Guest guest Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Hi, My son is very energetic and always busy. He has never really been a picky eater, but of late, I am having a really difficult time getting him to eat. I have to literally hold him on my lap and distract him with a toy or book to get him to eat 80% of the time. He's at the point where his pants are starting to get loose around the middle!! He's also teething with a molar, so not really receptive to eating. So, the question is.... what suggestions might you have for high calorie, high energy foods to maximize his eating?!? I've been doing a lot of avocadoes; I've also been mixing up cashew butter with some honey and adding it to cereal with some milk. (He's almost 2) He will sometimes eat chickpeas with nutritional yeast, too. I am hoping once these teeth finally come through, he'll settle down to eating better. Thanks for any ideas... I'm starting to get concerned. Sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 They all go through the air-o-tarian phase. Just keep offering a variety of healthy foods like hummus, avocado, tofu, baked sweet potato; also try frozen peas, blueberries and corn. It will pass soon, I promise! ________________________________ sazra73 <sazra73 Thursday, September 17, 2009 7:51:50 PM Energetic toddler not eating! Hi, My son is very energetic and always busy. He has never really been a picky eater, but of late, I am having a really difficult time getting him to eat. I have to literally hold him on my lap and distract him with a toy or book to get him to eat 80% of the time. He's at the point where his pants are starting to get loose around the middle!! He's also teething with a molar, so not really receptive to eating. So, the question is.... what suggestions might you have for high calorie, high energy foods to maximize his eating?!? I've been doing a lot of avocadoes; I've also been mixing up cashew butter with some honey and adding it to cereal with some milk. (He's almost 2) He will sometimes eat chickpeas with nutritional yeast, too. I am hoping once these teeth finally come through, he'll settle down to eating better. Thanks for any ideas... I'm starting to get concerned. Sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 " air-o-tarian " LOL I love it! Mine definitely have gone through this phase more than once. My now 3yo has gone through times when I think, " My gosh she can't possible survive on no food " but then she still poops so she's getting something. Yes, keep offering good foods and know that when their little bodies need it, they will eat! I second frozen things - peas, corn, raspberries, blueberries, even the frozen mixed veggies. My 7 yo still sometimes eats a bowl of frozen veggies as an appetizer. My 3 yo also likes silken tofu, diced, then sitting in a little pool of soy sauce and a bit of sesame oil. She'll eat a whole block this way. Plain rice from a steamer is also a " picky time " favorite. Janelle robin koloms wrote: > > > They all go through the air-o-tarian phase. Just keep offering a > variety of healthy foods like hummus, avocado, tofu, baked sweet > potato; also try frozen peas, blueberries and corn. It will pass soon, > I promise! > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 I totall agree with what Robin said and wanted to really stress DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THIS- THEY ALL DO IT. My 16 month old is going through it right now. Trust that he's getting the essentials to life (even if he's losing a bit) and he'll bounce back in no time. IMO, don't worry about sitting him on your lap, distracting him, etc. (unless you're enjoying that time) because he's learning that what he eats -or doesn't- is a source of stress for you. good luck, and it'll all be fine! j. ________________________________ robin koloms <rkoloms Friday, September 18, 2009 6:04:30 AM Re: Energetic toddler not eating! They all go through the air-o-tarian phase. Just keep offering a variety of healthy foods like hummus, avocado, tofu, baked sweet potato; also try frozen peas, blueberries and corn. It will pass soon, I promise! ____________ _________ _________ __ sazra73 <sazra73 > @gro ups.com Thursday, September 17, 2009 7:51:50 PM Energetic toddler not eating! Hi, My son is very energetic and always busy. He has never really been a picky eater, but of late, I am having a really difficult time getting him to eat. I have to literally hold him on my lap and distract him with a toy or book to get him to eat 80% of the time. He's at the point where his pants are starting to get loose around the middle!! He's also teething with a molar, so not really receptive to eating. So, the question is.... what suggestions might you have for high calorie, high energy foods to maximize his eating?!? I've been doing a lot of avocadoes; I've also been mixing up cashew butter with some honey and adding it to cereal with some milk. (He's almost 2) He will sometimes eat chickpeas with nutritional yeast, too. I am hoping once these teeth finally come through, he'll settle down to eating better. Thanks for any ideas... I'm starting to get concerned. Sara ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ __ http://mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 My son did this from time to time, and we noticed it coincided with a growth spurt (first he ate like a horse, then he would barely eat after that - like storing up on food to put it to use in growing - he'd get a belly and then it would go away and he'd be taller). It will pass, they do all go through it - it's worry some, but when we figured out it was our son's growing pattern, we worried less about it (always concerned, but less worried -if that makes sense). My son (now 6) still loves frozen peas and corn (and frozen fruit, which was easy to get him to like smoothies if he throws in whatever he wants from the freezer). He likes to eat veggies when frozen, even when he was little. He also LOVES plain tofu, cut into cubes, triangles or if I'm feeling particularly creative with his snacks/lunch I'll use these tiny cookie cutters and cut out stars and different scalloped edged shapes. He only recently decided to try soy sauce (I accidentally got some on his onigiri and he proclaimed that he really liked it). But yes - rice is always a pleaser - picky or not, he could probably eat 4cups of rice, whatever kind, he's not picky about that at least. (I usually do my rice with veggie stock or no-chixen broth or no-beof stock, and a bayleaf or 3 - add turmeric and you have a nice tasty yellow rice!) Missie On Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 8:57 AM, Janelle Stewart <morningacademywrote: > > > " air-o-tarian " LOL I love it! Mine definitely have gone through this > phase more than once. My now 3yo has gone through times when I think, > " My gosh she can't possible survive on no food " but then she still poops > so she's getting something. Yes, keep offering good foods and know that > when their little bodies need it, they will eat! I second frozen things > - peas, corn, raspberries, blueberries, even the frozen mixed veggies. > My 7 yo still sometimes eats a bowl of frozen veggies as an appetizer. > My 3 yo also likes silken tofu, diced, then sitting in a little pool of > soy sauce and a bit of sesame oil. She'll eat a whole block this way. > Plain rice from a steamer is also a " picky time " favorite. > > Janelle > > > robin koloms wrote: > > > > > > They all go through the air-o-tarian phase. Just keep offering a > > variety of healthy foods like hummus, avocado, tofu, baked sweet > > potato; also try frozen peas, blueberries and corn. It will pass soon, > > I promise! > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Hi Sara, We were just talking about this yesterday at our vegetarian/vegan playgroup! Everyone's kids are doing it right now! Baby/kid fad. :-) But really, I think it's a combo of the hot weather, teething (for some of the kids), being really busy with end-of-summer plans and back-to-school plans (for some of the kids), and also asserting their control over their own decisions - maybe they don't want to eat, maybe they're not hungry and don't want to eat just because we ask them to, maybe a million things. But, long story short - it seems like most kids do this at some point and they all live through it. We just do tons of snacks all day - like every hour or so, I ask our son (who's 4+ years old) if he'd like a snack, and I just list off all the foods we have as individual ingredients. He usually picks two things at a time, and eats some very odd snacks, but it gets a little food in him all day long . so the other day he had black beans and watermelon, then he had toast and tofu, then he had tortilla chips and cheese, then he had red pepper strips and soy milk . it all adds up to a meal or two eventually. :-) We also do " shakes " (smoothies) with yogurt, soy milk, fruit, flax seed powder, probiotics, etc. when these hunger strikes come on. And a friend who's doing the same thing right now with her son, said that they're just offering him more things, more often and he takes one or two bites of each thing - so if you offer enough things, it ends up being a meal. It's a lot of work to do that, but if you're really worried, it might make you feel better, and get a little food into him, too. Oh, and rest assured that they won't starve to death while being offered food regularly - they will eat when they need to. :-) Take care and have a great weekend! Lorraine On Behalf Of sazra73 Thursday, September 17, 2009 5:52 PM Energetic toddler not eating! Hi, My son is very energetic and always busy. He has never really been a picky eater, but of late, I am having a really difficult time getting him to eat. I have to literally hold him on my lap and distract him with a toy or book to get him to eat 80% of the time. He's at the point where his pants are starting to get loose around the middle!! He's also teething with a molar, so not really receptive to eating. So, the question is.... what suggestions might you have for high calorie, high energy foods to maximize his eating?!? I've been doing a lot of avocadoes; I've also been mixing up cashew butter with some honey and adding it to cereal with some milk. (He's almost 2) He will sometimes eat chickpeas with nutritional yeast, too. I am hoping once these teeth finally come through, he'll settle down to eating better. Thanks for any ideas... I'm starting to get concerned. Sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 I got tired of chasing my toddlers all over the house with a spoon. And one thing I've learned is that they won't starve themselves. They will eat when they need to and no more. Just feed him highly nutritious foods and his multi-vitamins. I do a lot of nut butters for fat, fruits, veg, pasta and rice for carbs and mashed beans. Will he drink smoothies? That's a great way to sneak in fruit, veggies, protein, vitamins, etc! I make them with frozen fruit, spinach, avocado, ground flax, nut butters and vitamin powders (Amazing Kids Supergreens) and they suck it down! --- On Thu, 9/17/09, sazra73 <sazra73 wrote: sazra73 <sazra73 Energetic toddler not eating! Thursday, September 17, 2009, 8:51 PM Hi, My son is very energetic and always busy. He has never really been a picky eater, but of late, I am having a really difficult time getting him to eat. I have to literally hold him on my lap and distract him with a toy or book to get him to eat 80% of the time. He's at the point where his pants are starting to get loose around the middle!! He's also teething with a molar, so not really receptive to eating. So, the question is.... what suggestions might you have for high calorie, high energy foods to maximize his eating?!? I've been doing a lot of avocadoes; I've also been mixing up cashew butter with some honey and adding it to cereal with some milk. (He's almost 2) He will sometimes eat chickpeas with nutritional yeast, too. I am hoping once these teeth finally come through, he'll settle down to eating better. Thanks for any ideas... I'm starting to get concerned. Sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 I have this same problem with my 2 1/2 year old, and his waist is getting smaller too! One thing I give him lately when he's not eating much, is peanut butter or other nut better on the spoon with honey on it or jam, he will eat several spoonfuls! I also recently put PB and J into his yogurt, he loves yogurt, if you eat that! I also give him nuts to snack on , and smoothly with banana, fruit and nuts or nut butter blended up. I try not to force him to eat, but my husband " battles with him and bribes him to eat constantly and I hate it!! I feel like it will make things worse. any one have any advice on how I can get him to stop that?? , " sazra73 " <sazra73 wrote: > > Hi, > > My son is very energetic and always busy. He has never really been a picky eater, but of late, I am having a really difficult time getting him to eat. I have to literally hold him on my lap and distract him with a toy or book to get him to eat 80% of the time. He's at the point where his pants are starting to get loose around the middle!! He's also teething with a molar, so not really receptive to eating. > > So, the question is.... what suggestions might you have for high calorie, high energy foods to maximize his eating?!? I've been doing a lot of avocadoes; I've also been mixing up cashew butter with some honey and adding it to cereal with some milk. (He's almost 2) He will sometimes eat chickpeas with nutritional yeast, too. I am hoping once these teeth finally come through, he'll settle down to eating better. > > Thanks for any ideas... I'm starting to get concerned. > > Sara > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Even though your son appears to be getting skinnier, it sounds like he's eating calorie dense foods. One solution for your husband would be to keep a food diary handy and jot down what your son eats during the day, for a few days. Even though he may not eat a lot at each meal, with snacks etc, he may be getting plenty of calories. Show the list to your husband before dinner, so maybe he will feel more relaxed at meal time, knowing that your son has eaten SOMETHING during the day! It's pretty normal for toddlers to prefer running around over sitting down for meals. Believe me, at some point they all get accustomed to family meal time, if you make it a habit. And they will look forward to dinner as a family. To increase veggie consumption, try to introduce vegetable soup at an early age. It goes down easily. It will get the child's taste buds used to the taste of veggies. Also green smoothies with leafy greens and fruit to sweeten are a great idea at an early age, before they get frightened by anything green Adding nut butters to increase the calories is a great idea. Also, how about coconut milk? Tracy On Sep 18, 2009, at 4:40 PM, mylameoww wrote: > I have this same problem with my 2 1/2 year old, and his waist is > getting smaller too! One thing I give him lately when he's not > eating much, is peanut butter or other nut better on the spoon with > honey on it or jam, he will eat several spoonfuls! I also recently > put PB and J into his yogurt, he loves yogurt, if you eat that! I > also give him nuts to snack on , and smoothly with banana, fruit > and nuts or nut butter blended up. > I try not to force him to eat, but my husband " battles with him and > bribes him to eat constantly and I hate it!! I feel like it will > make things worse. any one have any advice on how I can get him to > stop that?? > > , " sazra73 " <sazra73 wrote: > > > > Hi, > > > > My son is very energetic and always busy. He has never really > been a picky eater, but of late, I am having a really difficult > time getting him to eat. I have to literally hold him on my lap and > distract him with a toy or book to get him to eat 80% of the time. > He's at the point where his pants are starting to get loose around > the middle!! He's also teething with a molar, so not really > receptive to eating. > > > > So, the question is.... what suggestions might you have for high > calorie, high energy foods to maximize his eating?!? I've been > doing a lot of avocadoes; I've also been mixing up cashew butter > with some honey and adding it to cereal with some milk. (He's > almost 2) He will sometimes eat chickpeas with nutritional yeast, > too. I am hoping once these teeth finally come through, he'll > settle down to eating better. > > > > Thanks for any ideas... I'm starting to get concerned. > > > > Sara > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 thanks for the good advice. I forgot about coconut milk, and I'll try to log what he's eating to see what/if hes really eating. ~Danielle , Tracy Childs <tracychilds wrote: > > Even though your son appears to be getting skinnier, it sounds like > he's eating calorie dense > foods. One solution for your husband would be to keep a food diary handy > and jot down what your son eats during the day, for a few days. Even > though he may not > eat a lot at each meal, with snacks etc, he may be getting plenty of > calories. Show the list > to your husband before dinner, so maybe he will feel more relaxed at > meal time, > knowing that your son has eaten SOMETHING during the day! It's > pretty normal > for toddlers to prefer running around over sitting down for meals. > Believe me, at > some point they all get accustomed to family meal time, if you make > it a habit. And > they will look forward to dinner as a family. > > To increase veggie consumption, try to introduce vegetable soup at an > early age. It goes > down easily. It will get the child's taste buds used to the taste of > veggies. Also green > smoothies with leafy greens and fruit to sweeten are a great idea at > an early age, before > they get frightened by anything green Adding nut butters to > increase the calories is > a great idea. Also, how about coconut milk? > > Tracy > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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