3 year old not eaten anything in over 24 hours - A&E?

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DS is 3 and I'm really concerned about him tbh. I went into hospital at 33+6 due to reduced movements and a few hours later needed an emergency c section at 34 weeks exactly

He then contracted meningitis and he has hearing loss in one ear as a result, he's extremely speech delayed, I mentioned possible autism but was fobbed off and that he's speech delayed due to his hearing and the fact he was premature but he doesn't talk in sentences and doesn't say many words. He's now 3y 4m

His brother has ADHD and I know it's genetic although they do have different dads but I was constantly fobbed off when he was small too

The biggest thing is he doesn't eat much at all, I give him food and he just leaves it, he's best with lunch as he can have a plate of picky foods next to him while playing and eats through the afternoon but still it's not great
He was still on formula until a few months ago and I know that's bad but at least he was having something and ever since I stopped those bottles I've worried

Thing is he doesn't seem unwell in any way but he hasn’t eaten since yesterday and even then it wasnt much at all. I gave him porridge for breakfast and he ate a few spoonfuls and was done. Lunch was a few crackers and he left the rest on his plate and didn't eat any dinner. He suffers with constitution but did a poo last night and today he's not eaten a thing

We gave him weetabix for breakfast and he showed no interest, my partner tried to spoonfeed him it and he spat most, if not all of it out. He didn’t eat anything off his lunch time plate and refused dinner and just screamed and screamed likely because he’s overtired as he’s not napped either

I feel i should’ve called the GP but it’s too late now, wwyd? would you take to A&E as he can’t tell us what’s wrong either if he is in pain anywhere etc although he doesn’t seem it as he was happily playing/went to the park etc earlier and seems himself just he usually eats more than this even if it isn’t a lot more

I wasn’t going to comment as my situation seems unbelievable compared to the op and people commenting, but we’ve gone two weeks with only half a piece of toast during the entire two weeks, doctors and a&e not interested apart from keeping an eye on potential ketosis. If they’re drinking it’s fine. And for the pp horrified about offering a small child ‘fizzy pop’ or whatever they said, we’ve been by health professionals told on more than one occasion to give them a glass of coke or lucozade.

Yes, my son was already pretty underweight and by the end of the 5 weeks of very, very little food was obviously far more so, but they still weren’t overly concerned as long as he was drinking.
He’s 7 now (he was 3 when this happened) and if he’s remotely under the weather eating is still the first thing to go. He’ll often go an entire day/night with no food, and he only drinks water so no calories coming from there either!

I completely agree about moderation but at 3?! My 3 year old doesn’t even know what fizzy pop is.

DD would go off he’d food whenever she was coming down with a virus, that and a slight vinegary smell that apparently only I could smell were my sure fire signs she was about to get a high temperature. We always took the approach that whatever she would eat was good food during those periods even if it meant for a couple of days she lived on ice cream and jelly. As long as that doesn’t become their diet day in day out it’s fine as an occasional means to an end.

I think as long as he’s drinking enough to mean he’s weeing every few hours it’s unlikely A&E would be able to do anything to help, but keep an eye on him check his temperature and look at his ears and throat to see if there’s any signs of an infection.

When they aren't eating, calories are calories. My youngest is autistic and often has days off from eating. It's best not to act like you even notice. Leave stuff out he can graze on like babybel, chopped veg with dip, even chocolates if it's tempting enough. And yes, I give her coke, lucozade etc. I calorie load her drinks if she isn't getting them from food.

I once gave her a large scoop shake from an ice cream shop every day for a week to try and put weight on her. It's not an A&E job, they won't do anything until bmi drops dangerously low. They won't force/tube feed a child unless it's absolutely necessary and usually these non eating phases pass in a few days.

Give him a bottle of formula, there’s nothing wrong with that at all!

Another one saying try formula - DD had real issues with food (still does) and was drinking it until she was 5. At your DS's age it was where the majority of her calories came from; encouraging her to eat alongside formula is what worked for us.

I’m guessing they don’t have teenage relatives!

AFRID? My oldest has it and trying to get him to eat has always been painful. He’s 18 now and still eats very little. Autism and eating issues go hand in hand.

24 hours of not eating wouldn’t concern me me.

My child has been through a huge amount of medical trauma, is tiny for her age, currently under the care of two dietitians into two different hospitals etc.

If she didn't eat for 24 hours I'd be worried that she was coming down with something but I wouldn't go to A&E or anything.

I'd see how it he is tomorrow, focus on things that are high calorie, milkshakes are good (you can always blend ice cream in them), things like apple juice, and if you're got concerns that he's poorly book a GP appointment.

Hi OP, have been in a similar boat with my autistic son when he was age 3.

He had reduced eating and vomiting on and off for 7 weeks - as in he was unable to attend nursery for 7 weeks because he was never 48 hour free for vomiting (!!!). He too had constipation but was doing poos during this time.

We attended the GP many, many times in this period so much that one of the GPs said that I was the ill person and NOT my son. We attended hospital twice including to have IV fluids.

on the third hospital visit they did an abdominal xray which showed he was severely constipated despite pooing - basically his bowel was nearly completely blocked but some poo was getting around the blockage (sorry for details). He was examined by many GPs and hospital doctors in this 7 week period and no one had suspected constipation until the xray.

long story short, please don’t rule out constipation as the cause for him going off food.

Did you stop formula under medical advice? If not I would keep giving it to him, especially if he isn't eating well and needs to gain weight. Or something like pediasure.

There's not really much A&E can do if your child isn't eating, but is drinking and has no red flag symptoms. Believe me, I've been there done that and got the T shirt.

I have a child with ARFID who survives off sunlight and vimto.

He occasionally won't eat anything for over 24 hours, although when he reduces drinking it's usually a sign of an illness yet to come like HFMD, that doesn't usually bother him but does affect how much he can tolerate.

The advice I have always been given is find something calorific they will eat or drink and give them that. If its milkshake, then provide that on tap, if it's ice lollies or ice cream or icecream soup then you just give them that.

If there's red flag symtoms like a fever that cannot be relieved with paracetamol, diaphragmatic breathing, or excessive drowsiness or inability to rouse, then it's an A&E job.

Lucozade's original purpose included giving energy to ill people who were off their food. Children were often given it to pep them up while ill/ recovering.
Until it was ruined by taking the glucose sugars out and dumping useless artificial sweetners in removing the point of the product

I agree with a previous poster, he could still be constipated. GP appt tomorrow would be a good idea, they can palpate the stomach to see if he feels constipated. They can also check weight and height. If he's struggling with constipation and weight gain, they should refer to a paediatrician or at least start movicol to resolve the constipation. My daughter was a very poor eater, and constipated at that age, and struggled with incontinence (both kinds). It's been a long journey but now at age 10, we are finally getting there. Low dose of movicol daily, and lots of exercise has helped the constipation and given her an appetite finally. She's waiting to be assessed for autism.

They do, and a teenager for a sibling!

I don't think it's an A&E issue. Keep an eye on the pain though as that's the only thing that sounds urgent.
The rest sounds like speaking to a GP about in general and seeing whether a paediatric referral would be made. Though reading other posters comments then it's unlikely they will do anything much.

If he is drinking & otherwise well I really wouldn't take him to a&e. It's traumatic for any child (and you!) let alone one that's possibly autistic/ADHD.

Sounds like it's ARFID which is very common in autistic children. A&E won't be able to diagnose or refer you they will only check that he doesn't need emergency fluids & check for severe malnourishment. That doesn't happen in a few days if he is drinking

You need specialist support for ARFID & your best option is your GP. You might need to be persistent as it's quite hard to access.

My DD used to regularly skip 2-3 meals in a row at that age. She had been too reliant on formula for sustenance and we cut that out to encourage better consumption of solids. It was a very frustrating and worrying time though as she was a skinny and very active toddler so really did need a lot more calories than she would take on board. However we persisted and somehow made it through. I think eventually she just decided one day that eating wasn't as bad as she'd previously thought and started picking things up and putting them in her mouth.

There is nothing wrong with giving some 7up to a sick child. He should still be drinking fluids, could he have tonsillitis??

Give him some calpol and try to get some fluids into him over the next hour, and he will will not drink fluids then you have a problem.

The OP has said that he’s still drinking fluids.

They also don’t know what a million pounds is but it still exists.

Yes thanks, sorry I just saw that, she said 3 cups today. As long as he is drinking and weeing then that’s good news.

I’m guessing your 3yo doesn’t have severe issues with food and you’ve never been advised by a doctor to give them whatever they’ll eat or drink, even if it’s nothing but fizzy pop, crisps and chocolate.