My 15 month old barely eats

[Haven11d2]

My 15 month old daughter hasn't been eating very well. Every time I feed her im lucky if she takes a few bites, so then I resort to her formula so she is at least getting some kind of nutrients in her system. Any ideas? I want to make sure my baby is healthy.

[Renee Radenberg]

Her weight is just under the 50th percentile and her height is between the 25-10th percentile for her age which indicates she is normal for her age. Engage her with preparation of food. Have her help you set the table or do something for the meal. Children love to be a part of making food. Hopefully it will increase her interest in food. Suggest giving her milkshakes (ice cream, fresh fruit or frozen fruit, milk) or yogurt smoothies (yogurt, fresh fruit, and frozen fruit) instead of formula and for additional calories, protein, and vitamins and minerals. She can help make them, too. For her age infant formula will not provide the nutrients she needs. The most important thing is to RELAX. Let her eat what she wants. Slowly introduce new foods, and if she does not want it, do not make a fuss over it. Let it go and enjoy your meal. Try again in a few weeks. Hoped this helped you.

[Renee Radenberg]

When a person is lactose intolerant, is means that there is a lack of or no lactase enzymes in the stomach to digest lactose sugar in dairy products. When they have dairy products it causes bloating, abdomen pain, and diarrhea, as you know. The substitutes for dairy products are soymilk, lactaid milk (which has the lactase enzyme in it), rice milk, almond milk, soy cheese, soy yogurt, lactaid ice cream, soy ice cream, and rice ice cream. Lactase enzyme is sold in drugstores as a pill, which can be taken just as you have the dairy product so you do not have issues. Suggest lactaid milk or lactaid ice cream, or use soy products (which has no dairy, all plant base) and she will be getting all the nutrients she would have gotten from milk. Make milkshakes out of soy milk, soy yogurt, (can use soy ice cream) and frozen fruit which will give her extra calories, protein, vitamins and minerals. Hope this helped you.

[Haven11d2]

Well we just found out that she is now lactose intolerant, so what now?