How do I get my 3yrold to eat met,or other foods. she is 22weeker. wight about 23pouds. help !?

Question

My 3yr is a 22weeker and also has ADHD. SHE been though a g-tub to help her gain wight, and did not work. last year doc had it remove. But now she still not eating, at all, little bites like corn or cookies, icecream, chips, all kinds of pastas. she is also blind from her right eye from birth. How do I help her gain her wight and to help her like to eat something.

Answer 1

Eating issues top the list of stresses in a lot of parents of 3 year olds. A child will NOT starve themselves, so start by making food a "non-issue" Offer her food, if she doesn't eat, put it away and offer it again later. Don't beg, plead or bribe her to eat. Stick with healthy foods in a variety of textures, colors, shapes and from all food groups. She will not likely sit still long for meal times, so offer small meals throughout the day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 3 snacks are appropriate for her age and health concerns. Keep the portion sizes small. If she is drinking a lot of juice, even if it is diluted with water, it contains enough sugar to make a small body think they aren't hungry. A small amount of juice diluted with water served at one snack per day is plenty. Stick with water and milk, which should probably be whole milk based on her need for calorie intake. Avoid the empty calorie foods like chips and cookies. Ice cream in small amounts, again as part of a snack or meal, can help with calcium intake. I would suggest starting the day by serving breakfast, let her eat what she wants. Then remove the food and let her play. When she asks for something to eat, offer her a small plate of healthy bite size snacks such as string cheese cut into pieces, grapes cut in 1/2, mini Ritz crackers (whole wheat is good for her). If she won't eat that, let it sit on the table and when she is hungry she will. It is so tempting and normal to bribe her to eat with promises of sweet treats, but that is only developing some bad eating habits for her. Experiment with veggies in a variety of ways such as carrots can be raw, steamed, or stir fried. Her doctor should be made aware of her poor eating and may want to examine her to rule out any type of illness and may recommend a supplement such as pedia-sure, but most kids do not need that. A nutritionist can also be consulted who can help design a meal plan specifically geared to help with weight gain.

Answer 2

why does she need to eat meat? give her the foods she likes and she would be healthier with peanut butter.If you force her to eat and developer a control issue, she may have problems later.
kids her age like the foods that are high in fat and sweets because their body is growing fast and they need calories. I do not suggest you give her junk, but do not sweat it.
I used to make the plate look like a smile face and give only a few bites at a time so she does not feel like you expect her to eat a large amount. smashes carrots and a tiny bit of peanut butter and some mashed potatoes is good. a piece of cheese and some raisins and cheerios. try a pickle.
I have a niece who only ate rice and corn for a long time and she just graduated with her masters degree from Texas A&M with honors.
never seen a three year old refuse a cheesey hotdog. cut it up in very tiny small pieces because hot dogs are number one at choking but people give them to the kids whole and they take too big of a bite and do not chew enough...when in tiny peices they are safe. do not give them more than once a week though since they are high in salt and fat...fat is good if in small amounts only.

Answer 3

A nutritionist, child psychologist, and a gastroenterologist should all be part of her health care team. If she will eat ice cream or milk shakes try making homemade ice cream with ensure nutritional supplement.

My oldest was a 28 week preemie. They can be extremely nutritionally challenging, some issues they outgrow. We found that due to issues from the J-tube and the length of time it was used his stomach had shrunk to less than the size of a quarter an it was physically painful for him to eat. it took many months and therapy but he is now almost 13 and eats everything in sight. (though lactose intolerant)

It is a long hard challenging journey but to see him now, it was worth every minute.

Answer 4

Try Pediasure for extra calories. Check out the message boards on ivillage.com. There are other children like yours and the parents share wonderful tips. Make her high calorie shakes. Put mayo, butter in regular foods to increase calories. Serve her mashed potatoes made w/ whipping cream. she might like fast food cheeseburgers, which are loaded w/ fat. If she likes pasta, serve it with alfredo sauce.

Answer 5

Well first of all the smartest things you should do are the following:

Don't feed her microwaved(nuked) food (This includes the milk.:Boil it with the bottle in the pot)

Dont feed her tap water (which contains flouride, lead and arsenic, radon, and dead microbes)

Feed her ONLY organic foods from a health food store (example: Whole Foods Market)

And consult a alternative health care practitioner who DOESN'T USE DRUGS OR SURGERY. (Inquire at your local health food store because alternative doctors are routinely attacked by FDA and the FTC and cannot advertise.

For more info email me at [e-mail] or contact me on Yahoo Messenger

Answer 6

It sounds like she should still be under a doctors care. This could be very serious if she gets sick because her little body will not be able to fight off germs or make her well. She needs to see a doctor and a nutritionist as soon as possible.

Answer 7

Make food available to her 24/7 and allow her to "graze" and eat what she wants. Try Pedisure drinks chilled, especially before bedtime (you tend to gain more weight eating before bed because of inactivity)

Answer 8

shove the god damm food down her f ing mouth im serious 3 years old and 23 pounds this is vary serious and i would start to worry you better seek profesional help