What can a Mommy do to get her soon to be 2 year old to eat something healthy?

[hopingforthebest]

I always try to make the food look fun. I will arrange it in funny faces and things on the plate. But that only works sometimes. I asked the doctor and he said not to force him to eat because it can cause obesity in young children. The doctor also suggested a one a day gummy vitamin. They think it's candy but it's a vitamin.

[jkzimm04]

My soon to be two year old ate anything and everything up until about a month ago. Now he will eat what suits him and not even try anything even though he used to eat it! I am getting concerned that he's not getting the nutrition that he needs! I know kids go through stages. This is what bugs me, he won't even taste it if I ask him to. He just throws a tantrum and wants me to move on to the next course of fruit or desert. I tell him if he can't taste it or try it then he gets no fruit until he does. Is that harsh? This morning prime example. He didn't want to eat his scrambled eggs which I know he likes them so he didn't get his toast. I got him down from his high chair and told him he can have toast when he eats some eggs. He gets mad. So I carried on as usual and ate my toast and he wanted it of course, I said no Mommy ate her eggs so she can have toast, you need to eat at least some eggs to have toast. He threw a tantrum. He's so smart, he knows what I'm saying and he wants what he wants. (Don't we all) He just needs to learn that he can't always have what he wants. Am I doing the right thing? I feel so mean for not giving him anything to eat yet I know if he is hungry he will eat his eggs! Any advice or suggestions? I need to start this kid on some kind of vitamin supplement! I used to not have to worry because he ate so well!
My son gets the v8 fusion too! That makes me feel a little better anyway!

[yellow_tofu]

dont start bad habits early, dont feed you kid friend foods or chips, b/c after a kid gets a tastes of the old McD, the will no long wanna eat their veggies.

[JAG]

What you are doing is dangerous - using food as reward and making it contingent on eating certain foods you feel he should have. It sets up very unpleasant associations with food and mealtimes and also makes a huge power struggle whereas YOU decide what he likes/dislikes.

Toddlers are notorious picky eaters and somedays love certain foods and some days hate them. I have an almost 2 year old as well as a 4 and 9 yr old. I stopped searching for ways to 'make' them eat. I offer healthy foods and they are responsible for eating the. I do not allow dessert/snack foods to fill the void if they do not eat healthy.

I would offer your toddler a variety of foods at each meal - like eggs, toast, fruit. Let him choose to eat it or choose not to. He'll like have the choices on his plate. My son loves fruit. I give him his serving alongside his meal and when he gobbles that up first and yells for more, I say, no more fruit, this is the rest of your food. Most times, he will then eat the rest of the food.

Hope that helps.