My son won't eat. Should I call the doctor?

Lyn - posted on 04/01/2010

If you have any concerns you should take your child to the doctor. Kids go through this sort of thing from time to time. Even my 13, 16 and 17 year old go through it!

Jessica - posted on 04/01/2010

He will eat when he's ready to eat. He might have a slight bug. Keep an eye on him he just might have a virus. If he's drinking he's not getting dehydrated. Be careful though he might be filling up on fluids

Alyssa - posted on 04/01/2010

Pedialite I would put it in his sippy cup. Take him to the doctor to make sure hes ok.

Victoria - posted on 04/01/2010

geez, i thought that it was only my kid who was doing that i feel much better knowing she isnt the only one

Brandy - posted on 04/01/2010

When my son was 2 he went through phases where he would eat all day and then hardly ever eat. But he would drink all day long. I finally just started telling him ok you can have chocolate milk but you have to eat at least half of this (whatever it was) Sometimes it works and sometimes it won't.. I was worried too but my mom told me that a child will never starve themselves they eat when they are hungry. But I would still make sure he is not just filling up on liquids :) and also go with your gut if you would feel better about taking him to a dr then do it.. theres nothing wrong with that!

Tracy - posted on 04/01/2010

I do daycare for 3 little ones (my grandson who is almost 2, a little girl almost 2 and a little boy that just turned 1) I also remember going through this with my own kids....what i do with my grandson, cuz he is most definatly the worst eater out of the three, is just keep offering him small healthy snacks all day, he loves cottage cheese, so he will eat that for breakfast most days, cuz we cant get him to eat anything else...also if he is drinking too much fluid, he wont be hungary. I would not be too concerned as long as it does not seem to be affecting him, (very tired, no energy etc.) there were days that my grandson would not even eat a handful of food for the whole day, especially if he was teething, and it was pretty bad soon after he started walking.

Jerresha - posted on 04/01/2010

As long as he is drinking he will be fine. Its when he become dehydrated that you need to worry. For now just make sure that he is getting plenty of electrolytes. I know that it can be scary i have been there myself.

Stacey - posted on 04/01/2010

hi shannon, i would give his dr a call tomorrow. there is probley nothing to worry about. alot of times when they are teething or just had a growth spurt their eating will slow down. you said he is drinking, so that is good. are there any foods that he likes more than others? you could try those. is he running a temp? maybe his belly is upset. don't worry to much, i know that is not possibe, but i'm sure he is fine. ask the dr. what he thinks and go from there. good luck.

Lyndsay - posted on 04/01/2010

Okay well first of all, don't give him any liquids but water if he's not eating because he's probably filling up on them. If he has really bad diarrhea you might want to get some pedialyte or another electrolyte drink, but as long as he's staying hydrated I don't think thats really an issue. If he's not feeling well he probably doesn't have an appetite, so if you see the doctor you should be trying to figure out if he's sick and address that. Most toddlers go through phases where they eat next to nothing, but your son is not going to starve himself. If he gets hungry, he'll eat.