My daughter is 17 months old. She has had a cold several times this winter, and it really messes up her appetite. I realize that she is also going through the "no time to eat, only time to play" phase, but she has lost weight. Our pediatrician says as long as there is a wet diaper every 8 hours, we are good (or at least not in danger). She has had other tests as well, and she does not have a more serious concern other than a cold.
My question is...what suggestions do you have for encouraging her to eat, or more importantly - DRINK? We have tried every cup, straw, no straw, sippy cup (hard and soft), etc. Milk, 1/2 water & 1/2 juice, juice alone, PediaSure (vanilla, strawberry), and water alone, of course. She is even refusing her peaches, mac n cheese, and Eggo waffles now (her faves). What to do?
How about popsicles or jello? My kids like those when they are sick. They even make pedialyte popsicles (or they used to). They are very soothing on the throat, easy to swallow, and get some liquid into the kiddos. You can also make jello with juice or pedialyte if you want to get some more calories/vitamins into it. Good luck, I know this is no fun!
Remember that if she is sick and congested... it is hard to eat or drink. You need your mouth to breathe if your nose is stopped up.
If she is over the cold and still not consuming her "normal" fare, then don't push, but encourage. Not verbally, but by having small cups of water or even kool-aid pouches readily available. Get up from the sofa and say to her "I'm going to get some coffee/a glass of tea/a soda, would you like some water/koolaid? Set a cup on her high chair tray when she is playing there (coloring/playdoh)... just "in case you get thirsty".
The more you push, the more she will want control over it.
But also, consider offering her new foods... both my kids, especially my daughter though, went through a phase around that time where they were tired of and refused to eat the "tried and true" things... My daughter ate strawberries daily and LOVED them... then one day.... no more. No apparent reason. Just refused them. It took about 3 years before she was ready to eat them again. So if she is done with waffles, offer her french toast sticks instead. If she is "over" mac n cheese, maker her a grilled cheese sandwich and cut it into little triangles with no crust, or make her some rice pilaf and see if she likes it. No peaches? what about strawberries, or pears or apples with peanut butter?
My 16.5 month old is going thru almost the same thing so i am interested in hearing what other moms have to say too!
I have been giving her orange gatorade and she drinks it here and there, but has returned to the breast almost exclusively! She too will no longer eat her favorites, so i did get her to eat a lil baby food and apple sauce, but it does not seem like it is enough to me!
She will say mommy eat eat, but when i offer her several options she does not want it, i even broke down and took her to McDonalds and got her the nuggets (that she loves) and she ate half of one and was done with it.
How long has she been not eating/not drinking? Still ok with the wet diapers? What about poopy ones? I agree with Heather that you may want to take her to an Urgent Care or ER if she hasn't been checked up in the last day or two. This sounds pretty serious to me, as little ones can get dehydrated in a hurry. You know your child the best. If she is listless, or restless, or showing any signs of just not being herself, listen to your momma's intuition. You'll know what to do.
Remember that she this is the age when most kids lose weight anyway...combined with the fact that their eating habits change, they are moving around much more and they start to shed their baby fat. So, don't worry about her losing weight, I'm sure it's just normal.
You can also make popsicles that are just juice so she's not getting any of that extra sugar or preservatives that might be in storebought pops. You can buy cheapo molds at WalMart and Target. Also, Motts makes some that look like Flavor Ice, I bought them at Costco recently.
Kids go through phases where they only want to eat one thing all the time and She may be off her faves right now, but she'll find new faves and may or may not go back to the old ones.
Just keep offering her healthy food and she'll eat when she wants. Hang in there! it is tough to see them not eat, but it's worse to pressure her and make a big deal out of it, especially because if you make a big deal about it, it could turn into a power struggle game for her to play.
honestly, i'd leave a sippy of water out where she can get to it, and leave her alone. the more you push the issue, the more she may push back. as long as she's not dehydrated, i'd try not to worry about it.
I think the other moms have given you some good advice. Remember, she isn't going to starve herself. She will eat when she is hungry - I'd just recommend making sure the options are healthy ones (with a good source of calories and fat for her age). I'd have things like cheese/full-fat yogurt, etc. for when she is hungry.
Your pediatrician gave you the same advice as ours when it came to the diapers. Anything less than that is a concern for dehydration, but how to get her to drink? I agree with Barbara and Jennifer. Keep a sippy cup around for her to have at her leisure, and offer foods high in liquid content (Jell-O, popsicles, watermelon, etc).
The warning I will offer is that she may become very fussy and picky if you're only offering things like milkshakes, jell-o, popsicles to get some calories in them and may think they're the norm from that point going forward.
Good luck. I hope she gets better soon.
Does she have any other issues (reflux or developmental)?? My son has had ongoing feeding/drinking issues since he was an infant and we work with several therapists in First Steps. He is 25 months and it is a daily struggle to get him to drink anything from a cup or eat. He only has 3 things he eats semi-consistently (oatmeal, pureed fruits, soft pasta), but a handful of things (including grilled cheese and pizza) that he can eat if the wind blows just right outside (it's my little joke because there is no rhyme/reason to him eating/not eating). Between 12-17 months, there were MANY foods that he was eating consistently but something happened at 18 months where it just stopped.
Some things I would recommend looking into (google online) - sensory processing disorder and feeding disorder/post traumatic feeding disorder. If you feel any of these sound like your daughter, I would recommend getting a feeding evaluation. If you are in the Kansas City area, I can tell you a few hospitals where you can go for this.
A good rule of thumb is as long as she is having 3-5 "good" wet diapers per day, she should be staying adequately hydrated. Trust your instincts and if you feel there is more going on, then keep searching for answers!!
Good luck!
Take her hand and gently press your thumb into the palm of her hand. If the color bounces back right away, she isn't dehydrated, if it doesn't, get her into an ER. If you're worried that she isn't getting enough fluid and that her doctor isn't helping, find another doctor or take her to the ER anyway. Another thing you can try is buy apple pedialyte and mix it with sprite or 7 up. The bubbles might help. Good luck!
