Post-cold Loss of Appetite of My 1 Yr old....would Greatly Appreciate Feedback

I went through a similar situation when my daughter was 9 months old. She got rotavirus (even after being vaccinated for it) and lost her appetite. I was able to still breastfeed, but she wouldn't take anything else. It took her awhile to bounce back, but she did eventually. Especially because your son was sick for so long, it may take some time to regain his appetite. Give him whatever he will take, if he wants to breastfeed, do it, if he wants to eat crackers and peas, let him. If you are concerned about his weight loss you should take him in to be seen, but if they tell you, like my pedi told me, to replace breastfeeding with pedialite, DON'T! Breastmilk is better than anything you can find in the store (your doctor probably won't say this, but I was shocked when mine did, so just an in-case warning). Good luck and just give him a little extra spoiling over the next week or so.

Hi A.,

How much weight has your son lost in 10 days?? With the cold your son had, he most likely had a sore throat with it and this will cause a decrease in appetite. Keep trying to feed him what you normally would (in smaller quantities sio you don't have to waste food) and I'm sure he'll eventually get his appetite back. Try with softer foods first.

And he could be going through one of those phases where he just doesn't feel the need to eat as much as he did 10 days ago. My daughter has gone through a billion of these phases!

Good luck, I hope your son gets to feeling better!

-Char

Try offering him little bits at a time. Cut cheese into fun shapes with cookie-cutters, slice apple, baby cooked carrots, dry cereal, etc. And of course your milk has everything he needs! Also, try and give him healthy foods, high in calories until his appetite goes back to normal.

My oldest son always goes through this during & after being sick. He is 9 now & has been this way since he was a baby. It takes a while to get his appetite back to normal.

Hi A., His appetite should pick back up, all 3 of my kids went through this with and after a cold, Their eating lessesons duringa cold. beczsur for one they can't breath through their nose and have to breath through their mouth, which is hard when you are eating, also when you have nasal conjestions for some reason food tastes different, once he realizes the good taste is back, and he can breath throguh his nose it should pick back up, with my kids withing a week their eating was back to normal. If this isn't the case with your child, for peace of mind talk to his ped. J.

Hi A.,
Not to worry...this is very normal! Often times, esp. with younger children/babies, the lining of their stomach and intestines gets irritated from all of the mucus that they swallow during their illness. Swallowing mucus also gives them a sense of being full even if they haven't eaten. Your little guy is probably still recovering from his cold and taking it slow as far as eating goes. It's actually a good thing that he is 'listening to his body' as far as knowing whether or not he is ready to eat.
If you are sufficiently concerned then I would call your ped just to get some peace of mind, but from what you have written, it sounds like the same situation that both of my kids have often gone through after getting over a cold (esp. when they were as young as your son is now). Best of luck and hats off to you for being such a concerned and loving mama! -Suzanne

Hi A.
My son did this around that age and I was very worried as well. I took him to the doctor and they said not to worry and it's very normal. Actually you will find they go through the "non-eating" phases even when they aren't sick. Whenever my son was teething he didn't eat as much or when he went through a growth spurt.

I would say if your child continues to lose weight then go to the doctor. I always thought if the doctor said nothing was wrong that was better than not knowing at all. Sometimes I would feel like I was overly worried but that's normal for a mom.

Good luck