My 6 Year Old Daughter Is Refusing to Eat

Updated on June 23, 2009
F.L. asks from Tomball, TX
10 answers

My daughter has always been tall and slim and never wanted to eat a LOT... but since Last Thursday she has hardly eaten anything. She did throw up Thursday night but since then anything she WILL eat has stayed down... yesterday all she ate was some wheat thins and juice. Saturday she ate a few pieces of steak and a couple of bites of potato and about 1/2 a sandwich (not even all that). Friday she ate strawberrys and popcorn at my mother in laws house.... I've always been concerned with her eating as she had Pyloric Stenosis when she was a baby (had to have surgery to have it corrected). I just don't know if this is some sort of stomach thing or if she has something more wrong with her that requires a trip to the doctor. I could be being over protective but she is pretty active so I feel she needs to be eating more. Just could use some opinions. Thanks

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So What Happened?

Just wanted to tell everyone THANK YOU for all of your support. This is the first time I've really asked a question on here and I was really happy to see all the reposnses. I held off taking her to the doctor and she does seem to be getting better. Still don't know for sure if it was some sort of bug or if she is just in a phase. She still isn't eating a LOT but she has at least been eating SOMETHING. It seems to work better if I don't worry her about it... so it could be her just asserting her independance:-) She is VERY strong willed Just like her MOM:-)I really appreciate all the good advice that everyone sent. Thanks again

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C.W.

answers from Waco on

Hi F.,
Summer months can do wierd things to appitetes....just keep offering her fruit, juices and what ever she will eat. She could be a little constiaped.....Just don;t make a big issue of it to her- just watch her for any other sort of infection that could be ruining her appitite....like kidney etc- as long as she is happy, plays well and is sleeping I would say it is just a phase- but bears watching.
good luck and blessings

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N.S.

answers from Houston on

If your daughter is otherwise healthy, active and appears to be like any other 6 year old don't worry about it. Kids will eat when they need eat - just like a car, it lets you know when it's low on gas.

My daughter goes through phases, which started around 5, of eating until I thought she was going to explode and then hardly eating anything. I connected these phases to growth spurts - she would eat and eat when her body was trying to grow and needed the extra fuel and then after the growth spurt her eating patterns would return to normal.

Keep an eye on her but don't worry about it. If you begin worrying about her eating habits now you only help her form unhealthy eating habits as she gets older.

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S.O.

answers from San Antonio on

Yes, there is a stomach bug going around. It's bad.
Try BRAT- bananas, rice, applesauce or toast for a couple days & if in 48 hours she is not eating better, call the doctor.

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J.T.

answers from Victoria on

i know a girl that is very underweight for being six. she dose not stay at the dinner table and eat but takes a bite runs around and before long her dinner is frogotten. perhaps sitting with her at the table and enjoying dinner time will help.

L.A.

answers from Austin on

As long as she is eating something and is thriving (good color, shiny hair, bright eyes) she is fine.

My niece has never been into "eating". She does it cause she gets hungry, but unlike the rest of us in the family, food is just not a big deal to her. She is still very active in Soccer, track, swimming, running and riding her bike, so the doctor said not to worry about it..

Now one thing is, she drinks a lot of liquids, always has. They just make sure what she drinks is not junk.

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M.B.

answers from Houston on

I believe there is a stomach bug going around. However, is it possible that this is heat related? Whenever it gets really hot outside (like it has been lately), I find myself not wanting to eat much. Have you tried "cool" foods like refrigerated fresh fruit, refrigerated baby carrots, etcetera? Sometimes I can eat something cool like that when I can't stand anything else. Like your daughter, I was always rather slim, but I've never starved yet. LOL. Best wishes!

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J.T.

answers from College Station on

At age 6 she knows when she is hungry. She will eat when she is hungry.

Ask her if anything hurts or if her tummy is upset. If she says yes, then take her to the Dr. My boys (11,8,4) still only eat one GOOD meal a day.

Just make sure what you are offering her is good food and not junk.

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C.M.

answers from Austin on

About 2 weeks ago, several children in my playgroup, including my daughter, had a stomach bug like you described. One episode of throwing up, then not eating well for several days. It was about a week later before my daughter was eating "normally" again. She acted like she didn not feel well - looked sleepy and irritable, but said her tummy did not hurt. Viruses can take 10 - 14 days to work themselves out of your system, so I'd say give it a few more days and if she does not return to normal for her, consulting a doctor wouldn't hurt. (My daughter is almost 5.) I will say that my daughter eats more food when I do not give her juice to drink - that seems to fill her up too much. If your daughter is especially lethargic, doesn't have energy to make it through the day, then you should call the doctor.

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C.E.

answers from Austin on

To make you feel better take her to the Dr. and reasure your self that she is fine. Kids go though phases of eating and not eating. Usually when they start eating a lot they start to grow, when they slow down growing they do slow down eating. If she is hungry she will eat.

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L.B.

answers from Corpus Christi on

Please check with your Dr. just for safty, she may just be going through a stage but better safe than sorry later.

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