My 15 month old reduced the amount she eats and is losing weight. What should I do, should I be worried?

Question

My 15 month old used to eat like a horse. She (yes, she) would eat so much food I didn't know where it all went (she has never been large, in fact stayed generally pretty skinny).

She just recently stopped eating, only taking a few bites at a time. My mother came over the other day and said that she felt lighter.

Should I be worried that she is losing weight and not eating as much at this stage? How can I get her to eat more?

To answer how she looks now - she still has a little bit of a belly and has all her baby fat and softness.

Answer 1

First, take your daughter to be weighed - you don't need to book a full doctor's appointment for this, you just want an accurate weight for her so you can track her weight to know if she's gaining or losing.

Second, is your toddler coming down with a cold? Just getting over an illness? My 16 month old daughter has recently become a picky eater, and although she didn't have any symptoms, it turns out her tonsils are enlarged and may have been making it painful for her to swallow food.

However, from 12 to 24 months, the rate of growth in babies slows down significantly. Babies usually triple their birth weight in the first year. However, from age 1 to 2, toddlers gain very little weight, and this can alarm parents.

Lastly, during this year, toddlers are walking, moving, talking and sorting all sorts of new things. The increased activity makes them lose their baby weight, and often they get easily distracted and are less likely to focus on eating. Toddlers are also learning about limits and are wanting to exercise what control they can. During this time most kids become "picky" eaters.... basically because they can. These little people are wanting to exercise a little independence, and having someone make all the decisions from what to wear to what time you get up and go to bed... well, they exercise their control where they can - and food is a perfect example. They may decide to refuse certain foods basically just to prove that they can.

Remember that no child will purposely starve itself. Look at your toddlers eating over the course of a few days, not over a single day. Aim to balance her intake of protein, carbs & veggies over the week, rather than being too concerned if she doesn't eat her carrots one day.

Try feeding your daughter small snacks inbetween meals (I usually feed my 16 month old breakfast... then about 2 hours later a small snack (a few slices of pear and some cheese cubes for example) then lunch, a small snack, then dinner, etc. I try and feed her about every two hours, and I find that it helps with making sure she takes in enough food.

Also try to minimize distractions during actual meal (rather than snack) times. Turn off the TV, try sharing your meal with your daughter (kids love to eat off Mommy's plate) or sit with her and help her eat her meal.

Finally, try to weigh your daughter about once a month, and track her weight on a growth chart for her age. If it appears that she's falling below her growth curve (percentile) schedule an appointment with your doctor to have her checked out.

Answer 2

I don't get why you don't want to gain muscle. Muscle takes up less space, so your clothes would be looser even at the same weight. Here's an example. When I was a teen I weighed 105 pounds. I started taking karate and I gained 15 pounds. I wore the same exact size clothing as I did at 105 pounds. After I stopped taking karate, I lost that 15 pounds of muscle. Muscle makes your metabolism faster as well, so just exercise and if you put on some muscle don't worry about it. You will look thinner and be much healthier. BTW, 125 pounds for 5' 4" really isn't that fat. If you turn any fat you have into muscle you will be fine at that weight. Don't be so concerned about numbers. How your clothes fit and how your body looks is what matters.

Answer 3

Try not to worry too much. She is probably going through a 'non-growth' spurt. I'd say you were lucky that she was eating like a horse previously, as most toddlers that age generally don't.

When she hits another 'growth spurt' she will start eating more again.

And try not to worry too much about what she eats. Until a child is about 5 years old, they will pretty much eat when they're hungry and trying to force them to eat when they don't want to will only make matters worse. They can also become very fussy at your daughters age and i say feed them pretty much what they want (within reason of course) and they will eventually eat normally over time. Don't try to force them to eat what you think they 'should'.

I don't speak from any medical background, just years of experience with children. I have helped raise about 20 children over the years and have seen the same patterns in all of them.

Having said all this, if the weight loss is significant or worries you in any way, then you should seek medical advice (if only to put your mind at ease).

I hope this helps.

Answer 4

Don't worry. Kids go through growth spurts where they eat like pigs, and then they get past that phase and eat like birds for a while. Also if she is walking and running more as she gets better at it, she will slim down just from getting more exercise.

Answer 5

My kids did this as well. My oldest used to be a little piggy and a few months after his first birthday he was skin and bones. He never really ate a full meal. He was just way too busy. When they get to the age where they are more mobile, they slim right down. It is very normal.

Answer 6

Babies need all the nutrition including fat that they can get their first two years of their lives. They are not toddlers until after their first two years.If you have not finished the vaccination cycle chances are that reducing the calorie intake maybe harmful. I recommend you discuss this habit next time you see your pediatrician. Make sure she is still drinking her milk until then.

Answer 7

Toddlers can get really picky about food, and eating problems are pretty common. Still and all, it's a good idea to check with her pediatrician ASAP.

Answer 8

2 hour walk at a moderate pace

Answer 9

don t eat mindlessly while watching the tv on the computer or doing other activity

Answer 10

I THINK ALL KIDS CHANGE HOW THEY EAT SOMETIMES MY DAUGHTER EATS ALL DAY THEN SOMETIMES SHE DON'T EAT AT ALL BUT ON THE DAYS SHE DON'T EAT VERY WELL I GIVE HER PEDISURE WHICH IS A MEAL REPLACEMENT DRINK SHE LOVES THEM AND THEY ARE EVERYTHING IN IT THEY NEED SO MAYBE SHE CAN DRINK THOSE ON DAYS SHE DON'T EAT GOOD BUT ALL KIDS HAVE GROWTH SPURDS AND EAT MORE THEN GO BACK TO JUST WANT THEY NEED TO GET BY SO HOPE I WAS SOME HELP GOOD LUCK