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I spend every hour of my day thinking about food and eating and weight. My son is 19 months old. Some people make fun of me for it but it literally consumes my life.

He only gained 8 oz over the last 2 months and then got the flu and lost 6 oz. So almost no gain for 3 months. I was practically crying at the doctor's office.

I have to remember that really, a child will not choose to starve themselves. He looks and acts healthy and is just a little boy I think. I have to stop worrying so much (at least thats what I tell myself).

It really sounds like he is recovering from gastroenteritis or something like that! In which case his little tummy is probably still sensitive so I would not be surprised if he refuses food or even milk. When DS got this recently I fed him porridge and toast until he was better and limited his dairy intake. He didn't have much appetite at all. I think breastmilk is still good to push so he will stay hydrated or you can even try some pedialyte. Hopefully he will get better soon!

@BabyBoecksMom: my LO was the same after pneumonia... No appetite but now that he turned the corner he is eating like he never saw food before! They know what their little bodies need, it's amazing .

@irene: I just want you to know that you are not alone. I struggle everyday with similar things.

Sending you hugs Irene. My LO does the same thing and there are days that i really really want to throw her out the window...but i do it to food in the garbage instead (and a lot of food). I also am constantly reminding myself that babies won't starve themselves. Hopefully it will get better soon...hang in there.

Ps..i've started a bad habit of feeding DD in her exersaucer or jumperoo since she wont eat in her high chair. I know i should stop but it's the only way she'll open her mouth.

No advice as my babe is too teeny tiny for solids etc but sorry it's so hard at the moment, hope your little boy feels better soon.

My DS has been going through some of this, too. He's been rejecting bottles for the past few weeks, some days taking less than 10 ounces in the whole day. In fact, yesterday he only took 8. A couples that have helped us are offering him formula in his sippy cup and giving him bottles when he's sleepy/ half asleep. Also dont worry too much unless he actually starts showing digns of a problem. All babies go through phases and likelihood is that this will pass soon enough.

Hugs. I'm sorry it is so stressful. Looks like you have a lot of people in the same boat as you.

@irene: It sounds like you have done everything that you can do, mama. You're doing a great job. I hope this little blip passes. Tyler is still in the 4th percentile for weight but he's jumped to 20th for height. Fact is, my husband and I were never even on the charts as babies we were so small! I think part of it is genetics and regardless of how much he stuffs himself he'll never be a chubby baby.

@irene: Would you say he regularly doesn't eat much? Or that it's more common for him to snack instead of eat a full meal? If your doctor says he's growing and progressing, then maybe you should start looking at what's "normal" for your LO, instead of comparing to other babies or guidelines.

I had to do that for my LO in regards to her sleep. Everything I read and heard said that babies should get "x" amount of sleep and "x" # of naps and I nearly had a breakdown every day trying to force her to get her to nap and take longer naps. One day, it clicked that my LO just isn't going to nap like other babies. I just started going off her cues and we built our own guidelines of what's normal for her. Once I did that, life got a lot better and a lot less stressful.

I don't know if that will help you, but I thought I would share.

@irene: Goodness, yes! We have struggled so much with her sleep. She has to have things completely silent, she won't sleep anywhere but in her crib or in the car, which means we can't stay out past her nap time - ever! She gets overtired very quickly so if we miss her cue, it's such a struggle to get her to sleep. Until about a month ago, she was still waking 2-3 times per night. She still won't take more than a power nap at daycare, so she's exhausted by the time she gets home. It's been rough... Nothing we've read/tried works to change it.