How do you get your toddlers to eat?

Question

My 4 year old step daughter refuses to eat anything besides cereal. We have tried everything in the book, she can’t leave the table until she finishes, she doesn’t get anything else to eat besides what we make, time outs, taking her tablet, sticker charts etc. She throws huge fits and cries saying she wants to go back to her moms and we are at a loss. Does anyone have any helpful tips?
Edit: I should have explained better, she only gets time outs and tablet taken for the tantrums that come from her not getting sugary cereal for every meal. She does the same thing at her moms. She eventually will eat but the fight to eat we deal with for every meal is exhausting.

Answer

Maybe stop telling her how much she needs to eat and let her tell you what she would like to eat and stop disciplining her for it.

Answer

My 2 year old did that. Would only eat cereal. I hid the cereal, out of sight out of mind right? Well I would put whatever I made for dinner on his plate and give it to him if he threw his tantrums or cried I would tell him that’s fine but that’s what we are eating and if you don’t eat you will go to bed hungry. It took a day or two but he eventually started eating what I put on his plate

Answer

Punishing her is only building a negative association with food. That isn’t going to help. Kids that age want control. Offer her two options (not including cereal). That gives her the sense of control she wants, but gives you a way to get her to eat.

Answer

I’d try more positive reinforcements than negative ones. She’s going to end up associating those negative things with eating. 
Give options with your meals, I’m not talking separate meals, but include something she will eat, and a few things she won’t. For example, with our daughter who refused to eat lots of things for a while, we’d always make sure we’d give her half a slice of bread on her plate, then all the other things we wanted her to eat. And the more of a big deal you make it, the more she’ll refuse. We just have our daughter her meal, then let her be and just had normal dinner conversation. She didn’t like us watching her and trying to make her eat. Now she eats most of the foods we give her (she’s 4 as well)

Answer

Eating is something she has control of...my daughter is 4 and she’s been going through different food phases for over a year. Right now she’s back on the hot dog train. There’s certain battles I try not to fight with her. I try to give a few options and let her pick. She hasn’t touched a vegetable in like two years which I’m super disappointed but if they keep seeing it on the plate they may eventually pick it up and try it again. You can’t pressure. You can’t force them to eat the food and give them a complex about it (making them feel bad etc). That’s what contributes to eating disorders. Just know your not alone in the struggle to get their kid to eat a healthy diet. Let alone maybe just a balanced diet.

Answer

Give her one thing you know she likes with a meal (not cereal) and then provide her the meal you made. She doesn’t eat it then ok fine. But that is it. You know there was something offered that she has seen and likes but don’t give in. You provide, she decides. If she throws a tantrum then ignore her. Don’t punish her but pretend it’s not happening. Remember, you are the grown up. Look into feeding littles website.

Answer

I just don’t give my son cereals. Or anything else besides what’s for lunch. If he doesn’t want to eat, he doesn’t have to, but he‘ll get the same for dinner. Without yelling, fighting.... totally calm.

Answer

Have you tried just sitting at the table as a family, put something in front of her other than the cereal. Literally anything, tell her what it is and this is what you’re having today then don’t focus on the food at all, ask about her day and any topics of discussion. If she even tries it give her massive praises, don’t push her to eat let her do it in her own time. Do it every meal time offer something different but don’t offer her the cereal. If she doesn’t eat what’s in front of her don’t acknowledge that, simply say she’s free to leave the table then try again the next meal time. No punishments just praise! 😁

Answer

Try checking out kids.eat.in.color and feedinglittles on Instagram. They both have tons of advice about picking eating!

Answer

Gentle suggestion. Exposure makes them more apt to try things. Serve it but dont force it. We serve my son the SAME things every day for a week and he will eventually at least try everything by like day 2 and by day 4 or 5 he will clean his plate. Also putting too much on her plate can be overwhelming. Try an extremely small amount of the food ls that are unfamiliar/disliked and as you expose them to her more often and she eats them you serve more. Dont place foods in "good" or "yucky" categories. Food is just food. Be firm. "We are having chicken, broccoli and applesauce for dinner, you dont have to eat it but that is what we are having" dont give in and just give her whatever she wants or "whatever she will eat" because then that is definitely going to be all she eats. My son does this weird thing when we give him new foods. He chews up the first bite then spits it out but then eventually will finish the entire serving.

How do you get your toddlers to eat?

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