2.5 year old Eating issues.. Help :)

Hi folks, since I have always received helpful advise from people in this site, I will ask another question!

I have a 2.5 year old that is really struggling with meal times, the guy hates chewing! Will no eat anything thing that he cannot maul to death in his mouth. Bananas, pb sandwiches, plain yogurt(no lumps),kraft dinner, is pretty much all he will actually eat. I've been playing hard ball with him for at last 2 months, feeding him whatever everyone else is eating. One of each food groups at lunch, cereal or toast for breakfast, and something healthy for snack. I don't make a big deal about what he eats, I only encourage him to try something else on his plate. Once lunch is over and I start to tidy things up he gets super upset(probably cause he is still hungry). He is really struggling with language so it's hard to know exactly why he won't eat(only has 10-15 words)His parents are having the same type struggles at home, supplementing real food with baby food, pablum for breakfast, packages of food for other meals. I don't plan on giving him baby food while he is here. Any suggestions, keep holding out on him? How long could this possibly go on for, he was able to eat real food around 1.5 but has declined considerably on the "things he will eat list" down to only a few things. Mouth issue possible? Sensory? Parents? Does the oral delay have anything to do with it? Any suggestions ideas would be greatly appreciated

Sounds a little like my oldest..he only had about 40 words by age 3..and had a hard time chewing. I used to cut his blueberries in 4! Lol.. Your daycare child does seem a bit worse with the eating though..It sounds like the parents easily gave in...if he's having a hard time chewing then foods like oatmeal or soft mandarins in a cup, mashed potatoes with mashed up veggies, soft beans, or unsweetened applesauce may be good options. Better than kraft dinner for a 2 year old..yuck! I would try and help him out if it really seems like chewing is the problem. Even if that means cutting up the food you are giving everyone else very tiny. He should get better at it soon..if he gets the chance to practise..Good luck!

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Originally Posted by DaycareMiss

Hi folks, since I have always received helpful advise from people in this site, I will ask another question!

I have a 2.5 year old that is really struggling with meal times, the guy hates chewing! Will no eat anything thing that he cannot maul to death in his mouth. Bananas, pb sandwiches, plain yogurt(no lumps),kraft dinner, is pretty much all he will actually eat. I've been playing hard ball with him for at last 2 months, feeding him whatever everyone else is eating. One of each food groups at lunch, cereal or toast for breakfast, and something healthy for snack. I don't make a big deal about what he eats, I only encourage him to try something else on his plate. Once lunch is over and I start to tidy things up he gets super upset(probably cause he is still hungry). He is really struggling with language so it's hard to know exactly why he won't eat(only has 10-15 words)His parents are having the same type struggles at home, supplementing real food with baby food, pablum for breakfast, packages of food for other meals. I don't plan on giving him baby food while he is here. Any suggestions, keep holding out on him? How long could this possibly go on for, he was able to eat real food around 1.5 but has declined considerably on the "things he will eat list" down to only a few things. Mouth issue possible? Sensory? Parents? Does the oral delay have anything to do with it? Any suggestions ideas would be greatly appreciated

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I'm going to play devils advocate here and suggest that this is potentially a fussy eater given the list of foods he will have. You aren't able to break down kraft dinner without some time of chewing, it's pasta for goodness sake. He would have to chew it to some extent or swallow it whole. His parents are only making it worse. Your two months of persistence was in vain if this kid knew that once home each day he would get fed the things he will eat. Plain yoghurt without lumps??? You don't have to chew the stuff with lumps, it's just a swallow. I don't see this as a sensory issue that is beyond the child's choice, I think this is a fussy eater who gets his own way at home.

How about starting some kind of meal plan and journal with the parents onboard 100%. You feed the same foods for breakfast lunch and dinner every single day at daycare and at home for a week. The next week a different set of foods but consistent at daycare and at home. No alternatives are given, ever. If there is the parent's concern that the child won't eat, maybe giving a smoothie for breakfast will help the worrying.

I think this may also stem from how late an eater he was. 1.5 years, that is extremely late. Table food by 9 months at the latest, consistency varying from child to child, but certainly no more than cut into small pieces beyond 10ish months. I know a lot of people wean later but it doesnt need to be. Perhaps they pureed for longer which hindered his development. But again, if he can chew bread and pasta in the kraft dinner then I call BS on this being a texture or sensory thing and strongly believe this is a fussy eater situation reinforced by parents not handling it properly by feeding baby food and other nonsense.

Some kids are just FUSSY. I use to have a boy that would eat anything and then the parents had a 2nd boy and he would not eat anything if he had to chew, he was even on the baby jars at age 2 - he is still a picky eater at age 7 !!!

It does definitely sound like a picky eater that doesn't NEED to eat. I have one here who is given protein shakes at home (the powdered stuff for muscle builders) and those baby food pouches and plain oatmeal. Every day.

It makes it REALLY hard for you to make a break through but know that you, in the very least, are teaching that child what healthy eating looks like and that everyone else does it. There isn't much more to do.

I only have my picky eater for one snack a day. So my job is even harder at showing what real meals look like. I have taken the approach of only every serving really 'weird' foods (his perspective not mine). No bread, no crackers. We have garden salads, stews and chilis, bean salads, all sorts of fresh and roasted vegetables. REAL FOOD. My only goal is for him to see it served, and see us eating it. I believe it DOES make a difference. I see the look on his face as he watches me put that food in my mouth and chew. It is like this is a new thing to see. No idea what is going on in his head but all that can come of seeing healthy, real food served is potentially a better view of food later on.

Now I would be on the lookout for possible muscle weakness in the jaw etc. With the lack of speech perhaps there is something there. But if he can manage kraft dinner...

I would potentially serve his food smaller so there is less effort required but I wouldn't offer other foods. I would also serve very LITTLE amounts. It can be overwhelming to have a plateful of something that you think you don't like. Give 2 small pieces of the fruit/vegetable, 1 tablespoon of the soup in a tiny bowl.

Maybe a texture issue?