My toddler doesnt eat well

Question
My daughter who was a preemie at birth is now 2.  She is underweight for her age and eats very little.  Dinner time is frustrating because she doesn't seem interested in food.  Our doctor has ran tests and they come out fine but I'm concerned about her nutrition.  The only thing she seems to like is cheese crackers and hotdogs.  Help I don't know what to do and I don't want to force food down her.

Answer
Dear Shannon, The development of a toddler is characterized by independence and oppositional behavior. Toddlers like to show their independence at mealtime, they also love the extra attention they receive from mom or dad when they say no to food. Toddlers will only eat a small amount of food at one sitting. You do not ask a toddler what they would like to eat, you as the parent provide the child with a healthy meal. You can ask them what bowl or cup they might want to use, but not what food. Toddlers should eat a varied diet of fruit, vegetables, bread, meat, cheese, poultry, eggs, and other foods from the food triangle, spread out in 5 or six small meals throughout the day. Try to offer foods from the different food groups at every meal. The average portion size for those foods is about 2 tablespoons for fruit and vegetables (they should eat about 5 servings per day), 1/2 slice of bread or 1/4 cup cereal, rice, pasta(5-6 servings spaced out per day). Three to four servings of dairy per day. A portion size of milk is 4 ounces. One ounce of meat,chicken or fish or 1/2 egg eaten 2-3 times per day. Toddlers like to feed themselves. Toddlers will also eat quickly till they are full, then they usually start playing with the food. One day they may like one food, the other day another food. But remember the terrible two's turns into the independent preschooler. Hope that helps, Laura Kraemer,Slimkids.com

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