[mudweiser]

My two year old used to eat great, then few months down the road she starts being picky.

Now I find myself grinding her food down like baby food, in order for her to eat it all-if not more. If I don't purée her food she will eat very little of the solid food, a little bite here and there and she's done.


Am I doing the right thing by grinding her food up? Or should I have an iron fist and try to make her eat all the unmashed food? Is what I'm doing going to damage any eating habits in the future?


P.S. If you have any tricks for picky eaters, let me know!

Another thing about her is that she does not like feeding herself, her father or I still feed her. If we give her the spoon all she does is play with it but will not bring it to her mouth.

MRS.S

[Cheriedow2006]

She probably feels secure when someone is feeding her.

I would continue to smash her food but maybe leave some small chunks. My daughter was really picky when she was small. We would play games with her. At least she's eating. It sounds like you're a special mother.

[mudweiser]

Thanks Cherie! I'll start making it chunkier little by little, I never thought of that-- so simple... :rolleyes:

MRS.S

[Cheriedow2006]

My neighbor has two small boys. She is so kind and loving to her little boys. Her dad was abusive to her and her brother growing up. It's really nice to see how kind and loving she is to her sons. I enjoy living near them. She never raises her voice and pays special attention to them. She has a lot of patience and love for her boys. Just love them and teach them. They grow up fast.

[nikosmom]

I've heard that it's natural sometimes for toddlers to takes "2 steps forward, 1 step back".

My son is almost 2 and his willingness to try new things depends on his level of tiredness. Of course your daughter may be different but they have their own little reasons for the things they do.

One explanation is that they are learning so much that they often revert back to doing "baby" things because it's kind of a comfort zone.

My son is almost 2 and sometimes he'll try something like chicken but other times, he only wants something smooth like a mashed sweet potato or applesauce. I spoke to his pediatrician about it and in a nutshell they told me not to worry and to just keep trying; that he won't starve himself. :)

[mominMO3]

Toddlers go through a stage where they become picky eaters. My son went through this and I started letting him help pick out what to eat and help me make it. It started eating better after that and was more eager to try foods for himself. Good luck!

[Holistic Doctor]

Most toddlers (if not all) seem to go through a short of long phase of finicky eating habits.

I entirely agree with nikosmom when she says "that it's natural sometimes for toddlers to takes "2 steps forward, 1 step back".

Sometimes toddlers will eat chunky food / solid food when you allow them to use their fingers instead of a spoon: we do this in India because it is not alien to our culture, as we are forever washing our hands to keep them clean, but I suspect it wouldn't be acceptable to you.

Anyway, I just thought I'd write what we do, for your information!