Food STRIKE

Both of my kids have done this when they're sick or teething or are too excited about playing or just being beligerant. Try pedialite pops. They're like popsicles. It might be a control issue. Instead of you feeding him --- put snacks out for him to choose to eat or not. Put it in a place where he can reach --- like the coffee table. He's picking up on your anxiety and pressure. Be indifferent about it. Make mealtime fun. Get special plates, cups, utensils. Have his favorite toys eat meals with him. Make it a game. Sing songs. Have him "help" you prepare a meal. Keep putting different food in front of him. Weigh him. Make sure he is not losing weight. If he is losing weight, take him to a doctor. Pay attention to his behavior. If he is ever lethargic, take him to a doctor. I know this is frustrating because we moms want to control everything. But eating is one thing we can't control. Like the old saying goes about the horse and water. I'm sure this phase will pass.

M.,
I have been going through this same scenerio for the past year(my son is 26 months old). He wouldn't eat for days-literally- and like your child, would scream and cry at every mealtime. After consulting w/ our pediatrician, we were referred to an allergist who tested him (and confirmed) that he was in fact severely allergic to milk, wheat, soy, peanuts/tree nuts and eggs! Since removing these triggers from his diet and supplimenting him with Elecare formula, his appetite improved a bit, but not to the point he would eat more than a meal every 2/3 days. Upon further testing (several months later) we also found him to be allergic to white potatoes, chicken, turkey, beef and peas. Eating is still a struggle (being it was such an unpleasant experience for him for so long) so we had to finally enroll him in a feeding clinic at Children's Hospital. Ours is certainly an extreme case, but the sooner you get your son checked for possible allergies, the better off he will be (and hopefully it will be as simple as removing a trigger from his diet).

Best of luck to you!
-C.

Its his body. If he's hungry he will eat. If he's thirsty he will drink. All you can do is put food and drink in front of him. Its up to him to feed himself and hydrate himself.

After a check with a Dr. confirms that he's otherwise healthy, then make a very decided, conscious effort to turn mealtimes into happy times, meaning you need to set the example and happily eat your own meal. It won't take him long to follow example. Talk about how yummy the meal is, how much you're enjoying it. Say nothing about he needs to eat. Kids are a LOT smarter than give them credit for....if he sees you getting upset, anxious and stressed over something that he's doing all he's done is figured out a way to push your buttons. Its done nothing for getting him to eat.

Good Luck.

Have you tried distracting him while he eats? I always said I'd never do it, but when my daughter would scream in the high chair and refuse to eat, we finally one day just decided to let her out and play. Every once in a while we'd get a bite on a fork or spoon and walk over. While she was immersed in what she was doing she'd eat whatever you gave her. If you tried to put food in front of her or put her in the high chair, she'd refuse to eat. The main thing is to relax...don't force feed. And of course talk to the doctor to find out if there's something wrong with him medically. Good luck!!

My dd is going on 2 in a few weeks and she is a picky eater as well as food allergies. She is on this milk kick right now and trying avoid other foods. It is hard to tell if the allergies are getting worse or if shes being picky. I would have that checked out as well. When was his last bm, constipation could be a big role as well.

I have to agree w/ the poster before, have a Dr verify that there is no problem, it could be teething, ears, reflux any number of things, this sounds to me like it is a little more then just a stubborn baby.

Does he have a sore throught? Or an upset Stomach. My child did that and she ended up with a sore throught and I didn't even know she was sick. she didn't show any signs except she didn't eat. That may not be it but something to think about.

Have you taken your child to any specialist yet? He needs to be seen by a doc because not only is he going to get dehydrated but he is going to get low on nutrition and the vitamins he needs to function.His weight will drop and he will begin to get sick...... if he's not already. You may not think there is something wrong with him but believe me I know that when a child refuses food like that for such a long time, he has something usually wrong with his GI tract. It could be anywhere from his mouth to his lower intestinal tract. I can see the connection very clearly with him not eating and food. When a child screams when food is given to him it's a sure sign that the food is upsetting something inside of him. Babies and toddlers don't always show pain and discomfort signals well because they can't talk or know HOW to show you.My baby had a narrowing in her throat and couldn't swallow very good and would gulp air which would cause her severe stomach pain and would cry all day. I took her to a visceral manipulator who found the problem right away and fixed it right away. She is perfectly fine now. Now a doc would do a lot of tests but since I'm a holistic person I took my baby to someone "natural" who could do some muscle testing or kiniesiology as they call it and she was was able to isolate the problem right away. She is called a visceral manipulator and they work with the body through touch in fixing health problems. My baby's esophagus was stretched really gently with the mildest touch and over a couple visits it became normal. Babies bodies are constantly changing and are easily changed and accept healing very easily. If you aren't familiar with holistic healing this might sound weird but it wasn't invasive and was quite gently on her even though she screamed because it was new to her. I can probably help you find one in your area if you are desperate enough but I find most people go the old route and go to the ole' doc. You decide but please get your child some help. PLEASE.

try letting him choose what food he wants. like, it's lunchtime,you get to be in charge and choose what you want. make sure he only gets to choose the good for yous, like pbj and so on

Oh, how stressful! I remember my pediatrician told me once than he works with a lot of kids who have poor appetites, and he thinks it's because many kids drink a lot of their calories from beverages in sippy cups (milk, juice, etc.). That doesn't completely sound like your trouble, although it's something to think about. I highly, highly recommend the book "My Child Won't Eat!" It's in paperback and published by La Leche League and you can order it at www.llli.org if you go to the catalog secton. It's very helpful and reassuring and current. Maybe you can find it on Amazon or some other site, but it's only been out for about a year.
In the meantime, it might be worthwhile to keep an eye on input versus output (what your child will eat versus if and how much he is urinating and stooling. Also, it might be worth asking the pediatrician if it's appropriate to see an allergist. I know some kids will start avoiding food because it often makes them feel crummy, and then the allergists discover the child is allergic to something that's a major componant of many foods, such as dairy or wheat gluten or food dyes. 17 months old might be too young for a comprehensive allergy test, but a back-to-basics, no-allergen diet for awhile might help you pinoint if you're dealing with a little man who needs to be in charge of what and when he east (and that's no crime, really) or if he honestly doesn't feel good. Keep us posted! Best of luck!

M.,
You might want to take him to his pediatrician to see if your son has acid reflux or some other difficulties with his throat/esophagus. Maybe it hurts your son to eat and drink. Are his diapers frequently wet? If not, he really needs to be seen. His Dr can also help ease your anxiety and give you some peace of mind. Your son will be fine! Good luck, and keep us posted.
W.

Definately take him to the doctor to get checked. My daughter has a very poor appetite, and was diagnosed with renal tubular acidosis. It affects their appetite--they just don't have much of one with that condition. There may be similar things that could potentially affect your son. I would call your pediatrician, and see what he thinks.

Also, someone else recommended pediasure. It is just full of sugar--high fructose corn syrup is the second ingredient. I wouldn't do that. I would recommend seeing if you could add a scoop of formula--maybe the kind for 9-15 month olds--to his milk for more calories, or some whey protein powder, maybe. I often add whey protein powder to my daughter's milk for extra calories without added sugar. For the formula, I would recommend one that uses lactose rather than high fructose corn syrup. I know the Earth's Best Organic for infants does that. I breastfed, but I used that to add to cow's milk occasionally (when she was older) b/c I was not comfortable giving her formula with HFCS.

I would consult the dr. There could be an underlying reson for this behavior. Pay attention to his weight, if he is still growing and gaining it could just be a growth spurt thing. I have a daughter who doesn't eat much. I finally asked the dr. about it. We put her on vitamins and are watching her weight. He said that as long as she is still gaining weight and growing than she is fine. Until you figure out why he is behaving this way you also might want to consider Pedia-sure. This will still give him some of the nutrition he needs, and night pas as milk. Of course, you might want to ask your dr. before you use it.