My child is 10 years old and since she is little she does not like to eat.

My child is 10 years old and does not eat. The doctors tell me that it might have to do with hormonal inbalance. Befor I put my child on any medication I would like to know if this is a normal behavior. She is really skinny and I do belief that she is beeing malnutritioned. She has no history of any diseases or behavioral problems.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Kurt,

If medication is contemplated, there must have been a diagnosis that the doctors reached about your daughter's condition. There certainly are metabolic and other conditions that can result in diminished or restricted appetite.

Some children are, by nature, finicky eaters who do not eat much and who have limited appetites. In spite of these characteristics, such children grow and develop at a rate that their doctors deem is appropriate and they do not necessarily manifest any particular type of medical disorder. The symptom alone of limited appetite or ficiky eating is not sufficient to tell if an illness or medical condition is present.

Be sure to speak with your daughter's doctors about the nature of her condition and the recommeneded treatments and how the doctors think the treatments will help.

[hannah]

Although my daughter had minor sleep apnea and that was the main reason her adnoids and tonsils were removed, I also learned that the size of her tonsils and adnoids did not allow her to eat comfortably (she often gagged) and food didn't taste right.  She was always skinny too (15 lbs at a year!).  Remarkably, after the surgery her appetite grew and she began to get some meat on her!  Her limbs have filled out, she's grown noticably taller, and eats much more and better.

Just a thought to look into...!

[Susan]

That is a very interesting comment about the removal of adnoids helping your child eat.  My daughter's ENT just announced that she should have her adnoids out because of chronic sinus infections.  She will be 3 in August and weighs only 25 pounds.  She has never eaten well, and we've taken her to several doctors as a result of that.  Your message gives me hope that she the adnoid (adenoid) removal may help with both eating and sinus infections.  Thank you.