and grains (mix with veggies for nutrients)

Answer 6

What does he like to eat? Try to continually introduce new foods into his diet. Some research shows that a food must be served 15 times before it becomes an aquired taste. you could also hide foods like putting some veggies in with a fruit smoothie.