Expert: Dr. Taher Kagalwala - 10/28/2009

Question
My daughter is 13 months old. She was recently tested for iron and such and was low on iron. We got her changed over to whole milk and she would eat good a couple months ago. For the past 2 months its been a struggle to find something she likes. I have tried a little bit of everything and even made shapes, cut in small finger size pieces, tried to even give her french fries(which was her absolute favorite), rice, jello, yogurt, ect and she wont budge. Lately she seems to not get enough to drink.. she is constantly wanting something wet to drink.

She has a runny nose but its clear and i figure thats from the teething. I have to use the suction about every hour to keep her from getting choked up on it or spitting it in her mouth. She did run a temp of 103 at one point but i brought it down and she hasnt ran a fever since. She is very fussy and her bowls are perfect one minute and bad the next.. sometimes it even comes down to struggling to have a bowl movement. She has been very tired lately and wakes up several times in the night crying and whimpering a little.

I know she is teething and i was wondering if this was a cause from teething or should i just go ahead and call her Dr and make an appt.

Im a first time mom and i dont know if this should be a concern or if im just over worrying?

Answer
Dear Ashley,

First of all, apologies for a late reply. I think most toddlers between 1 and 5 years of age are care-free eaters, and cannot be forced to eat. In fact, many children will eat satisfactorily only once in about 6-8 meals, that is, every third day or so ... she probably had a viral cold, and by the time this answer reaches your inbox, she is already free of fever and loose stooling. If not, please let me know her fresh status.

= drtaher