Indiana Babies

Lauren

I'm just curious

I've been thinking at the possiblity lately, now that Andrew's ears are clear, what IF he just isn't hungry. I don't think that is the case, but I hear so often that toddlers just don't eat.  

I wonder how you know what is normal 'toddlers are picky" and "toddlers don't need much" or "they don't eat much when they are teething" and when to worry.  Obviously losing weight would be a concern.

Today he ate 1/4 piece of toast at 8:00, about 1/8 piece of banana (or less) at 11:00 and 2 small bites of apple.  At lunch he ate 2 small pretzel sticks, about 10 crackers.  For dinner at 6:30 he ate 1 pasta wheel. 

He got progressively more pissed off throughout the day, until I figured he might be hungry (tried to offer him yogurt, various other foods), and then we read to him (the only way we can get anything in him) and he scarfted down 1 1/2 granola bars at 7 and was happy after that.

His ears are clear now (well unless they are infected again, God help me if they are), he's on more reflux medicine, he's been teething for months (molars), what else could it be?!

Anyways, I hope Ella starts eating more soon. I hate the unknowns. 

Re: Lauren

  • I'm not Lauren but I'll tell you guys what K eats in a day. (Even if she is FTT and small I think she's fairly normal in the eating department as far as amounts -forget that i'm boosting calories on everything)

    She drinks 6oz of toddler milk and eats a handful of cheerios (1/8cup) or half of them end up on the floor... Some days she has a mini muffin too (but probably only 3 pieces make it into her mouth) and sometimes yogurt. (can't tell you an amount of that that makes it in - a LOT of it ends up all over.)

    Then she asks for more milk and has crackers/cheerios/yogurt/cereal bar or whatever. (sometimes between 10 & 11)

    Lunch is her favorite meal when she's having a good day and she'll eat 1/2 a slice of cheese,  1/4 a slice of deli meat and some avocado sometimes some bread (1/8 of a slice). With her milk.

    After nap she'll snack - a small snack cup of something (crackers, crunchies, dried fruit)  and some milk  (the snack cup is probably 1/4cup size and i only fill it not even half way because if i give more she ends up throwing them at the cat.)

    Then dinner.  Sometimes she'll eat only a small lunch and eat what I described above for dinner. Sometimes she eats chicken soup and only eats 3 bites. Once in awhile she'll have a good lunch and a good dinner. (so if we have tacos she'll eat some cheese, olives, tortilla maybe some chicken and avocado. All total probably 1/2 cup? of food pieces)

    She found the oreos in the pantry and has been asking for them every night now (she eats 1/2 an oreo) after dinner.

    Lately she's been SUPER proud of herself for getting some bites with her fork. SHe loves holding the fork even if she's not using it.

    If you guys are worried ask your pedi to refer you to a nutritionist. (Kathy, with First Steps A could see one of their nutritionists as part of his plan) But really - with all the Drs and nutritionists and dietitians we've seen starting 4years ago with James they've all told me toddlers are like that. One good meal in 3 days is what most will do. I think i have a sheet somewhere that one gave me showing a toddler serving size vs ours and stuff.   I'll see if I can find it if you guys would like me to.  


  • imagemandyallcorn:

    I'm not Lauren but I'll tell you guys what K eats in a day. (Even if she is FTT and small I think she's fairly normal in the eating department as far as amounts -forget that i'm boosting calories on everything)

    She drinks 6oz of toddler milk and eats a handful of cheerios (1/8cup) or half of them end up on the floor... Some days she has a mini muffin too (but probably only 3 pieces make it into her mouth) and sometimes yogurt. (can't tell you an amount of that that makes it in - a LOT of it ends up all over.)

    Then she asks for more milk and has crackers/cheerios/yogurt/cereal bar or whatever. (sometimes between 10 & 11)

    Lunch is her favorite meal when she's having a good day and she'll eat 1/2 a slice of cheese,  1/4 a slice of deli meat and some avocado sometimes some bread (1/8 of a slice). With her milk.

    After nap she'll snack - a small snack cup of something (crackers, crunchies, dried fruit)  and some milk  (the snack cup is probably 1/4cup size and i only fill it not even half way because if i give more she ends up throwing them at the cat.)

    Then dinner.  Sometimes she'll eat only a small lunch and eat what I described above for dinner. Sometimes she eats chicken soup and only eats 3 bites. Once in awhile she'll have a good lunch and a good dinner. (so if we have tacos she'll eat some cheese, olives, tortilla maybe some chicken and avocado. All total probably 1/2 cup? of food pieces)

    She found the oreos in the pantry and has been asking for them every night now (she eats 1/2 an oreo) after dinner.

    Lately she's been SUPER proud of herself for getting some bites with her fork. SHe loves holding the fork even if she's not using it.

    If you guys are worried ask your pedi to refer you to a nutritionist. (Kathy, with First Steps A could see one of their nutritionists as part of his plan) But really - with all the Drs and nutritionists and dietitians we've seen starting 4years ago with James they've all told me toddlers are like that. One good meal in 3 days is what most will do. I think i have a sheet somewhere that one gave me showing a toddler serving size vs ours and stuff.   I'll see if I can find it if you guys would like me to.  


    That sound about like Andrew. (Except that only he'll only self-feed things that are crunchy, the rest I feed him.)

    Excuse my ignorance, I hope this doesn't sound insensitive, but how did you know K was FTT?  I mean, how do you know if that's just how she is, or if there's something else wrong?

    Obviously Andrew isn't FTT.  But I struggle with knowing if he's just being him, cranky, teething, finicky eater and always has been, etc.  or if it's something more.  Like an allergy, or his reflux meds aren't working, or if he could be aspirating (a stretch, but he was with milk and had/has a swallowing disorder), or a sensory disorder, etc.  Do you know what I mean?  Did you rule any medical causes or was it a gut feel?

    I knew a few parents who's kids just would not eat and it turned out they either had really bad allergies, or they were diabetic, or this that and the other.  I don't know how to know what's normal or not!

     

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  • Well the FTT started with James. He didn't hit 20lbs until after his 2nd birthday. Just a general slow trend in growth (and off the growth charts for weight %)  He got put through the ringer with the tests (from Celiaic disease to Cystic fibrosis. SO many blood draws and tests) All coming back normal. So he stumped them - he got the FTT label. (and at almost 5 he now rings in at 29.5 lbs which is almost to the 3% and somewhere in the 30% for height)

    Kaylee was born small like her brother. Her growth followed his trend until 6 -9 months when she actually lost a bit of weight.  SO they started pushing us to get her tested. She had some of the tests (some we declined because J already had those tests and we felt it was overkill this time around) and came back normal but some of her hormone levels are/were off. (we see the Endo on Friday again to discuss all of that)  She also has low muscle tone (james didn't) and some of the blood tests that are related to that came back slightly weird.  But for now she's FTT because none of it is extremely weird or pointing to any other diagnosis. (especially after the 2nd round of blood tests they ran)

    I think they get the FTT diagnosis because 1)they're small/under the normal curve by so much and 2) their weight gain is just slow and they're not catching up. I can't imagine what they would weigh if I didn't spend my days trying to increase their calories!(or i wonder if I didn't increase calories would they eat more in volume??)

    FWIW I've seen the other boys in J's preschool eat - he eats the same amounts basically. Yes he's become your finicky preschooler which doesn't make my life any easier but I am not sure he'd be any heavier if he wasn't picky. (DH and I aren't exactly large people.)

  • hmm very interesting, thanks for sharing!! 

    Interesting thought too about calorie boosting.  We boosted andrew's to 24-cal milk, he was barely gaining, barely eating, but when we stopped boosting to 20-cal, he just ate 20% more and the same number of calories :) In his particular case, he knew exactly what he needed!! 

    I guess what makes me worry is that Andrew doesn't really seem content.  Hmph.


     

  • Oh yea and at her last weight check K was 18 months, 17.5lbs ( 0%) and in the 25% for height. (31 or 32 inches? I can't remember)

     


  • Wow!  She is tiny.  Really cute though :) And you are really tiny too, so hopefully it's mostly  just genetics and she can get through some of the other issues you mentioned :)

    Andrew's gained a lot of weight.  He was 19.5 lb at 1 yr adjusted and he's 19 months adjusted and he's 24 lbs!  Eeps! haha  He definitely has a huge appetite but just can't seem to fulfill it!  His Daddy is 6'3" though :-)

  • We're hoping it's all just a case of genetics!

    I hope things get better for you guys! I'm here if you want to try to pick my brain for new food options to try. (and try and try and try - it takes 10 times!) Or anything else you need! 

  • imagemandyallcorn:

    We're hoping it's all just a case of genetics!

    I hope things get better for you guys! I'm here if you want to try to pick my brain for new food options to try. (and try and try and try - it takes 10 times!) Or anything else you need! 

    I tried the wheel pasta!

    I pretended I wasn't paying attention (seems to be the best approach) and Ryan and I were eating "wheels" :). I put one up on the side of my plate so he could reach it.  He "sneaked" and reach one and ate it.  But then he wouldn't eat any more!  Little stinker!

    I'm also spinning your idea of other round foods and I tried baby carrots - the ones in the can are sliced round.  He's interested and will sometimes eat a few.  

    I've noticed he will pretty much eat anything crunchy, and generally that's about it.  With that discovery, I tried little apple slices. I was surprised but he loves a crisp, strong sour-tasting apple and will pretty much always eat them.  I put them in a little bowl for him to snack on.

    Any ideas of crunchy foods aside from crackers and cereal and apples???  Particularly crunchy foods that are healthier and/or will fill him up better?

    When can kids have raw veggies?  Not sure if he'd choke? Thoughts?  

     

  • oh I should try having him dip apples in PB :)
  • We like the dried fruits. The Whole foods sells "banamon" - its bananas with cinnamon yummmmmm.  They seem less of a choking hazard but are still crunchy. You can get packets of pears and apples and bananas at babies r us (they have mickey mouse or buzz lightyear on them) or gerber has apples and strawberries...

    Try the wheels with butter and salt and pepper. (I also boil them in chicken broth instead of water) THats the way James eats them (his request)  K likes to use her fork. Even if i stab the food and then give her back the fork so she can pretend she did it herself.

    And apples with caramel are good. They make yogurt dip if you'd like healthier. Or cream cheese (also good with crackers)

    Maybe he'd like those carrots that are cut up for salads (Shredded?)

    And the veggie straws/sticks like you can get at trader joes in the chip section. 

    I'll keep thinking!

  • Yeah, most days (and really until just now), I've just assumed that Ella's eating habits are normal, and that portion size for a toddler is much smaller.

    But then I read on wholesometoddlerfood.com that kiddos should get about 40 calories per inch of height per day, so a 32" toddler should get about 1300 calories. Ella's not 32", but the other day I estimated that she got about 700 calories.

    Indifferent

    But who knows - I'm sure she's fine and I'm just worried about nothin'.

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  • imageNDwife07:

    Yeah, most days (and really until just now), I've just assumed that Ella's eating habits are normal, and that portion size for a toddler is much smaller.

    But then I read on wholesometoddlerfood.com that kiddos should get about 40 calories per inch of height per day, so a 32" toddler should get about 1300 calories. Ella's not 32", but the other day I estimated that she got about 700 calories.

    Indifferent

    But who knows - I'm sure she's fine and I'm just worried about nothin'.

    Maybe it would put your mind at ease to track her calories over 3 days. They always have me track 3 days worth of meals for the dietitian.

     

  • We do the veggie sticks but I feel bad when that's all he'll eat.  Eek.

    I worry about PB because it gets stuck on the roof of his mouth and he can't get it off and he doesn't want any more after that. 

    The wheels were in pasta salad, so coated with italian dressing.  Maybe I'll try some S&P & garlic :) ha

    hm shredded carrots are a good idea and the dried fruit

    thanks!

  • imageNDwife07:

    Yeah, most days (and really until just now), I've just assumed that Ella's eating habits are normal, and that portion size for a toddler is much smaller.

    But then I read on wholesometoddlerfood.com that kiddos should get about 40 calories per inch of height per day, so a 32" toddler should get about 1300 calories. Ella's not 32", but the other day I estimated that she got about 700 calories.

    Indifferent

    But who knows - I'm sure she's fine and I'm just worried about nothin'.

    omg.  That includes milk?  I doubt Andrew gets anywhere near that either. I'd be curious.

     

  • imagelemen99:
    imageNDwife07:

    Yeah, most days (and really until just now), I've just assumed that Ella's eating habits are normal, and that portion size for a toddler is much smaller.

    But then I read on wholesometoddlerfood.com that kiddos should get about 40 calories per inch of height per day, so a 32" toddler should get about 1300 calories. Ella's not 32", but the other day I estimated that she got about 700 calories.

    Indifferent

    But who knows - I'm sure she's fine and I'm just worried about nothin'.

    omg.  That includes milk?  I doubt Andrew gets anywhere near that either. I'd be curious.

     

    Yeah, I do think that includes milk. Whole milk has about 150 cal per cup.

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  • imageNDwife07:
    imagelemen99:
    imageNDwife07:

    Yeah, most days (and really until just now), I've just assumed that Ella's eating habits are normal, and that portion size for a toddler is much smaller.

    But then I read on wholesometoddlerfood.com that kiddos should get about 40 calories per inch of height per day, so a 32" toddler should get about 1300 calories. Ella's not 32", but the other day I estimated that she got about 700 calories.

    Indifferent

    But who knows - I'm sure she's fine and I'm just worried about nothin'.

    omg.  That includes milk?  I doubt Andrew gets anywhere near that either. I'd be curious.

     

    Yeah, I do think that includes milk. Whole milk has about 150 cal per cup.

    dang, that's not very much.  Andrew drinks about 2 cups.

  • Maya could eat all day long and I don't think she'd come anywhere close to that many calories!  I mean, it takes her like 30 minutes to eat 10 grapes once we cut them up.
  • imageshauna060708:
    Maya could eat all day long and I don't think she'd come anywhere close to that many calories!  I mean, it takes her like 30 minutes to eat 10 grapes once we cut them up.

    This honestly makes me feel better. Thanks!

    I also asked (for the like the billionth time) at day care today about her eating. Her teacher said that she eats well and might even be one of the better eaters in the room.

    I wonder why she sucks at eating at home then...or maybe my expectations should change.

    Either way, I feel better after reading this thread and I'm sure I'll feel better after getting her weighed on Wednesday.

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  • imageNDwife07:

    imageshauna060708:
    Maya could eat all day long and I don't think she'd come anywhere close to that many calories!  I mean, it takes her like 30 minutes to eat 10 grapes once we cut them up.

    This honestly makes me feel better. Thanks!

    I also asked (for the like the billionth time) at day care today about her eating. Her teacher said that she eats well and might even be one of the better eaters in the room.

    I wonder why she sucks at eating at home then...or maybe my expectations should change.

    Either way, I feel better after reading this thread and I'm sure I'll feel better after getting her weighed on Wednesday.

    It's good she eats well at daycare! Maybe she isn't as hungry at home or eats better there b/c she likes the food or the peer pressure :):) haha

     

  • LOL - she does like to imitate her friends, so maybe that's it!

    Her teacher said that of all the kids, she's the one who is most adamant when she's done eating, too. As in, she throws her plate across the room. Ahhh, my spicy bean.

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  • imageNDwife07:

    LOL - she does like to imitate her friends, so maybe that's it!

    Her teacher said that of all the kids, she's the one who is most adamant when she's done eating, too. As in, she throws her plate across the room. Ahhh, my spicy bean.

    lmao!!!!!!

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