Mommy2Five

I just posted in another thread about letting your baby decide how hungry he or she is. At what point does that become too little food though?

My toddler, 19 months, only weighs 25 pounds and just doesn't want to eat! Yesterday I had to practically force him to eat a bit of lunch after he went for 2 days without eating more than a bite or two at any meal. He drinks a couple glasses of milk a day, so he is ok in the calcium category. I have taken to not giving him a drink until after he has eaten, except first thing in the morning. I wanted to make sure he wasn't filling up on liquids instead. But that still doesn't seem to be the problem.

My older boys never had this problem...if anything they liked to eat too much at this age! But this one won't eat hardly at all. And its not just certain foods, he won't eat anything!!

LilSisShelly

The problem with drinking milk as a main source of nutrition is that the child can suffer from an iron deficiency. I think that there really must come a point at which a small child is made to eat-after all, not eating for a long time can cause a form of anorexia after which the child will never eat by choice.

(Yes I read too much of doctors without borders!).

katie

If you are worried about it, talk to your doctor. I have a 3 year old like that. She is tiny and skinny and eats a little bit and there some days. I can't get her to eat if she isn't hungry. It might also be as simple as you aren't offering him what he wants to eat. We had to start buying donuts for her breakfast, yes, I know- not really healthy but she did eat them. And then too, most toddlers, babies and kids will eat when they get hungry enough.