#AskTheExpert
My kid is 1.5 years old has not been eating properly. He even stopped having solid food and is only on liquid diet. He keeps spitting food and has lost 3 kgs in last 3 months.

Any suggestions?

Regards,
Pratap

Question

#AskTheExpert
My kid is 1.5 years old has not been eating properly. He even stopped having solid food and is only on liquid diet. He keeps spitting food and has lost 3 kgs in last 3 months.

Any suggestions?

Regards,
Pratap

Accepted Answer

Kids who have completed 1 year dont have to gain as much weight as they did in their first year. So their appetite is going to reduce. Ideally they must triple birth weight by 1 year. After 1 year kids can eat anything that the family eats adjusted for spices. Do not force feed baby and let baby decide how much he/she wants to eat. Research on BLW for babies and Traditional weaning techniques for babies on FB.

Give caloric and nutrient dense foods such as avocados, ghee, butter, paneer, cheese, dry fruits like almonds, cashews, raisins, dates, sesame seeds, anjeer, apricots. Use banana, potato, proteins like chana and other pulses in baby's recipes.

Don't feed only milk all the time as it can cause anemia in kids and that in turn causes drop in appetite. Ensure that child has a balanced diet with lots of different varieties of vegetables and fruits, multi grains etc. Avoid biscuits, chocolates, cakes, sweets, fried snacks and all processed food as they are low in fiber, high in sugar, not nutritious, and decrease hunger.

For gas problem make sure you burp baby after every feed.  Give tummy time daily for a few minutes multiple times. Gently massage your baby's tummy with castor oil with fingers and keep a warm water towel for few minutes. Cycle baby's legs with your hands gently after every feed. Also keep baby upright in standing position holding with your hands for support few minutes after feed. This helps the poop to travel down with gravity.

If you have tried everything and baby is still crying uncontrollably for a long time, then you can give gripe water or bonnisan or colicaid drops occasionally and not daily.

Answer

Also check for any deficiencies like iron which can cause appetite drop. Check with your baby's pediatrician if he needs any supplements

#AskTheExpert My kid is 1.5 years old has not been eating properly. He even stopped having solid food and is only on liquid diet. He keeps spitting food and has lost 3 kgs in last 3 months. Any suggestions? Regards, Pratap