Went for my child’s 2 year old appointment today and pediatrician told us to basically starve him out!

[Guest]

Such as if he doesn’t eat breakfast then he has to wait until snack , and if he doesn’t want the healthy snack then he has to wait until lunch.

I am super nervous but we are willing to try.

[Montana]

Have you tried to eat before him? I will sometimes get myself some food (a little before I know my son will be hungry) and just eat in front of him. At first nothing would happen except his staring at me but now he'll come over to me and look at the food and ask to try it. A lot of the time he spits it back out but he TRIED it at least.

[Mellymel]

Omg I think this is terrible advice. If an adult doesn’t like food, they pick it out or find something new. Why do we expect different for our children. I Mean I will encourage as much as possible, but I will also try to make some sort of compromise. As long as there is a safe food it is ok.

My son would starve himself or vomit I did this.

I actually follow a pediatric nutritionist and she said that while things like bread and chicken nuggets are not ideal, they still have some nutritional value.

[Arti]

Not sure about this. You know your child best! I would not do that with a 2 year old.

[Tahli]

I think that's actually very negligent advice. My son up until 2 ate everything & anything aswell. I never starved him though. I continue to offer a wide variety of food with a safe food always included. He now 4, will often maybe taste another food on the plate but that's without me saying anything. I just offer & ler him eat what he wants. Sensory aversions isn't always something you develop straight away, it progresses over time. Yes he could be going through a faze, or like my son, he is just aware of his aversions now. Or it could be something completely different.

[Carmilla]

My pediatrician says “feed them what they’ll eat!”. If he has some healthy (or relatively healthy) choices he likes (pbj, mac n cheese, etc), then let him have those! Kids go through phases. That will make him miserable and will not help. He’s 2 years old, he won’t understand why you’re doing that.

[Veronica]

Please do not starve your child. There should always be one safe food while introducing new foods. If you starve your child, you may just run into more behavioral issues that can manifest into other problems. They may start to have a strange relationship with food and mealtime. I understand that it’s hard if they only want to eat junk food but please don’t starve your child. That could possibly be some of the worst advice I have ever heard.

[Olivia]

I don't eat bananas. If someone were to starve me hoping that I'd eat a banana, I think I'd starve to death. Please put yourself in her shoes.

[Lexy]

I would not in any way recommend that. Most children are picky due sensory processing difficulties (texture, taste, smell). More often than not, they experience extreme anxiety around food. Also, there are children who will never buckle. My son would go days without eating if I did not offer him his safe foods.

To switch the scenario around, would you feel comfortable with someone refusing you food in the hopes that you get so very hungry that you give in and accept anything?

I understand that everyone has their own experience and needs to do what feels right. However, I think this recommendation from the pediatrician is outdated and should be looked into more.