Need help with 4yo - no weight gain, won't eat anything

[Mom to M&M]

Does she like bread? I make challah french toast here - heavy on egg and full fat milk (plus vanilla and pumpkin pie extract and a splash of OJ and bit of brown sugar). Plus challah is made with eggs to begin with.

[cgmom]

yes, she woudl only eat bread if we'd let her. Shoudl we let her have bread for all meals? I've also discovered the challah bread and that's what she gets for lunch. Also tried french toast with it, it starts well but she only ends up having half a slice.

I'm just wondering what to prioritise. Based on the small amounts that she eats, shodl i just give her as mch bread as whe'll have, and forget the veg/fruit, or should i try 1 bread-based meal, 1 veg/meat meal?

[~*Nicole*~]

Does she like fish?

Peanut butter or other nut based spreads have proteins and fats...you can use them in a yogurt smoothie. I think you find recipes online.

Will she do pastas? You can always add ground meat to sauces or make casseroles like pasta/chicken/broccoli/cheese all baked together, etc. Not sure how she feels about food being "mixed" together. But cheese sauces can add some calories. You can add things to mac n' cheese if she likes that, like hot dogs or ground meat or bacon.

What about tacos or quesadillas? Will she do meatloaf or meatballs? My DD loves them and you can add a lot of things in there!

Just trying to think of what my DD likes to eat.

OH--and about the bread....what about toasting it and using a variety of spreads on top? Like a vegetable cream cheese or butter and jelly or make garlic bread w/ spaghetti so you can add butter and cheese, etc.

[We Three]

A few thoughts...have you tried offering opportunities to eat at close intervals? Like, she likely has a tiny tummy...I think 1/2 a sandwhich isn't that bad actually.    Perhaps eating tiny amounts every 2-3 hours would be more her speed?

 Also...look closely at what she likes, and expand upon similar lines...similar textures. If she likes bread, get the best you can fine, like double fiber bread.  Have her snack on dry cereals at snacktime...like cheerios mixed with something heartier like wheat chex.

 Cheese?  Grilled cheese?

[deb]

I absolutely wouldn't let her have bread for every meal - there really isn't a lot of nutrition in it aside from whatever fortified stuff is added to it. Putting a spread on it when you do serve it would be good: homemade mayo, sour cream (add herbs to make a flavorful spread or dip), hummous, Philly cream cheese, guacamole.

I buy my coconut oil by the gallon from http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/; just got two gallons plus a pound of coconut flour a week or two ago, actually - they often run sales. I can make a gallon last the better part of a year, and the stuff is stable so doesn't go rancid.

For veg, you can add some to yogurt; the starchy ones go best, IMO: squash, carrots, that kind of thing, and they can be sweetened with a bit of maple syrup and some cinnamon is nice too. Pumpkin is another good one to add. (We actually found this out when starting solids with our kids - it's good enough for grownups to eat! LOL) We also found that broccoli, spinach, and kale aren't half bad in cottage cheese or ricotta; the salt adds a good flavor to it.

If she'll drink a smoothie you can add some of this stuff to it: http://www.rainbowlight.com/Categories.aspx?Category=b963e3dc-8ffd-4f25-af3b-1487ccdcea14. (Also comes in chocolate!) Nat wouldn't touch veg for her first two years or so, nor would she be bothered with solids for breakfast, so her breakfast was rice milk with this added to it. It has a slew of veggie juices in it, including greens, and we figured it was better than nothing. I use it now mixed with yogurt and coconut juice and flaxseed oil (and sometimes the kids' fish oil) whizzed in the blender for a breakfast smoothie. You can order online from the site, from Amazon, or at many health food stores. (I know whole Foods has it, as well as smaller jars of coconut oil - at least ours does.)

If you can get her to eat chicken, use dark meat. If more red meat, get it marbled. It's more flavorful AND has cholesterol which is also vital for the nerve growth and health. Oooh, roast beef slices - like from the deli so kind of like lunch meat - spread with cream cheese!

I would say go for nutrition first, so definitely with the veg and fruit and meat, easy on grain products and a little easy on dairy so as not to fill her up too much that she isn't getting any of those. High-fat for those options whenever possible. Then fat, and then down below that (if possible), THEN the grains and bread, and then with whatever fatty and nutritious toppings she'll allow.

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Wow you all have fantastic ideas!!! Going to pinch some for Ella.

So we are having trouble with my daughter and her weight too. But she has known GI problems.  We have recently weaned her meds to move food through her system and at the same time removed her meal replacement drinks. She has been dropping weight, then holds steady, then drops a bit etc. 

She has always been 50% for both height and weight. Her Paediatrician (a special needs one who co-ordinates with Ella's other specialists including GI) wasn't going to worry until Ella dropped two centiles. That is kind of there rule of thumb. It doesn't matter where on the charts, but how much gets lost. 

Ella has now dropped to the tenth centile for weight. She weighs about 18kg or just under 40lbs. So she has been having her weight monitored at most every two weeks to at least every eight weeks. She is also under Doctor's orders to eat whatever she wants whenever she wants it, just to see if she can put on any weight at all!

This is just to give you some idea of how much wiggle room, so to speak, there can be when it comes to weight. What does your doctor say? What is the advice regarding what food and how much? Can you see a nutritionist? I think if you keep a chart and try all these great ideas it will be good for the doctors to see if they do have concerns.

Huge hugs!!

[clazzat]

You could also try making bread yourself (and getting her to help with it - that's something that my girls enjoy) and adding things to it - you could try raisins or tomatoes, or anything else that you think she would like.

It looks from what you say like the biggest meal she eats is lunch - have you tried giving her a "proper" lunch and then offering sandwiches/snacks for supper?  It might just be that the way she eats is a bit different, so rearranging her meals might help.  And there is also no rule that says that some foods are breakfast foods and some are supper - let her eat what she wants at whatever time of day to see if that helps.

You can also make chicken dippers and fish fingers/fish cakes quite easily yourself, so she would get the same food but it wouldn't be processed - although I'm not sure that I would be stressing the processed stuff too much at the moment, since if she is eating that is probably the more important point.

Does she eat pizza?  You can put a lot on a pizza (particularly mixed up in the tomato sauce) and it's another one that she can help with so it might be more appealing for her.

[cgmom]

So many idea...thank you all soo much!

About what she likes: there is NOTHING she will ask for, besides sometimes to have bread instead of a cooked meal for supper. That's why we're so exhausted by this, because anythign we offer, even if its somehtign that she does eat, its a struggle to get her to eat more than 2 spoons wihtout being pushed/bribed/distracted.

What she does not like, she will not touch (like chocs LOL)

I think i will try some of the fab recipes ideas suggested here, like making sure to put some veg/fruit in her spreads. Her standard sandwich is (bizare, i know), Philly and salami. Salami not hte healthies option , i guess, but she'll have that, so I let her..

clazat, issue is she goes to pre-school where they have set meal times and kids bring their own packed lunch. So whatever DD gets for lunch, is willhave to be on some kind of bread. Thanks for the suggestions there, I'll make an effort to get the better bread, so at least she gets somethign more nutritious.

I work fulltime and long days, which doesn't leave me much time for experimenting with recipes, but I'll give it a try again.

Ella's mom, DD hasn't actually lost weight, is just that she's been hovering around the 12kg mark for probably more than 1 year now, while her height has follwoed the chart. Ped didn't test anyting yet, she just asked what she eats and mentioned that dairy products are essential. What does GI stand for (sorry can't think of anythign right now )

Oh, and a big problem remains the fact that she eats nothing at breakfast, besides the 100ml Actimel. I tried other drinks, milk, etc, won't touch anything else. If i mess with the actimel and add stuff to it, she won't have it anymore.

What about marmite? good or bad, how much and what can i add it to? DD doesn't like it as is..

[cgmom]

and what about vitamins? She's never taken any food suplements..

[~*Nicole*~]

I think trying to offer her something on the way TO preschool might help. She may pick at it in the car. And you can also make her lunches things that aren't on bread. Muffins are a good way to add things and can be served in a packed lunch as they don't need heating up, etc.

I think there is a thread about ideas for what to pack for school lunches/snacks. Let me see if I can find it. Might give you some inspiration!

Here it is:  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=187782.0


Hope that helps a bit!

[clazzat]

clazat, issue is she goes to pre-school where they have set meal times and kids bring their own packed lunch. So whatever DD gets for lunch, is willhave to be on some kind of bread. Thanks for the suggestions there, I'll make an effort to get the better bread, so at least she gets somethign more nutritious.

That does make it more tricky.  Can you get one of those lunchboxes that keeps food hot:  http://www.thermosonline.co.uk/products/Thermos-Foogo-Insulated-Stainless-Steel-Food-Jar-Pink-290ml/Baby---Kids/products/3889.htm?  Or would preschool not let her have something like that?  Alternatively, you could maybe try sending her with cold cooked food - mine will eat cold pizza, for example, and you could maybe try a cold pasta or rice salad?

I think Nicole's suggestion of offering her something on the way to preschool is a good one too - she might just not be quite ready to eat first thing (I have days like that!), so giving her the Actimel at the start of the day and then a cereal bar or something an hour later might help.

Muffins are a great idea too - I found this site with some savoury muffin recipes: http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/tag-3532/savoury-muffin-recipes.aspx.  I also have a recipe for cheese scones which I make for my girls and I add lots of pureed vegetables to the dough so that it is a bit more nutritious - I'd be happy to share it if you want it.

[Shdef]

I just calculated her BMI, which is 12.2. Normal would be 13.4+, so it's not a HUGE amount of weight she would have to gain. I wouldn't fill her up on junk or too fatty foods, but rather add the natural fats Deb has suggested to her mash (not smash) and veg and meat, or her pasta dishes. Is she under stress? Is she getting enough exercise? Does she seem at all lethargic?

Hugs, I know it's hard, we had similar issues.

[Jimbob]

When my dd was going through a stage of being picky and eating like a sparrow we started giving her minadex tonic. This really made a difference to her appetite. Due to her appetite increasing she was also more willing to try new foods.

[Mom to M&M]

What is minadex tonic?

[deb]

Yay for Google: http://www.boots.com/en/Minadex-Tonic-200ml_2323/