I have a 9 year old daughter who is only 39 pounds. I have tried everything to get this child to eat.?

Question

I have tried eveything from ignoring her eating habits to begging her. Her younger sisters weigh more than she does and are always happy to snack/eat. She is otherwise healthy . If I say the sentance please eat one more time I am going to scream. Any suggestions??????

Answer 1

No more focusing on food. Period. You just give all your kids their normal meal and let them eat it. Talk about everything else at the dinner table. Then everyone cleans the table and off they go.

You've created a monster. Now you have to disarm it. Like someone else said about attention, now she has all she could ever want.

Answer 2

That is very underweight for a 9 year old. You should schedule an appointment with her pediatrician. They will probably run test to see if she is absorbing fats. She could have a wheat allergy or another problem like that. My daughter was very underweight like that and she had to have a feeding tube for a couple of years. It seemed kind of drastic but it is the only thing that worked. She's doing great now, still very slender, but not underweight. People will give you all kinds of advice on how to get her to eat, but some kids just won't and you cannot force them. They will tell you that kids will eat when they are hungry and for most kids that is true, but some kids still won't eat. No amount of pleading, yelling, sitting at the table, grounding or spanking will work. My daughter was not able to recognize that she was hungry. For her, when she was hungry her stomach hurt and she wouldn't eat. You can try having her drink Pediasure, since she is 9 it would be all right to let her drink regular Ensure. It doesn't cost as much. I would definitely take her to the doctor. Good luck.

Answer 3

First, your birth weight is not going to affect that of your child-Your baby's birth weight is dependent mostly on the size of your womb-Your mother had a big one, you may not. So don't be too worried. I was induced with my son after I had reached 41 weeks pregnant. It was the policy of my OB to not let any woman go over 41 weeks due to the increased risk of complications. Most OB's will not do a planned induction if there is not medical reason to do so. I wished I could have gone into labor on my own, but it just didn't happen. Induction certainly didn't make labor any easier. It still took my 16 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing before my son arrived. The worst part of being in labor in the hospital rather than at home is that I couldn't eat or do much as I was being monitored My daughter was a planned induction, because it was my second child and my OB wanted to make sure she was available for the delivery. It was kind of "been there, done that" as for why she allowed a planned induction. My daughter ended up being delivered via emergency c-section.

Answer 4

I can completely understand how stressful it can be.
My son is 5 and weighs 30 pounds. If I added up all of his percentages on the growth chart for the last 5 years he may make the 10th percentile 1 time. I would suggest going to an Endocrinologist. They will take a hand X-ray to measure his bone growth if they believe anything to be wrong and will do any other test they believe will help. I would specifically ask to have her checked for malabsorption though. I have stressed for 5 years straight and finally after many visits to the Endocrinologist I am learning to let it go. He has been given a clean bill of health and there is absolutely nothing I can do that I haven't tried already to make him grow any faster. He is not a candidate for growth hormones so as an adult more than likely he will be short and skinny but I will still love him just the same.

Answer 5

Offer her healthy food choices and leave her the heck alone. Nagging, bribing, etc only make food into a control issue. Equating not eating with controlling ones life is how eating disorders start. Also I don't think sneaking high fat, high calorie foods into her is a good example.

It could be that she is the right weight for her, is her doctor concerned?

If you are at all concerned that your daugher has low self esteem, bad self image, control issues, or an actual eating disorder seek medical attention immediately.

Mind you I say that and my 11 month old weighs 9 lbs less than your daughter. So I will admit I may not understand. I do know that my mom telling me I was fat (when I was about 12, and my grandma will attest to this you could see my ribs, I just have large breasts and hips and wore baggy clothes) did cause some serious eating problems.

Answer 6

Some kids don't eat much and some are smaller than others, but that sounds extreme to me. She needs to be evaluated by a doctor - have her blood mineral levels checked and bone density tested and especially her thyroid checked. It could be hyperthyroidism which would require medication. For 39 pounds to be a healthy weight she would have to be shorter than 3'10" or 46 inches. If your daughter is less than 46 inches they will probably want to run these tests anyway because that is too far below the lowest average of children her age (49-56 inches and 50-90 pounds respectively). At full grown that would put her at about 4'9" on a growth chart and about 90 pounds.

Answer 7

Do you notice how she is eating? Does she eat healthy meals, is she snacking through out the day? Is she eating witht he family at dinner time?

If she is hardly eating then she probably has a eating disorder. It is hard to talk to children about this. I would suggest taking to her and she how she feels about eating. And to see about her feelings about weight, say hey do you want to go get a new outfit, and while you are there feel it out...look for words like no that will make me look fat and things like that.

If you do suspect she has an eating disorder take her to the dr. Talk to the dr with her not in the room, so you can express your feelings. The dr may suggest her going to a pyschologist to see if she does have one.

There are people out there who help teens with eating disorders.

If you don't suspect it is an eating disorder then maybe she just isn't a hungry person. Some people can eat only a few times a day and be full. Just make sure she is eating healthy and not just junk if she is only going to eat a few times a day.

And start giving her a vit this will make up for anything that she is missing through food.

Answer 8

Take this child to the Dr. 39 pounds is many pounds underweight for a 9 year old, she may have a medical problem that makes her not want to eat, get it checked out ASAP!!! My daughter is 9 and weighs 80 pounds.

Answer 9

Your child is in need of serious medical attention. If her pediatrician is not listening to your concerns then you need to change to a different one immediately! There may be a medical issue interfering with her hunger cycle as well as interfering with her growth. She also could have an oral sensitivity which is treatable by a Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Answer 10

See if she likes Nestle instant breakfast. That is packed with the nutrients she needs, plus she can drink it with her regular meals. Explain to her that food is fuel and without it, the body will not work. It is also important to know the warning signs of eating disorders. Good luck.