Nutrition - Hasty,AR

My 4 year old weighs 29 lbs. So 30 lbs at 3, seems fine to me. Just continue to offer healthy foods to her. She will eat when she is hungry.

Don't feed her junk to make her gain weight. My 2nd grandson was very underweight and my daughter fed him anything he would eat. Nate has a milk and peanut allergy so his diet consisted of good quality protein, fruits and veggies, potatoes and rice. He could eat as much as he wanted of his favorite foods.

I'd say to figure out what your daughter likes to eat and just focus on those foods. She may have an undiagnosed food allergy or a sensory issue with the way the food feels in her mouth. Use your mama skills to figure out what works and what doesn't. Don't worry as much about a well balanced diet until you figure it out.

When they don't eat they're probably means they just finished a growth spurt. Once she starts another growth spurt she'll start eating again.

Just keep offering her food and drinks. That way she'll at least have options.

What does your pediatrician say? My daughter is 4 years old and weighs 30lbs...so about the same as your daughter. She eats and is healthy as a horse and is tall...just very thin like me and my side of the family. Just feed your daughter good healthy meals and don't worry about it so much. Junk is only good as a treat once in a while...don't try to fatten her up on junk bc it might create bad eating habits for the rest of her life.

What foods will she eat? At that age my kids loved peanut butter and jam sandwiches and would eat one for every meal. A peanut butter and jam sandwich with a glass of milk makes a pretty balanced meal, especially if you choose whole wheat bread and less sugary jams and peanut butters. Also, choices like bologna and hot dogs are good protein that kids like, and it is better that they eat some protein than none at all. (This is what the nutritionist said to me.) Chocolate milk is a good choice that kids like, and the amount of sugar in chocolate milk is really insignificant. They grew out of it the pickiness and now they eat most foods we eat. To get them to try new foods I would take them to a buffet restaurant and let them choose what they wanted. They loved having the choices and the power to choose, and they always tried and liked at least one new food.

My daughter is also 3 and only weighs 29 lbs, so just about the same as your daughter. I don't think she is underweight at all. Some good foods to try that most kids will eat happily:

yogurt
cheese / grilled cheese
fruit
crackers

Also, continue to offer things like chicken, beef, veggies, rice, potatoes, beans, etc. My daughter loves breakfast sausage and waffles.

Don't worry about how much she is eating, as long as she eats something 3 - 6 times per day (meals and snacks). If she's hungry, she'll eat. Take the foods you know she likes and try to add to them. Maybe melting cheese on top of broccoli will get her to eat it, or wrapping chicken up in a tortilla (with or without cheese).

Avocado and nuts both have healthy fats, so if you can get her to eat those, it might help her gain a bit of weight in a good way.

30 lbs/13 kg is a pretty good weight for a 3 yr old.

Don't do junk - no matter what! That makes no sense even though it gives you a temporary good feeling that at least something is going into her mouth. It's not going to help her "gain her body back" so I have no idea why you think that's a good idea. If you mean she will gain weight, remember that putting fat on her because her calories are not usable will not benefit her growth or her brain development.

A lot of kids have issues with texture, some with swallowing. Forcing kids to eat just doesn't work though. A variety of foods and many small meals during the day can help.

There is a company that makes a comprehensive supplement for children and it puts all their nutrition in liquid form. It would give her all the nutrition she needs - anything else she eats would be a bonus.

You can talk to your pediatrician but remember that most doctors have had no nutritional training in medical school. Your pediatrician SHOULD know that the American Medical Association recommended in 2002 that every single person in the US (man, woman, child) needs to supplement because our food supply is so nutrient-deficient, and that's including natural foods and not just processed junk foods.

I do think you should make sure that there is no medical problem that has caused this change in her.

To me the being picky thing is normal and she could just be exercising her realization to choose. Around that age both of my kids hit that stage.

Could you maybe leave an example of a typical day?

Feeding her junk will not do her any good

R., other people are talking to you about your daughter because they are worried about her. What is most important is that you are working with your child's pediatrician.

Talk to her doctor about ways to interest her in eating, and what foods to try. Even ask for a referral to a pediatric nutritionist. If she has a small stomach, you may need to let her "graze", which means eat many times a day. It's better if it's 3 meals a day and 2 snacks, but some kids just can't do that. Always keep her in the kitchen when she eats - don't let her roam the house - that is a bad habit to allow to start. Make sure that there is no fussing or arguing or "bad karma" associated with eating or being in the kitchen. Eating time should be happy time. Put her in the highchair, put a little food on it and eat your own food while you talk about good parts of the day. Don't push her food on her. It's almost like you're ignoring the food part and enjoying each other's company instead. Some nice music might help - NO TV, though.

You can also talk to the doctor about smoothies with protein, fruit and whole milk. That's probably more tasty than porridge. You shouldn't resort to junk. Junk is empty calories that won't help her be healthy.

If I were you, I'd make a list of everything you offer to your daughter, how much she ate, what time she ate it, etc, every single day. Give a copy of this to the doctor. You need to SHOW the doctor that you are trying. It is a serious thing for a doctor to diagnose a child with "failure to thrive". If she is too thin, the doctor may start thinking along those lines. If the doctor thinks you aren't trying, he or she may call child social services and you could get in trouble or even lose your child to a foster family.

I hope that this is not the case and that your daughter isn't really too small. A lot has to do with her height and percentiles. The doctor knows this. Be honest with the doctor and tell him or her that you worry about your daughter not caring about eating. If you are giving the doctor a list of foods you try and what she is and isn't eating, it will help the doctor help you.