DD refusing to eat (she´s ill)

Both my LOs are sick with an on-going virus, i.e. a heavy cold. They are congested and coughing a lot at nights and so their sleep and appetites have been affected. Neither has a fever.

On top of this, DD has some painful looking blisters on the tip of her tongue and a little on one side. She will only drink cold milk, water and sometimes juice which has been diluted with water. I can´t give any fruit as it hurts her too much (I made a smoothie and it didnt go down well! She cried so much even though she wanted to drink it ). I have started to mix a little cereal into her milk and she doesnt seem to mind just as long as it isn´t thick.

I belive she is hungry but its just too uncomfy for her to eat. We´re on day 3 of not eating much. On day 1 (Thursday) she ate 2 of 4 meals (lunch & dinner). On day 2 she ate just 1 meal (dinner) and today, day 3, she ate most of her dinner but drank a lot of milk over the day.

My question is: should I just leave her to eat/drink what she wants or should I call the pedi and tell him? I took both LOs to the pedi (not our usual one) on Thursday and he totally missed the tongue ulcer. It was the girls at daycare that spotted this. Anyway, I rang our usual pedi the same day who prescribed a spray for 7 days. I told him she didn´t want to eat but he said to use the spray before meals. Im also giving her Ibuprofen to take the edge off as she also has an irritated throat from the coughing.

When do you think I should call the pedi again if she keeps refusing to eat? Am I doing the right thing regarding drinks/meals? She is happy and playing but quite cranky & clingy (understandably) as she´s not getting much sleep or food. Ah, and FYI: she is on the verge of starting to walk so the frustrations of that is thrown in the mix!

TIA!

edited to add extra info

 

whenever my girls have been sick my doc has said he's not too concerned about a lack of appetite but that i should always be watching closely for dehydration. that being said, it can't hurt to call & let your pedi know what's going on - if nothing else, it will put your mind at ease.

 

As long as she is getting liquid and not getting dehydrated it shouldnt be a big deal. We dont eat as much when we are sick either. Just give her lots and lots of liquid. However if the ulcers dont get better I would check with your pedi.

 

Will she eat apple sauce or even ice cream? I thinking the cold may feel good. Or what about popsicles? We buy these slow-melting popsicles & my kids get so excited when they see them. They just love them! Anyway, I'd just keep making sure she's getting plenty of liquid & hopefully, she'll feel like eating really soon!

 

I would also make sure that she is getting plenty of liquid...when my DD was sick a few months ago, I think she barely ate for a couple of days but was drinking a lot of Pedialyte. It also cannot hurt to follow up with your pediatrician if you are concerned. Hope she feels better soon :hug:

 

I agree as long as she's keeping up her fluid intake she should be ok. However as you said you think she is hungry and is just being put off by the discomfort have you tried things like soup or mashed potato/root vegetables? Soup would not be acidic like fruit so shouldn't hurt her mouth. I'd also second the ice cream idea if she's enjoying cold things.

I hope she feels better soon.

 

Yes, she´s drinking plenty and playing hard so I guess she´s getting what she needs. She´s eating cold yogurt and drinking cold milk and will eat cereal thickened into her milk also. I offered her jarred food yesterday which has no lumps, and is smooth, and after 2 spoons she started crying (I served it cold) so I guess I have to hold off for a few more days. Her tongue is getting better but is still red.

Thanks for your feedback!

 

Max just started to eat properly after 3 days of little eating due to strep and mouth ulcers. I tried to give him teething gel before food but it wasn't thats successful. I agree with others - as long as fluid intake is kept up and think that's really all we can do until they are ready ! Hope she is feeling better soon.