3 year old with no appetite

[MelaniesMom2008]

I have a 3.5 yr old daughter with little, to no, appetite. She sleeps 12-13 hrs a night and still complains of being tired, and says she can "hardly wait for bedtime". To look at her, she often looks like she is exhausted and on the verge of tears. She was always a great little eater, and sleeping until 8am was a rare treat. Concerned...

[adgal]

I wonder if she doesn't have a lengthy virus.  Those are certainly symptoms of them.  Some virus' can be prolonged, even if they do not get overly sick, so the sleeping and lack of appetite may just be the only symptoms she has. It can also make them cranky and out of sorts.  Is she drinking well and staying hydrated?  And the other thing to watch for is actual weight loss.  Their appetites can vary, but as long as there is no dramatic weight loss, there is no big concern. Is she active when awake?

I also wonder about the heat.  We are having a heat wave right now, and my whole family has less of an appetite (myself included), and the heat does seem to make us more lethargic and drowsier.  I agree with Specialmom as well about the snacks.  My 2 1/2 year old has 3 meals, 3 snacks a day as per both my Dr. and my Pediatric nutritionist's recommendations.  It works out that he eats something about every 2 or so hours and this works well for us.

I totally agree that she should be seen - always best to err on the side of caution for sure, these are just two thoughts that come to mind.   I hope she is back to her normal self soon.  

[specialmom]

Oh, and don't forget things like smoothies which she can drink down but have some nutritional value.  I put some chopped spinach in mine which dissovles up and they have no idea it is there along with a bit of carrot juice.  With frozen strawberries, apple juice and a banana, a bit of sugar and cinnamon---  it is easy to drink and full of 'stuff'.  You can add a protein powder to it as well if you like.  good luck

[specialmom]

I think it is a good idea to get her checked.  I also have a son that can take or leave eating (wish I could sometimes! :>) )  What our doctor recommended at 3 was lots of snacks.  Healthy snacks throughout the day.  I had initially feared it would cause him to then not eat his meals but that didn't turn out to be the case.  Little ones of three have pretty small stomachs and my son's would fill up very quickly.  Quicker than his brother's did.  And a multi vitamin also is given to my kids daily . . .  the chewy kind are like a treat.  

Lots of luck!

[margypops]

It would be a good idea to have her checked out to see if anything is going on with her health. You say it was a battle to get her to eat half a hot dog ,it may be a good idea not to get into a battle over eating as that may escalate the problem does the 13 year old eat well, have there been any issues with her about eating that the little one maybe copying? I say this as I do know children will learn and copy behaviors they see or hear about ..just a thought.Try putting down her food and then say no more let her get on with it, sometimes coaxing does have the opposite effect .Is she at daycare or school, does she do well there does she eat lunch okay ..?.

[MelaniesMom2008]

Her lack of appetite has been going on for the past 4-6 weeks. She would always clean her plate of anything that was on it (except mushrooms LOL). She would eat a good variety of veggies, fruit, protein etc. I have tried giving her some Kraft Dinner, which has always been a treat, and she even turned her nose up at that. Last night is was a battle to get her to eat a half a hot dog (no bun) from the BBQ.
She is the youngest of three (sister is 4.5, brother is 13). She's sweet and funny and just completed her first year of preschool. She has both Mom and Dad, so there is no drama as far as that goes.
When I say she is on the verge of tears, I mean that she looks totally wiped out and exhausted.  
I've seen the other two go through phases, but this doesn't seem to be letting up. I'm going to start REALLY keeping a record of everything and then see about getting her into our family MD

[margypops]

Is this a sudden change in your daughter, you say she was always a great little eater' how long ago was that ? Has she recently started school any other changes in her life ..new sibling, why would she be on the verge of tears , can you think of any reason for the change .I can understand you would be concerned ..Can you give us some more information about her life?