Hey Everyone,
Ok I have an 18mon old he's normal size no health problems, still gaining the right weight but some days he just wounldn't eat!! I'v tould the docter and she said it's normal, I kno it's normal for his age too but I just wish he would eat more!! I mean I would never force him to eat, but some times it worries me. Once in awhile he'll have a day where he eats good but then theres days I can bearly get anything in to him. He still gets enough of he's milk and juice but i'm still want him to eat!! So if u guys have any advice i'd appreciate it!!
Thanks,
Rachelle

I've always been told that children listen to their bodies better than adults because they don't eat just for the sake of eating. I would agree with your doctor. It is normal. Your child will eat when he is hungry and drink when he is thirsty. It may not seem right to you, but you really should allow him to listen to his body.

I might also add, that it isn't safe for them to go too long without drinking due to dehydration. If that ever becomes a concern, always consult with your doctor again!

It is perfectly normal for your child to go through eating jags. A toddler's rate of growth slows down significantly compared to the rate of growth of an infant, and toddlers do not require as much intake as infants. Eating jags are just a phase, and you needen't worry unless your child stops gaining weight. Otherwise, as long as you are offering food and snacks throughout the day, you are doing everything you need to. And like Blindsky said, hydration is important.

Try adding pablum in his milk bottle/cup for now. That'll keep him full for a little while. I agree with everyone here so far..

I have seen some kids go a week without really eating. They have the food in front of them and they like it. They are just not hungry and don't need it at the time.
I know how this can worry you. I have been there. I seem to watch them a little closer when they are in this phase, to make sure they are not coming down with something. I have a hard time with it too. We are moms and that is part of what we do, feed them to care. We are still caring Moms even when our kids don't need to eat. I feed everyone and anyone. Someone comes to my house and the first thing I ask do you want something to eat or drink. So I feel a need to feed adults too. lol

Okay, I totally hear you, I am new to the network, but I have a four year old (five in September) who for the past almost two years really will NOT eat solid foods at all. I mean he lives on chocolate milk and PediaSure, thank goodness for Pediasure. I have consulted his pediatrician about this and relayed that he will attempt to eat peanut butter on a spoon occasionally, yogurt, pudding, and the occasional cheese off of pizza and rarely I have gotten him to eat some Lipton noodle soup, but other than that, the child wants nothing but PediaSure and chocolate milk. I cannot say he isn't very very well hydrated but it drives me insane that he won't try and even chew any food that is solid, he will literally start to throw up the food if it the least bit solid and he feels he has to chew, he will spit it out or start to gag and choke on it!! We have seen a GI specialist and I have an appointment made next Tuesday in Tampa for them to put him under and do a GI endoscopy which is where they stick a camera down in his stomach to make sure his stomach and lower esophagus is okay. He also has had a barium swallow which checked out okay as far as his throat and swallowing goes, he is fine. So, if this test is normal, the doctor said it is just all in his head and he will eventually get over this "nitch" he is going through. Meanwhile, I am worried sick!!!!!

thanks for listening and I am relieved I am not the only one going through this problem!!

Boy, my oldest is 3 and he does not want to eat either. (tho it isn't as drastic as djdustysmom)I think he is being stubborn and doing it for attention. I also have a 5-month old and it was real hard for him to adjust to not being in the spotlight. Real hard. I used to let him eat whatever he wanted if it was good for him. "You want some banana? Sure, it's good for you." But then, naturally that was making him full when it was time to eat a meal. Plus I almost always give him juice (watered down) because he can get constipated kinda easy. Plus, while we wer trying to potty train he started holding it. It was very horrible and disturbing (but apparently normal) so I started putting a little mineral oil in his juice to keep him moving until I took him to a different dr. and she told me that the mineral oil was depleting him of a bunch if vitamins so I should put sunflower oil on his eggs (wierd). I just made him take it off a spoon like cough syrup. So anyway that moved away from not eating but it all seemed to tie in at the time. I'm just glad other people have similar problems.

Thanks everybody for the advice!! He's actully been eating alot better for the past 2 weeks, but sometimes i just get worried, i guess it's just a mom thing!!! So djdustysmom how is everythng going with your son?

Hey I just wanted to say, that when my son went through this, my mom said, "I don't any child has ever starved to death when they have food in front of them." I said, "Oh. right." So when Jack was hungry, he ate. Sometimes he'd go through growth spurts and eat more..

Leftover,
Your PM box is full...I tried to PM you but it wouldn't go through. Could you please delete some of your old posts so I can get through? I have a question for you.

Oh wow. I had no idea, sorry bout that. Cleaned it out

Perhaps we should all make sure we do that occasionally to make room on Robin's server.

good idea!

quote:

Originally posted by RachelleMaria:
[qb] Hey Everyone,
Ok I have an 18mon old he's normal size no health problems, still gaining the right weight but some days he just wounldn't eat!! I'v tould the docter and she said it's normal, I kno it's normal for his age too but I just wish he would eat more!! I mean I would never force him to eat, but some times it worries me. Once in awhile he'll have a day where he eats good but then theres days I can bearly get anything in to him. He still gets enough of he's milk and juice but i'm still want him to eat!! So if u guys have any advice i'd appreciate it!!
Thanks,
Rachelle [/qb]

We also had periods where my son would eat little to nothing. As long as he was breastfed in addition to normal food, he would eat very badly. I assume that's not the case for you ? In any case there is nothing to worry in this case because he gets the delta from Mummy and that milk has a lot of calories (but/and it's digested fast).
After weaning him, it became easier to check what he was really eating. I started to make a list of what he's eating and drinking in terms of percentages of fat/proteins/carbohydrates and in terms of calories, and it came out pretty close to the norms at his age.
It's sometimes impressive how much calories there are in a glass of milk or juice for example !
So, my idea would be to do the numbers for a week or 2 and find out what he's actually missing and what he gets too much per day, and compare it to what he should eat.
That will help you to actually modify his diet in a more precise way. He might not have a big stomach, but he can still get enough food if he eats the right stuff. Also, make sure he doesn't actually skip a meal (even if it's only half an apple it's a meal).
Just ideas...