my 19 month old is not...?

Question

eating right now. For the past two weeks he has become very picky and won't eat a lot now. I do mix up his foods and i won't give him the same thing in a three day period. Unless its his favorite. One day he will eat breakfast,lunch,dinner the next he will only eat like two bites of something for breakfast, not eat lunch then pick at dinner. I try and make him more than one thing to see if it is the food he doesn't want but it isn't, he just won't eat. I have talked to the doctor and she said don't worry about it. Well for the past three days he has had very bad diahrea and still not eating alot. I mean he eats more than one day then the next barely anything. I called the doc again but she acts like i'm stupid and tells me he is fine. He doesn't have a fever, he isn't teething right now that i can see, but i do give him teething tablets just in case. So I don't know what else to do anyone with the same problem or had this problem. My doc just says to night fight him and let it go......

i am just worried that he isn't getting enough to eat and it bothers me that he won't eat.. it is actually driving me insane right now... help any help is great... i know some toddlers at this age get picky with food and they say don't fight with them over meal time.. but to eat pratically nothing for the day.. isn't taht bad? omg i swear i'm going crazy here.. and would love a new doc... but we are in the military and have to stick to the one we are assigned to and we are overseas right now so can't take him off base.. thanks for anyhelp and any advice...

thanks to alot of you.. but he is getting plenty of fluid.. he drinks about 1 liter of water a day.. and plus he drinks his gatorade which he loves to death and maybe a cup of juice... so fluid is plentiful.. he doesn't stop drinking.. its just the food i'm having a problem with now.. he has only had diarea for 2 days now... and i refuse to give my son any candy/chocolate to get him to eat.. i'm sorry but i don't think he should be eating sweets if he isn't eating meals... but i do have food out for him all of the time.. atleast some crackers, a poptart, cereal, or something on the table for him

ok sorry one more thing... he is not on a bottle.. hasn't been since he was 15 months, teething tablets i give him b/c he just teethed in two molars about a week ago and i want to be on the safe side he isn't still teething anymore in... but i give it to him at night only... fruits and veggies i try to give but he won't eat anything at all... except for a few bites of this and that.... sorry everyone is coming up with alot of good things but it just worries me for him not to eat that much... yes he used to eat alot .. he would a full breakfast, full lunch and a full dinner with little snacks in between... and now barely anything

Answer 1

As long as he is getting plenty of fluids, which he obviously is, it's fine, and this is probably why he has diarrhea- my daughter has been going through the same thing- not eating, drinking lots and teething, but the good news is that her appetite has returned. I know that it is frustrating, all you want is to know taht your baby is okay, but remember that missing a meal or two here and there in the long run isn't going to do much damage. He is getting all he needs from the fluids, and this time next week, he'll be eating everything in sight again.

Don't worry. This will pass- my daughter has just taken me through it :)

Answer 2

First of all, calm down and relax! All kids go through phases, even babies. You know the old saying 'they will eat when they are hungry'? Well it really is true. Secondly you shouldnt be giving him teething tablets 'just in case' if he is not teething. Just make sure he gets a multivitamin every day and it would also be good if you could get him to drink some Pediasure. Try making eating fun for him. Cut his food into pieces he can just eat with his fingers and make little faces on his plate with his food.I know it is hard. I have 2 sons who are VERY picky , 1 who, when he was from age 2 to 4, would not eat anything besides pb&j's, mac and cheese and chicken nuggets for 2 years! And I do mean nothing! I was freaking out too but the dr said as long as I was giving him a multivitamin, he would be fine. Sure enough he is 2 weeks away from being 10 yrs old and is very healthy and eats me out of house and home now!! I hope this all has helped. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Try not to look at what he is eating in one day. Look at what he ate for the week. Some days toddlers eat a lot (I call it packing it in) and other days they eat light. He's taking lots of liquids which is good so you don't have to worry about dehydration, but it may also be filling him up. I would stop giving him the teething tablets until his diahrea stops. Remember he should have a diet of BRAT (bananas, rice, apples/applesauce and toast) when having diahrea. You're a very caring mother and if the diahrea continues then take him back to the doctor. You should feel like the doctor has answered all your questions before you leave. You have to protect your child, if you don't do it who will? You know your child better than anyone, insist on excellent health care for him. Even though you're in the military, you have the right to see a different doctor if you feel you're not being heard and understood. Be assertive. Good Luck!

Answer 4

What is a "night fight"? I've never heard that term before in reference to babies.

This is common for his age. Sometimes babies do this if they're in a growth spurt. Did he eat a whole lot right before this started? The diarrhea thing is unnerving though. Watch him and if that continues past a couple more days insist that the doctor look at him. Make sure he's drinking enough non-sugar drinks. Try adding some rice meal to his formula if he is still taking a bottle. If not, see if you can get him to eat some rice but make sure it has some of the starchy water with it. That helps with the diarrhea. Also don't give him the teething pills if there are no signs that he needs them. It could be upsetting his tummy.

Answer 5

hello how r u? i hope that u r doing OK. just to let u know that u r not the only one with this problem. my son went through the same stage not to long ago. the first time it happened, he was about a year old, it was because he was teething. he had an infected gum line, something i didn't notice for several days. don't blame yourself because that won't help. the second time it happened was just 3 weeks ago. he still had his bottle, not drinking much of it to go to sleep with, but saving it for morning. he would then guzzle the rest of it and not eat much during the course of the day. so if your child still has the bottle, try to limit it to just nap time and bed time. that's how we started. you can also try pedialyte, pediasure,etc.(just to keep the healthy fluids in him, also used for when children are sick). however, the best thing you can do is be patient. try grapes, bananas, all the healthy food you can get your hands on, and if nothing is working still, then talk to whoever you have to on the base where you are stationed, and explain the problem, maybe they will be understand and be willing to help as much as possible.

Answer 6

My mother read a book once that says a serving, for a toddler, is 1 tablespoon of everything.

Kids go through this. They get picky and then go back to eating, and back and forth and back and forth. It is a power thing.

Since your son is also having diarrhea, his stomach may hurt. Just go with it for a few more days. If the diarrhea doesn't clear up in another day call the ped. back. Just make sure he is getting plenty to drink.

You can always seek a second opinion. My son has been having on again/ off again diarrhea since May 05. I got tried or hearing he would out grow it and called a pediatric GI. Mind you this was after about 4 months or fighting it. We still don't have answers but I have someone dedicated to finding them.

Answer 7

Try to find 2-3 things that your 19 month old really likes to eat make sure it is healthy and just let him eat that ,it's okay to eat the same thing when my son was little he ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast, lunch,and dinner. some times you have to let them choose what they like as long as it does not harm them feed him plain cherrios remember things that you like he may not like and you can also sprinkle a little sugar on the veggies and gradually remove it as he starts to eat more.by those meal drinks so you will know that he is still gfetting some type of nutrients into his system.keep healthy snack with in arms reach so he can decide when he is hungry .example when he is playing just place a bowl of cut fruit or veggies,or snack crackers out on a table so he can see them you can eat from them and comment on how good they taste to you pretend to feed one of his favorit toys the food tell him he should hurry and eat before his friend eats all of the yummy treats. Hope i was helpful. and remember mom as long as he meets his right weight don't worry my son is 17 and 6'5 and he to is still a picky eater.

Answer 8

I was told (since we have a 20 month old baby) that their stomach is the size of their own fist which is really small so it is truly suprising how little food they actually need. They also grow slower now meaning their appetite decreases. As long as your child is drinking, it's all that matters. When he's hungry he'll eat. If your worried about the diarhea and your MD won't help you, I'd go to a MD that will listen to your concerns.

Answer 9

For now, give him Pediasure (or something similar), that way he will be getting the vitamins he needs. Cut back on the milk until the diahrea is cleared up - go to jello water or clear broth or Pediasure clear liquids. Don't get too upset at him -- every child I have ever known went through this. When my kids got REAL picky, I just sighed and went shopping -- cuz they were going to grow! Just keep offering him food and he will eat what he needs.

Answer 10

Sometimes when they are going through a growth-spurt they stop eating for a few days. You have to understand that they will not let themselves starve. Make the food available... even if he only eats a little at a time. Make sure he has lots of liquids to remain hydrated.