# how long can a 4 year old go with out eating any food of substance?



## edamommy (Apr 6, 2004)

my ds has always been an insanely "picky" eater. I use the term picky pretty freely, as truly he doesn't eat at all. On any given day he will eat maybe ONE thing of substance (either a pb&j or a scrambled egg) and he will drink a glass of milk. Other than that, he will not eat food... unless it is gummy bears. REally. That's it. How long can a child stay alive like this and what will the repracussions be? I mentally cannot stand to feed him any more.

and for all you god-like spelling bee champions... so sorry for the misspellings...


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## Teensy (Feb 22, 2002)

If you are seriously concerned with his health, maybe you could consult a nutritionist. She might have some better ideas.

Will DS eat fruit (strawberries and melon are sweet)? Can you add a supplement to his milk - something like Carnation Instant Breakfast? They do make gummy vitamins for kids, so I guess that could help some.

If you are just frustrated, but not seriously concerned at this point, maybe you could just stock a good snack box and snack drawer in the frig and let DS eat what he wants, when we wants from them and stop serving meals to him altogether.

Sounds very frustrating.


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

I would also look into sensory processing disorder. Try "The Out of Sync Child" or "Sensational Kids".

Friends of ours had a daughter was down to 2-3 foods, and working with an occupational therapist got her to tolerate more foods. It turns out that she was under-responding to the sensations in her mouth, and then would be 'surprised' by the texture when she did notice it. Since she couldn't make sense out of the sensations in her mouth, it was more 'comfortable' not to eat than to eat and be freaked out.


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## SusanInItaly (Oct 5, 2003)

This is interesting to me as well, because my 6 yr old is a horrible eater. I have to make smoothies (fruit/yogurt) in order for her to eat ANY fruit. She complains about seeds, peelings, you name it. No matter if I cut them off or trim stuff up she will not eat any fruits. She also only eats cold carrots dipped in ranch, broccoli steamed until it's very soft and w/cheese, and corn on the cob. She doesn't eat any red meat and pretty much only likes carbs, chicken and cheese.

She makes me nuts! I think I might bring this up w/her doc too.


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## grisandole (Jan 11, 2002)

Wow, that's not much to eat! He really needs more protein and vitamins, as I'm sure you know. I'd definitely look into sensory or other issues....will he drink a shake? If so, then you can add some protien powder and fruits to it.

I'm going to move this to nutrition and good eating


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## velochic (May 13, 2002)

It's more than how long he can go without eating real food. At this point in his life, he needs the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, protein, etc. for his body to build key components, including the synapses in the brain. If he is lacking in the nutrition, the body can't build itself like it needs to. It's different for kids than for adults. We're trying to stop the aging process and kids are trying trying to encourage it. I'd definitely see a nutritionist or find out about sensory problems because this is a critical time for kids to get adequate nutrition.

I'm lucky that my 5 year old eats anything. Part of what works for us is that we only have food in the house that she can eat. We do have occasional candy, but it's rare, and it's not something I bought, but rather something from school. I always give dd choices among several healthy foods. I've just never offered her junk foods. She hasn't ever had a hot dog or chicken mcnuggets or soda pop or white bread, etc. So the first step, I think would be to get rid of the gummi bears. No longer let them be an option... ever.


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## rainyday (Apr 28, 2006)

It's definitely worth getting things checked out, but I thought I'd be the voice of dissent. IME, some kids can go a really long time eating basically nothing. What you described sounds just like my DS for a really long time. I basically had to cut out all snacks/junky foods because I realized that he would not eat for days but would gorge on cookies at a friend's house after not eating for three days. I got rid of all sweets/crackers and similar not-nutritious things from our house and strictly limited them at others. (Like, sure, have some, but this small cookie or these three crackers are all you get. If you're still hungry, we can go home and get some food.)

We also read the Ellyn Satter books, which helped us a lot. Her premise is that you're responsible for providing a variety of healthy foods, but your child is responsible for how much to eat, if anything. When we really backed off and made sure that the choices available were healthy, his eating eventually improved a lot, and now he eats pretty healthfully. While we were in the middle of it, I'd have been absolutely thrilled to have DS eat what your child eats, so I do know where you're coming from.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

i lived on instant mashed potatoes, fries, cream of wheat, pbj, and canned chili for a long time in that age range. i can remember when my gma finally talked me into strawberries, i liked them. i can remember i didn't want to at meat b/c it had blood in it lol. other than the meat thing i think most of my pickiness was b/c it was allowed, thank god my son eats anything


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## 2 in August (Jan 6, 2006)

My dd is extremely picky too. She survives on about 3 fruits, a few veggies and crackers. She's healthy, never get's sick. She long and lean.


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## Malva (Nov 2, 2005)

Kids can survive and pb and crackers for a long long time.


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## Ms. Mom (Nov 18, 2001)

So many mama's face this issue







and it can be very trying to get a toddler to venture out of his comfort foods. My son would have eaten potatos and pizza for EVERY meal had I let him. What I did was get creative. I let him mashed potatoes and 'gravy'. the gravy was pureed veggies or I would just steam some and put it in the potato's.

You said he eat's eggs and that's great, you can do some pretty creative things with eggs







adding some pureed veggies or even small pieces if he'll eat them. Putting the eggs on bread or an English muffin may make it easier.

Another thing I found helpful was talking to my son about his body and how it's growing. Telling him about the foods that make him strong and healthy and then taking him shopping - showing him the colors of different fruits and veggies and asking him to pick one thing he'd like to try.

Go slowly with adding new foods and keep talking to him about how powerful foods are and how they keep you feeling good inside. A 4 year old won't completely 'get it' at first, but at 4 they really do want to please mama and daddy and will want to work with you to some degree.


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## edamommy (Apr 6, 2004)

ummmmmmmmmmmmm my child isn't a toddler- this shouldn't have been moved.


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## edamommy (Apr 6, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Teensy* 
If you are seriously concerned with his health, maybe you could consult a nutritionist. She might have some better ideas.

Will DS eat fruit (strawberries and melon are sweet)? Can you add a supplement to his milk - something like Carnation Instant Breakfast? They do make gummy vitamins for kids, so I guess that could help some.

If you are just frustrated, but not seriously concerned at this point, maybe you could just stock a good snack box and snack drawer in the frig and let DS eat what he wants, when we wants from them and stop serving meals to him altogether.

Sounds very frustrating.

ok.. he DOES eat fruit. Everyday (hmmm I left that out!). He loves fruit. and he eats his vitamins daily and starts the day w/ a yogurt smoothy.... sometimes that's ALL he eats the smoothy and some fruit (he'll eatr a lbs of berries if we let him!) and vitamins


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## edamommy (Apr 6, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jacque Savageau* 
So many mama's face this issue







and it can be very trying to get a toddler to venture out of his comfort foods. My son would have eaten potatos and pizza for EVERY meal had I let him. What I did was get creative. I let him mashed potatoes and 'gravy'. the gravy was pureed veggies or I would just steam some and put it in the potato's.

You said he eat's eggs and that's great, you can do some pretty creative things with eggs







adding some pureed veggies or even small pieces if he'll eat them. Putting the eggs on bread or an English muffin may make it easier.

Another thing I found helpful was talking to my son about his body and how it's growing. Telling him about the foods that make him strong and healthy and then taking him shopping - showing him the colors of different fruits and veggies and asking him to pick one thing he'd like to try.

Go slowly with adding new foods and keep talking to him about how powerful foods are and how they keep you feeling good inside. A 4 year old won't completely 'get it' at first, but at 4 they really do want to please mama and daddy and will want to work with you to some degree.


oh he gets it. He's not a toddler he's 4 and in preschool. He's very controlling. He knows the "whys" of why he has to eat... he just assumes he knows more than we do... really!







:


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## edamommy (Apr 6, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *grisandole* 
Wow, that's not much to eat! He really needs more protein and vitamins, as I'm sure you know. I'd definitely look into sensory or other issues....will he drink a shake? If so, then you can add some protien powder and fruits to it.

I'm going to move this to nutrition and good eating










I'm not allowed at nutrition and good eating for having believing that one isn't a vegetarian if one knowling and repeatidly eats meat. so moving it there will not help me at all!


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## Ms. Mom (Nov 18, 2001)

Oops, it got moved by mistake - I've moved it back.

They are stubborn at 4 aren't they? If he's eating a smoothie and fruit every day that's wonderful! Are you able to get him to eat veggies? If not, can you put some greens in his eggs?


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## sunnmama (Jul 3, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *edamommy* 
ok.. he DOES eat fruit. Everyday (hmmm I left that out!). He loves fruit. and he eats his vitamins daily and starts the day w/ a yogurt smoothy.... sometimes that's ALL he eats the smoothy and some fruit (he'll eatr a lbs of berries if we let him!) and vitamins

if my 4 yo ate a yogurt smoothie for breakfast, fruit throughout the day, milk and a pbj for dinner, i wouldn't be worried. how is his health/growth? i suspect he is getting what he needs.


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## OakBerry (May 24, 2005)

Edamommy, my ds is 4.9, and he is getting more and more picky. I am at the point of getting rid of the snacks and sweets so he will make better choices. But I have noticed he's cut way back on eating in general, almost as if his body just doesn't need it. He's very thin, so I obsess when he doesn't eat.









How is your ds growing? Does he seem healthy?


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## Mamma Mia (Aug 3, 2005)

At least they make gummy vitamins!!

My dd is picky too. I don't know how kids go so long without real food. I mean, with all that energy, I cannot believe she doesn't lose weight!


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## ikesmom (Oct 29, 2005)

my niece and nephew were REALLY picky eaters until recently. Niece is 11 and nephew is 7.
I would just try to encourage it gently and model how excited you are to try different things. If you push them to hard they end up being defiant about food.

The yogurt smoothie is a good opportunity to mix in other things in small amounts. You could even add a little avocado to a chocolate smoothie and he probably wouldn't notice. You could add a green supplement as well. Try butter, whole milk, even pudding if he will take it.

I use to buy a nutrition powder at the health food store and have my niece drink it when she wouldn't eat a meal. She was soooo skinny and seemed tired a lot of the time.

I am doing childcare for a 5 yr old right now and he will only eat fruit, cheese , eggs, crackers, and juice. We have to push water







. I make him taste what we are serving and then he eats his cheese, cracker ect. He gawks and his eyes water when he tastes something new but the other day he ate a whole piece of chicken.







Good luck I know it is frustrating.


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sunnmama* 
if my 4 yo ate a yogurt smoothie for breakfast, fruit throughout the day, milk and a pbj for dinner, i wouldn't be worried. how is his health/growth? i suspect he is getting what he needs.

ITA. I think my ds would like to live on maple syrup, pizzeria pizza, plain pasta, and pretzels (and breastmilk!), right now. I'm happy he has branched out to spinach ravioli and tricolored pasta. It seems like progress that he'll eat something green colored, if only green colored pasta. For a while this winter, he was eating oatmeal with syrup, sweet potatoes with butter, and pears everyday. I was amazed.


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## ikesmom (Oct 29, 2005)

I just remembered a tbs. of blackstrap molasses is really high in iron if you wanted to up iron intake


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## rainyday (Apr 28, 2006)

Also, remember that eating is really cyclical, especially for kids. Right now my DS is on a huge eating kick. He's eating a ton. For close to a year, he ate very little, but he kept getting taller anyway, though he did lose some weight and was pretty skinny when he finally got his appetite back. I think it's perfectly normal for kids to have pretty tiny appetites at times, sometimes for several months at a time.


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## edamommy (Apr 6, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *velochic* 
It's more than how long he can go without eating real food. At this point in his life, he needs the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, protein, etc. for his body to build key components, including the synapses in the brain. If he is lacking in the nutrition, the body can't build itself like it needs to. It's different for kids than for adults. We're trying to stop the aging process and kids are trying trying to encourage it. I'd definitely see a nutritionist or find out about sensory problems because this is a critical time for kids to get adequate nutrition.

I'm lucky that my 5 year old eats anything. Part of what works for us is that we only have food in the house that she can eat. We do have occasional candy, but it's rare, and it's not something I bought, but rather something from school. I always give dd choices among several healthy foods. I've just never offered her junk foods. She hasn't ever had a hot dog or chicken mcnuggets or soda pop or white bread, etc. So the first step, I think would be to get rid of the gummi bears. No longer let them be an option... ever.

we don't eat meat of any kind. we don't do fst food. no white bread or processed crap. The gummies are organic and vegetarian... for what that's worth! LOL


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## AbbieB (Mar 21, 2006)

After you added the post about the smoothy and fruit....no worries!

He will eat more when he hits the next growth spurt. My DD went for a month or more where I was aware she was barley eating anything too. Then overnight she became a Hoover and we couldn't keep enough food in the house for her.

As kids grow the super hungry/not so hungry phases space out. Maybe that's why we start to notice them and worry. It just seems like the not eating phase goes on forever.

Just keep the good choices available and trust your child to eat to his hunger.


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## mommy68 (Mar 13, 2006)

I would talk to his pediatrician. However, if he is hungry he will eat. That's what I've always been told and what I've read in books. As long as he is healthy and not falling sick really often then I'm sure he is fine. He will eventually start to eat more.

Maybe just keep offering him things throughout the day and make sure he sits at the table until a meal you give him is eaten to your satisfaction, things like that.


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy68* 
I would talk to his pediatrician. However, if he is hungry he will eat. That's what I've always been told and what I've read in books. As long as he is healthy and not falling sick really often then I'm sure he is fine. He will eventually start to eat more.

Maybe just keep offering him things throughout the day and make sure he sits at the table until a meal you give him is eaten to your satisfaction, things like that.

Popular advice, I know, but sadly there really are children who won't eat when they are hungry if the food is not right. Some children have serious sensory issues and a food that is not the right texture wouldn't even be recognized as edible to them. Some children have serious gag reflexes that interfere with eating.

Keeping a child at a table until he eats a required amount has some potential pitfalls that I would personally want to avoid. I'd be concerned it would turn food into a power struggle. I'd also be concerned that my child wouldn't learn to follow his own hunger cues. I can see that some children might need a little encouragement to stop playing long enough to eat, though.


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## octobermom (Aug 31, 2005)

Quote:

Popular advice, I know, but sadly there really are children who won't eat when they are hungry if the food is not right. Some children have serious sensory issues and a food that is not the right texture wouldn't even be recognized as edible to them. Some children have serious gag reflexes that interfere with eating.
Yes I have this child. She was FTT by four months had a fedding tube put in. Its VERY difficult to learn your childs whos breastfeed on demand is starving them selfs. At two she was officaly diagnoised with infant anexoria and we finially began getting her properly diagnoised..
We work and batttle with food daily. HAve you had him evulated? My DD has oral motar issues and food aversions. She works with a OT 4 days a week on this and sees a nutrionalist twice a month. Speech therapy has also helped. Have him checked dental wise as well...
we can go day and days where mine wont eat period nothing. Not fruit not meat not candy she wont drink eaither she just wants water or nothing. She has starved herself to the point of us needing to put in a feeding tube and she was 4 months







.
SO today we still deal with huge texture issues and we have to be VERY careful to avoid certain things because ONE bad experience and she goes back to refusing stuff. I always have on hand foods shes will eat (or really try) over time we do have a short list of fairly healthy stuff and frankly I run with it. As for the junk we just don't buy it. Here EVERY bite needs to count we make high calorie packed meals. Like she will eat peanut butter and jelly so I do whole grain bread with butter and almondbutter and we mash a bannana mix with a little maple syrup for the "jelly" and shes got a higher fat (which she needs) a protein a fruit and enough sugar to maintain her blood sugar and give her stimulate her appitate JUST enough. We do a lot of fried foods. seriously frying isn't a bad thing if you do it right...KFC doesn't count.
We also don't sweat the small things. Like DD wants ketchup with every meat but umm wont actually eat the ketcup







So I buy a cheep bottle squirt a litttle on her plate and rejoice that she eactually eats two bites of a protein.


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *octobermom* 
Like DD wants ketchup with every meat but umm wont actually eat the ketcup







So I buy a cheep bottle squirt a litttle on her plate and rejoice that she eactually eats two bites of a protein.

















Hey, just her wanting it on her plate and looking at it is a good thing!


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## octobermom (Aug 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *4evermom* 







Hey, just her wanting it on her plate and looking at it is a good thing!









Yep falls under the don't sweat the small stuff and be thankful for what you get catagory


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## edamommy (Apr 6, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sunnmama* 
if my 4 yo ate a yogurt smoothie for breakfast, fruit throughout the day, milk and a pbj for dinner, i wouldn't be worried. how is his health/growth? i suspect he is getting what he needs.


he's a skinny mini weighing a whopping 32lbs... he never LOSES weight... he just is so slow at gaining.

He is 40.5inches tall.

He's bright and articulate and a super handfull... he does get tired easily... which makes me concerned...but that's the only thing I see in him, aside from being so skinny, that causes concern.


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