No food, no energy cycle in 4yo - help!

[amousehaseatenmypaddlingpool]

DS has never been a great eater. Very picky, very small amounts. Usually we cope but it's starting to impact what we do.

This morning he's eaten half a home made pancake - plain, so maybe four bites. He's drunk a small glass of milk.

We want to go out on his bike but I know (because it's happened repeatedly) that by the time we get out, get the bike and go to the park, he'll be tired and want to go home. For a while I could top him up with a banana or an apple but he's decided that they are disgusting. He was eating hot cross buns but now he doesn't like raisins.

I know if he does some exercise he'll eat better but he won't do any significant exercise because he's got no calorific energy in him.

How do I break the cycle? Can I?

[Ecureuil]

What does he like to eat?

[SnugglySnerd]

Would he drink a smoothie? I'm just thinking that might give him enough energy to get out and do something energetic which as you say might give him more of an appetite.

[AlbusPercival]

Some sort of build up milkshake?

Will he eat peanut butter?

[Mummysh0rtlegs]

My 4 year old would happily eat nothing, he has to sit at the table until I am satisfied he has eaten enough. It is hard, but I know if I insist he will eat more. I try and make higher fat foods, but he can't have dairy so it is tricky.

[amousehaseatenmypaddlingpool]

I can't guarantee he'll eat anything. He won't try anything new and things he usually likes are suddenly disgusting.

He'll always drink orange juice but that's it. I'm nervous about him drinking too much because of his teeth. The dentist is happy with his teeth but only because I ration the flipping stuff. Do I just let him drink how ever much he wants and hope it'll improve?

[Mummysh0rtlegs]

No, he needs to feel hungry and orange juice will just fill him up. I allow fussiness with things they do not like and have never liked (courgettes for ds1) but if he hate it yesterday he will eat it today.


I think it is concerning that a 4 year old is lacking energy so badly they can't play for a decent length of time, is he at nursery? How is he there? I'd be seeing the GP for a dietician referral for some real help. We have been under dieticians (DS1 weighs around 30lbs at 4 and is pretty tiny, but he is always on the go) and they are so helpful. They can show you how to encourage eating.

[scottgirl]

Please take him for a check up, at 4 he should be having fun and not running out of energy so easily. (DS had to have liquid iron 4x a day for months and it transformed him!) He is still receiving calorie supplements at age 5 under care of a Paediatric Dietician.

[amousehaseatenmypaddlingpool]

We aren't so bad that we need the GP (his cousin is a GP, they see each other all the time and she's not concerned).

It's more that he's never running around enough to build up an appetite; so he never eats more than a few bites of a meal, so he's never got enough energy to run around like a lunatic, like some of his friends.

It's not like he's lying limp on the sofa all day!

He's currently eating Cheerios by stabbing them with a straw, maybe I just need to make meal times a. It more of a game.

[Ecureuil]

Maybe he isn't just a running around kind of child?
My 2 need exercising like dogs (they're like caged animals if they don't run around for a couple of hours a day) but they still have pretty small appetites.