Does My Toddler Eat Enough?
We are proud to have Dr. Linda Mintle in ParentLife each month answering questions submitted from readers. To submit a question for Dr. Mintle, e-mail it to parentlife@lifeway.com and include "? for Dr. Mintle" on the subject line. This month we have an extra Q&A from Dr. Mintle we wanted to share.
Q: My 2-year-old doesn’t eat much. He just is not interested in food. It is hard to keep his attention at the table, and I feel like I am getting in power struggles with him. Should I stop pushing him to eat more?
A: It helps to know what is normal for a 2-year-old when it comes to eating. Growth slows down a bit, and so your child does not need a large amount of calories. Few children at this age get all their food requirements at each meal. They are busy and social. Understandably, they are more interested in play and have limited attention for sitting still at the table.
According to MyPyramid.gov, a helpful Web site developed by the United States Department of Agriculture, an average male child, age 2, needs about 1,000 calories a day. This includes: three ounces of grains, one cup of vegetables, one cup of fruit, three cups of milk, and two ounces of meat and beans. You can go to the My Pyramid Web site, enter your child’s age, gender, height, and activity level and get a more personalized plan. There are many tips on the site to help with food ideas, snacks, and meal planning.
My advice is to not make the table a battleground. At this age, a child can spot an uptight grown-up in a minute and make mealtimes unpleasant. So go with the flow. Let him eat and leave. He can learn to sit longer as he gets older.
Resources:
- Raising Healthy Kids in an Unhealthy World by Dr. Linda Mintle (Thomas Nelson, 2008)
- MyPyramid.gov
- Make food fun with Muffin Tin Mondays or Weelicious
Thanks, Dr. Linda, for the advice. I could have substituted "daughter" in that question and sent it in myself. I'm still not sure if she's eaten a vegetable knowingly since she was 9 months old, despite the fact that we set them in front of her time and time again. It does get better, right? Have you dealt with a finicky eater in your household? - Jessie
