Underweight Toddlers...need some help - Scout?

emsumm · March 2012

Alright, I need some tips. My girls used to eat pretty well, but in the last two months they have decided they have no interest in food. Like, yesterday, Maya ate no lunch, and almost no dinner.

Things they will almost always eat: veggies & fruit, cheese (just plain cheese), cereal (but not large amounts), snacks like crackers, tofu, yogurt, milk.

They basically refuse any main dish. They will either push the whole plate away and say "all done!", or eat one bite and then do the same. So, their meals now consist of a few bites of veggies, a whole bunch of fruit, and whatever I finally give them, like cheese or yogurt. I tried really hard to just let them get hungry, but they seriously have no drive to eat. They would flat-out skip multiple meals if I didn't compensate with favorite foods...I know because I tried.

Here's the thing, though...they aren't picky. They like most anything. They just have no desire to eat. And, if one doesn't want to eat, the other one often follows suit.

Please help me...

sillypit · March 2012

How much milk are they drinking?

emsumm · March 2012

Only three sippies a day. They'd drink gallons if I let them, though.

3003girl · March 2012

My LO pretty much hates eating too. She is 7% for weight. I still breastfeed, and Pedi thinks that has a lot to do with it (she likes BM way more than food)

My LO won't eat anything that is presented as a meal. So if we have pasta, peas and sausage for dinner, I have to give her a plate of sausage first. then the peas, then the pasta (because she likes that most). If I give her more than one thing on a plate she will refuse it.

I just make sure there is one "standby" at each meal, but offer her everything we eat.

I do let her snack a lot because sometimes that is the only time she eats. If it gets really bad I will let her snack in front of the TV. These are all bad habits, but the kid won't eat sometimes.

I also make sure all of her foods are nutrient dense. ie no junk food. avocado, sweet potato, fruit, whole grains, proteins like yogurt. (we cant' do diary, or I would include that) And I try to limit her juice (OJ for breakfast) to about 2 ounces.

One tip that I have heard, that I use, is not to give them their favorite food if they are skipping meals, but to give them some thing that they just think is OK. For us it's cheerios. She doesn't love them, but she will usually eat a few handfuls. So it's not super exciting like yogurt or fruit or pretzels. (She loves pretzels.)

Also, keep in mind that you should track what they eat weekly and shoot for a balanced weekly diet, not daily. That way you don't have to freak out if they don't eat for 2 days, but chow down the other 5. KWIM? (That was advice from Pedi)

emsumm · March 2012

Thanks, Solidio. We also present one food at a time, in order of least to most attractive. Fruit ALWAYS last. I can get them to eat more if I stuff bites in their mouths while they play, but that seems like such a bad habit to start, and it feels like moving backwards, you know? But I just don't know what else to do. I feel the same way about snacks...I don't really want to, but when they don't eat at meals I feel like I have no choice.

They don't really get junk and no juice. Well, they get crackers for a snack if they've eaten regular meals.

scoutkate · March 2012

I swear by adding Carnation Instant Breakfast to milk. I give B the sugar-free chocolate flavor and it has made such a huge difference in her health and growth. It even made her hair grow. She's so picky, and she eats so little, that she probably gets the majority of her nutrients and calories from that stuff.

Hopefully for the girls, the not-eating thing is just a phase, but while it's an issue I would strongly suggest CIB or Pediasure. And then I would just try to pack as much nutrition as possible into those few bites they do take.

It's super frustrating, I know!

Jen&Len · March 2012

We also do Carnation Instant Breakfast. DD is sooo picky and will only eat something if it's in soup form (and even then, she might not eat it). I try to give her what I know she'll eat. Unfortunately, for her, it's all lean foods. Tofu, seaweed, asparagus, cereal, fruits and sometimes chicken nuggets. Anything with good fat, she won't eat. DS was similar, but he at least loved pasta, so we could always count on him eating whole grain pasta at some point during the day. DD hates pasta and will only eat a little bit of rice at a time.

I do remember that the pediatrician told me with DS that the picky stage usually ends around age 3. With DS, it seemed like forever until he would be 3...and who knows how skinny he'd be by then! But sure enough, around age 3, he just started eating normally. Trying different foods, finishing his plates, telling me when he's hungry and requesting snacks (which he never did before...he would just go the entire day without eating). He was around 15%ile for weight a few months before he turned 3 and he's now at almost 40%ile!

So basically, I'm just trying to stick it out until she turns 3 (which will happen sooner than I know it) and hope she follows in her brother's footsteps.

3003girl · March 2012

emsumm:
Thanks, Solidio. We also present one food at a time, in order of least to most attractive. Fruit ALWAYS last. I can get them to eat more if I stuff bites in their mouths while they play, but that seems like such a bad habit to start, and it feels like moving backwards, you know? But I just don't know what else to do. I feel the same way about snacks...I don't really want to, but when they don't eat at meals I feel like I have no choice.
They don't really get junk and no juice. Well, they get crackers for a snack if they've eaten regular meals.

I would say don't offer the fruit if you want them to eat something else. They are learning that they will get the fruit if they hold out.

This is the technique I use (with the cheerios, which my LO likes, but doesn't love) from this website - which has some other good general healthy eating habit tips: https://itsnotaboutnutrition.squarespace.com/home/2009/9/30/how-cottage-cheese-changed-my-life.html

"5) The backup must NOT be a preferred food. Don?t choose cereal, sandwiches, flavored yogurt, or anything else your children would rather eat. You don?t want to give them an incentive to choose the backup. Instead, select something your kids like, not LOVE, and which they find kind of boring."

I agree about the snacks - but she's 20 months and some days she doesn't eat breakfast or lunch and then gets hungry at 2. I try to make snacks out of the meal foods - if that makes sense. So she might get sweet potato as a snack, while we had it for dinner the previous evening. Bu then she doesn't really want dinner... so it's a cycle. Right now I'm more concerned about her eating though, and I'll eventually get her on a schedule.

It's so frustrating!

emsumm · March 2012

It's really, really frustrating It feels like it doesn't matter what I make, the result will be the same. And, I get upset when people don't understand. My FIL, for example - we were at a temple dinner, and I made a plate for both girls. Maya reaches down, scatters food EVERYWHERE, and yells "all done!" When I looked visibly upset, FIL goes "well, what's the problem? So she doesn't eat...what's the worst that happens?" Dude, you are not in charge of her health and well-being. You don't know what she's eaten today.

I am seriously considering the CIB. Seriously. Thanks.

pinkcallalily · March 2012

Something that has worked with my son is to make him "fun bites" of food. We put multiple foods on the fork at once and he loves it. So a bite is usually some meat, veggie, and fruit. It seems disgusting to me, but he thinks it's hilarious so we do it. He can make the bites himself sometimes, but we often have to help. He would gladly live off crackers, fruit, and water if we let him. He doesn't drink a ton of milk, but we try to get him to drink as much as possible, which is probably no more than 4-6 oz a day. He's in the 3rd percentile for weight so we try to get as many calories in him as possible so he doesn't drop any further down the chart.

frlcb · March 2012

Jen&Len:

I do remember that the pediatrician told me with DS that the picky stage usually ends around age 3. With DS, it seemed like forever until he would be 3...and who knows how skinny he'd be by then! But sure enough, around age 3, he just started eating normally. Trying different foods, finishing his plates, telling me when he's hungry and requesting snacks (which he never did before...he would just go the entire day without eating). He was around 15%ile for weight a few months before he turned 3 and he's now at almost 40%ile!

I have never heard this before. My just turned 4 year old is 29 lbs and in the 4%. Trust me, it didn't get better when he turned 3.

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