*UPDATE* DD Has Been Sick And Won't Eat...When To Get Concerned?

[randomkid]

Thanks for all the encouraging words and support. DD took a 3 hour nap (finally!) this afternoon and seemed to feel much better when she got up. She actually ate a little dinner! I'm so relieved. Definitely not as much as usual, but she ate! Looks like we're on the mend. :-)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DD came down with a high fever Sunday night, went to the ped Monday and found nothing but a sore, red throat. Fever was down as of last night and now her temp is totally normal. She didn't feel well yesterday which was obvious, so I didn't push eating since she was drinking well and the ped said don't be concerned about eating right now. She literally ate less all day than she would usually in one meal - mostly cereal, crackers and a few bites of chicken salad.

So, today she is a little fussier than usual, but is mostly ok and playing more (of course, she should be napping right now, but I can't get her to go to sleep either). She still won't eat anything. She is a little constipated which I am guessing is from all the milk she has been drinking and from not eating her fruit as usual. I tried holding out on the milk today to see if she would eat, but still no luck. It's past 1:30 and all she has had is a little dry cereal, 1/2 of a breakfast sausage and 3 or 4 crackers. I have offered everything I can think of, but she just says no or acts like it's not even there.

How long do I go on with her like this before I get concerned? DD is almost 21 months old and only weighs 20 pounds. I can't afford to let her lose weight. Any suggestions on getting her to eat?

[megs4413]

especially with a sore throat, her appetite is bound to be low and it probably hurts to swallow. if she is alert and active, and still wetting diapers...i would give her another day to feel better. Does tylenol help with her ouchie throat? you could try that....i'm sorry you're sweetie is sick! so is mine! she hasn't eaten much in a couple days either...

[StantonHyde]

Eating is not the point here, drinking is. Load her up on the milk if that is what she will drink. When kids get sick, they do not eat. If they do not drink, then you are looking at possible hospitalization. If they are drinking and peeing and pooping, you are ok. Try some pedialyte, watered down juice, etc. If she will drink milk, great. My DD is little, too, so I add 1-2 oz of 1/2 and 1/2 to each 4-6 oz bottle and that helped her put on weight. You could do this with her being sick. If she is playing, that is good. Get her drinking. If she doesn't drink in the next 2-4 hours, I would call the MD.

[elliput]

Have you tried offering a fruit smoothie? If she is taking milk, she probably wants something easy to swallow and cool on the throat.

[lisams]

I wouldn't be worried about the not wanting to eat. When DD gets sick it can take up to a week or more for her to get her regular appetite back. As long as she's getting enough fluids. I agree that cold drinks might help her throat feel better.

Hope she's feeling better soon!

[oliviasmomma]

I feel like an expert at getting DD to eat when she is sick because if she doesn't we have to take her to the hospital--see other threads about her disorder so I don't hijack!

Anyway, the rule of thumb is at least 1oz every hour--so 24oz minimum in a day. DD's favorites are:

smoothies, fed with a spoon
popsicles
frozen yogurt tubes
broth with noodles
veggie booty--don't ask me why, but sometimes this is all she'll eat!
watered-down juice
applesauce with baby oatmeal mixed in

We usually throw out all of the regular eating rules and cuddle with her on the sofa to feed her. It also helps to turn off anything noisy and turn down the lights if it is nighttime. We write down what she eats so we can keep track--again, not everyone is this strict but we have to be--our ped said it can be a good idea anyway so if you start to get concerned, you have a record of what she really ate.

Hugs--it is so hard when the tots are sick, isn't it? :(

[randomkid]

Thanks for the tips. DD is drinking milk just fine and taking some water, too. She doesn't like juice or Pedialyte. I'm not concerned about dehydration (I just changed a soaking wet diaper), but really would like to see her eat a little more. I might try the Half & Half.

Thanks again.

[randomkid]

I'll try, but she usually won't even drink those when she isn't sick. She really doesn't like to drink anything sweet, which is actually fine with me. I don't give her juice or much of anything sweet for that matter. Even though she loves fruit, there's just something about it in liquid form that she doesn't like!

I'm willing to try anything at this point, though.

Thanks,

[katiesmommy]

My DD had a cold about a week or two ago and did the same thing, she didn't want to eat anything. It went on like that for about a week and she's finally returned to normal. I was the same way, I kept thinking that I should take her to the doctor, but she didn't seem like there was anything wrong other then a cough and runny nose. I'd give it a couple of days and see if her eating habits return to normal and then if not take her to see a doctor.

[mamalia]

Could it be she has hand foot and mouth disease? If so she probably won't eat much for quite awhile until the painful blisters in her throat go away. Ice cream and other cold soothing things are best. Try avoiding scratchy things (dry cereals, toast). My DD mostly wanted to nurse during the three days that it was most painful.

Malia

[californiagirl]

Last time I asked my ped, she shrugged and said "Babies have more sense than grownups. They don't eat when they don't feel well. As long as she's drinking, I wouldn't worry for a week or so."

[spanannie]

It's most important that they just stay hydrated. My son went 4 days last week w/o eating; he had fever and cough. Milk is not advised with fever, since it can curdle on the stomach, and isn't the best food when having a cold or anything upper respiratory. Clear liquids are best for their tummies. I hope she gets back to normal soon!

[megs4413]

Just wondering if your darling was better today....i hope she is!

[megs4413]

Just wondering if your darling was better today....i hope she is!

[randomkid]

Thanks for asking. She seems fine, but still isn't eating well. She is at least eating some, though. I was hopeful after she started pigging out last night after dinner, but today she is back to not wanting to eat much. Just hoping it continues to improve.

[randomkid]

Thanks for asking. She seems fine, but still isn't eating well. She is at least eating some, though. I was hopeful after she started pigging out last night after dinner, but today she is back to not wanting to eat much. Just hoping it continues to improve.

[denna]

Im so glad that your DD is doing better. I didnt have any advice to offer you before, but I did read your post and felt so bad for your DD Im so happy shes doing better!

Thanks for the update, and enjoy your rest.

Denna

[denna]

Im so glad that your DD is doing better. I didnt have any advice to offer you before, but I did read your post and felt so bad for your DD Im so happy shes doing better!

Thanks for the update, and enjoy your rest.

Denna