Toddler Loss of Appetite

There is an awesome children's supplement available in vanilla and chocolate that supplies a huge amount of essential nutrients in a highly absorbable form. It's called Reliv Now for Kids and it's available from distributors, and it has a 30 day money back guarantee. Plus the nutritional consultant will help you figure out ways to disguise it in different recipes to vary it for picky eaters. It has DHA for brain development and, for many kids, it's all they get (especially in 3rd world feeding stations). Even a little bit will help allay your fears while he either comes out of this phase or you figure out what else is going on. It's totally safe, no warning labels like kids' vitamins (!) and is given to preemies in feeding tubes in hospitals, given to failure-to-thrive kids, and so on. Happy to help you more!

It is normal ! I used to worry a lot about this and a health professional told me "Don't worry about it - he won't starve!" And that is what she kept telling me - "he definitely won't starve".

I figured out that he has to finish playing and get that off his mind before he can think about eating. He likes organic potatoes that I nuke for a minute and then finish coated with olive oil and put in the broiler or on the grill. I keep brown rice cooked with organic vegetables in the fridge for a day or 2 and that is always a good stand-by as he likes that usually and it is a good way of getting him e to eat veggies without him knowing it.

You have to be careful not to always make a game out of feeding him, or he will expect a game every time he eats. My toddler son has gone in phases of eating. There are certain things he really likes and he will eat 8 times out of 10 every time. Also he has changed his tastes. He would always eat avocado, since age 1, then all of a sudden he would not touch it. Same with broccoli. Unless he is really, really hungry. He will most likely get more of an appetite when the weather gets cold again, also.

Sometimes they eat like snakes--a big bulk of food then not much. With my son...it seemed to often be tied to his poop schedule (sorry if TMI). Is he having bm's regularly? Any pattern there?

Hi S.,

My son had no appetite either at 2 1/2 and was in the 1st percentile for his weight. The pediatrician checked and he had an iron deficiency. Once, I began giving him a vitamin fortefied with iron, his hemoglobin increased. Then, his appetite got better. He is now eating everything at 3 1/2 and is in the 20th percentile for weight. So, you may want to have his iron level checked. It is a simple prick of the finger. Good luck.

My kids went through phases where they would eat very little as well. I always make it a point to offer a very complete meal, especially in times like these. I would put meat, fruit, grain, veggie, and dairy options all on their plate so that odds are they would like and eat something. If you are really worried I would definitely take him in to your peds just for a weight check. I would be cautious about letting him eat anything he wants, because when his appetite returns you may run into severe problems over wanting to eat only junk. I have never made my kids anything else for dinner other than what is offered on their plate, but if you stock it up with choices in advance, hopefull you won't need to do that anyway! Good luck!

As my pedi says, "he will eat when he is hungry."

My daughter is almost 3 and goes through definite highs and lows with eating. My mom has always told me, don't look at it on a day by day basis, but rather on a week by week basis. It's hard, and I stress about it some times, but perhaps he is currently in a plateau with growing and his body doesn't need as much to eat. Little kids are lucky in that they probably have not evolved into eating for pleasure like us adults do...they eat when they are hungry. Forcing the eating issue will just cause problems later.