How do you get a picky two year old to eat?

She is very tiny in the 5th percentile of the weight chart. The last time we went to the doctor, she went down from the 5th percentile. He told us to give her Carnation breakfast mix in milk to help her gain weight. She doesn't like it.

How do you get a picky two year old to eat?
My daughter was/is very small too. She was at 3% for a very long time and then dropped off and now is back up to about 10%. It is a battle.......sometimes I think those charts should be thrown out. Some kids are just small. They should look more at if they are healthy and happy.



A few suggestions we were given

~Eat a healthy bed time snack. Kids release growth hormone when they sleep. Do something big and filling at bed time. Things such as a PBJ sandwich, yogurt, scrambled egg, fruit cup with granola, cheese stick and crackers, etc.

~Offer food over and over again. It takes a child at least 10 tries before they can honestly say they like or dislike something. Offer food in many ways; with cheese, peeled or unpeeled, with dip, steemed or baked, etc. Be creative and make it look good.

~Make sure she is sleeping soundly. Kids that don't sleep well don't grow as well.
Reply:I give my son that, too. He likes the chocolate. Have you tried all three flavors--chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry? Also, you can make a smoothie out of it. The individual packages have recipes on them. If you don't have them, basically: put some milk, the Carnation mix, and either banana or peanut butter in the blender. If she needs to gain weight, you could add a little ice cream. Experiment with different flavors and additions. She might like that.



If you can't get the Carnation mix into her at all, ask your doctor about giving her a Pedia Sure every day. It's more expensive, but her health is worth it.



Are you giving her whole milk? You could. My son is small for his age, too and I'm always surprised by doctors and nurses recommending things like butter and ice cream. You could add some butter to her veggies, toast, and sandwiches.



Cheese, eggs, and peanut butter are pretty high calorie foods. The best you can do, is offer her a healthy, varied, and balanced diet and let her eat what she wants. You really can't force her to eat. Another thing might be to eliminate any sugary foods, if she gets any. She might be more hungry for the better stuff if she's not filling up on sugar (even too much juice). Good luck.
Reply:HIDE foods she dont like into foods she likes (be creative) hehe

if she likes mashed potatoes, add veggies to the mashed potatoes but mash them up first



um my son hates onions I love em and cook with them all the time so I take my cheese grater and grate my onions so tiny he never notices.



My daughter didnt like gr. beans. But she loved mushroom soup . I dumped the two together, and my goodness sounds gross, but she loves it and asks for it all the time. Same with my neices and nephews LOL.



with the carnation mix in milk, does she like chocolate milk%26gt;? mix it in with that. Its proven choco milk and white milk is both just as good for your body..
Reply:Try pedia sure, its like ensure. If she still doesn't like it . Sneak a little bit in her milk one glass at a time. Good Luck.
Reply:airplane
Reply:Making eating fun. Let her play with her food, and such.



I was picky when I was young, and I remember my mother used to take me to the store and pick whatever I wanted to eat.



Try adding things that she likes to what she does not like. My mother used to feed my "hotdog salad," or cut-up hotdogs on lettuce. Got me to eat my veggies! But, I'm no expert.

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