4 Year Old Tired with No Appetite

Her body is still healing from being sick (or she is still fighting off a virus). Most people need at least a week to feel back to normal. Give her time to rest.

Totally normal. Give her some non-dairy popsicles if she wants. They won't give her much nutrition but I bet she would enjoy them while she is getting her appetite and energy back. Good luck!

Absolutely normal! Even when we start to feel better, it can takes our bodies time to regain our strength.

Encourage her to listen to her body. If she's tired, encourage her to sleep. If she says she isn't hungry, don't push it.

One of the problems adults have is that we have spent many years pushing ourselves (mostly out of necessity) to keep working or study or whatever, even when we are sick or tired. Most of us have forgotten how to listen to our bodies and take care of ourselves. Kids still know how to do this. Listen to her.

Sure. These viruses take a lot out of you. It's her body's way of saying "Rest, you're not well yet." Fluids are great, food doesn't matter so much, sleep is essential. If she eats, go for bland stuff. She'll get through it.

Most people don't like to eat much after throwing up, and being tired is a normal part of fighting illness. Haven't you ever been sick? Don't you know what that feels like?
You can always call the doctor's office or the nurse advice line if you need further reassurance but this all sounds perfectly normal to me.

of course. her body's been through the wringer and needs some time to recover. let her stay quiet and offer her soothing, easy-on-the-tummy foods when she's ready.
khairete
S.

Sounds just like my four year old son last year...viruses can hang on forever. I did have his iron and sugar tested after his teacher noticed he was still tired long after the virus ended. All was fine, but you know what? He needed glasses! Turned out, his whole world was just a bit blurry. Once we figured that out, boy did he perk right up! In your case, though, it sounds like the aftermath of the virus because it has only been four days. Don't worry...our paediatrician always says as long as they stay hydrated, that's what matters. Hope she feels better soon!

My 13 yr old threw up all night last Friday and didn't go back to school until Tuesday. He has been pale with dark circles all week and is just starting to feel somewhat normal.

Well stomach viruses can last from 24 hours to over a week. Depends how bad it is.

Good she's drinking. She's just recuperating. Being tired comes with being sick.

I have mine stay home even if they look ok the following day. Otherwise, they tend to overdo it and then, like yours did, will be sick again. I just find that draws out how long it takes them to fully recover.

Hope she feels better soon :)

One of mine just got over a bug. No vomiting but a low fever and general icky feeling. She slept the better part of 2 days. She's wake up on and off. She'd watch some TV, get something to drink, eat a small snack as she didn't want a full meal, stand up and stretch a little maybe and go back to sleep again. A stomach bug knocks you down and it takes some time to regain your strength again.

Totally normal. My 3.5 year old just went through this two weeks ago. She was not only vomiting, but also had diarrhea. Also no appetite and weak/tired. She woke up sick after her nap on a Sunday. I kept her from school on Monday and Tuesday. She was well enough to return to school on Wednesday, but was still very tired with no appetite. I think she was back to normal by the following Wednesday. So it took her about 10 days to fully recover.

Stomach bugs can take a long time to get over. And vomiting can be somewhat traumatizing. The last time I was sick with vomiting I ate very little for about a week. I just didn't have an appetite. I'm sure some of it was mental. I just didn't want to take the chance that I'd vomit again. To this day I still don't like chicken noodle soup because my mom gave some to me because it "would help me feel better." My stomach wasn't ready for it. Now even the smell of chicken noodle soup is a turn off for me.

As long as she is taking liquid, she will be ok. Just watch for signs of dehydration and let her eat when she is ready.

Yep. After being sick like that, it's totally normal.
Her body and immune system is waging the battle against the bug and, yeah - it's exhausting.
It's great she's drinking a lot and keeping her fluids up.
Let her rest and drink all she wants.
She'll eventually get over it and be back to herself.

my 3 almost 4 yr old just went thru that, she didn'[t eat much for a whole day, slept most of the time and 2 days later was back to normal. hugs momma, sick kids can be rough but this too shall pass!

If she has just been feeling tired and gross since Tuesday, I would not be concerned. However, if she has been acting very tired with no appetite for a longer time and drinking a lot of fluids, I would get her blood sugar tested just to be safe. What you are describing is totally normal for someone getting over a bug. But if this is a pattern or if you really feel like something else is going on, well, that's why we have doctors! I am super sensitive to this set of symptoms as my husband has Type 1 diabetes. He was diagnosed when he had what his mom and doctor initially thought was a stomach bug. His doctor told his mom to take him home and feed him Jello. That ended with him in a diabetic coma, nearly dying. He had no known family history of diabetes.

Totally normal!!! Think about when you have had a stomach virus...it can take a week to really feel better again.

Yep. Normal. She could use some calories. Can she hold down some jello or broth??