A baby’s weight triples in the first year, and then the rate of growth drastically slows in year two. It will take at least another year until he reaches four times his birth weight. Yet parents often continue to feed their children at the same rate.

The kids know they don’t need as much, because they just aren’t hungry, and so begins the tug of war that is mealtime. Forcing children to eat, overfeeding, and putting too much emphasis on cleaned plates is a clear contributor to the 25 percent of two-year-olds nationwide that are at risk for obesity.

This is the time parents must draw a distinction between picky eating, and just plain not hungry. In most cases, when children of this age are hungry, they will eat. If they taste a food and reject it, don’t force the issue. It is negative attention to eating that initiates the poor food relationships that can last a lifetime.

Kids that don’t eat are a constant worry to their parents. The fear of malnutrition makes parents constantly offer their kids food. But the root of the loss of appetite is usually the parents’ fault.

Often kids are given too much milk and juice. Toddlers should not be drinking more than 16 ounces of milk a day, and no more than four ounces of 100 percent juice. Parents should also limit snacking, especially sweet snacks. If they are filling up on these things throughout the day they will have very little appetite when family mealtime rolls around.

Portion size is another area of concern. Kids do not need adult portion sizes, but it is adult portion sizes that are on food labels. Relate your portion size to the palm of your hand. The same is true for a toddler. Look at his hand and use it to judge portion size. If you want to be more precise, a toddler should be getting about 1,300 calories a day, or 40 calories per inch of height. This is about one-quarter of the food the parents eat.

To help ensure those 1,300 calories mean something nutritionally, use the following guideline, based on the dietary recommendations in section 2:

Don’t Force It

Forcing kids to eat when they are not hungry not only sets up dislike for foods, but dislike for mealtime as well. If they do not appear to be eating a balanced diet, watch the intake throughout the week before you jump to conclusions. Many kids will make up for lost nutrients within a period of several days.

If it is still a concern, discuss vitamin supplements with your pediatrician. In most cases, chances are good that your child will eat the amount of food he needs. As long as growth is continuing along the normal pattern there is no need for alarm.

Kids also eat poorly for external reasons. Loss of appetite commonly occurs with fatigue and illness. Sore throat, fever, teething, constipation, or gastrointestinal distress can cause loss of appetite. If kids are anxious, sad, or lonely, they may not want to eat. If they are distracted by the television, they may not eat well.