I am just wondering if anyone had or has the same problem. My youngest daughter is 19 months old and refuses to eat anything solid. I have tried everything. She has always been small(5lbs 14 oz at birth) but I had a doctors appt today and she has lost weight since January. Currently she is 19.7 lbs and I am at my wits end. She will nibble on things but holds it in her mouth forever and when she tries to swallow she gags. My doctor is sending me to a pediatrician and getting some blood work done to make sure they arent missing anything. She walks and plays and her height is fine. I am hoping she will grow out of it soon because I would like her to be a bit stronger and on the right track weight wise as I am fairly sure she will need surgery in a year or so to fix her hernia. She has a umbilical hernia that is showing no signs of going in on its own. Any ideas would be great....Thanks

My daughter had a herniated umbilical too. The dr's said that it would eventualy go down by the time she was 5 or 6 or there would be surgery and it did.(it went down when she was about 3) She had quite the "outie" belly button for a few years and now it is flush with her tummy (she is 12).

Here is a site that has some more info on the subject.

http://familyfun.go.com/parenting/child/health/childhealth/dony79enc_hernu/

Thank you so much for giving me some hope on the hernia issue Mashell....I dread even the thought of her having surgery.

My nephew had the food consistency issue until just around 2 yrs. It was miserable for his mom/dad trying to feed hime. Even the gerber foods that were a bit chunky were too much... he just literally grew out of it. He wouldn't even eat yogurt for a long time. Hopefully, it is simply that, a consistency fear that she'll bet past

Thanks Sue...I hope you are right. I tried to go back to the jarred food but now of course she wont eat that. Decided to put her back on forumla for a bit to make sure she is at least getting something. Some days I wonder how she can even do anything but lay there with the small amount that she does manage to swallow. Crossing my fingers that she asks for a steak soon.

NLB I wish I knew some thing to offer as advice to help.
I would be very concerned too.
I am glad the GP is sending you to a pediatrician

What about broth's and and blending in carrots and chicken
I don't no what to suggest . It could very well be a texture thing.
My god son was a preemie ands now at 2 1/2 he still is not even on the percentile chart for his age.
He won't eat heavy foods, no meats, barely touches pastas, rice, breads, potatoes. It is frustrating
I hope she starts chomping soon, I know you will be very relieved.
I will be thinking of you keep us posted.

What about those shakes, I think you can make them too... would those make her gag?

This suggestion is a bit out there but heck if she isn't eating worth a shot. Have you just sat her at the table and not put anything on her tray.... everybody else in the room just take to eating dinner (make sure there is something nice and soft she could eat)... see what happens and what her reaction is.

Was she premature or low birth weight.

Oh and what will she eat for the non-solids?

She was 3 weeks early....I have tried everything I can find that is a liquid...she will only drink milk, formula(has to be a certain kind) or water....no juice no shakes.....she used to like the jarred fruit but now refuses that...she will not eat any jarred food of any kind....tried soup...sandwiches of every kind...potatoes....I guess the list of things she will eat might be shorter. She will drink milk, formula and water. For food she was eating yogurt but has since started refusing that..fries but she will only keep them in her mouth and then gag and spit them on the floor. Grilled cheese...she took 3 tiny bites once and of course no swallowing...Thanks for youridea on the no food on her tray Sue I will try that....

Harmony yes it is very frustrating...I think I beg her to eat at every meal. Hopefully I get in to see the Pediatrician soon.

My youngest loved baby food squash, we would put some butter in it. Not sure what you mean by solid, this was pretty mushy stuff. I bet my daughter would eat it now in fact.

Wow, she sounds JUST like my nephew (which is good). The only other thing I can think of is putting stuff into the formula/milk bottle and getting the right nipples (if they are close enough to what you are using. Even baby cereal in the formula... slowly get it thicker and thicker. Will she drink from a cup, that would be helpful in trying to thicken things up!

UGH I feel for you NLB.

I worked with a child who was like this at 3, 4 and 5 yrs old...(he was a different story from anything I've seen, he just wouldn't eat anything but a pediasure shake) One day I sat with him and just played with the outside of his pudding cup, chatted about the cup, etc. Asked himif he liked the white or brown better and he ate it. I ended up being his teacher when he was in Kindergarten... same thing he wasn't eating, etc. Same thing I just sat and chatted but not about him eating and it worked. For him I think it was all about just simple attention and nobody bugging him. his mom had taken him here/there and he was in a special ed classroom.. I swear everybody around him was making such a huge deal of his not eating it worked for him, kwim?

NLB...
I work with kids with developmental disabilities. Not saying at all that your little one has anything developmentally wrong at all...obviously she seems to be doing wonderfully and I'm only comparing what I've seen with the feeding difficulties...not suggesting in anyway that somethings wrong...lol... A lot of the kids that I work with (and I've also heard that it's fairly common in babies who are premature)have a type of tactile sensitivity in their mouths...this results in an over sensitive gag reflex. When you see the pediatrician...see what he or she says but quite often a referral to an occupational therapist is what happens. The OT will teach you various ways to help desensitize her mouth and she'll be eating steak in no time... It's actually quite common with alot of the kids that I work with and is something that does eventually go away. As for nutrients...quite often the doctor will recommend a supplement...here in canada...alot of the kids use pediasure...it comes in liquid and in pudding...not sure if this will help or not...and not saying that for sure this is what is happening with her...but sure worth a chat with the pediatrician about...good luck with everything!!

Thanks for the other ideas Sue....still dont have an appointment yet with the Pediatrician so I will try anything. Everything here is done on referral so I have to wait till they call me with an appointment.

MB I will definately talk to him about this if he doesnt mention it. Thank you for letting me know how common this is. My oldest ate everything no problem so I have been going out of my mind with this issue.....

I hope you can get some simple answers, NLB! Even if it is a tactile sensitivity it can be remedied, as MB said. Usually the tactics an OT gives are simple things you can do at home.

NLB-hope this gets resolved for you soon. I just wanted to let you know that my daughter had an umbilical hernia as a baby that did go away on it's own, but she also had an abdominal hernia that she had to have surgery on when she was 5. I was a nervous wreck, but she acted like she was going on a field trip and by that afternoon I had to keep her from practicing her gymnastics. I know it is nerve wracking for us mothers, but I just wanted to reassure you that our little ones are usually very resilient. Good luck on finding answers.