New Member.....help me!!

[MissMum81]

Hi everyone. I'm Mum to Erin who is 11 months old in a few days. She's a beautiful, happy little girl & is developing really well. There's just one big issue....her weight.
She was 7.7 born & gained in the first few weeks but then slowed right down & she became very constipated. After several Dr/HV Visits, she was eventually given SMA LF which seemed to do the trick. However, I weaned her from about 5 months and slowly started to re-introduce milk products such as yogurts, cheese etc and up until very recently she has eaten fairly well although she has never really had a big appetite. A few weeks ago she had fish pie for tea & about 1/2hr later she developed a rash all over her tummy, legs & back. Dr passed it off as teething but didn't rule out the fish pie as it was the first time she'd eaten it. He prescribed some Aqueous cream & said it would clear up in a couple of days and to try the fish pie 2 weeks later to see if she had the same reaction.
I didn't do this as I was scared of the reaction she'd have and also didn't think it was very nice to make her itchy again as she clawed at her skin the previous time, poor little thing. Anyway, for the last few days, she has been totally off her food. She'll have about 7ozs milk first thing (SMA Follow-on), a biscuit and drink mid-morning but won't touch lunch unless it's crisps (the carrot ones) or cheese strips and even then she only has a few mouthfuls and then refuses anymore. She drinks plenty though. Tea times are a disaster too lately as she won't touch anything and ends up getting upset when I try to encourage her. Her nappies are awful too & the rash is back. I'm taking her to the Dr's later today but wondered if anyone else had experiences something similar?
I'm pretty sure she is teething as she wants to bite and chew everything & has been dribbling lots too and so it could possibly all be connected. I'm also worried that she could actually be lactose intolerant...but wouldn't that have caused problems before now??
Any tips or advice greatly received!

D x

Your poor little girl - not fun for her! It may well be teething - have you tried her on bread lollies - pieces of bread straight from the freezer (not pre-sliced bread as it's practically worthless, nutritionally, and if that's all they're eating you want it to be the good stuff). It gives her something to chew on that's also food.

What was in the fish pie? What sort of fish? It doesn't sound like lactose intolerance to me.

By the way, it's generally thought best not to use real names for children on here, as it is a public forum and you don't want your child to be identifiable. She is your DD!

horrible nappies and rash can be teething. Your OP didn't say she has breakfast other than milk. DS always has had weetabix with banana mashed into it from about 8m to 2.4yrs. He often doesn't eat much else substantial the rest of the day but I know he has had a good brek so don't worry too much. Maybe give it a try. As regards the fish pie - sorry no idea but I understand the reluctance to inflict it on her again! Welcome, by the way

Welcome! Not all toddlers have the same appetite. If your DD is of a healthy weight and developing really well, as you are saying, it may be just the case of her having a bad time teething. But if you are worried she might be underweight it's always best to seek some advice from your GP/HV to put your mind at rest. Try not to make too much fuss about her not eating because it might make meal times stressful for her. Have you tried mashed banana with avocado? It is a babies'/toddlers' favourite and very nutritious. Also, avocado is rich in vitamin E which is good for healing the skin.It might help with the nappy rash.

When my DD refuses to eat, I pretend to feed her favourite dolly and teddy which say how yummy the food is. My DD soon comes along and has a few spoonfuls as she gets competitive/jealous of her toys and doesn't want to miss out on anything. Why not give it a try?

Seems like there are a few different issues here: the weight/worry about eating - there are loads of really helpful threads about dealing with both those; then there's the issue of her rash/food intolerance - hopefully that is just linked to teething (both mine get nappy rash and bad poos when teething and go off their food a bit) - but if not you need to get her tested for allergies/intolerance. But try not to worry - it's normal to have periods of poor appetite/fussiness/not eating. it will pass!