Help with 2 year old who's stopped eating

[jordmoder]

Our 29 month old DS had a bout of the stomach flu about a month ago. He had very very very little appetite for about 10 days and then started eating a little more. He got a cold 10 days ago with a bad cough and has stopped eating again.

I know children are wise in their bodies and he is trying to heal himself ... but how do I help him?

Does anyone know of a constitutional remedy that might help him? I've been giving him echinacea this last week for the cold, and am (finally) giving him probiotics to re-colonize his poor little system. Other suggestions?

He's starting to lose weight. Seems mostly happy and active, but I'm worried!

TIA

Barbar

[Yaya & Kais mom]

I know its been a long time since youve posted, and I am hoping that you have found answers by now. But, just incase, I thpight I would relay my experience and what helped!

My daughter, right before she turned 2 started the same thing, not eating. What she ate in a week seemed to be what she should have eaten in a day. SOmetimes it was my imagination and hypersensitivity to the matter. I started writing everything down, and then I would look at it from a week long and then month long perspective. From those views I saw it wasnt as bad as I felt it was on a day to day basis. But she still wasnt eating enough. About a month into this her 1st molar broke. I realized that this was probably a major reason for this lack of appetite. Her attitude also changed dramatically in this time, and she was really difficult and MOODY! (she was born with an attitude, but it just got to the point where we couldnt laugh at it any more!)

By the time we got thru her molars, about 2 months total, she was back to eating, and for a while she ate like a horse!! I think she probably lost a little weight, about a pound, but her body shifted around a lot, she got more of a toddler form to her.

Basically, watch the over all signs. Is he generally healthy and happy and like his normal self? Has he gotten his 2 yr molars? Does he like to chew a lot more on things? Write his diet down and look at it from a weekly perspective. And most importantly, listen to your innerself. If you feel like something is realy wrong, seek help!

I do hope al of this is behind you and that this message is now useless!

[jordmoder]

Thanks, Yaya and Kais Mom!

He is better, thank goodness. He is a really subtle child in terms of illness, and when he finally ran a temp I figured he probably needed something to fight bacteria. So, after using echinacea and all kinds of other things, we put him on a round of antibiotics (only the 2nd time in his life) and although it took a week, he responded really well and is now eating like a horse, and NOT COUGHING for the first time in MONTHS.

I still think he could use a constitutional remedy, but for now it's not urgent.

Thanks again!

Barbara