Hi, Jennifer,
My daughter is approaching 15 months & she has no weight gain since 13
months onwards but the weight dropped when she felt sick.
She has reduced her milk intake from 8 oz in less than 4 hours to 6 oz
within 4 hours. Now, she took less than 6 oz after 5 to 6 hours from her
last milk intake. She took the same quantity of solid food (porridge) since
12 months old. Sometimes, she refused to finish the porridge as well.
This make us ratherworry. She is now down with diarhoe & food intake is even
lesser.This has make the situation worst. We have given her multivitamin but
it didn’t help with her appetite at all.
I would appreciate your advice on this.
Siew Mei
Hi Siew Mei,
I do understand how worried you must be. Since your little girl is currently unwell, it is only natural that she has poor appetitie. Her appetite will gradually get better as she recovers.You mentioned that she is not keen on her porridge. Children around this age very often get ‘bored’ with the same food. She may want more textured food including finger food. You may want to try giving her rice cripies or bread with butter and cheese for breakfast; she may also have some meehoon soup with minced chicken or some pasta with soup for lunch. For dinner, you may try soft rice with stewed chicken or fish. Try to include a variety of fruits and vegetables in her daily diet. the fruits may be cut into small bite size while the vegetables may be chopped up. She could also have baby or children yogurt for tea time. Although many toddlers at this age have only a few teeth, they will happily ‘gum’ on their food provided the food is not too hard and cut into small bite size.
Eating together with the family will also encourage her to enjoy her meal.Toddlers want to be part of the family or have company while eating. Do not be too concerned that she is eating the same amount as before. What is more important is that she is enjoying her food, has a good appetite and is healthy. Giving her smaller portions may actually encourage her to eventually eat more. As she finishes the smaller portion, both you and her will be pleased with each other. With a little bit of praise and encouragement, she is more likely to have a second helping.
At her age, she should be having 3 meals and about 3 milk feeds per day. Although milk is necessary in a child’s diet, it is only part of her diet . The recommended amount of milk at this age is about 500 to 600 mls per day.If she is drinking less than the recommended amount, you may want to try to include milk in some of her food and have her “eat’ the milk in food such as cheese, yogurt and milk shakes. Do ensure that she is closely supervised at all meal times.
Although weight gain is necessary, it is more important that she is healthy.If you are still concerned about her weight, do talk to your paediatrician. He or she will be able to let you know more about her health.
Jennifer
