Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsNormal EatingMedical IssuesWhat to DoGuidelines for Toddler NutritionWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Normal Eating
Medical Issues
What to Do
Guidelines for Toddler Nutrition
When to Seek Care
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. Sensory problems can also a factor for some kids.
There are times when a toddler refusing to eat could be a sign of a medical issue like food sensitivity or viral illness. If your child’s change in appetite persists or they are experiencing weight loss, vomiting, or other symptoms, check with your healthcare provider.
Andrey Zhuravlev / Getty Images
Common Reasons Toddlers Won’t Eat
There are several common reasons why your toddler won’t eat. They may be tired, distracted, or afraid of trying something new.
In some cases, your toddler may just not be hungry during mealtime. It’s common for kids to have phases where they eat a lot, and phases where they seem to be hardly consuming anything at all. 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.
Selective Eating
Toddlers practice “selective eating,” which means they tend to favor certain foods and avoid all others.
Their favorites may stay the same for a while or change over time, but they start life looking for one thing in particular—sweet flavors.
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.
Fear of New Foods
Sometime during their second year, many toddlers develop a fear of trying new food. This is calledneophobia, and it is the most common reason toddlers refuse to eat.
The fear of new foods is stronger in some toddlers than others, but most of them eventually outgrow it.
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. They may reject a food based on one or more of the following:
The best response is to let the toddler explore or even play with their food. In doing so, they’re learning important things about each of these characteristics, making them more familiar.
You can also try doing what you can 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.
Keep in mind that if your toddler’s preferences seem extreme, it might be a sign of sensory processing issues. Kids with food-related sensory issues might only be able to tolerate foods that are soft, for example, or a certain color.
Sensory issues may lead to problems with nutrition, so it’s important to contact your healthcare provider if you suspect your child has a sensory problem.
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.
Occasional Lack of Appetite
Children are known for having goodinteroceptionskills, meaning they are able to feel and understand the sensations of their own bodies. This includeshunger.
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. As they go through growth spurts and days of varying activity, they’ll fill up when they need to.
Some toddlers drink a lot of milk or juice, which can fill them up so much that they aren’t hungry at mealtime.Limiting between-meal drinks to water can help with this.
Learning how to manage a toddler’s appetite can take some practice. Take your first cue from portion size: If they regularly leave food behind, try cutting back on how much you offer them. Or let them serve themselves.
Toddlers usually get hungry every few hours, so a small snack a few hours before a meal should mean they’re hungry, not starving, when it’s time to eat.
Fatigue and Distraction
Just like an adult, a child who won’t eat may simply be too tired to go through the motions of having a meal. They may also be wrapped up in an activity that keeps their mind (or their priorities) off food.
This can happen when:
If dinnertime fatigue becomes a regular occurrence, try making lunchtime your toddler’s big meal of the day and prepare a lighter plate for dinner.
Good sleep plays a role in good health, especially among growing toddlers. Toddlers ages 1 to 2 need between 11 and 14 hours of sleep per day (including naps), while 3- to 5-year-olds require 10 to 13 hours per day.
Medical Reasons That Toddlers Won’t Eat
Just like you can lose your appetite if you feel ill, toddlers are no different, though they may not always be able to tell you exactly what’s bothering them.
Some medical conditions that may cause a lack of appetite or a toddler’s refusal to eat include:
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder(ARFID) is an eating disorder in which a child limits the amount or types of food they eat.
What makes ARFID different from ordinary eating issues is that children with the disorder limit food intake to the point that they do not consume a healthy amount of calories or nutrients. They often experience growth and development issues as a result.Having less energy than their peers is also common.
It is estimated that 0.3% to 15.5% of children and adolescents are thought to have ARFID.Unlike some other eating disorders, children with ARFID don’t have a distorted body image. They feel anxiety related to food itself.
The exact cause of ARFID is not known. Many experts believe that a combination of a child’s temperament, genes, and triggering events (such as choking) are possible causes.
Other causes of ARFID may include:
What to Do When a Child Won’t Eat
As hard as it might be, stay calm if your toddler refuses what you offer or causes a fuss at mealtime. Remember that when they’re hungry, they’ll eat.
There are a number of things you can do to help your toddler learn positive eating habits:
Avoid any strategies that could result in a fight:Don’t coax or bribe your child into eating.Do not punish your child for not eating or require that they stay at the table until their plate is clear.Never hide a new food in one you know your child likes. Tucking peas under a mound of applesauce, for example, could mean your toddler ends up rejecting both foods.
Avoid any strategies that could result in a fight:
Toddlers need less food than adults do. 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. For example, they may seem like they’re eating constantly on some days and eat very little on others. This usually balances out over the course of a week or so.
Make sure to offer your child a variety of foods throughout the week, including dairy, vegetabes, fruits, grains, and proteins.
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. As long as you continue to offer healthy choices, you can help them to meet their nutrition needs over several days.
Milk is also important for toddlers to provide the calcium and vitamin D needed for strong bones. Kids from 12 months to 2 years old should drink whole milk, which helps them get dietary fats needed for healthy development. After the age of 2, you can switch to 1% or non-fat milk if you prefer.
If your child has a milk allergy, you may be able to substitute soy milk with added vitamin D or other foods with calcium, such as broccoli, spinach, and fortified cereals.Check with your healthcare provider to make sure you’re helping them get the right nutrients.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
It can be tricky to know when a toddler is refusing food in a developmentally appropriate way and when poor eating is something to be concerned about.
In general, you should pay attention to what your child eats over the course of a week rather than the course of a day. If your child eats very little during a seven-day period, it may be time to talk to their healthcare provider.
Some other more specific signs that your child needs to be evaluated include:
Summary
Dealing with a picky eater is different from dealing with a toddler who won’t eat. 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.
If your child eats very little during a seven-day period or longer, it may be time to talk to their healthcare provider.
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