When a toddler won’t eat, parents may feel a little worried.
It may help to know that selective eating and occasional dips in appetite are common and normal.
Your child may simply be expressing a preference for certain foods or a fear of new ones.
Andrey Zhuravlev / Getty Images
Sensory problems can also a factor for some kids.
They may be tired, distracted, or afraid of trying something new.
In some cases, your toddler may just not be hungry during mealtime.
Short periods of low appetite are common and normal.
If the problem persists, check with a healthcare provider to see if there is an underlying medical issue.
Rest assured that most of these issues resolve over time.
Parents can help by providing positive reinforcement to help make mealtime an enjoyable experience.
Babies are born preferring sweet flavors, which conveniently attracts them to breast milk.
Their sweet tooth is even keener than that of adults and doesn’t begin to decline until adolescence.
Babies mustlearnto like savory flavors.
Toddlers learn to eat by copying their parents and siblings.
Just be prepared to stock up on whatever foods they gravitate toward, at least for a while.
This is calledneophobia, and it is the most common reason toddlers refuse to eat.
It takes patience and persistence for parents to help kids overcome this.
Children may need to be exposed to new foods many times before they actually put them in their mouths.
In the meantime, don’t try forcing your child to try these foods.
Sensory Likes and Dislikes
Children can have twice as many taste buds as adults.
This means their sense of taste is much more sensitive, especially to strong or bitter foods like vegetables.
Some children make food decisions based not only on taste but the information they gather from their other senses.
In doing so, they’re learning important things about each of these characteristics, making them more familiar.
you might also try doing what you might to make their food look as appealing or fun as possible.
Cutting food into cookie-cutter shapes or turning a plate of sliced vegetables into a cartoon image may help.
Toddlers aren’t capable of creating a balanced diet for themselves.
Offer kid-friendly favorites, but also remind them that they can eat “big people’s food” too.
If your toddler won’t eat and insists they aren’t hungry, let it go.
Keep offering meals and snacks, even if they get turned down.
Learning how to manage a toddler’s appetite can take some practice.
Or let them serve themselves.
Good sleep plays a role in good health, especially among growing toddlers.
They often experience growth and development issues as a result.Having less energy than their peers is also common.
They feel anxiety related to food itself.
The exact cause of ARFID is not known.
Remember that when they’re hungry, they’ll eat.
An active toddler needs between 1,000 and 1,400 calories a day.
The amount your child eats may vary widely from day to day.
This usually balances out over the course of a week or so.
Your toddler may not eat from all of these groups every day.
They may refuse their turkey sandwich one day or push away vegetables the next.
Milk is also important for toddlers to provide the calcium and vitamin D needed for strong bones.
After the age of 2, you might switch to 1% or non-fat milk if you prefer.
Neophobia is a common reason why toddlers reject foods.
They are more than wary of new food; they may even fear it.
This form of food refusal usually fades with time.
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