What Would You Do? - Columbia Station,OH

I would fix the meal to include at least one item you know she likes and then give her a choice amongst the various foods. Or include her in plans for dinner. Give her some choices that you're willing to fix and let her choose one for dinner.

It's best to give 2 yos choices whenever possible. Because you started doing that with meals when she was ill she learned to like having the choices.

I recommend that you find ways to give her choices within parameters comfortable to you.

Antibiotics can make the stomach sour and she may not want to eat. It also takes a little bit to feel better after being sick. Just keep offering healthy choices and she'll start eating soon enough.

She probably still doesn't feel well. I would just give her a bit more time to recover and let her eat mostly what she wants to. Just make sure she's drinking plenty of fluids and she'll be fine. Hang in there, everything will normalize as soon as she feels better.

Since you're giving her choices and she's not wanting the choices, I wouldn't worry about her not eating, unless, the antibiotic specifies it be taken with food, then I would give her something she likes. Our pediatrician says they'll eat when they're hungry, they won't starve themselves, and as little as a half a teaspoon of food may be all they need, their bodies will tell them to eat.

She just learned what it's like to have something she likes and she's right, that's fun! ; ) As long as she's taking in adequate fluids I wouldn't worry...and I hope she feels good soon.

I have had UTI's as a child and as an adult, as a child I had a kidney infection that required years of treatment and monitering. It hurts like HELL! You feel so miserable and uncomfortable and as a small child it is hard to describe the pain and discomfort. Your daughter (even though she is getting treatement) probably still feels crummy and wants some comfort. I would indulge her at least a little. And really, pudding and goldfish crackers are not that bad for her! Esspecially if you make homemade pudding, that is a great source of calcium and you can control the ammount of sugar in it. Fun flavored yogurt is a yummy treat that is also healthy, and she would like it because it is similar to pudding. You can buy goldfish crackers made with whole wheat so they are a little healthier too. And for a 2 year old, snacks are important! She has a very small stomach and can not eat large portions all at once like an adult (most parents give their toddlers portions that are too big) and she needs to eat more frequently than an adult. If you give her dinner at 5 and don't put her to bed until 9 she will of course be hungry before bedtime! Feed her a healthy snack at 7 or 8. I hope she feels better soon!

I agree with Marda. I was like you and was really surprised to read in a lot of parenting books that dinner shouldn't be a force to eat or go hungry. They recommend picking battles and suggest that shouldn't be one of them. While I have a reservation about that, I wouldn't let her go to bed hungry. I have literally sat with my 2 yr old for an hr and a half until she ate. I encourage her by giving her a fun option, when you eat then we can go walking. It usually speeds things up.

For snacks, get some fruit snacks or something. Something that will keep her healthy so she's not starving, BUT something that she will still feel hungry afterwards. So she gets that not eating dinner is not a good thing.

The rule in our house is if you're sick you can have whatever you feel like eating...how much food, really, is a 2 year old "wasting" after all?

A dear teacher friend of mine says that "for every one day we change our routine, it takes about three to change it back".

My little guy has a *really* hard time with antibiotics.(So do I, for that matter, so I have some empathy.) If you can, serve her what she wants to eat--within reason of course, and add powdered probiotics to it. My son loved applesauce and yogurt. Perhaps a soy yogurt would be a nice substitute for pudding. It sounds like she's craving stomach comfort food.

You can also offer a lightly steeped licorice tea, which is soothing, for her to sip. When she's three or older, you can make a paste out of a 1/4 teaspoon of powdered slippery elm, or sprinkle it on some applesauce. This is a very effective remedy as slippery elm soothes the mucous membranes of the throat, stomach and intestines. Avoid milk, dairy and proteins for a few days. Our son wanted mostly crackers and brothy foods. I made mild soups of celery, carrots and noodles with a veggie broth, and he'd eat mostly the noodles.

It's hard because we want them to stay on track with us.But for kids taking antibiotics and with weak stomachs, it's important not to make eating a battle. You can just serve food she likes alongside what you are eating-- just make one option she would really enjoy and you are *sure* she'll eat. In time, she'll be back to her old self and you can 'wean' her off being only temporarily catered to. UTIs also are painful, too, so that may be having some effect as well.

And don't have junk food accessible. You are able to put things up out of reach. Do it.:) That will eliminate a whole other battle.

I think you are doing a good job. As I remember it, around 2 or 3, kids eating habits can be very challenging. They may become more fussy/picky or just eat EXTREMELY slow. (At 1, my son wanted whatever we had- ate anything. By about 3 he had become a much pickier eater-still is[he's 10]. I think they start making decision about what they really like as they get a bit older.) Alos, she may have gotten into a pattern when she got used to have anything she wanted. I agree with GrammaRocks, she will eat when she is hungry. It sounds like you give her lots of choices of things she likes, so I wouldn't necessarily change anything unless she is still doing this in a month or so (or whatever length of time you choose). Hazel had a good point about getting back into good habits once we've started a bad one, and I think she is right. Keep up what you are doing.