My 18 Mo Old Wont Eat

DId your son eat anything prior to 6 months ago? Did something happen did he fall or did he choke on something?? I don't know the whole story so this is what I have to offer:

My son is almost 20 months old and "can't" eat not "won't" so I don't know if this will help you or not. My son is exclusivley BF we have been working with a Speech Therepist and Occupationl Therepist for 5 months now to help him eat. 2 Months ago we went and saw a Chiropractic Neurologists. We have seen some amazing results. You might need to try a different route but this is what is helping us. I strongly encourage you to seek out some help. I understand your fear of the feeding tube...we had some of those fears as well. If you need more info regarding Chiro Neuro just let me know.

Good luck and wish you well

he doesnt eat anything?, have you talk to your doc about this?
does he eat candy or cookies? if he does you may just have a very determined child on your hands.

my daughter barely eats, but she will eat a whole pack of cookies - i just dont keep that stuff in the house any more. walmart in my area just started doing a great thing called 3 in 1 meals, they are a yoghurt with fruit and veg purees in them, my daughter will eat them, they are by the yoghurts in the cooler.

also i will make cakes with veggies in them like earth bread http://www.recipezaar.com/Earth-Bread-269136

i really like it too.

pediasure may be filling him up for other foods, maybe try leaving it off for a few days, try the yoghurts, maybe some toast and healthy cereals.

i know its hard, my daughter is 22 months and gives me heck over feeding.

Hi A.,

First thing, have you been referred to a Gastroentirologist? They are specialists in these issues and are trained to test for a variety of disorders that may cause Failure to Thrive (FTT), when kids loose weight. You may also want to join a bulletin board or online group for parents with kids with failure to thrive. I learned a lot of valuable information from that. Is he constipated? Gassy? Have reflux? Any other symptoms that might inhibit eating?

My daughter, now 6, was Failure to Thrive from when she was 6 months old until 2 years. She wouldn't eat, she lost weight and at the worst, looked like a lolipop (big head and tall skinny body). She was also energetic and seemed fine otherwise,but wouldn't eat. She did have random bouts of vomiting that were always chalked up to be some stomach bug but always seemed so random and unaccompanied by other symptoms. She was also days away from a feeding tube when I learned from other parents about a medicine that is often prescribed for anorexics that encourages appetite. I had to persuade the Dr. but he finally prescribed it (it can be used for kids with FTT, but since that's not it's intended use, they are hesitant to prescribe it). Anyway, it saved us entirely from a feeding tube! However, it turned out that she had an underlying anatomical issue (a hole in her intestines) that was causing internal hernia's which would pop in and out, naturally making eating problematic. She finally had surgery to correct the problem and we've had absolutely no issues since.

While our case is a bit extreme, I do believe that while kids are picky, kids will not naturally starve themselves at this age, so I encourage you to reach out to some specialists that can determine the underlying cause...it could be an alergy or something else. But no matter how much pediasure you give, it won't resolve the underlying issue and you want to be sure you are at your absolute end before going with a feeding tube.

Good luck! And follow your Mama instincts....they saved my daughter!

~Liza

Kids can be very tricky. Here are some suggestions on foods that he might like if you have not tried them. Also you have to keep interducing foods for them to eventually like them.

Beans- We do white northern beans in the bag. Soak them over night and then put them in the crock pot for about6-8 hrs. with Ham and water. My son eats them like candy. They are full of good protein. We started this when my doc said to give him more protein.

Mac n cheeses with spinach or other veggies. you can add meat as well. even if you puree it and mix it all together.

Since he is happy and energetic he is getting some of what he needs likely in the pediasure.

Good luck.

We had issues with my daughter gaining weight, but she did like eating everything. The meds she was on made it harder to gain weight. I would talk to his doctor and see if he can send him for test or the a specialize that deals with kids that have the same issues.

Some kids it takes longer for the eating thing to happen - not always because they don't want to, but maybe he has troubles chewing or swallowing things. If you ask for help they maybe able to see if that is the reason behind him not eating.

Is there anything he will eat? Even if it is jarred babyfood - it does have the stuff his body needs. At about a year most parents try getting kids to stop eating baby food and start eating table food - is that when you tried switchin him? Also, it's the time when we switch kids from formula to cows milk... is that when you switch him? Do you know of any food allergies?? Some of them are hard to see... my aunt looks fine on the outside when she drinks milk, but she fells like she has the flu everything she drinks it and doesn't eat because she feels like she is going to throw up with every bit she takes. So, she stopped drinking milk & is able to eat regularly again.

Honestly - talk to his doctor... there could be so many reasons for him not eating. With his age and when he stopped eating is just to close to the switch foods age for me... I think it's time to call the profesionals. And don't let them talk you out of helping him... sometimes we have to be pushy to get things check out right. He's your son - pushy moms are just loving moms when it comes to our kids health & well being!!!

A lot of kids do really well with Reliv's Now for Kids because it is a balanced supplement with optimal nutrition. Assuming your child can swallow without issue, he can do this. Sometimes insurance will even pick up the cost if the diagnosis is "failure to thrive". Still, it's pretty economical and highly absorbable (therefore effective), and besides, you aren't spending much on food for him anyway, sadly. This is a great step to avoid the feeding tube - you can do other medical things if you want and it will not interfere. I can connect you with others who have gone through this - contact me for more info. They are using Reliv all over the world to feel malnourished and ill children - the company's foundation feeds 43,000 destitute people a day for free, and that doesn't count any of the people who, like us, actually buy the products! The company's been around for over 20 years, has an impeccable reputation and numerous patents, and the support network is 2nd to none. I would be happy to help you.