Weight Loss

My daughter is the third of my children.  She was born at 7.14 lbs and 40 weeks.  She had always been a slow weight gainer, but not is loosing weight.  We had her evaluated for sensory issues and found none.  She refuses to eat on most days for about 3 days then will eat a bunch to fill her belly then go back on strike.  No medical tests have been done, but she had fallen from the 10% to below the 5th.  What can we do to help her?

[Renee Radenberg]

Both her weight and height are below the 5th percentile for her age. It is frustrating when your child has no interest in food. At her age she can feed herself with ‘finger foods’( regular food cut up a small pieces). Suggest replacing her milk at meals/snacks with milkshakes (milk and ice cream blended), or yogurt smoothies (yogurt, fruit, and ice cream) for additional calories and protein for weight gain. The most important is to relax at meals. When you try introducing new foods, sometimes it takes 5-9 times to introduce a food that she will accept. If she do not want it you have to not make a fuss and let it go. Give her the food she likes.