After all the advice I try to give to everyone about "feeding issues" , I am now second guessing my own child!
I absolutely commend every single one of you who have to "entertain" to get your child to eat.
We just got done eating dinner, and I looked at Andrew's tray, then looked at my husband, and said " Andrew hasn't been eating very well"

I know excatly the first thing everyone is going to say, and no he is not sick, isn't coming down with anything and has all of his teeth.

I think this week with Doug home, I have been more observent with his plate. We have been sitting down as a family to have dinner, when he is gone, I am lucky if I even get to eat! So I am not always there to see if it all goes in him or to our dog..Afterall, he does have his head in Andrew's crotch the whole time he is eating waiting for a morsel to fall!

So anyhow...Doug had to entertain him to eat his dinner....For breakfast he ate maybe 10 dry yogurt cheerios, lunch was beef stew and he barely ate any of that before reaching to me and saying up!

Now I am beginning to think I am just a horrible mother who has never noticed her kid barely eats or if it just a fluke that his appetite has decreased over the week??

I guess I will just have to watch over the next few days!

They do say that children have days where they are hungry and eat alot and other days when they aren't so hungry. I notice this with the boys... some days they gobble up everything... other days they push it around the tray.
One other good thing to do, to see what he's eating without you keeping an eye it constantly, is to shut the dog outside.. that way you will know what's gone in him and what's gone on the floor.

I agree w/ Sarah here. Even healthy kids (Kaylin) went through weeks where she'd hardly touch anything. In fact, we've been recently going through that before her recent illnesses. It's easier to monitor what she eats, but a week ago, she ate two bites of waffle, half a hot dog, three bites of canteloupe, and 1/4 of a pbj sandwhich in one day and the days previous to that day and after were just as bad and guess what...she's almost six and healthy. Lots of times, when kids are NOT going through growth spurts and don't need as many calories, they really don't eat all that much. I'm not sure if that's what is happening with Andrew, but it very well could just be that he doesn't need much right now. Give it another week, monitor more closely. Like Sarah said, take doggie outside while Andrew eats, so you know what he ate and what's on the floor. Also, another strategy that I have used in the earlier days with Kaylin was I put a really small portion on her tray, then if she finished that, praise "horay!", then plop a little more on the tray, she'd either eat more or say she was done. You know exactly what's being eaten that way. I'm probably grasping at straws...Kaylin was so wishy washy with her eating...nothing like Cady now, but boy! I used to get so frustrated with it all that I really got into monitoring what she ate.

Is he a good weight? Was he FTT in the past?

I would definately get the dog out of the mix when trying to determine how much is being ingested. We used to measure by teaspoon or tablespoon how much food we were allotting to Iain and would take the amount left over and measure it again. Iain was a major food thrower and a big chewer and spitter until he got the hang of food. It was just easier not to worry about whether or not he actually swallowed a morsal by measuring. Often when we thought he had eaten we found things under him in his highchair (which I get) and then sometimes food in his pants and diaper (which I do NOT get, especially when eagle eyes Mommy is watching him!)

Why the interest in how much he is ingesting? Kids do go through ups and downs for sure, but if he was FTT in the past or is learning to eat then things are different for our kids as they are not the same as regular toddlers with feeding.

If he is a normal toddler then yes, they do seem to live on air for days at a time, but when you measure it out it is actually balancing and a good portion usually overall.

As far as being more observant, I understand how it is having to watch more than one kid when alone. For us it was a routine to do this with Iain but our situation was different. Do not beat yourself up at all as I know how much you have been alone and how hard that has been.

Leigh, He was FTT for months..Just recently he made it back to the 5th percentile.

The dog wasn't in the kitchen over the past week or two since we got our new gates (That Andrew can't open) so maybe that is why I have noticed his pattern, where as before when the dog was in there, I am not sure now thinking back if he ate everything that was given to him or if he fed it to Chestnut.

With him being FTT for so long, I just fear him ending up that way again. I guess I was just second guessing myself as always saying he is a great eater!!

He use to go on a hunger strike when his teeth were coming through..I always knew when a tooth was popping in because he wouldn't eat the day before. But this time that isn't the case since he has all of his teeth.....UGH......Kids are so unpredictable!

I agree with the other posters, Stacy. Judy is right. Even non-GERDlings have their off days. Yesterday, Emma had all of her daily recommended servings but the two proteins, yet today she only ate a serving of oatmeal, 1/4 of a banana, two bites of soup and a few bites of a hard-boiled egg. Even though Em's only been eating solids well for a couple of weeks, I definitely see Em's eating go up and down from day to day. I think if there are more down's than up's (and weight is affected) is when you get concerned.

I would keep a close eye on his eating, take the dog out of the picture, and see how he does at his next appt. for his weight.

Keep us posted!

I am sorry, I had forgotten that he just got back on the charts. Forgive me, I am fried.:coffee: It is impossible in the begining to let the fear of FTT go when they are just new on the charts again and still so very low. It is fantastic that you are relaxing about feeds, but I would still keep an eye for now. Is he still on track and gaining since his last appointment? Does he go in for regular weigh ins?

At that % and due to history I would keep an eye but not be overly anxious yet. He IS on the charts again and with any luck he will learn how to increase his intake and gain more. (Yeah, I know easier said than done) {{{hugs}}}

My OT, dietician, and psychologist all told me the same thing when I told them I thought his missing meals here and there was a normal toddler thing (as I do recall Walker and Curran doing it) and all told me the same thing... Iain is NOT a normal toddler. He was on the charts solid (around 10 %) when they told me he still needed to learn how to increase his intake and to learn to regulate meals better. A FTT child is behind and needs to catch up still regardless of where they are in age chronologically. Skipping meals is not a good thing for these kids, especially when they are overcoming aversions and feeding issues. I do not say that to worry you, just to inform you what we were told in our case. Nor do I say this to over ride any one else as they are right it IS a normal toddler thing to skip meals, but a former FTT with feeding aversions, etc. is not on the same track.

Do not get all paranoid about his eating, just go for weigh ins from time to time and do not have them too often or this will consume you. Besides, I bet you already know before you hit the scale if he has lost weight, right?! Perhaps some supplementation is in order.

Thanks leigh!

We are already on the supplementation road! He takes Polycose and Carnation instant Breakfast.

Thanks leigh!

We are already on the supplementation road! He takes Polycose and Carnation instant Breakfast.

I had recalled the polycose and that is why I felt so daft after asking if he was FTT or former. **whacking forehead**

I would still increase it by more calories if at all possible. Supplementation works. I really can not believe how much of a difference it has made for Iain. Just had to get the critter to open his mouth and now we are going gang busters. We just broke the 25th and I am crowing big time about that while it lasts.:wink:

There are so many things that can give you hundreds of extra calories in a day.

Hey, Stacy -- I can sure understand why you'd be concerned. You could always try recording what goes in -- maybe just one day out of three to see if it's just a phase or every day if you're more comfortable with that.

Maybe it's as simple as Andrew eating differently with your husband around. Sometimes Daniel eats great while I'm making dinner and totally ignoring him and other days he does best when we have friends over for dinner. And sometimes he's just too distracted when there are other people around.

Yesterday was a tad better...But not really.

Maybe he has just decided to slow down on the inktake...I'll keep waching for a few more days!

keep us updated!















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