My 15 Month Old Is a Horrible Eater

My daughter was tiny but she ate everything in site and was still in the 5%. My ped wasn't too concerned though provided she didn't drop lower which she never did. Now at nearly 5 she is still tiny in about the 15%. (Just to ease a bit of concern)

My cousin's daughter was also tiny and barely hanging on the charts, but she didn't eat much. Does your son drink milk? They did give her pediasure, but they mixed it with half and half to pump up the calories. If he likes milk, maybe you can pump up the calorie/fat content by mixing it with half and half. My cousin did about half of each. Don't worry about the fats at this point - fat is critical for brain development in the first 2 years.

1 mom found this helpful

I use Shaklee's meal shakes with my kids. They have around 45% of the daily value of nutrition. They come in vanilla and cocoa. My kids drink them plain but a friend of mine adds a banana to hers in the blender and her son loves it. They are a better quality than ensure brand too. If you'd like to look at them go to http://www.shaklee.net/dudinyak/product/20321. I think adding extra fat to his food isn't as good as adding nutritious calories.

Hi J.,

Number 1, Is your baby constipated?

Here are some web sites for picky eaters.

www.cureyourpickyeaters.com/eatwell

www.kidsfoodcenter.com

http://life.familyeducation.com/toddler/behavioral-proble...

hope this helps. D.

J.,
Have you tried giving your son utensils - a baby fork or spoon-to eat with? My 15th mo.old eats better when she can pick up the food herself. I cut everything up in small pieces and serve it to her right on the high chair tray. Also, I don't offer a beverage right away. I hold it until she's done eating that way she doesn't fill up on liquid. Lastly, I know my little one loves buttered potatoes, meatballs, tofu, oatmeal, rice ( I make it kind of sticky so she can grab it). These are good and hearty proteins. I hope this helps.

J.,

As long as your son is eating something everyday and you feel that he is not hungry then I wouldnt worry too much about it. My daughter is 18 months old and only weighs 20 1/2 lbs. She has been in the 5th percentile bracket since her 1 month appointment. She is also an extremely picky eater. My doctor tells me that as long as she is gaining weight at every appointment that they are not going to worry about her. Every child is different and I know some doctors are more picky on the growth chart then what I think they should be. Other than that you can ask I believe it is a bone test that checks there height and weight for his body structure. A friend of mine had the same problem with the her doctor and they kept pushing her to get her daughter to gain weight, once they did the test she was average for her bone structure. Another thing that you can also try is Soy Milk. It has more nutrients in it than regular whole milk and it might help him along. Good luck and I wouldnt worry unless he is starting to lose weight at his appointments.

They have a couple different brands of baby shampoo for cradle cap at places like babies r us. I would probably try that before any adult dandruff shampoo.

Question how much did he weigh at birth?
you might just have a over conserned doctor.

Hi Jamie,
My son will be two in Sept. and he is also a horrible eater. Meal time is the worst! I get so upset! Luke, weighs 22 lbs and there is not one food that he likes that i can give him everyday. I even took him to the "grow clinic". their suggestions were to add butter and heavy cream to everything. It stil doesn't work. I to have tried pediasure. I tried all of the flavors. He hated it. My son will eat cereal every once in a while. Yesterday, he ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast, half a bowl for lunch and a small bowl for dinner. He goes to bed all of the time without dinner. IT KILLS ME! I try to cook serveral things at one time hoping he eats something and the doctors told me to not do that and eventually he'll eat because he'll be hungry but that has not worked either. So, i don't have any suggestions. I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone! I know what you're going through.

Hi Jamie

Is your son losing weight recently, or has he always been small and in the lower percentiles? There is a big difference in losing weight and being small. I know CHOP has a program for kids who are considered "failure to thrive" - you may be able to find some tips for feeding from their website. I wish I could tell you what the particular group is called, I don't remember but the internet probably knows! As for feeding picky eaters - my 3 year old eats PB&J, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese and occasionally spaghetti, cereal, yogurt and cereal bars. This has been for the past 2 years. He will of course eat cookies and ice cream if offered to him at Mom Mom and Pop Pop's house. He's skinny, but healthy and isn't on the verge of starving and my pediatrician says that he eats what she calls the "toddler diet." So, if he isn't losing weight then don't get too overly concerned. Of course keep doing what the peds suggested as well as offering meals and snacks in a variety. I think it is ok to offer a pudding once a day to get some food into him if your are terribly worried. If he likes pudding buy the kind you have to make and use the heavy cream in that instead of whole milk. Have you tried yogurt? My picky 3 year old actually loves yogurt - of course it is the "trix" brand and is brightly colored, but he eats it. PB&J is good for the protein and good stuff in the peanut butter. Both of my kids love PB&J and my youngest is 15 months old too... Just keep offering different things, he will find things that he likes and will eat them eventually. I have read several times that it takes about 12 times to get to actually like a single food. Maybe he has a texture issue? Have you noticed any particular aversions? If you are still worried after trying different foods and tips that the others have given then definately call the pediatrician again and get a referral for a nutritionist. The nutritionist will probably be able to better help guage how your son fares for his weight and height compared to how his growth has been for the last 15 months. Good Luck to you.

When my son was dipping low in the weight chart, we started giving him a yo baby yogurt every night right before bed. It is made from whole milk so it is great for adding the fat calories they need. He liked it and it helped him build up a little. Good luck

You say he used to eat really well & now doesn't. Maybe he is sick or maybe he has teeth coming in that are hurting him. I would take him to a pediatric dentist to rule out teething issues & schedule a full check up with any necessary blood work with your doctor. Once you've ruled these things out, then you can focus more on getting him to eat. One thing you might want to try is letting him "choose" what is for dinner by giving him 2 options, this or this. Also you may want to let him "help" you cook. Perhaps he feels he is not in control of what he is given & he chooses to exert his control by refusing food. If you allow him to control what goes on his plate he may eat it.
Good luck

Hi there I too have a horrible eater! She is 2 1/2 and still eats like a bird! She is only 25 pounds (although she was only 2 when she was born). She is super tiny though..I used to get stressed out when she wasn't eating when she was supposed to, or she wouldn't eat anything when we were having dinner. I have an AWESOME pediatrician, and he said just let her eat what she wants, don't stress over it,and eventually she will eat. I think us moms get more stressed and worried about their eating than they do. When I stopped and thought about all the little snacks that she ate during the day, realized that she actually was eating more than I thought. My older daughter was also a horrible eater, now she is 13 and eats everything. Eventually he will get it, just don't stress over it..and guess what my kids HATE pedisure too..! Maybe you can offer him different kinds of snacks in bowls (ex. cheerios, fruit, gerber snacks...etc.) I know my little one will eat stuff out of a bowl that she knows is just hers. Peanut butter is also a good "fattening" food too, my little one eats it with a spoon out of one of her bowls. Hope this helps, he will eventually start eating when he is ready...until then don't stress yourself out about it. Good Luck!

My grandson is small like that. He'll eat just about anything though. The doctor said that's just the way he's built and he's very active. He's developmentally on level and proportioned well so his size is not a problem.

Being in the 5th percentile is not bad, I'm guessing he was in a higher one and then dropped to a lower one. That's exactly what my son did, he went from 25th to 3rd. He's doing much better now.

I limited liquids, always gave food first, then allowed a drink. Juice and milk offer empty calories and make him feel full. He did not like the 'other' brands of Pediasure, it had to be the name brand and he did like all the flavors. If he doesn't like chocolate try bannana, vanilla, and strawberry. I also only give him whole milk, yogure made with whole milk, and he'd get a big cookie or some other treat right before bed with his 'bear drink' - that's what he called his pediasure. He likes pasta so we fed him that as often as he would he it, I buy the whole grain kinds with omega-3 and such.
Good luck!

Dear J.,
A few others mentioned not being to concerned with the percentile, which I agree with, provided it's not a sudden drastic change. My daughter is 16 1/2 months & still hasn't hit 20 lbs. She is actually just below the bottom of the chart, but her doctor isn't concerned b/c she's not much below & her drop wasn't sudden or drastic. Unfortunately, as you've discovered, kids' likes and dislikes can change "at the drop of a hat", and so can their eating habits. My daugther is like that, too. Some days she'll eat more than her five year old brother, and other days, I want to pull my hair out b/c she doesn't seem the least bit interested in eating anything at all. I think someone else mentioned it, but keep an eye on the liquids. Also, you might want to start writing down what & how much he eats, along with the time. This might give you a better idea of how much he is eating (and drinking). Continue to offer a variety of healthy foods, and try to avoid any "junk" food. I learned the hard way, that the "sweet" rewards habit is easy to develop, but HARD to break! Hope you find the ideas helpful. Have a GREAT day!

My daughter went through the same thing and actually started LOSING weight. Her nutrtionist supplied us with a powder called DouCal.You can do a search for it online or ask your pediatrician.
It is basically a powder that dissolves in ANYTHING and simply adds a ton of calories. We put this in her bottle, in her water in anything I could get into her and even made her a special cake with 1/2 a canister of it in there.

Eventaully your son's eating will change and he will gain more weight. I know it seems scary and like a fight right now, but just think that he will not be 5 years old and not eating anyting :)
Hope this helps!
M.

My daughter, also 15 months weighs just under 20lbs but is extremely tall... The doctor says that's just her. Don't get too caught up on the percentile. Someone has to be in the 5th, just like someone has to be in the 95th! As long as he's not dropped off the charts, my daughter did that! When she did the doctor suggested giviner her formula. You may want to ask about that. They have the next step formula (I forget what it's called).

Good luck,
R. h

I would say milkshakes and icecream would help. I have a teeny tiny 12 1/2 yr old that i am trying to plump up! It is not an easy thing because you also do not want to overload them with unhealthy things either. I wish us adults had the same problem :-)

Hi

Is he vomiting or gagging on foods? Did your doctor suggest seeing a GI doctor to rule out any stomach issues as to why he is not eating? Also, sometimes allergies (internal ones) play a big part as to why kids are not eating. Went through this with my son and it turns out he has eosinophilic esophagitis and most foods were irritating his esophagus so he outright refused most foods. This lead to severe foor aversions. Pediatrician kept telling us he was picky and he would tun around. We knew something medically was wrong but it took almost 2 /12 years for the diagnosis. Not suggesing your son has any medical issues just keep pushing the doctors to figure out why he is underweight...

Before my son was diagnosed we saw a nutritionist and they suggested a lot of things to give him. One being we kept him on whole milk and added vanilla instant carnation breakfast powder. They also suggested avocado mashed, ranch dressing on everything, polly o string cheese, yo baby yogurt which has more calories.....The nutritioist knew how many calories were needed and they reviewed our food log and made suggestions from there. We sought medical help at CHOP and overall were pretty happy with all the doctors, allergists, nutritionists, etc...

P.S. my son hated chocolate also and although he can't have it now-he still has no interest in chocolate and candy.

Good luck!

J., Well maybe you could try whole milk since he doesn't like the choc. maybe strawberry? Also see if you can get him to eat pasta any kind, or I have been told that carnation instant breakfast works too. Good luck with the battle. R. C.

Hi J.,

My son was always around the 5th percentile for his weight also. He is now 8 and still only weighs around 45 lbs. Now that he is in school they do the BMI test and he is always really low on that chart also.

I agree with pushing the ice-cream and milk shakes. I'd use whole milk as much as possible (If he likes milk). My son also hated pediasure and I could not get him to drink it.

This might just be in his genes to be this thin. My son gets it naturally, so his doctors were not concerned at all. Did your son's doctor ask about the family and whether he could naturally be thin? Honestly, if a kid is hungry they will eat.

L.