The Ultimate Guide to Food Regression in Toddlers

Food regression is real, and if your toddler is refusing to eat, here’s everything you need to know about the causes and tips to deal with it.

One of the times a parent feels the most fulfilled is when their child eats their meal fully – few things can match that feeling of satisfaction!

So it can come as a shock when your well-fed toddler suddenly decides to stop eating and go on a hunger strike. It can be confusing and concerning – did you do something wrong? Is your child ill?

The answer is – None of the above. What your little one is going through is called food regression, and it is a lot like sleep regression. It’s extremely common, and today we’re going to decode this normal but annoying phenomenon!

What is Food Regression?

Food regression isn’t exactly a medical term, but it generally refers to a phase in a toddler’s life when they suddenly show a lack of interest in eating, especially in specific foods. This usually occurs between 18-24 months, as your toddler gets more active and mobile.

This decline in appetite is a normal part of a toddler’s development, and it may have various levels of intensity. Some children may simply eat less, while others may go on a full-on hunger strike, refusing even their favorite foods!

So why do toddlers stop eating suddenly? Here are a few reasons why this happens.

Causes of Food Regression in Toddlers

1. Slow Growth

Toddlers don’t gain weight or grow at the same rate as babies do. Around the age of two, weight gain slows down to just 1-2 kg per year. As a result, children of this age need fewer calories, and this manifests as a decreased appetite. Toddlers also have small tummies, and parents often tend to overestimate how much their kids can eat.

2. Asserting Independence

The toddler years are when your child is realizing they are a separate individual and they want to make sure you know it! At this age, they are all about testing boundaries and asserting themselves. While this is a wonderful part of their developing personality, it also means they get more picky about what to eat.

3. Being Busy

By the age of 18 months, toddlers are reaching important physical milestones like running, jumping, climbing and more. This means they’d much rather spend their time playing and exploring the world around them, and sitting at a table to eat is the last thing on their minds! Why bother with meals when there are so many other exciting things to do?

4. Excess Liquids/Snacks

Some parents look at their active toddlers and think they need a constant supply of drinks or snacks to keep their energy up. The truth is that this messes with their hunger pattern and by mealtime, your child is still feeling full, with no room for meals.

5. Teething

Teething continues to be a reason children refuse to eat, and in the second year, it’s usually the molars. Due to their size, the eruption of molars can be more painful and irritating than canines or incisors, reducing your toddler’s appetite and increasing pickiness.

Besides these, some rarer causes for food regression are ‘food neophobia’ – a reluctance to try new foods, or any unpleasant experiences with foods in the past.

10 Tips to Deal with Food Regression in Toddlers

1. Make mealtime enjoyable

If you’re stressed at mealtime, this transfers to your child, who begins to view mealtimes with fear and anxiety. Instead, make it a fun, enjoyable affair, focusing more on being together with family than on the food. Present the food beautifully, and eat together at the table, chatting and laughing.

2. Keep portions small

As mentioned earlier, parents often overestimate how much food their child needs. The sight of too much food on the plate can be overwhelming to a toddler, and puts them off right at the beginning. Not only does it put unnecessary pressure on your child, it also leads to food waste. Instead, start with just two tablespoons of food, you can always add more if your child wants.

3. Offer choices

Rather than putting just one item on the plate and insisting that your child eat that, offer 2-3 healthy options, so that your child can pick one. The ability to make a choice feels empowering to a young child who is trying to assert their identity, and it takes away some of the pressure of eating.

4. Make favorites more nutritious

As a parent, it’s natural to be worried about your child’s nutrition as they go through this stage of food regression, so there are a few things you can do to increase the nutritional value of foods they like. Substitute refined grains with whole grains, mix millet flour with regular flour, add dry fruits powder or nuts powder to batters and dough, or mash a banana to add sweetness instead of sugar.

5. Include variety

Just serving up your regular meals with a twist can make things a lot more interesting to a fussy eater. Adding a dip with their finger foods makes eating it much more interesting. Get a set of cookie cutters in fun shapes; things are so much better when they’re shaped like a car or plane! You can also try serving raw foods cooked, warm foods cold, and vice versa.

6. Encourage self-feeding

Finger foods are recommended for kids around 9 months, when they are trying to master the pincer grasp. By 15 months, they can start using utensils. Encourage them to feed themselves, even though it’s going to be a while by the time they’re actually good at it. Self-feeding is another way for them to have some control at mealtimes, which is crucial for a toddler trying to be independent.

7. Stick to a routine

Since one of the causes of food regression in toddlers is a constant intake of snacks and liquids, it is important to stick to a routine. Set specific times for main meals as well as snacks, and stick to them. Most toddlers need 3 meals and 2-3 snacks, so set a diet schedule accordingly. Avoid feeding outside of these times so your child has enough time to get hungry. This way, even if your child skips a meal, they know exactly when they’ll get to eat next.

8. Handle rejection properly

Yes, rejection is hard, especially when it’s from an 18-month-old after you’ve spent hours preparing his favorite meal! After offering your child a meal or snack, give them 20 minutes to eat. If they don’t eat it in that time, simply take it away without any fuss or coaxing. Offer food only at the next scheduled mealtime, and only water before that. Even if your child rejects a food, offer it again after a while – it can take up to 15 tries for a child to accept a new food.

9. Change things up

Sometimes food regression may simply be a result of boredom. So change things up from time to time, like having a meal in the kitchen instead of the dining room. Or if the weather is nice, you can have a picnic-style lunch in the backyard or balcony. You can also let your child eat with cousins or friends – kids like eating with other children their age.

10. Get them involved in preparation

Since your toddler is all about asserting themselves and doing things on their own, why not make the most of this eagerness? Engage them in age-appropriate tasks related to food shopping and preparation. Take them grocery shopping, and let them pick out some fruit, veggies or yogurt. Once home, let them help sort the produce and when it comes to cooking, they can help wash the produce or mix the batter. When they’re involved in the food preparation process, kids are more likely to have a better relationship with their meals.

Dos and Don’ts of Dealing with Food Regression

Do:

• Offer food in fun utensils and plates
•  Keep a food log of everything they eat during the week
• Set a good example by eating healthy foods in front of them
• Praise your child for eating, even if it’s only a little
• Let them explore the food and be messy

Don’t:

• Negotiate or bribe with the offer of sweets
• Offer junk food or processed food
• Cook on demand – it only enables the food regression
• Force feed
• Compare with other children
• Use screens as a distraction at mealtime

At the end of the day, food regression is a perfectly normal part of toddlerhood, and a temporary one too! It’s easy for parents to feel frustrated when the food they offer is being constantly refused, but remember that this is not a reflection of your parenting.

As long as your child is at a healthy weight, is active and healthy, you have nothing to worry. Just make sure that your child is eating something from the four main food groups – starchy carbohydrates (rice, bread, pasta), protein (eggs, meat, fish, beans, pulses), fruits and vegetables as well as dairy or dairy alternatives for the lactose intolerant.

No matter how tempting it may seem, don’t try to force-feed your child. It messes with their natural hunger cues and creates a bad relationship with food. Children usually know how much food they need, and their bodies will automatically signal them to stop when they’ve had enough.

You may have to visit a doctor if your child does any of the following:

• Eats less than 20 different foods
• Avoids entire food groups for more than a few weeks
• Complains of abdominal pain while eating
• Is losing weight or not gaining weight
• Is not peeing or moving their bowels regularly
• Seems unusually tired or weak