How long after illness will appetite return?

[Latte Mama]

My DS recently had Coxsackie virus (hand,foot, and mouth disease). Between the fever, mouth sores, and malaise, his appetite disappeared for almost 2 weeks and he lost quite a bit of weight. He was about 28 lbs before illness.

Now that he's finally feeling better, he's started to eat again but it's really slow going. All the things he used to love, he's acting wierd with them. For example, he used to love chicken and turkey and now I can barely get him to take a bite. He'll usually eat breakfast but the rest of the days meals are a toss up. He's still nursing and he'll usually get at leats 2-3 good sessions in.

Is this just slow recovery from being sick? Will he get back to being my good eater?

[UK Mom]

I remember when my eldest was sick when he was about 2, he went off food for about 3 weeks. It was longer than expected, and I was starting to get worried, but then all of a sudden he wanted to eat again. Your little one may be post viral and taking his time to recover his appetite.

He will most likely be a good eater again - his fussiness now is probably due to a lack of appetite. Have you ever had a stomach bug and not wanted to eat for a few days after? Even your favorite foods? Mostly likely same with him. (Just be aware that if he ate a lot of something while he was ill or just coming down with it, he may go off that for a while - that has happened to me, like it was a reminder of being ill.)

The fact that he is nursing is great! He will get what he needs until he is ready for more food. Good luck with him!