What do your toddlers eat each day? Don’t just share what you serve, I’d love to see how much they eat too!

I keep this in my notes to track her diet and how it may change. I can’t get her to eat more than this, no matter how hard I try. She poops 2-4 times a day.

Im sorry you are going through all that. I feel like that is a lot of food and good variety. Impressive. My toddler is very very picky. He doesn't eat much variety. I was concerned and frustrated, so I took him to the doctor. She said his weight and growth were normal, that we could either continue letting him dictate his eating habits or do the hard work to teach him better eating habits. We chose to just leave it alone until we feel he's ready for more structure. I would say you are doing it all right and your feelings are valid.

Currently my son eats at all times of the day, whenever he asks for food, and roams around where ever when he eats. I try to make sure the items I feed him have good nutrients, protein, and less than 10 grams of sugar per item except the yogurt. He eats MadeGood Morning Bars, Yumi Bars, GoMarco Kids Bars, Perfect Bars, OLYRA bites and biscuits, Stoneyfield Yogurt that says with fruits and veggies, organic bananas, and the occasional PB&J. Those are like everyday staples, but of course there are some days we can get him to eat something else, but nothing crazy, usually crackers or chips or a muffin.

If youre not comfortable with the prescriptions and treatment from the doctor, dont do it. It takes babies of all sizes to make the range of "normal". As long as shes healthy, growing on her curve, hitting milestones, etc., i wouldnt worry at all. Theres a lady in my one due date group on facebook with a 2 year old that still wears 9-12 month clothes because hes TINY.

This diet log seems like an adequate amount of food to me. What prescriptions if this Dr having you try? Prescriptions all have side effects especially in little ones, and if she's thriving like you say she is i would also personally hold off. I don't see how eating dairy is going to make her gain weight i would personally not push that either. I wonder if you could see a dietician instead, or a more holistic practitioner. Just an aside- I feel like carbs make us gain weight lol. Have you tried things like oatmeal, or pasta or rice with butter/oil? But also I dint see how that would magically make her gain a ton of weight either bc her diet really doesn't seem that bad. Did you ask the Dr about nutrient malabsorption and how to test for it? Can you see another GI?

There is no reason to stop breastfeeding if it is working for you and her. Not gaining weight is concerning, but it doesn't seem like she's not gaining weight because she is nursing. There are plenty of people in the world who don't eat dairy. I would find a different GI doctor who doesn't shame you for biologically normal things

This seems so frustrating. I'm so sorry you're going through this. I don't think you need to stop breast feeding. You and baby will know when it's time to stop. Also, my little does no dairy, as for our daily meals. Breakfast: Eggs and spinach with a side toast. Snack: Crackers and hummus w/ whatever fruit/veggie we are eating Lunch: Couscous and edemame has been a favorite, or whatever is leftover from dinner Snack: Whatever fruit and toast w/ jelly Dinner: Grain, protein, and veggie, however I decide to serve it lol This is a general day. Sometimes he won't have a lunch, or a snack. And some days he'll eat more, just depends. We also are not breastfeeding due to me having to feed my 4month twins lol

Wish you all the luck

My toddler has always been in the lower percentiles, but also exceeding milestones. I think the meal plan you have looks great and if she’s healthy and growing then I don’t think it matters what percentile she’s in, some people are just smaller than others. Also if you don’t like the advice your doctor gave you, get a second opinion. One persons opinion on the matter shouldn’t dictate your child’s lifestyle or whether or not you should breastfeed. I’m still breasting feeding my 2yo, and in some countries it’s the norm to breastfeed until 7yo so him saying your baby is too old is crazy! 1-3 is technically still infantile stage.

I just saw your comment about how often she poops. 4 poops a day is a lot for 2 years old. Since poop is removal of what the body doesn't absorb, your instincts that she is having an issue with nutrition absorption might be spot on. Get a second opinion and keep advocating for your girl

@Charlotte you are so smart, I wouldnt have even thought about that. My toddler only poops once like every other day. So yeah excessive pooping is probably something for her to think about with everything else.

OP, maybe you should also ask other moms how often their 2 year old poops? I was surprised when my toddlers doctor said not pooing everyday is normal. Talk to the doctor about how much she poops to see what they think. Find doctors that will listen to you. You know your kid best.

@Charlotte @Dana The reason we first met with this GI place is because of the pooping. They’ve tested it 3 times now and say it’s normal. They’ve taken blood 3 times now and still say it’s normal besides a slight B12 deficiency. She’s also had 2 bone density x-rays and they say her bone growth is on track too. 3 months ago they did an ultrasound in of her abdomen and said everything looked great. They run these tests every couple months and it’s exhausting. We’re waiting on the celiac disease test but I’ve heard it’s a genetic thing, and nobody in our families has food allergies, at all. 3 months ago they did a full blood panel to check on food allergies, including gluten and it came back normal. Her last GI specialist said to just give her a multivitamin and Miralax when her poops are dry/ hard which has been helpful with increasing her appetite. Her 2 year molars are coming in and this new doctor completely disregarded that as well.

@cari I agree, especially because my lactation consultant, regular OBGYN, and my daughter’s pediatrician have been so supportive of nursing long term. It’s so confusing because all of our doctors, her whole life, has always said it’s great that she’ll drink breastmilk to make up for not eating dairy otherwise. This is our first time meeting with a man and I’m worried that may have to do with it. Our other doctors are women and moms who always share their experiences with me and are pro-breastfeeding even if they didn’t breastfeed their babies. Thank you for sharing what your little one eats, and congratulations on your twins!

@Tonya That’s so reassuring! Lots of the other providers we met before saw how petite I am and we’ve shared how petite majority of my family is. They all said “well that makes sense,” and just explained that my daughter is just a small girl. She’s growing on her own curve as she has always been below the 3rd percentile, but I guess this doctor is so concerned that her weight hasn’t increased at all in 6 months. She went through a great growth spurt at 2 years old and put on 2 lbs.

We just had my sons 6 month check up and hes increased his weight percentile..to the 7th 😂 his doctor doesnt love it either, but my sons healthy and growing steady on his own curve so 🤷🏻‍♀️ hes in 0-3 month clothes, size 2 diapers, his feet are still so small that socks dont stay on, etc., etc. Lol. My jan 23 baby has always been on the big end, but my new baby is pretty small so ive seen both ends of provider reactions 😅

I’m so sorry you’re going through this stressful situation! You sound like a really good mom who is doing a great job! My daughter is also on the small side and always has been. Always below the 10th percentile. She is also growing on her curve and ahead of milestones. She also poops 1-4 times per day. I’m not too worried about her. Honestly, I’d rather her be small than big as long as she is hitting milestones. I definitely would not be taking prescriptions from that doctor, especially if he didn’t have a definitive diagnosis of something going on with her. If it’s just to get her to gain weight I think that’s ridiculous! Why is he trying to get her off of breast milk and onto dairy? He sounds like a horrible doctor. I would not trust a thing he says. I am so sorry you had to listen to his judgment and idiocy!

An average day of food for my daughter would be: Breakfast- 3 high protein pancakes, butter, maple syrup, 12 blueberries, maybe a bite of bacon, kombucha, vitamins Snack- 15 edamame and half an apple Lunch- 4oz chicken noodle soup, 5 olives, half a banana Dinner- whatever protein, veggie, carb dish I’m eating Snack- 4oz soy milk with protein powder, a date