16 Month Old Won't Eat

We had a similar problem when my 2nd daughter was about the same age and her Dr. gave us wonderful advise: No healthy child in the history of the world has starved themselves with food in front of them. Don't make too big of a deal or it will become a power struggle. Offer only healthy choices, cut sweet snacks out completely. And I would recommend that you stop limiting her milk.

Hi M.,
My son has, and still does, have days where he just doesn't eat much. He'll go a week with just nibbling and then the next week he's totally cleaning his plate at every meal. If you are worried about calories, you can give her Pediasure. The can says to consult your doctor first - but mine said it was OK to give. Wal-mart sells an off-brand which is much cheaper and it comes in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. We were able to pack in some much needed calories in my son by giving him 1-2 cans of this a day.

When she gets hungry, she'll eat. If you feel like anything else isn't right (not sleeping well, temperature, etc.) then it wouldn't hurt to call your doctor. But I bet she starts eating again in the next couple of days. Good luck.

S.

Hi M., My first child is almost 3 and he does not eat very much still. Just offer healthy foods. I have found some crackers in the Health Food section of the grocery store that are made with whole wheat and they taste just like ritz crackers with out the buttery flaver. This will give her some fiber which she needs. As far as milk is concerned, Milk is good for baby cows not baby humans. The only dairy my kids get is yogurt for the bacteria culture but be careful, a lot of yogurt is full of high fructose corn syrup. and so is juice!! If she gets too much sugar, she will not be hungry enough to eat the food you give you. I experienced this with my 3 year old. I hope this helps.

Hi M., I am new at this. My name is S. and I have a 21 month old daughter Katelyn that is doing the same thing. I really don't have any advice, just wanted to let you know your not alone, and if I hear of any good advice i'll pass it on. Good luck, I hope I am able to find some Luck too.

Pediasure until she decides she wants to eat. With me, my dr said when they want to eat they will eat. They will not starve themselves. Unless it really gets extreme and she stops eating totally then I would worry.

Hi M., my name is D. and it is ok that she isn't eating like you think she should. you said you have cut back on her milk...did you breast feed her or bottle and what kind of milk? Have you every tried salads with alot of her fruits that she likes? all of my kids except for one loved salads as a small child and would always eat whatever I was eating...out of my plate so that is the way that I got my girls to eat.. never had this problem from my boys but 2 of my 3 girls were this way. Have you tried letting her eat out of your plate? I would love to know how things go and to talk with you and maybe help you out so please let me know here or a personnel message..either way is fine...good luck D.

Hey M.!

I wouldn't worry to much. 20 lbs is not that off for a 16 month old. However, to increase her caloric intake, I would make sure she has some wheat pasta and and meat every day. Even if it is just a couple bites. Otherwise...if you make a big deal about it...it will become a big deal, and harder to get her to eat it. Make sure she has a vitamin with iron...talk to your pediatrian to see which one is best! (This is what we did with my daughter.) One thing I wouldn't do though is cut down on milk yet...she is really to young. The milk is giving her good calories too!

Hope this has helped! Good luck! I have some "picky eaters" myself.

Take care!

Hello there i have a 16 mo old S.. He just got over a fever and he has an ear infection. All he wants to eat is fruit and vegetables. Its probably an ear infection that your daughter has and she might even be getting a set of molars coming in. My S. drinks a lot of milk throughout the day. My doctor said milk will put weight on them. Just keep offering her things. Depending on her size her weight might be normal. My S. is small for his age and he weighs 21 maybe 22 lbs. There is a graph http://www.thetaylorsweb.com/baby/growth_chart/ look at this. this will tell you if shes small for her age and how much she should weigh.

Hi, M., How frustrating! A couple of things crossed my mind. How did you feed her during infancy? How did she eat? Are you also nursing, or if you did nurse, for how long? What kind of formula did you feed her? Did she eat baby cereal or common "first foods?" Do food allergies run in your family? Has your pediatrician considered a referral to a nutritionist/dietician?

Feel free to respond privately, maybe I can help.

A.

Hi M.-

Who knows what's going on- teething, an ear infection, a stomach bug, preoccupation with some major milestone she's about to accomplish, the list can go on and on. Without knowing your little one, I can't even begin to help. That said, I don't think I would restrict her milk just yet. Both of my children stopped eating solids for a little while during all of the things I mentioned above.

If she is just getting over a cold, isn't eating well and isn't sleeping well at night, you may be dealing with an ear infection. Just a thought....

Hope you can figure this one out.

Good luck,
J.

No child has ever starved themselves to death with food offered. Make sure she has plenty of water, and always offer healthy foods. It might seem like she isn't eating much- to you, but she might fill up quickly, and your food serving standards might not be the same as hers. Lately, my formally hungary daughter has stopped eating as much. She might just not be growing as much now, too.
Don't worry.

I have two children, ages 7 and 2, neither of which has ever been underweight but they both are very different eaters. My son ate very little most days but loved to drink milk and juice. There were some days he ate more than me (growth spurts I'm sure) but most days he preferred drinking to eating. He still eats little and drinks alot. My daughter, however enjoys both. There are some days when she only eats a few bites at each meal. Unless your daughter is completly substituting milk for food I wouldn't cut back on her milk. Being underweight she needs nutrition wherever she can get it. Give her vitamin drops in the meantime and continue encouraging her to eat. I believe there are some drinks out there, like pediasure, that might help put some weight on her. If you think the situation is more serious than this, don't hesitate to ask her doctor.