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My son is 13 months old. He all of a sudden has stopped eating. He will drink about a 3-4 ounces of milk for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a few bites of food. Usually he eats a decent breakfast, a little less for lunch, and almost no supper. I know kids go through phases, but I am still a little worried. Since he only eats a little bit of food, are there certain foods I should be trying to feed him? I know he won't starve because he will eat when he is hungry but I want to be getting the right nutrients. He was already a picky eater before this "phase", and now it seems a lot worse.

I would try to give him nutrient dense foods when he does eat...like pieces of roasted veggies or high protein foods like beans or meat. Since he will drink his milk, have you tried making yogurt smoothies?

Do you know how much he should be eating at his age/weight? Ive heard that, too, about phases which cause increases and decreases in daily nutritional intake. They sure know how to keep us on our toes!

April, in this month's issue of Parenting Magazine, a mother asks this question. The doctor tells her it's normal. The doctor says:
1. toddlers are too busy playing to eat
2. toddlers are picky eaters
3. children's rate of growth slows down after 12 months

The doc says the child won't starve, just offer healthy choices throughout the day.

And seek help if:
1. your child is losing weight
2. your child has a stomachache or other pains
3. your child is vomiting, has diarrhea or blood in the stools
4. has a fever, cough or other signs of illness

HTH!

Actually, he has had a change in bowel movements, I won't go into detail, but I'm thinking he may have had a bit of a stomach virus. He may be getting better though because today he ate a little more than he has been.

How's Alec doing? Better? Eating more now that it's been a few more days?

Yes, he is doing much better. Thanks for asking. It did last about 8 days though. It was wierd because he didn't act sick, just wouldn't eat and had diarrhea. Anyway, I am glad it's over. It's not fun trying to force your child to eat!