underweight toddler not eating

[Lisa5950]

We've had issues with my daughter eating for the past several months - sometimes food ends up on the floor (she feeds the dog), or sometimes it ends up in her hair or stock-piled in her high chair. There are times when she eats just a few bites at meal-time. Her babysitter gives her a morning snack and an afternoon snack - usually consisting of fruit and cheese, or similar. I can get her to take yogurt in the morning (if I feed it to her - otherwise it ends up in her hair), anything else ends up on the floor or in her hair. Lunch she apparently just picks at, same with snacks. She gets a cup of milk with snacks and meals - no juice, and a bottle at bed time. She used to be in the 25th percentile for weight and has dropped to 5th, with hardly any weight gain in the last 5 months. I can't get her to eat!  I've tried taking the dog outside and limiting distractions, I've tried all kinds of food. I've tried making meal time one-on-one and more about her. I usually can get her to take mac-n-cheese and often spaghetti (even though they usually end up in her hair - I think she gets quite a bit down as well). But any type of meat is completely out. I have no clue what to do. To boot, I have to figure out how to balance her nutritional needs with that of my 6 year old and husband and myself - high fat meals aren't going to work for the whole family. I'm worried that they say to not cater to picky eating and to have your child eat what everyone else eats, but how am I supposed to do that when I'm supposed to add calories to her diet and not to everyone else's. The Dr. says to just add some whey to her bottle and to add another bottle during the day, but I'm worried that if I do too much of that I'll never get her to eat solids....  HELP!!!

[Renee Radenberg]

Her weight is on the 10th percentile and her height is just above the 19th percentile for her age. Suggest giving her a nutrient dense drink such as Pediasure or milkshake (milk and ice cream blended) in place of milk at all meals and her bottle for additional calories and protein for growth and weight gain. It was not clear to me if she eats any food with texture or just very soft foods - yogurt, mac & cheese, etc. If she will only eat soft foods, she may need to learn how to chew better and swallow food or needs help with textured foods. That would not be a reflection on your parenting. Some children just do not know how to do it and need to be taught. They need to learn how to chew and shallow food properly; it is not really an instinct behavior like sucking. Has she been evaluated on how to chew food or for texture issues? If not, then suggest getting her evaluated, by going to your MD. If that is not the case, then give her food she likes and let her eat on her own. Slowly introduce new foods, and if she does not want it, do not make a fuss over it. Let it go and try in a few weeks. Hoped this helped you.