4 year-old barely eating...

[jse107]

DS had a stomach bug a few weeks ago. Obviously, he didn't really want to eat then. We saw the doctor and I explained I was suspicious of some reflux issues based on what DS was telling me. The ped. said to give it another week and see where we are with things.

Well, DS is feeling better, but he's still not really eating. He'll occassionally snack, but it's pulling teeth to get him to eat a reasonable meal. He's never been a huge eater and as soon as he can get down from the table he does. I had chalked it up to him wanting to go do something else rather than eat.

Now, though, I'm a little concerned. Is it normal behavior for kids to not eat that much? He's not a picky eater, he just doesn't want to eat really.

I don't want him to overeat, but he's pretty thin already. He's 40 in and 34.5 lbs.

Thoughts?

[DrSally]

DS had strep recently and has very little appetite. I chalk it up to the antibiotics. But maybe it's something about recovering from an illness that it takes time to get your appetite back? Also, I think it ebbs and flows in kids.

[Corie]

Also, I think it ebbs and flows in kids.


I agree. Sometimes, my kids eat like they are starving. Then we go
through periods where they don't eat much at all.

[stefani]

Recently DS was sick, and for about 3 days he barely ate. He lost 1.5 lbs. After he got better he did gain it all back in a couple of weeks.

I would suggest give your DS a few days to recover, and if he is still not eating much then consult the pediatrician.

GL and :grouphug:

[justlearning]

I do think that kids' appetites do ebb and flow, so I don't think that you really need to worry. However, I think that you should follow your pediatrician's advice to check back in with her/him in a week if your DS's appetite doesn't improve. I will say that from personal experience, I have found that in rare situations severely decreased appetite can be a sign of a serious health issue. So I would suggest that you don't worry now but do contact your ped if the appetite continues to be very poor.

[s7714]

I agree. Sometimes, my kids eat like they are starving. Then we go through periods where they don't eat much at all.

Same here. Although seems like most of the time it's the not eating phase. But when they do eat, you'd swear they could devour a whole elephant and still not be satisfied.

[goldenpig]

Kids often lose their appetites temporarily when they're sick. But if it's persistent and you're concerned, you may want to ask your pedi for a referral to a pediatric GI specialist. Especially if you think he might have reflux. My (former) pediatrician blew off my concerns for several months until I figured out (with the help of other moms on a mom's forum) that my daughter had silent reflux, and the pedi GI we saw agreed based on the symptoms she had. It's worth getting it checked out, at least for your peace of mind.