3 yr old DD not eating a thing just 400mls of milk is her only food

I am a devstated mum. DD is refusing to eat every thing. if she is in a mood she would eat a slice of cheese or couple of strawberries.
she would be the only child on planet who even refuses to et icecream, chocos and chips.she doesn't like fries or MAc strange isn't it.

she simple doesn't appeal to anything her weight is 12 kgs from past one year she simply looks very weak she is taller than average girls of her age.
I make eggs, rice , deserts, muffins but why can't she eat I don't get it.Doctor says its alright but No i don't think its normal.In her playgroup I saw kids younger than age eating there lunch and asking there mums for more and my DD always threw her fruit, sandwich in to the bin there :( :(

I give her multivitamins, but still she looks irritable and v pale. I could feel when we go out she get tired pretty soon ( seems like iron deficient)

advise me what would you do if you child does have same eating disorder

I It sounds like you have good reasons for being concerned, and although i have often heard of young children eating very little and being fine, if she is pale and irritable and weak, and tiring easily, I think you need a second opinion.

If she is literally not consuming any solid food in a 24 hour period, then yes, I'd be concerned too and I'm surprised that your GP was not. I'd be seeking a second opinion and asking for a referral to a pediatric occupational therapist or speech pathologist to assess why she is refusing food.

You will likely be encouraged to refuse her milk in the hope that she will be hungry enough to try other things, but if her intake is as limited as you describe then I would only do this under the supervision of a medical professional.

Food can cause such anxiety! You sound very worried about her. Are you happy with what your GP has said? Do you think it might be helpful for you to speak to someone else perhaps?
If you tally up her food intake over a week or so, what has she had over the whole time? Maybe it's more than you think...
What happens if you don't give her the milk?

As a child care worker we get asked about eating all the time. A few parents have had their child looked at by a paed and turned out their tonsils were too enlarged to actually swallow large amounts of food. Could this be an issue perhaps?

Seems odd that the go dismissed it without seeing if there was a physical issue causing her discomfort when she is eating which is why she prefers milk,

My niece eats like a bird but still has plenty of energy and color to her face

I'd def get a second opinion and a referral it wouldn't be something I'd put up with

Mayby replace milk with kids sustagen or an older toddler formula in the meantime

Also drinking a lot of milk could be affecting her iron absorption try increase her vit c intake to counteract it

Milk is considered a whole food so fills them up and they don't want anything else. But if she is tired/pale I would be getting a second opinion. Does your multivitamin have iron? I would think about getting an iron supplement like ferro grad to encourage her appetite. Try small pieces of fruit raspberries were a hit when we went through similar food issues. Also is she constipated? Dd had issues and didn't eat much at all until we started to sort that out.

Black_rose
just checked her multi vits it has fairly v little iron, I am going to buy ferro grad thanks for telling me that.I tried to hide the milk bottle today and she missed her evening milk I felt she was hungry looking for here and there for some food and accepted two table spoons of rice ( but the only problem is milk is v easy access to her she can even unlock the fridge and grab the bottle of milk I don't have those hi fi fridges where I can hide the bottles of milk under shelves.yes she is constipated too that is a big problem for us too.( I did try in past to restrict her milk intake, she eat properly for couple of days but then kept refusing any solids and I had to re start her milk.)


I usually give her pieces of fruits in a bowel but they remained untouched, biscuits, bread slice with jam or butter after one bite she gave every thing to birds.
she likes blueberries but only when she is in mood

when last time doc checked her she checked her throat and ears too and she was fine, probably this is time to get her rechecked.

I would've very worried too. 400 Mls wouldn't be enough to fill her up so much that she won't eat, surely! Maybe another GP visit is in order? I would even consider a blood test.

My suggestion would be push for a referral for a paediatrician.
In the mean time I would put her on a toddler formula rather than plain cows milk.

My eldest has an aversion to many textures & for many years would eat very little. When the paediatrician saw him & hear what he ate she ordered blood tests to check for deficiency, but because he was on toddler formula (with added probiotics) his blood tests came back fine.

Is it possible your girl has texture aversion? Or like others said what are her tonsils & adenoids like?

My DD used to substitute food for cows milk. We had to start refusing milk in order to get her to eat more food. She is quite a petite girl so she doesnt eat large amounts of food anyway and if she was given milk then she wouldnt really eat much at all. Given your little one is so unwell id push for a second opinion or seek a dietician advice.

How're things going Nimra?

I would be going back to GP and demanding a referal to a Pead, also consult with a dietican. If she has aversions to textures then an OT and Speech pathologist can help.

If is not enough for her to have 400mls of milk only in a day and does not give her nutrition apart from calcium and a small amount of some other vitamins. Until you see a pead I suggest trying a toddler forumla or childrens sustagen (i do not agree with toddler formulas but in your case it is a good thing to try as will get some vitamins)

Good luck xoxo