3 1/2 Year Old Weighs 25 Pounds, Just Not Interested in Eating

Puke? Not normal. What does his Dr. say?

Just a picky eater and thin? Well, a thin child who gets all the nutrients is a good start b/c so many kids these days are obese!

My 3-year-old would eat absolutely anything that's junk or comes in a wrapped baggie. (Not that we let him, just saying).
The healthy food I serve? He will eat just enough to get by.

What about a nutrition shake? If he is truly that picky and crying...to get his belly more full?

My youngest was a very picky eater. He never puked 2-3 times a day. That's serious. This is not normal.
My son did probably have a phobia about new foods and puked if he didn't like the taste or texture.

I'd try getting a referral to an Occupational Therapist or a speech therapist.
He can probably get better with some therapy. In the mean time, a vitamin a day helps with appetite and general health. You might try an over the counter probiotic once a day.

Does he drink? How about a smoothie - use yogurt and fruit and chocolate syrup if you have to.

My 4 year old daughter is 28 lbs. She's petite. Up until her 3rd birthday, she was always in the "less than 3rd percentile" for weight. Now she's in the "10th percentile". I believe she's in the 50th percentile for height. Like yours, she barely eats. A few bites at every meal. Sometimes just 1 or 2 and she's not hungry. She is extremely picky. We have 6 kids together, and by far, she is the pickiest. I do not force her to eat foods she does not like, and I suspect if I did, she would gag as well. She also does not drink juice and since we took her sippy cups away from her, she pretty much refuses milk now. I used to worry when she was little, but we honestly don't worry too much now. She is extremely bright, she's energetic, happy, and rarely gets sick. We give her vitamins to help where food lacks. I really wouldn't worry about it too much. Just continue to offer foods at meal times and he will eat if he's hungry. Good luck!

my 6 year old is 45 lbs. She is a hard kid to please and has a sweet tooth. So as long as she/he is eating something everyday and getting some vitamins and minerals.They will be just fine.

It all falls into place. As long as your ped is fine with the progression and growth. Just keep at it and trying to introduce new things daily.

My nephew was / is the same. He would cry because he was so hungry and after eating a bite or two would fall asleep. This was a texture issue for him and still is. At 8 he will now try new things like licking a grape! My MIL recommended Bitters (sold at health food store) as this opens the appetite. This worked while my sis used it, but she isn't consistent. My nephew would also drink Ensure (recommended by ped) which gave him the missing nutrients. He basically ate chicken nuggets, gold fish crackers, and M&Ms as a toddler. He is autistic (not saying your child is) and this is where the texture issue comes from for him. I would try the bitters and get him drinking some sort of nutrient shake. Also - don't stress. Kids won't let themselves starve and this isn't any shortcoming on your part.

My dd was like this too. Her dr told me to give her whatever she wanted and not worry about the calories. She started eating decently by 4 1/2. She is now average in weight. The dr also had me give her carnation instant breakfast drink twice a day. Good luck!!

I can totally understand where you're coming from! My 15 month old was in the 75th percentile for the first 6 months, then began to gradually decline. Last month, she was at the 15th percentile. I feel it's only a matter of time before she falls off the charts...She eats very little, and has no interest in eating at all, although she loves snacks. At one point, she even refused juice! I mean, what kid refuses juice?! Anyway, I spoke to the pediatrician, who suggested Pediasure after meals. My daughter doesn't like Pediasure, but who knows, maybe your son will. Have you tried it?

I have a friend, who happens to be a pediatrician, and she has a three year old boy who eats very little. They came over for dinner and I served lasagna, and he ate less than my 15 month old; yes, the one I mentioned above. He's not even on the charts. I bought him an 18 month old size polo shirt for his 1st birthday, and he's able to fit in it now. All the tests were normal so she basically says all she can do is continue to offer him food and have him eat as much as he's willing to eat. My friend doesn't seem too concerned since she and her husband are on the smaller side. She's about 5'2" and her husband's probably 5'7". Both are about average in weight.

I'm beyond frustrated about my daughter's poor eating so I spoke to some people who told me the stuff they tried that worked:

I spoke to my neighbor, who told me that when her daughter was around 3, she ate very little. Her pediatrician suggested that once her daughter started playing with her food/showed little interest in food, take the food away and don't give her food, except a light snack until her next meal. My neighbor said she followed the pediatrician's advice. After 3 days (3 meals per day), her daughter started eating everything given to her. Is this something you're willing to try?

I also have a friend who has a 2.5 year old boy who eats poorly. She said that when she lets her son watch TV while eating, he eats better. I also tried this with my daughter and it does work. Since I don't feel comfortable letting my daughter watch television with every meal, I try to distract her/entertain her myself as I feed her, and this also works.

I have another friend with a 2 year old daughter who is picky. She said that for her daughter, it was a texture issue. So my friend blended all the foods for a while, which she said worked for her.

Good luck!

Is your pediatrician charting him? Have his height and weight percentages stayed consistent? My son is 7 1/2 and he only weighs 42 lbs. He has been in the 5 - 10th percentile on the charts for both height and weight since birth. We aren't worried... Is your pediatrician concerned? Three year olds are also just strange creatures. My youngest son just turned 3. He doesn't want breakfast, eats an enormous lunch and picks at his dinner. He often wakes up at midnight for food as he is hungry. He is (I hope) learning that we don't eat in the middle of the night as all I will give him is water. Good luck! C. PS The youngest is not starving, he weighs 36 pounds!

My dd only weighed 31 lbs on the first day of kindergarten. Very picky eater, but she ate enough to get by. I made sure she had milk (put chocolate in it) and at least one vegetable a day. She loves peanut butter so she gets protein there. I also give her gummy multivitamins. She grows about 2" per year which is normal for my family which is on the small side. Her growth is slow but steady. I stopped worrying about it.

Is his pediatrician concerned? If not, I'd continue to offer him food and completely ignore what he does with the food. If he vomits quietly clean it up without comment. Provide 3 meals and 2 snacks on a flexible schedule. If he eats fine but don't comment in any way. Make eating or not no big deal.

I suggest that, if all those tests did not show a problem, that this has become an emotional issue.

There are therapists who work on eating issues with young children. A child who had issues with reflux or vomiting in infancy can develop an aversion to eating.
Additionally, there are functional disorders of the stomach that can cause a person to feel full after only a few bites. The barium swallow doesn't always catch those.

I have two tall, thin kids. My just turned 4 year old weighs 29 lbs. She also used to threw up regularly as a baby. AND she had a sensitive gag reflex that made her projectile vomit when she was upset. We had to deal with a lot of throw up. She is not picky and likes almost all foods and likes trying new foods. She loves lunch but does not eat much at breakfast or dinner. She will eat more if she is watching a cartoon or just sitting with me and not distracted by other kids. I'm not worried about her. She likes food but just does not eat that much. I am very thin so, it makes sense that my kids will be thin. My son was a chunky baby and toddler but then became thin as he grew older. He DID gag or throw up when food he did not like came near him. He was and IS very very picky. I think textures bother him. Just the way food looks bother him. He has his foods he will eat and we are always encouraging him to try new things, but his palate has not really expanded that much and he is 9 now. He's happy and healthy...just picky. Foods used to make him gag when he was little...like your son. The things he likes he will eat a lot of though (now). When he was 2 and 3 he just wanted to run around and never wanted to sit long and eat. It was always a battle to get him to sit! He outgrew that. He eats all of his lunch and dinner now if it is food he likes. Our friend had a tiny daughter who was picky and did not eat much. When she was 3 or 4 they made a no snack before dinner rule. It was like torture for her bc she would beg and beg for a snack. But she always ate ALL her dinner after that and often wanted seconds. Their doctor had them give her high calorie shakes each morning too. You know what, she never got larger. She is a tiny, petite 9 year old now and she excels at figure skating!