Advice on Food While 3 Yr Old Sick

Updated on January 11, 2009
M.H. asks from Lancaster, CA
18 answers

My daughter will be 3 on the 16th and has a bad cold...cough, chest congestion and runny nose. She is so miserable and wont eat anything so I can give her medicine. Any advice on what to give her so the medicine wont upset her tummy. I'm avoiding milk, etc since she has so much flem/congestion.

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So What Happened?

Thanks to you all for the advice, the refusal of food only lasted a few days and I just gave her whatever she said yes too. She is eating a little and has been sleeping with the humidifier all week. It's the worst cold she has had and is so hard as a Mom to not be able to make it go away... not to mention she may not understand what might feel good to eat yet. But now I of course have the cold!!! Happy Mothering.

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S.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have always heard and given my children chicken soup when they had a cold. I make it homemade and put noodles in it as well as garlic, onion, celery, carrots and any other veggies available. It is supposed to have healing powers. Also those cuties are good. The clemintine oranges. We eat those all the time and they are loaded with vit. c.

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L.H.

answers from Las Vegas on

When my kids were sick, I gave them soup broth, all the orange juices they wanted and crackers or dry toast. They liked the fact I would bring in a tray to them and it would be arranged real pretty. the soup broth I would put in a coffee cup and they pretened they were drinking coffee. Lots of juice bars to help with any fever and keep some form of liquids down. Apple sauce is good as well.

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M.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

See if she'll sip broth from chicken soup?

Make a smoothie and if she won't drink it fresh then put it in to popsicle molds. You can do whatever you want but for some all around good nutrition: milk (soy, almond, regular, whatever you all drink) plain yogurt, frozen fruit - we usually do strawberries and blueberries and a fresh banana. For added nutrition, you could add ground flaxseed (does nothing to the flavor), a tablespoon or two of peanut butter, tofu.. etc.. the things you can do here are endless. The frozen fruit and bananna will be the flavors she will taste. If you need an actual recipe with measurements, email me directly and I'll come up with something - I've been making it so long I just kind of throw things in the blender! LOL!!

Toast a little whole wheat bread, cut shapes with cookie cutters and top with a little peanut butter or jam? Maybe if it is fun or she helps, she'll sample it?

My kids always eat when they help, so if you can think of something small for her to do, for example (I've got peanut butter on my mind this morning!) give her a plate with a little peanut butter on it, some crackers and a little butter knife or something safe for her to spread with and let her make peanut butter and cracker sandwiches.

Hope something here helps and she is feeling better soon!
M.
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R.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi M H,

I second the chicken soup. Believe it or not, it actually has medically established anti-viral properties. Also try preserved fruits in juice rather than syrup (they slide down a sore throat pretty easily), plain noodles or mixed with a little butter or olive oil, and popsicles.

There are remedies you can use to ease the cold symptoms that don't have to be ingested so they can be used if your daughter is eating. Try a little Vicks Vapo-rub on her chest, under her nose, and over the sinuses above and below her eyes to ease congestion and open up nasal and sinus passages (becareful not to get any in her eyes). You can also use a warm or cool mist humidifier with or without menthol oil. A good way to use this is to have your daughter lean over the humidifier with a towel or light sheet tented over her and the humidifier to localize and intensify the steam. Breathe Right strips also work really well during colds. They pull the swollen nasal passages open slightly and can help air flow. Your daughter will find it easier to eat if she can breathe better.

As always with a cold, push the fluids, especially OJ and water. Don't worry too much if your daughter doesn't eat much for a few days as long as she stays hydrated. If you notice that she's becoming very lethargic and "spacey", or if she starts to run a fever of over 100 deg. F (39 deg C)take her to the pediatrician at once as these can be indicators of a secondary infection or severe dehydration.

I hope your sweetie feels better soon!

R.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

Try: smoothies, yogurt, applesauce, jello

1 mom found this helpful
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D.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Whenever my son is sick, he hates eating things that are cold...he'll say 'too cold, Mommy'. So, I make him hot chocolate with steamed milk, radish tea (have a great recipe) acts like a cough syrup...he'll eat jello, yogurt (sometimes), granola bars (pedisure makes a great one), rice pudding (my Mom makes arroz con leche so it's warm), rice, scrambled eggs, pasta, soup (always hit or miss), toast (I put a little cinammon and sugar on it, jelly or peanut butter)...really it's just about getting creative and making it fun. When my son is sick, he's like a little lump but I let him smear the jelly on the toast and help me with his food...gets him into it.

If he gets super cranky about eating when sick, I explain to him he has to have something in his belly so the medicine will work (if it's antibiotic). He gets is and will at least eat rice and toast.

Good Luck!

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H.A.

answers from San Diego on

Yes, chicken soup and I also warm up diluted apple juice a bit, just to help with loosening of chest congestion. Other then that toast or saltine crackers (not very nutritious, but does put something in their tummies).

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E.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

The old time favorite, chicken soup. Even if all she has is the broth. I put 1 chicken with bones & skin cut into pieces, 3-4 potatoes, brocolli floret, califlower, carrots, 4 garlic cloves, 1 whole onion, brown rice and water. Let it simmer low for 45 minutes. Add sea salt and pepper.
Also, when she is more up for it, make some fresh orange juice, this will help strengthen her immune system.
If she still has congestion after her cold is gone, make sure she takes vitamins and childrens Echinacea. I would actually recommend the childrens Echinacea drops now, located at your local Whole Foods or health store.
A bath with lavender or the California Baby Cold and flu tincture will help break up the congestion & phlem. I would give her one daily, it works miracles, but no going out in the cold and make sure the house temperature is warm.
Also, the electrolyte pops are hard to refuse, you can get those at the local drugstore.
Best of luck. Hope your princess feels better soon.
E.

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F.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

My three year old just got over a nasty cold. I made him warm water with fresh lemon juice and honey every morning and evening and he loved it! lemons are high in vitamin c and are very good for your liver. Honey has antiseptic qualities and can be soothing for a sore throat. The warm water will aid in digestion and it's comforting and hydrating. Toast with a little jam might be a winner with getting her to eat with her medicine. best of luck!

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C.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

One thing we give our son that he LOVES when he's sick is ginger, lemon, honey tea. It's homeopathic and really breaks down the flem. Peel fresh ginger and cut into coins. Place the ginger in a cup with honey to taste and 1/2 lemon squeezed. Fill with hot water and let it steep until a cool enough temperature for a 3 year old to drink. That, crackers and chicken soup or broth are the medicine we take when feeling under the weather. Good luck!-www.weelicious.com

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S.O.

answers from San Diego on

I'd lay off the dairy as it tends to further upset an already upset tummy.

We usually give our kids organic or real fruit popsicles when they are really sick to help keep them hydrated and to get at least some nutrients in them.

To get meds into them, we have melted down chocolate chips and put the meds in that and spoon fed it to our kids, mixed into a really sweet drink (even soda if nothing else worked).

We also will have them eat whatever they yes to as well and let the "normal" diet go for the few days that they are really feeling yucky. Normally my kids don't get much sugar and definitely no soda. But when they are sick, they can have whatever they want to keep them hydrated and to get their meds down.

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P.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

Glad to hear she's better. When our son is that way we've tried even pudding. Apple sauce, cottage cheese, Jello, Gerber Juice that has yogurt in it. Of course he wouldn't eat or drink much of it, but at the point when they're not eating hardly anything, gotta try anything. Drinking milk doesn't affect the flem/congestion. Old wives tale. Just FYI.

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J.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

You can't go wrong with the ol' chicken noodle soup, mothers have been using this for generations of sick kids! I would give her anything that is warm and soft and comforting. If she is not wanting to eat make a big deal about the food being special.

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H.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Chicken and rice or noodle soup:) Toast with it.

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J.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

My doctor recommended apple sauce, bananas, and toast.

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J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

When my kids are so sick they can't even sit up to eat. I bring them a sippy full of apple juice (you can even warm it a bit - like hot apple cider - if she doesn't want something cold) and a bowl of their favorite crackers. It seems to be the only thing they can stomach. (We use oyster crackers as they are not too heavy or greasy. That's the only time they eat those. They actually call them "sick crackers"):-) The chicken soup of course is great if she will eat it! But at least if she can down the crackers it's something in her belly.

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M.S.

answers from San Diego on

Chicken noodle soup, homemade vegetable soup blended, etc. They are easy to get down. I'm also thinking that you might want to call her doctor and get some ideas from them as well.

Also use a humidifier at night, they work wonders!

Hope your darling is better soon!

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M.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have a son who protests to eat all the time sick or not. The best thing that works for us is Pediasure. It has lots of vitamins, comes in chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. It is also lactose free! This will coat her stomach and fill her up a little. Good Luck~

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