7 Year Old Who Barely Eats

Sometimes making a big deal or punishing for food if a child is over or under weight backfires. It won't be easy but try to not notice for about a week, say nothing & see if he gets hungry and eats on his own. Also maybe special attention some other way, an outing , reading , taking in a favorite activity , just him and you may help him see the main attention won't be food, but him.

I have a 9 year old daughter that is the same way!! She looks like a little stick! My Dr. said the same thing, but told me I could offer her replacement shakes(in-between meals) if I was that worried. She loves the shakes, but she still looks like a stick!

I read most of the other posts and there's a reoccuring theme I have to agree with - do NOT make this a battle. My youngest has been a minimal and very picky eater since she was born and is tall, very lean and has plenty of energy. The doctor explained it to me this way: your stomach at rest is the size of your own fist. Have your son make a fist and put only that much food in front of him. Looks tiny compared to our "Americanize" portions, doesn't it? If he eats that then his stomach tells him he's full. There are days my daughter only eats one pop-tart, a glass of milk and maybe a salad all day. As long as her energy level isn't down and she's not constipated, we let her be.

Secondly, have the doctor take a close look at his throat, sinuses and adnoids. Sometimes a little inflammation in those areas can make eating really uncomfortable. I did notice an increase in my daughters curiousity (in trying new foods) after we had her tonsils/adnoids removed. She's remarked a few times that foods taste better and are easier to swallow post-surgery.

Lastly, we love the new V-8 line of smoothies and fusions! They are packed full of nutrition and soy proteins. If I can't get any solids past the "daughter gate", I offer 8-12 oz of V-8 smoothie or fusion and let it go. (It sometimes takes her 2 hours or more to drink one glass)

Good luck!!

Hello Meloldy,

Good luck and here are my 2 cents...
Does he drink much of anything? he might be drinking too much milk/juice and not enough water. just like /w toddlers if they drink too much milk they won't eat later. definitely stay away sodas or juice w/ high fructose corn syrup.

do check further w/ your ped. does he like anything specifically? try having him eat 6 bites at every meal (instead of 2-3) and the next week have him eat 8 bites... gradually have him increase what he eats. maybe he could have 4-6 small meals instead of 3. increase his fiber intake. make sure he's getting enough magnesium in his diet. how are his bowel movements? good luck and hang in there. my kids are very picky too. If he likes fruits...have fruits available.

maybe he'll like smoothies (home made so you can control sugar and ingredients) Along w/ the fruits he likes, you may buy some baby pear food and add it to it (more good fiber and no gassy pains like w/ prunes) I add it to my kids' chocolate milk!

you did not mention if he's on any medication. allergy meds definitely ruin the apetite. and if he always has a stuffy nose, well food won't taste good either.

also if he has very sensitive nose, strong food odors may just turn his stomach.

also he may need some digestive enzymes (chewable papaya)

I wonder if this is more of a power struggle then an eating issue. My son, who is now 14 (almost 15), was very picky and did not eat much at the table. Especially since I would not make him a special meal because he did not like what I was fixing. Dinner time became a war zone and so focused around trying to get him to eat. It was miserable. When I backed off and quit making a big deal about it, and made the dinner time more enjoyable he started trying new things and eating more. Of course because he's a teenager, he eats ore than I do! So sit back and see if you are making it a big deal, and if you are, try taking a step back and enjoy your dinner. If the Dr says there is nothing wrong with him physically, I promise you he will eat when he is hungry. Also, I would make sure to limit any snacks during that time. That way you can test your theory. Within the week you should see improvements if it's a power struggle.

A doctor once told me that when they get hungry enough, then they will eat. I was skeptical having intentionally starved myself as a teenager. Turns out, he was mostly right. But you can supplement what you do get in him with Ensure or Pediasure. I've even gone as far as Carnation instant breakfasts to get more in their little belly. A good peace of mind is knowing he's getting some RDA's (recommended daily allowances) of what his growing body needs. Gummy vitamins are also worth a looksee. Keep trying and encouraging. Talk openly with him and explain that a growing child's body should not be put on a diet because their beautiful mind is growing too and needs fuel or food for thought. Good luck.

I think you should take him to another doctor for a second opinion. A child psychologist would be another good idea. He obviously has strong reasons for not eating, you just need to figure them out. Forcing him to eat until he throws up is only making the problem worse.

Some kids just don't eat what we, as parents, consider "normal". Try giving him the supplemental dtinks like BOOST or ENSURE or I believe there is a form of PEDIALYTE that is a nutritional supplement. Good Luck.

My goodness there is a reason he is throwing-p if he eats his whole meal. I won't want to eat either woould you?!?!?!?
I am not sure what kind of doctor you have taken him to or how many but I would say they are not the rights ones, something is WRONG for sure.
Have you thought about the texture of the foods. Did you know some learning disabilites are related to certain texture of food that certain children refuse to eat.
I would encourage you to get to a gastro doctor ASAP first of all then go from there. Don't give up and in the mean time punishing him for not eating seems wrong I would think.

I had the same problem, when my youngest was 4. She barely ate anything, and she was small to begin with. When I spoke to my doctor about it, he said she was healthy and she was eating enough to stay that way. He said kids go through phases where they may do things that seem odd to us, but to them it's perfectly normal. He asked me if I wanted to be force-fed, "No, of course not", "Well kids don't either", was his response.
So, we started letting her fix her own plate at the table. This was one way for us to sit back and observe, what and how much SHE wanted to eat. And we were surprised that she actually was eating more than we thought. She just didn't eat a regular plate, full of food. But she ate what SHE wanted and we quit worrying so much.
Later on her appetite picked back up and she ate more. She was fine and we didn't have to fuss or nag, which was a good thing. This kid is now 25 with 3 of her own, so if my grandkids aren't always hungry, I don't make them eat a lot.
If they are hungry they will eat.
And as for him being under weight, how do you think they get the NORM?? They average the weight for 100 kids... some are average, some are more than, but some of them have to be less than, too, for them to get that AVERAGE. Of her 3, she has a tall,lean one, a shorty, and a chubby one who at 1, weighs 25 lbs. But she's just now starting to walk, so when her activity levels increase, her weight should decrease a little bit.
Just make sure there are healthy choices on the table and try to include some of his favorites a couple of times a week. Maybe let him choose whatever he wants for dinner one night each week. My kids did that for years, they each chose 1 meal each week,they helped me buy the things at the supermarket and would often help me cook that night. We even had breakfast for supper every now & then, waffles w/ fruit or scramled eggs with toast. It was still a healthy meal, but the main thing was, it was what they chose. That's important to kids.
I know I ran on a bit, but maybe some of it will make sense to you. I hope some of it will help you out.
Good Luck! Ruthie

There are several feeding programs in the area. I think Baylor Our CHildren's House is wonderful. There number is ###-###-####. They look at every aspect and really have helped us.

Have you tried talking to a feeding theapist. THis is a real problem for some kids and it is important for his future growth and development to eat well! I am with you - it would worry me. Call Shannon at Excel Pediatric Therapy in Rockwall. I have never used her but I have head she is awesome!

M.,

My hubby is a nurse and says you ought to find another doc. Kids your son's age can be picky and have very erratic eating habits...but your son's seems to be extreme, especially the throwing up stuff. I would have another doc check him and run blood panels, etc on him to rule everything out one by one. Check to make sure and rule out thyroid issues, celiac's disease, or general eating disorders. Check D Magazine online and use the "best docs" to find a good one. Hope that helps!

I am so sorry to hear your Dr. is not more concerned with this issue. Will your child drink shakes? I know there is Ensure that is basically a meal in a can. I know Dr's can prescribe shakes that are more nutritional. A friend of mine has a son with a feeding tube and the shakes are total meal replacements. If I were you, I would choose a new Dr. or go to a nutritionalist, somewhere to find help.
Possibly even a psychologist.
Many blessings to you and yours,
J.

Not sure this is advice, but I have a Nephew that sounds just like this and my sister has recently discovered that he has “sensory integration disorder”. He has a hard time with the texture of the foods he is eating. He has always been this way, he was even diagnosed with “failure to thrive” as an infant. With medication, he has gained a lot of weight in the past 6 months.

If your child hasn't been better about eating since starting school, I'd check with the pediatrician again. I'm not a medical person, but this kind of weight loss isn't normal. All in all, 15 lbs underweight should put up a red flag for most doctors. There may be something the doctor missed before. You've been patient for a long time. I would also suggest avoiding comments about his eating. Is it possible that he might be using eating as a way of getting more attention---even negative? I notice he is the baby, but this has gone on through more time than "stages" usually do.

I wish you well in your search. J.

Maybe when he is home always have a healthy snack avaible and encourage him to eat more than once a day...
Then I would go dance on the Dr desk to get some test run on him.
Good luck! I get eaten out of house and home here with a 5 year old and a 3 year old!!!

My neice is the same way... she doesn't eat and when she does she eats only a couple of bits. Come to find out she has REALLY bad Acid Reflex. That is something you might want to ask your kiddo. Does his chest hurt/burn after he eats or drinks anything. Those with really bad reflex problems also have a difficult time with cool and cold drinks, that seems to kick up the acid. Hope you find out what is going on... poor baby.

I can speak from experience because as a child I was the same way. I went through everything you have thrown at your son. I am still not a big eater. But all I would eat would be peanut butter and jam sandwiches. Our doctor told my mother that it was fine. At least I was getting protein and carbs. But you might want to take him to a gastroenterologist. He might have a twisted intestine that is hard to diagnoise. It may hurt his stomach when he puts anything in it. I am now 63 years old, thin and healthy.

Has he ever been tested for thyroid abnormalities? If he has an overactive thyroid, he may not feel hungry at all.

Also, after eating so little for so long, his stomach probably cannot handle a full meal. As you start encouraging him to eat more, you might want to set some goals of more than 2-3 bites, but maybe somewhat less than what you consider a full meal.

In the absence of figuring out why he doesn't feel hungry or won't eat, I guess I would just suggest a multi-vitamin so that you know his body is getting nutrients even if he won't eat.

Good luck!

My sister-in-law has a son who doesn't eat much and her doctor has had him on Pedia-sure for years now. It's a vitamin and mineral filled drink, like a chocolate milk or vanilla milk. He used to drink 2-4 a day and he seemed to like it pretty well. He is eating better, now, but for a while all he had to eat was the Pedia-sure. He is on the small side, but within normal for his age, and healthy and active. Hope it helps at least a little bit!! : )

I would have him tested for celiac disease. My oldest son was like that and we didn't discover that he had celiac until he was 11. You also need to find a new doctor if he says that throwing up after a meal is normal. I used enterolab (www.enterolab.com) for testing my son, because our pediatrician also said there was nothing wrong with my son. I took my son back to the doctor after my son had been on a Gluten free diet for 6 months and he had gained 10 pounds and grown 2 inches and he continued to grow at that same rate for almost 4 years. This "petite" child (as called by the pediatrician) was 6 feet tall by the time he was 14. The pediatrician looked at the levels of antibodies on my son's test results (and agreed that there was indeed a problem) and then his only response was "it's hard to stick to that diet".

I would ask your doctor for a prescription to get him assessed at a private therapy rehabilitation place for feeding therapy.

I had my son assessed for speech therapy at Our Children's House (in Allen, but they have many other locations around the metroplex). My son was going in to be assessed for speech and they recommended 2x a week for speech, but also recommended occupational feeding therapy. In my questionnaire I filled out, they noticed that I wrote my son was vomiting when he tried new foods and he had a very limited diet (he's 4). And the therapist said, vomiting is never good. And that he could use some therapy to learn how to eat and how it's a good experience.

She said if it continued on the same path, it could get worse. She said she's seen some 6 yr olds who will only eat chicken nuggets and that's it. And will starve unless chicken is in front of them. And if they are forced to eat something else... they vomit.
So she said it's an issue that needs to be addressed w/therapy.

So you might check into feeding therapy. It could be that he's not eating because of sensory issues (he doesn't like the way certain foods feel in his mouth; in his body) or it could be behavioral. Either way, feeding therapy might help him look at food differently.
Our Children's House needs a prescription (not referral) from your pediatrician before they can schedule an assessment appointment. And your health insurance might help pay for the therapy. If Our Children's House isn't in network for your insurance... they might be able to help recommend another rehabilitation therapy place.

Here's the weblink for Our Children's House at Baylor (click on 'locations' on left for a nearby location):
http://www.baylorhealth.com/locations/och/

My sister had this problem when she was little, she outgrew it eventually though. My dad would get angry with her because she would ask for something to eat when it wasn't time to eat and then when it was, she wouldn't eat at all. It turned out that she was hypoglycemic. That may not be the problem with your son, but I would say that not eating isn't normal and your doctor needs to do some blood work on him. If he says he doesn't need it, I'd find another doc.

Food can be such an emotional thing for us. We tend to worry so much about the health and well-being of our kids. Sometimes we become too invested in a particular thing. If you have taken him to the doctor and the doctor says that he is fine, it may be time to back off. It sounds like it has become a control issue. You may have to completely and totally ignore it. My 11-yr-old son has never had a really big appetite. I've found that if I don't make eating a big deal, he eats what he needs. And recently his appetite has greatly increased. Imagine my surprise when the kid who barely made it through 1/2 a hamburger wanted TWO! And was still looking for something after.
I do require that everyone comes to the dinner table. That is the one time I can get the entire family together. The kids get a chance to report on their day without the parents being distracted. My only eating requirement is that they eat what they put on their plates.

This reminds me of the symptoms a girlfriend of mine had who ended up having esophagus surgery and is much better just shortly after (she is also a physicians asst)- I asked her and this is what she said. . .

M.,

I have achalasia; this is seen in adults. In kids it might be something like eosinophilic esophagitis, but they should definitely see someone about it. Maybe see their PCP first for some preliminary tests like a Barium swallow and if nothing comes back, see a pediatric gastroenterologist.

Jill

My best advice is see if he is watching anone else,maybe at school,while eating.He may be copying another persons behavior and if not he could possibly have an eating disorder and that can be very serious!! I sure hope not for all your families sake!!
I have a 5 year old who is reallyt fussy about what he eats and is underweight but he does eat something every single day!

Best of luck to you!!

--M.

It might just be the child's makeup. Don't push it just make sure he eats his 3 or 4 bits of everything. He is only 7 and I bet when he hits 9 or 10 he will start or if not then about 13 and then he will eat you out of house and home. Just make sure he doesn't lose much more and talk with the doctor about a child that does not fit on the growth chart. He will do fine. I know, his clothes are not filled out and all but at least he is not overweight which is the other side of the spectrum and dieting. My daughter was thin for her age but when puberty hit she blossomed rather quickly from a string bean into a beautiful swan and amply endowed and is still endowed at 31 single and no kids.

I know this worries you. Try getting him to eat 4-5 times a day. If you can get him to eat5-6 bites each time, it will add up. Also try the Ensure or instant breakfast drinks. My grand son is ADHD and his meds cut his appetite. His doctor told me to use the instant breakfast as a beverage with his meals to add calories for him.I had to make sure to keep them real cold but he would drink the chocolate or strawberry like it was milk. I even talked to his school and they let me send him one each day for lunch, His teacher kept it in the teachers lounge refrigerator to keep it cold. Then she would get it for him on the way to lunch. I also use them for a snack.

I'm a mother of 10 children, seven bios, two adopted, one foster. I have a four year old adopted daughter that won't eat either. When she came to live with us at about 2 and a half, she wouldn't eat but about four things, anything else made her throw up!! But that's another story.
The main thing is that you do NOT make a battle out of it. Quit begging him to eat. He lives in America, where food is everywhere, there is no way he's going to starve. Set his plate in front of him, tell him no dessert unless he eats, and then let him decide whether he wants to eat or not. Don't offer food inbetween. If you know what he really likes, especially for breakfast and lunch, try and have that often, and let dinner be more you and your husbands choice.

I have a sister that used to sit at the table and beg her daughter to eat on up into this girls teen years, and let me tell you, it was not a pleasant site to watch. That girl had my sister over a barrel and she LOVED it!
I try to never beg my four year old to eat. Yes, she is skinny, but that's actually healtier for her than her overweight big brothers. I give her her dinner, and she eats it and gets dessert, or she sits in front of her plate while we eat dessert. She will usually manage to eat if I don't put too much on her plate.