Baby does not eat enough

Chrystal-Lee - posted on 12/08/2009

my child is one and doesn't eat alot during meal time neither. but she does snack all day though. i give her cookies and fruit and things that can be eaten while sitting on the floor or walking around. it's more of a mess to clean but atleast i know my child is eating well. it will take time to get them to try new things and could become frustrating but don't give up. try a little everyday. in the end it'll be well worth it. :o)

Emily - posted on 12/08/2009

my advice is she could have something going on inside,so take her to her doc and keep at it till someone gives u a answer your happy with.she could well be teething or cross cutting?my son did this and was very hard to get some things down.also she might be lactose so her tummy might be very sore.

Carolyn - posted on 12/07/2009

Most children eat when they are hungry. It is actually healthier for a child to eat when they are hungry, as appose to stuffing because it is there. I agree with Christina, keep a log, and if you see that the child is not eating, drinking, or even loosing weight, then seek medical help. Don't fret, your a good, concerned Mother!

Emily - posted on 12/04/2009

how many bottles is she getting.try not to allow her to drink before meal times.

Ashley - posted on 12/04/2009

how is her weight is her doctor worried about her not eating,maybe she does not want baby food an formula nomore my son ped told i could start giving him whole milk at ten months old because he was at a good weight an because i was so sick of wic appt so she told it would be ok an she gave me some iron pills to give him at ten months old an st that time he was not eating baby food nomore and he was fine have you tried giving her a chicken nuggets thats always a favorite at eleven months old she really doesnt have to have baby food nomore if she will eat regular food an you can give her small pieces of almost anything

Renae - posted on 12/04/2009

I don't want to scare you, but I am VERY worried that your baby does not have milk at all. How long has she been off milk? Until at least 12 months babies get most of their nutrition from milk as they can not absorb the nutrients in food, milk is still very important for her.

I really think you should see a Speech Pathologist who specialises in infant feeding and a Paediatric Dietician.

It is normal for kids to be fussy with food and go through phases when they don't eat much. When it becomes a feeding disorder is when they are clearly hungry but still will not eat.

Do not let a GP tell you that because your baby is normal weight that she is not malnourished. Any feeding specialist will tell you that is rubbish. Get a referral to some specialists who can help.

Bethany - posted on 12/03/2009

I wouldn't worry about it. Kids tend to go through cycles of eating more or less. Maybe she just doesn't need that much food. I would focus more on whether she's active, healthy, and is developing well in other areas than about how much she eats or whether she's "underweight." My sister-in-law's daughter barely ate at all for a long time and the doctor was freaking out and running a bunch of tests, but she's totally healthy and exactly where she should be developmentally. Half a bowl of food sounds like a lot to me, and my daughter's 20 months. Some children don't need a lot of food. Just relax and don't try to force your daughter to eat more; as long as she's active and doesn't show any signs of being sick or lethargic, she's fine. :)

Lauren - posted on 12/03/2009

hi Anshu,
I wouldn't stress yourself out. I believe that if your daughter is still running round and living life, as opposed to being lethargic and sleeping all the time, shes obviously getting enough food. I know that is probably not the right thing to say but my son was very picky with food and I stressed about it till my mum pointed that out and sure enough he eventually increased his food intake. The other thing I have found is he will eat more if others are still eating, try eating something while shes eating and just take tiny bites or chew slowly till shes "finished". Hope this helps

Jane - posted on 12/03/2009

they are always teething, it just can't be seen. she'll eat when she wants. try new foods or textures, leave them on her tray and if she doesn't eat, just keep putting them there every meal time. after 20 minutes, take her out of her chair.

if her pediatrician says her iron levels are okay, then don't worry. she'll eat when she's ready. if her checks are full, her belly is full and her legs are nice and chubby, she's okay.

when she's 2 and giving you lip about eating, you'll long for this stage. lol!

Brittani - posted on 12/03/2009

yes its normal. sometimes they need one person to feed them or they are just being picky try different textures and taste... also try maybe adding like a sweetner like splenda just a tiny bit. expecially if she was breast feed. breast milk tends to be sweet so if you sweeten it with something other than sugar and slowly ween the sugar out it will give her a taste for it. i had the same problem with my daughter she was breast fed and would not touch milk if my life depended on it. but sweetened it and she took it then slowly weened the sugar out of it and it work. but i suggest splenda...

Cristina - posted on 12/02/2009

My niece had a similar problem, sometimes it's the fact that they want to be everywhere and eating takes away from their fun time, but if she gets to the point where she is not eating enough after 5 or 6 hrs. well, not enough food may cause anemia and then you'll have a bit of a problem in your hands, have you tried asking your doc about appetite drops for her and vitamins, over the counter ones like Polyvisol vitamins, ask the doc about it and have them help you out on that. Also keep a log of what she eats a day for a week and take it to them. hope you get through this. good luck.