1 Year Old Refusing to Eat, Drink or Sleep

Sounds like the virus my 2 year old has and a few other kids I know.

It started with intermittant low grade fevers, irritability, abnormal sleep pattern and very little appetite. That has gone on for 5 days and today the cough started. She doesn't cough a lot but when she does it sounds painful. She is starting to lose her voice now too. I have friends who had the same thing a few weeks ago and they said it lasted a couple weeks. Her kids seemed fine most of the time but would have episodes of fever and crankines and laryngitis.

I am just trying to keep my daughter happy and comfy.

Good luck!

Could be his throat...my daughter never had any other symotoms when her throat was sore. She just quit eating and drinking. Good Luck!

I would call your pediatrician immediately. The loss of appetite isn't as concerning as refusing fluids. Kids that small can become dehydrated quickly.

They will likely ask you when the last time he ate or drank anything was, if he's still peeing and how much and frequently, what his temp is/has been and how he's acting. Buy some pedialyte - they have both drinks and popsicles. I know there are other brands that are supposed to taste better too, so ask your ped about that too.

It could be something as simple as teething, however the lack of hydrating himself is very worrisome.

Good luck!

S. (mom of three)

I agree with S., call your pediatrician. Little ones can become dehydrated quickly and that is dangerous. The pediatrician will ask the questions S. mentioned and let you know if your son is in danger of being dehydrated.

If it makes you feel better my daughter (now 17 months old, started teething at 12 months) acts the way you describe when she is teething; won't eat, won't drink much, trouble sleeping, cranky, clingy, low grade fever, etc. Popsicles work really well for my daughter. The cold helps soothe her gums and they also help hydrate her. If you choose to give your son popsicles be sure to watch him closely while he's enjoying them. Chunks can break off and become a choking hazard.

All the best,
S.

Hi S. -
I have a 17 month old who just got over 10 days of this. . it was likely the H1N1 flu. He had a fever the first and second day but that was it, a fever isn't always associated w/ the H1N1 flu. He had a cough, sore throat, seemed achy, and didn't want to eat or drink. We ended up at the ER after one day of not drinking. Keep pushing the fluids. The ER Dr. recommended just plain Gatorade as well b/c many kids don't like the taste of Pedialyte. Good luck, I hope your little one is better soon!

Could be h1n1. signs are fever and sore throat-which could be the reason for not eating/drinking. When you have a fever it dehydrates you even further. Even if he'll only drink juice or pedialyte get him to take something oral. If he continues you may need to take him for some iv fluids. Call your pediatrician.

Hi S.,
I hope your son starts feeling better soon. When I read your post, it made me think back to when my daughter had similar symptoms. I was worried as well, but it turns out she just had an ear infection. She has never pulled on her ear when she's had an ear infection either for some reason. Also, is it possible that he is teething? Keep pushing those liquids. He'll eat when he's hungry. Call your pediatrician if he still has these symptoms tomorrow. Best of luck to you! :)

My 1 year old acted similarly -- doc dignosed him with either swine flu or a throat virus (when I took him to the doc, they said he had a sore throat -- strep culture was negative). They diagnosed the swine flu as most likely given fever. His started around 102, peaked at 104 on day 3 (Motrin and Tylenol piggybacking did NOT bring it down considerably so we did lukewarm bath and that brought it down 2 degrees) and then fever for an additional 2 days -- five in total. We held him down and syringe-fed him pedialyte at the doc's suggestion. He was a bit crabbier than usual, wanted held a lot (he just turned 1 last week...the illness was the week before his b-day).

If he is sleeping at night, I would say it is likely not ears. You apparently can have flu (who knew) without congestion and cough....or it could be another virus. I would just monitor it and call your doc. Taking him in, he is likely to pick up even more germs :(

Good luck!
----------------------------
EDIT: I just read the Roseola comment...my daughter (now 2) had that around her 1st birthday. I second it could be that too...if your baby comes down with a torso rash after the fever breaks --that is it! viola!

Good luck. My son would not drink the pedalite. My nurse also recommended Gatorade which my son took a little better. But not too much and water it down 50%. I am not sure what your son normally eats, but if he is on table foods. You can freeze some greenbeans and let him chew on them. We found the teething paste to help as well, we would give him some and then about 15 mnins later try food or drink. Really I hope it is teething. My son also liked Italian ice, it is cold and is liquid. Hope he gets back to normal soon.

Get him into see a his doctor or go to the emergency room if you are really concerned. We all love giving advice but you sound really worried and we are not at your house or can see you baby.
My 2 cents is it could be teething. But as I said above you you are concerned get to a DR.

S.,

My kids' dr. always wants to know how the child is acting. In other words, why not call or see a doctor? Your baby doesn't need to be obviously ill in order for you to have him examined...

Good luck.

Amy

PS Now, your reply appears. Anyway, never be afraid to call a doctor.

Hi S.,

When my son would refuse to eat, it would usually mean he had a sore throat. This may be the case with your child. Maybe you should take him to the doctor just to make sure.

J.

Probably just a virus that needs to run its course. A couple of my kids were sick just like that last month (the only symptom was fever).

I set out everything they could possible want (from icees to cheerios) and they picked at stuff. If they wanted ice cream, they got it. I just wanted to get fluid and calories in them.

As long as his fever stays reasonable, don't worry too much. As they say, "it's going around". Keep your doc posted.

just curious if he was recently vaccinated?? sorry, just read that he was...

I would have at least called the pediatrician by now. This is disturbing behavior. Pls keep a close eye on him--it could be the H1N1 vaccine. I don't want to scare you unnecessarily but that vac was not properly tested and pushed thru prematurely. Watch your child closely. Unless you have an exceptional ped, they probably won't acknowledge that it could be the vac.

Hi Sarah, he might have a very common child's illness called Roseola. My daughter had it when she was about 18 months old. They get a fever seemingly out of nowhere, with no other symptoms. They are also very fussy. The fever lasts for a few of days, then when it breaks, they get a rash all over their torso. When my daughter had it, she became extremely lethargic once the rash hit. I didn't know what was going on, so I took her to the doc where she was diagnosed. I had remembered a number of my friends telling me stories of when they're kids came down with this, and it all made sense. The good news is that, if this is indeed what he has, once they get it they never get it again.

Good luck! Hope this helps.

Hi S.,
I would recommend that you take your child to the doctor immediately. How is your child's urine? If its dark and has a foul smell, then it means he is dehydrated. If he continues to refuse fluids and foods your child's dr would have him admitted to the hospital for IV inserts for a few hours so that he would have fluids in his body.

Due to the fact that your child isnt eating or drinking, can cause organs to stop working and he can die. So make an appt to see your peditrician IMMEDIATELY! Tell the person on the phone that it is urgent. If they cannot get you in sooner...then take him in to ER.

It is important and it is advisable. Hope this helps.