Need kid help

Darcler · Post by **Darcler** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 2:07 pm

My daughter is a little over a year and a half.
When she was born, she was 11lb and she gained weight normally and then around 1 she started to lose it. And that was ok because she was so big to begin with.
At her check up 2 months before her 1.5 year check up, her weight was 22lbs. Then, at the 1.5 year, she was still 22lbs, though she had grown 4 inches. That was about 3 months ago. I weighed her at my moms house and it said she was still hovering around 22 or 23 lbs.

She is an insanel picky eater. The only thing we are sure to get into her stomach are goldfish, cheerios, chicken nuggets (sometimes), french fries (sometimes) and other cracker things like trisquits or saltines. Or bread.
Nothing with any sort of nutritional value and really nothing with any fat content.

Our ped. told me at her 1.5 to add a scoop of ice cream to her milk (she doesnt like that) and to add butter to her potatos (that she wont eat anymore). Less juice, more whole milk. The only fat we are able to get into her lately is the milk.

Now, lately, she has wicked bad diarrhea, to the point of it exploding out of her diapere at night and all over her crib and sheets. I dont know what could have caused this, as she hasnt eatten anything new to give her the poops. And I cant seem to solidify it beecause she wont eat any solids, just milk or apple juice.

I dont know exactly what I am asking, but I guess any tips on how to get a picky eater to eat. And we arent picky about what it is...if she wants pizza for the next half year, I dont care.

Jennay · Post by **Jennay** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 2:25 pm

Hey Darc

I don't have kids but my niece was this. It sounds like she might be dehydrated so anything without alot of sugar would help....but other than that have you tried giving her Pediasure shakes? They come in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. If it's too much like a shake, maybe try diluting it with milk. Other than that I guess what I would do is put her options of snacks/meals on the counter and ask her to pick out what she wants and see if she'll actually eat it...I'm not sure if an 18 month old would do this but maybe. Hope that helps.

Gargamellow · Post by **Gargamellow** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 2:35 pm

Darcler,
I am sorry your baby is having this problem. I feel for you as a mother. I guess you are already doing what you possibly could. You are online seeking new ideas to help your child.
I can't really think of anything I am sure you haven't tried. Such as peanut butter sandwiches, or mac n cheese, the inevitable ramen noodles...not quite sure what to say.

Chocolate milk is good for kids too.

Fruits are a great way to go as well. Also, consider masking healthy foods with yummy stuff. For instance, I like to put a little bit of honey on my peanut butter sandwich and cut them into fun shapes for the kids. That way it stays out of the ordinary and the kids feel like they are having fun.

I wish I knew some magic words for you. I wish I could say you can count on the power of prayer.

How about I just stop talking altogether. Oh ya, don't forget that pedialyte makes popsicles for easy replenishment of dehydrated children.

I will send you my prayers, but you will have to make the food yourself.

Amanda

Post by **Martrae** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 2:37 pm

You could also try putting her back on formula for a while. The explosive diarrhea could be milk related.

Darcler · Post by **Darcler** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 2:40 pm

I'll try the Pediasure shake things. I'll have Gid pick some up on his way home from work.

She wont eat anything that gets her fingers or hands dirty. And she hasnt quite mastered the spoon/fork yet. So ramen and mac and cheese are out. I keep offering, but she will stop once she feels that the food is moist.

She's too young to really make her own choices still, but today I am desperate. I have everything I know she will eat out on the table, hoping she will just eat one thing. She ate a goldfish pretzel and that was it. She has chicken, mashed potatoes with a spoon dehydrated peas, the goldfish and a slice of bread. She just wants to sit in her chair and look at a dvd box.

This is so damned frustrating. She looks unhealthy. When I was getting her undressed for her bath this morning, she just looked like a third world poster child.

Gargamellow · Post by **Gargamellow** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 2:44 pm

those are great darc..for sure..my friend's kid was sick a few months back and he was only about 6 months old. I grabbed her a couple bottles of clear pedialyte juice for her and the baby loved the shit!

don't need silverware to grab a big old handful of mac n cheese..just let her cover herself in the food if she has to..u can toss her in the kitchen sink and rinse off whatever doesn't make it down her throat..gotta do what u gotta do right?

anyway, today is my baby andrew's 7th birthday..i am feelin pretty old as i get ready to go downstairs and take a buncha pictures of the lovely decorating job my older ones just did on the house...aye me...good luckw tih baby

Post by **Gidan** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 3:03 pm

I wish we could just give her something like max and cheese. Only problem is once she pokes it and feels that its slimy, she wont touch it again. The girl hates to have dirty hands

.

Tuggan · Post by **Tuggan** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 3:06 pm

how bout ya force her to eat? :dunno:

Insanityfair · Post by **Insanityfair** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 3:18 pm

It's been awhile but I think there is some kind of pasta that kids can pick up with their hands too that's with the baby foods.

Darcler · Post by **Darcler** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 3:20 pm

Yeah that would be great. She would relate eating with a traumatic experience (forced eating) and she would never eat again.
Great idea.

Oh, she hates the Pedialite stuff. Pediasure...we arent so sure about.

I dont know if it could be milk related, unless it is a brand new development. She's been off formula for a little under a year and this is the first time this has happened without it being a virus.

I'm trying to get her into see a doctor, but I hate to pay money for him just to say "uh, nothing I can do". So was trying to get home ideas.

The Kizzy · Post by **The Kizzy** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 3:24 pm

The apple juice will cause the poopers.

Please listen to this advice, or it will come back to haunt you.

I let Kael do the same thing, and dictate what he would eat, etc etc. It took me almost 5 years to break him of that habit. My advice is, make her dinner, lunch, breakfast, whatever, but have her eat it. If she is hungry, she WILL eat. If you let her be a finicky eater now, she will bea finiscky eater later.

Have you tryed pb&j cut up into small little peices?

Jennay · Post by **Jennay** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 3:41 pm

I wonder if she'd eat toast...maybe try that with a little bit of peanut butter on it. Definitely try the Pediasure stuff I mentioned, it's a milky texture so she might not know the difference. Good luck

P.S. Amanda you sound like such a cool mommy! I hope your little guy has an awesome 7th birthday

Jennay · Post by **Jennay** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 3:43 pm

...in Malaysia

(yay, first one to do it!)

Trielelvan · Post by **Trielelvan** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 5:57 pm

Things to try:
pieces of cut up cheese (cheddar, etc - real cheese)?
Pudding?
Spoonfuls of peanut butter that she can just lick off (my son's personal favorite)
Sandi's idea of cutting a sandwich into fun shapes - I use cookie cutters and have my son help make them. He is MUCH more inclined to eat if he helps make it. He's been helping me in the kitchen since he was about 15 months old.
Hailey is old enough that you can show her to push down on a cookie cutter.

Also, try making a plate for yourself, take a bite and make the yumyumyum sounds, then say, "All mine." After a minute or so, ask her if she wants a bite and see if she will eat it.
My oldest is crazy picky. I have had to trick him into eating things he won't normally eat since he was about 8 months. We are the inventors of Artie's Magic Green Martian Mac & Cheese lol

Will she not let you feed her? The reason I ask is because it sounds like you are giving her the choices and trying to let her eat by herself, but it's possible she might want you to feed her. Kids go through weird stages like that.

And yeah, stop with the apple juice. Apple juice works as a mild laxative = not good if she's not eating, and will also give her minor tummy aches that will result in not eating as well.
Pediasure will be great if she will drink it.

You are not going to traumatize her by being a little forceful in making her eat. You don't have to shove it down her throat, but you are giving her too many choices to pick from at the same time. Narrow it down a bit. Make a game out of eating and try feeding her (you know, the tell-tale airplane coming in for a landing thing? Stuff like that).

CALL the pediatrician for God's sakes. If you are concerned enough to warrant taking her into the doc's office, call them and tell them what's going on, and ask for advice. Or, call a nurse's line at a local hospital. It's all in the phonebooks. They are very very helpful, and very very used to parents calling about all sorts of things.

Darcler · Post by **Darcler** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 9:37 pm

We finally got her to eat some cheerios so at least there is something in her stomach.
We went and got the pediasure drinks and did 50/50 with her milk (since there was already a half cup of milk out) but she didnt want anything else to drink, so hopefully tomorrow.

I am calling tomorrow and getting my dads car (I cant drive stick and thats all we have at the house now).

She wont let me feed her. It's her own doing or nothing at all.
I gave her all those options today because I was desperate. I normally give her chicken nuggets or some sort of potatoe or whatever I am having for lunch. She likes to eat stuff off my plate with her fork. Even if she doesnt get anything in her mouth she likes to pretend she is eating the best food ever.

Last time I tried to make a plate for her an done for me which were the same thing, I would make a big elaborate scene eating and she would laugh and try and feed me her food. When I said "Noo that's for Hailey" she got offended :rofl:

Gargamellow · Post by **Gargamellow** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 10:09 pm

she sounds like a strong-willed female..wonder where she gets it? /wink

P.S. Amanda you sound like such a cool mommy! I hope your little guy has an awesome 7th birthday

thnx:) he did..but his big brother and i had to go to the emergency room today...he fell off the chair while hanging streamers..what a frickin day
hope the baby is better

Trielelvan · Post by **Trielelvan** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:05 pm

Omg

I hope he's doing ok Sandi. Happy 7th B-day to your little one (damn they get big fast).

I hope everything checks out with Hailey at the doc's should you have to take her in, and that she eats a little better tomorrow, Darc. *sigh* Little ones go through many strange stages, especially with what they will eat, and it can drive us to drink ><.
When Artie was 2, there was a 3 day face-off where he absolutely refused to drink anything other than coffee (yup, defintely my kid there...). I have to keep decaf in the house because to this day, if I take my eyes off my coffee, he will steal it and drink it all down - straight black, no sugar, no milk, and he still loves it.

The Kizzy · Post by **The Kizzy** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 10:12 am

Darc, try th ePB&J. and also, let her help make it. Buy the squeezeable jelly.

Garg, happy 7th, to the baby, and I hope your other one is okay.

Darcler · Post by **Darcler** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:02 am

We dont have any bread

The Kizzy · Post by **The Kizzy** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:03 am

Bread costs $2. I can buy you some.

Darcler · Post by **Darcler** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:05 am

I can buy some too, but the store is soo far away and my daddy hasnt come to trade cars with me yet.

Phlegm · Post by **Phlegm** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:07 am

Learn how to drive a stick woman. It's not that hard.

The Kizzy · Post by **The Kizzy** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:08 am

Oh, well, I can understand that. I am lucky enough to live 50 feet from a store, I wal there every day. Until tonight. We sign our papers in 20 minutes. then I will live in BFE

Darcler · Post by **Darcler** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:10 am

Phlegm wrote:Learn how to drive a stick woman. It's not that hard.

I tried for 20 minutes on Tuesday, but then got frustrated and started crying, so Gid drove home.

He's taking me back out on Sat when we dont have Hailey in the backseat burning up due to lack of AC when I keep stalling the car.

Darcler · Post by **Darcler** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 1:50 pm

I guess she just wasnt hungry. She's eating today.

She's eatting chips and licking what she gets off her sppon from my stew.
I found some hot dog buns and tore that up for her. She put a piece in her mouth and made a yucky face and took it out. I'll try another day. I know the girl likes bread. Goober.

She's been much more active than she has been. She's running up to the TV and pointing at the seals they are showing on Animal Planet and trying to mimic their movements.

And I didnt have to wash her sheets this morning. Hurrah.