My favorite trick is to cut up a few different fruits and give both kids a toothpick to eat it with. The toothpick brings novelty to the event, and sharing with the older sibling makes it a competition so they eat more. The other thing that works here is to help them make their own pizzas, either on pita bread or normal bread (works more for 4yo DS).
Perhaps she is filling up on the Toddler milk?
And yes, the toothpick trick worked a treat with my kids.
DD is going through something similar at the moment, it's frustrating and like you I worry that she is not getting enough. She goes through eating everything stages and eating almost nothing stages.
Friday is my lazy day, I dish up a cold plate, so it will have alot of different things on that the kids pick at. Like cold cold meats, chopped up raw carrot, cheese on biscuits, cherry tomatoes and hard boild eggs.
Sometimes DD prefers the cheese grated.
ETA: DD is a November 09 baby, she would rather carrot sticks she can dip into something like Hummus dip
Its been going on for about 3 weeks and ive only started the toddler milk today. She onlt has 2 bottles a day, one before her arvo sleep and one at night before bed.
WillGive more fingers foods a go and toothpicks, usually if I leave out food she has one or two bites then leaves it'll
she's too young for the dice trick yet, works a treat on DD1 though
if DD1 is having a no food phase i will make fruit sticks or even veggie sticks, just stuff on a skewer. that goes down a treat.
i dont know what else to say though, she wont starve to death, but if dd1 was doing this to such a degree id worry as she is already so skinny, but i dont know what id do. does she help you when your cooking, dd will eat more veggies and stuff if she is helping me prepare dinner/lunch, maybe try that??
just a thought, has she got painful teeth or throat, something thats putting her off eating?
just thought of this game i have played a few times with dd but i think yours might be a tad too young? if she hasnt touched her dinner we play a guessing game, take in in turns and put food in the other persons mouth and they have to guess what it was. she can eat a whole dinner this way.
DS goes through phases too. He seems to be enjoying the fact that he has some control over what/when/whether/how he wants to eat now and sometimes he refuses just for the sake of it iykwim. For the past two days the fork has been a novelty, so anything that could go on a fork was a winner. Before that he went a week where the only fruit he ate was whatever I could hide in his weetbix, put in his yoghurt or make into a cinnamon fruit loaf. We just kept offering it at every meal, a wide variety but only a real small amount at a time - I've heard putting lots of food in front of a toddler can be overwhelming. Have you asked her what she wants? Maybe you could negotiate with her a bit if it's not suitable e.g. ice cream could be ice-cream with fruit salad or cake could be a fruit/savoury muffin. I'd also be letting her snack if she wants, but trading it for some protein/carbs - cheese and bikies, dip, fruit pikelets with yoghurt, boiled egg, roast chicken etc
As a pp said, it's important not to let them know you're anxious or worried about them. GL
DS2 is exactly the same, except it's not a phase! He pretty much eats 2 weetbix for brekky, maybe a tub of yogurt, half a ssanga on a good day and that's it! I could count the times he has eaten dinner in 2 years! That's why I've continued with toddler formula once a day. But ds1 was the same and then at about 5 started eating and now at 9 eats more than me! I find it really stressful. The only dinner he will eat is risotto, spag Bol and curry but I'll be lucky if he actually WANTS to eat at all. Hope she starts eating again soon hun....I feel ya frustration!
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