Ms. Mary Silva
Specializing in feeding and nutrition.
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 Ask Mary Silva
Developmentally Delayed Toddler Having a Hard Time Eating | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Ms. Silva,
My daughter is two and a half and weights 22 pounds. She eats hardly anything, and I don't know what else to do for her. She also is developmentally delayed. Hopefully you can give me some answers. My daughter seems hungry all the time, but will not eat.— Worried Mom in Tucson, Az | | | ANSWER |
July 11, 2001 | | | Dear Worried Mom,
Children with developmental delays often suffer from conditions that make it uncomfortable for them to eat even though they are hungry. One difficulty they often have is due to the muscles in their mouths not functioning well and/or being very sensitive to the way food feels in their mouths. You can discuss this with your pediatrician and request that your child be evaluated for feeding difficulties by a therapist experienced in dealing with children with feeding problems.
In the meantime, you can observe your child eating and take note of whether she prefers soft, crisp, or chewy foods. Give her the foods she eats best first. Then after she has eaten something, offer her some new foods to see whether they are easier or harder for her to eat. After you do this for a while you will have a better sense of what she is more likely to eat.
Some other tips for encouraging healthy eating include limiting the amount of juice and other fluids she drinks so that her stomach is not so full. That said, she should drink sixteen to twenty-four ounces of milk a day for adequate calcium, but try to give her milk after she eats her food.— by Mary Silva, M.S., R.D. |
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